Sunday Pastoral Prayer (March 8/Lent) Athens First UMC

[The picture above are some of the blocks that our church members painted for Passion Works during our Athens First Saturday gathering this weekend. In addition to this project, we also made blankets for the community, arranged and delivered flowers to local hospital patients, and led a worship service for the residents at Lindley Inn Assisted Living. For the Sunday sermon on the 2nd Sunday of our “Twelve Disciples of Jesus” Lent series, click here.]

Lord Jesus, how can you be so calm when everything around you is falling apart? Soon, you will be betrayed, denied, arrested, flogged, and crucified and yet you are at peace as you prepare for what is to come.

 

During this season of Lent, teach us what it means to trust in our gracious Heavenly Father the way that you trusted him around that Last Supper table. Teach us to be forgiving the way that you are forgiving. Teach us to be open to the Holy Spirit, the way that you were open to the leading of the Spirit in your ministry. Teach us to be calm during these anxious times.

 

Lord Jesus, just as you kept your focus on your mission and purpose, remind us of the mission you have given to each one of us; to be a church that welcomes all, to share our faith with others, to do all the good we can to all the people we can, to be more willing to listen than to speak, to support those who were in the path of the recent tornados down south, to use the gifts you have given us to bless others, and to nurture our own souls as we move onto perfection in this life. 

 

O Lord, help us to grow in what it means to be a disciple-making church. Bless our teachers, our small group facilitators, our prayer coordinators, our Leadership Board members, our hospitality volunteers, our singers, our musicians, our staff members, our Growing Tree Preschool teachers, our Monday Lunch volunteers, our altar guild and liturgical arts helpers, and all of our ministries that help people to grow in being your disciple. 

 

And Lord, help us to not be too envious of those who are away from church today enjoying Spring Break. We are happy for them. Help us to not be too envious.

 

But seriously, Lord thank you for giving us these times on the calendar like Spring Break and like the season of Lent that push us out of our normal routine so that we can look at our lives and our faith from a fresh perspective.

 

And thank you for the routine of rituals like praying the Lord’s Prayer which we now join in praying together…

 

“Our Father, who art in heaven…”