A United Methodist Pastor's Theological Reflections

"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory (nikos) through our Lord Jesus Christ." - I Corinthians 15:57


Monday, May 4, 2020

Sunday Pastoral Prayer (May 3/Good Shepherd Sunday) Athens First UMC



[Our church has been hearing about a variety of new folks participating in our worship services since we are now online and you can watch from the comfort of your own home. Bailey, who belongs with the Lee family enjoyed being able to watch yesterday’s worship service. For yesterday’s online service which focused on Jesus as our Good Shepherd, click here.]

O Lord, thank you for this Good Shepherd Sunday in which we are reminded that you are our good shepherd.

It’s now been several weeks in staying at home, and we continue to wonder if we have everything that we need to survive. We have somehow managed to go without some things because of scarcity. And we are discovering that with you as our shepherd, we shall not want.

During this time when our living rooms have been transformed into sanctuaries, we continue to wonder when we will be able to be back in our church building. Thank you for reminding us that for now, we don’t need a church building because you have led us to other green pastures and still waters.

As we watch the news and see that the COVID19 deaths are at the one million mark, thank you for reminding us that even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, will will not fear. Netflix and neighborhood walks are helpful, but they are no match for your rod and staff in comforting us during this time.

And we might not be able to gather for our famous church potlucks or sit down at our favorite restaurant, but not to worry because you prepare a table before us and we are satisfied. You provide us with this great banquet in the presence of this invisible enemy.

We might not be able to get the best haircuts while in isolation, but you do anoint our heads with oil.
  
We can’t seem to outrun this virus and get to a point where we get back to normal, but there is hope because surely your goodness and mercy are following us all the days of our lives.

As we begin to see stores and businesses reopen slowly in these next weeks, and who knows, maybe even our church buildings, don’t let us forget what we have discovered and rediscovered during this time of quarantine. 

You truly are our shepherd, and church building or no church building, we shall dwell in the house of the Lord our whole life long.

As your sheep, we pray together the prayer that the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ taught us to say together…

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