[The picture above is Hallie Bowie, daughter of Lorraine Myers, a church member who recently moved to the northeast Ohio area. Hallie and Lorraine were in town this weekend and worshipped with us. Several years ago, Hallie had a big role in helping us to get our current large cross above the altar. This cross helps to remind us of God’s sacrificial love for us made known through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Since Hallie was in worship with us, it seemed appropriate to get a picture of her near the cross in our newly remodeled sanctuary. For the sermon from this past Sunday, click here.]
Living Word, thank you for your presence made known to us through the words of scripture. Thank you for words that comfort us, encourage us, challenge us, motivate us, convict us, bless us, and that even confound us at times.
Living Word, thank you for scripture readers, preachers, Sunday School teachers, bible study leaders, confirmation mentors, bible podcasts, seminary professors, and so many other people who have been entrusted with the holy calling of reading and expounding on your Holy Word.
Living Word, thank you for speaking a word to us just when we need it the most – like at the beginning of the day to calm our anxious thoughts, at the end of the day when we need closure for all we left undone, at the doctor’s office when we are awaiting test results, when we are facing a big decision, when we are beginning to doubt ourselves. Living Word, help us to have a Learning Faith.
Your Living Word is what prompts us to pray for the needs of our community and world. And so we pray for this local community; for our schools and university, for places of worship, and for organizations like Good Works, Habitat for Humanity, and the Athens Food Bank as they provide resources and support for people in need.
And we pray for the our global community; for our nation so torn over political ideologies, for the people of Sebring, Florida impacted by the recent shooting at their local bank; for refugees in search of safety.
Living Word, you also call us to pray for the church and it’s leaders and so we lift up to you our Bishop and our District Superintendent. We especially pray for the Foothills District Leadership Training Day that we will be hosting two weeks from now. We pray that the speakers at this event will help to equip our churches to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of our community and world.
We pray all of this in the name of our Living Word, Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together…
“Our Father, who art in heaven…”
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