Sunday Pastoral Prayer (March 1/Lent) Athens First UMC

[The greeting time in our worship services is liturgically known as “the passing of the peace.” Our Christian faith has always been a communal faith where we remind ourselves that we are brothers and sisters in Christ. The photo above is one of our Sunday worship services where we welcomed each other with the peace of Christ. Due to the flu season and the uncertainty over the coronavirus, this week for worship, we replaced hand shaking with patting our heart as we greeted one another. It will take time getting used to this new method, but think of it as giving up the sharing of germs for Lent. For the sermon which began our 8-week series on “The Twelve Disciples of Jesus,” click here.]

Lord Jesus, thank you for choosing twelve ordinary people to become your disciples. During these next several weeks, help us to learn from them so that we can be your followers, too. 

 

Give us a zeal for our faith like Simon the Zealot had. And give us an open mind to know you more deeply like Bartholomew had when he first met you. 

 

And Lord, as I think about it, those two qualities don’t seem like they can coexist; having zeal and an open mind. And so, we pray that our zeal for you doesn’t turn into tunnel vision where we falsely believe that we have the corner of the truth, but we also pray that having an open mind doesn’t lead us to having a luke-warm faith. Lord, you said that following you wouldn’t be easy.

 

Give us a zealous faith from the time that we wake up in the morning to the time that we call it a day. Help us to make every moment count. Give us an open mind where we listen to others in the way that we would like others to listen to us. 

 

Lord, my deepest prayer during this season of Lent is for each one of us to grow as your disciples in what it means to have a loving faith, a learning faith, and a living faith. We know this will mean dying to some things that will allow for new life to happen. May a greater zeal and open mind in our faith be an important part of our season of Lent journey with you and with each other.

 

In this world that is filled with so much fear, worry, and anxiety over a divisive political culture, a spreading global virus, and things we can’t control, remind us to pray the prayer you taught your disciples and now remind us to say together…

 

“Our Father, who art in heaven…”