A United Methodist Pastor's Theological Reflections

"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory (nikos) through our Lord Jesus Christ." - I Corinthians 15:57


Monday, September 24, 2018

Sunday Pastoral Prayer (Sept. 23) Athens First UMC



[We just began a 4-week worship focus on having a “Heart-Healthy” faith through our ministries, our relationships, our hopes, and our commitments. For this 1st Sunday, one of our members, Stephanie Gyasi blessed us by sharing her testimony with us at both services. We also shared some of the responses from a recent church-wide questionnaire. We will be hearing more responses and testimonies throughout the series. To read Stephanie’s testimony as well as responses from the questionairre, click here for Sunday’s sermon, “Heart-Healthy: Our Relationships.”]

Generous, gracious, and all loving God, your many blessings surround us at every turn each day. 

From the flocks of geese flying in perfect formation into the beautiful southeast Ohio sunrise, to the three fawns walking innocently through our yards, to the warm welcome we received when entering the church, and through the reading of scripture that offers the good news of your forgiveness through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, you reveal your overflowing love to us again and again.

How can we ever just go through the motions of our faith when you offer us these and so many other blessings each and every day? How can we ever just keep our faith to ourselves when we receive so much from you?

Like our scripture reading from I Timothy, help us to always respond to your amazing grace in our lives through doing good, being rich in good works,  generous, and ready to share.

As we begin our four week church wide journey on what it means to have a heart-healthy faith, teach us what it means to be generous through our ministries, our relationships, our hopes, and through our commitments. Help us to be the generous people you call us to be.

Thank you for the many ways that you invite us to be your generous people. We are humbled to think of all the good that is being done for the people who were in the way of Hurricane Florence through our denomination’s United Methodist Committee on Relief. Thank you for helping us to do more together than we could ever do as one congregation. We truly are a people of heart-healthy ministries throughout the world.

And so, with hearts ready to do good, rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, we join together in praying the words you taught us to pray together as your one united people…

“Our Father, who art in heaven…”

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