[Our Sunday worship theme was about overcoming the fear of being generous with sharing our gifts with others. For the sermon, click here. The picture above is from one of our Athens First Saturday ministries this past weekend in which we went to different assisted living facilities to sing songs with the residents and hand out Easter eggs with bible verses. Our monthly Athens First Saturday ministry is a great example of how simple it can be to be generous with our time and bless others.]
Generous God, you constantly bless us with many incredible gifts. This past week, you splashed us with sunshine and blue skies. You spoke to us through a caring friend. You opened a new door of opportunity when another door had closed. You spoke a reassuring word to us through a bible verse we read. You warmed our hearts through an unexpected gift.
And we thank you for the many examples of how people have been generous to us; a friend who offered a listening ear when our hearts were troubled, small group members who were willing to share their faith and offer prayer for each other, a noisy bucket collection this past Sunday of over $1,000 to support the Athens County Food Pantry, church members preparing a meal for a new member lunch, additional financial donations to help pay off capital campaign expenses, a friend who was willing to say, “I’m sorry for what I said. Please forgive me.”
God of abundance, your gifts of grace abound in our lives in so many beautiful ways. Thank you for these gifts and the opportunities you give us to be a blessing to others.
In a community and world of so much need, help us to not allow fear to keep us from being the generous people you have called us to be. Remind us that it’s in giving that we receive blessings as well. May each of our hearts overflow in generosity for the sake of others. May each gift given in your name begin a ripple effect of grace that will continue to bless others in ways that we can’t even imagine. May we be more like Martha, Mary, and Lazarus who were generous in their hospitality, their resources, and their witness of their new life in you.
Generous God, relieve our fears and teach us to be generous like you are generous. Thank you for your gift of Jesus who lived, died, and rose again so that we might have life abundantly.
It is in his generous name that we pray the prayer he taught us to say together…
“Our Father, who art in heaven…”
[Picture of an Easter basket at one of the assisted living facilities where our church sang to to the residents. The basket reminds us that the good news of Easter is not far away!]
No comments:
Post a Comment