Sunday Pastoral Prayer (Dec. 1/Advent) Athens First UMC

[The photo above is our sanctuary Christmas tree with three gifts already under the tree. These gifts represent world-wide mobility carts for people in developing countries who are unable to walk, the 2020 Athens First UMC Honduras summer mission trip scholarships, and the West Ohio Conference Light the Way” campaign to revitalize existing churches and start new churches. This month’s Advent/Christmas special offering will support these three mission focuses. Checks can be made payable to “Athens First UMC” with “Christmas Missions Offering” on the memo. We are receiving this offering throughout the month of December. This is a great way to live out our 1st Sunday of Advent theme which is to put on love, be the light, and keep our focus on the coming of Jesus into the world. Click here for the sermon.]

Loving God, as we begin this new church season in which we prepare for your coming into the world, help us to hear your alarm to be loving. Remind us during this busy time of year to be a little more patient, a little more forgiving, and a lot less focused on ourselves.

 

O God, help us to owe nobody anything but love.

 

God of light, as we begin this new church season in which we prepare for your coming into the world, help us to hear your alarm to shine your light. Remind us during this busy time of year to take time each day to reflect on those areas of our lives that are in need of transformation, those areas of our lives where we have not been thoughtful in our decision and actions. 

 

O God, help us to put on the armor of light.

 

And Lord Jesus, as we begin this new church season in which we prepare for your coming into the world, help us to hear your alarm and invite you to live at the very center of our lives. Remind us during this busy time of year to not only prepare for the celebration of your birth, but to also anticipate that time when you will come again and renew all of creation. 

 

Lord Jesus, help us to to keep our focus on you.

 

Thank you for these alarms that lead us to be the people you have called us to be. Wake us up so that we don’t miss out when the heavenly chorus sings, “Joy to the world, the Lord has come.” 

 

And O God, may our church wake up to your alarm during this holy season. May our church be a blessing to all who attend the memorial service for Dave Liggitt this afternoon. May we be a blessing to all who attend the Christmas concerts that we will be hosting next weekend. May we be a blessing to all who attend our Sunday worship services. And may we be a blessing to all who attend our Christmas Eve candlelight services.

 

O God, help our church to love, to be your light, and to keep our focus on Jesus. In anticipation of his coming, we pray together, “Our Father…”