Sermon (July 28) “The Life of David: O, What Tangled Webs We Weave” by Rev. Robert McDowell

July 28, 2024

Beulah UMC & Oak Grove UMC

     Several years ago, I heard someone offer a terrific sermon that included a story that I wanted to use in one of my own sermons.  I sent a short note to him asking for his permission to use this story since it was original to him.

     This gracious preacher promptly responded to my letter and in his note, he wrote this funny line to me, “You always have permission to use any of my stories because the only thing original about me is original sin.”  I laughed as I read this.  “The only thing original about me is original sin.”

     If only we can all be as humble as this preacher and admit that we are all sinners.  Nobody’s perfect.  This is one of the very basic things that the bible teaches.

     Original sin is the doctrine that goes all the way back to the Book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible when Adam and Eve sinned and ate of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. 

     God clearly told them to not eat from that specific tree, but they did anyway.  And from that point on, every single person has been born into sin.  Sin is like this pull of gravity that seeks to keep us from having a relationship with God and to be the people we are created to be.

     You might recall the man who offered this prayer one day.  “Dear Lord, so far today I’ve been doing alright. I have not gossiped, lost my temper, been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or self indulgent.  I have not whined, complained, cursed, or eaten any chocolate. I have not charged anything to my credit card....but I will be getting out of bed soon, and I think I will really need your help!  Amen.”

     One of the spiritual disciplines that people practice is the spiritual discipline of fasting or giving up a meal.  Giving up a meal is not something I enjoy doing.  I would much rather read the bible or pray than I would to fast from a meal.

     I was telling this to another pastor who has much more experience than I do with the spiritual discipline of fasting.  I told him, “The reason I don’t like to give up a meal is because it makes me so grumpy and irritable during the day.”

     And I’ll never forget what he said back to me.  He said, “Oh, it’s not fasting that makes you grumpy and irritable.  Fasting only reveals what is already in your heart.”  Well, that wasn’t what I wanted to hear.

     Sometimes, we don’t even realize the ugliness of sin that lies within us.  But when we practice the spiritual disciplines like fasting, reading the scriptures, and prayer, God is able to reveal those parts of our lives where we need transformation.

     When people join the church, they respond to some membership questions and one of those questions is pretty heavy.  The question is, “On behalf of the whole church, I ask you: Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world and repent of your sin?”

     The church doesn’t sweep this whole sin problem under the rug or sugarcoat it.  As that preacher told me, “The only thing original about me is original sin.”

     During our summer series on the life of David, we have been learning some positive things in what it means to be faithful in following God. 

     As we’ve gone through these Old Testament stories, these stories of David have taught us to pray boldly, to be a person after God’s own heart, to allow God to comfort us during times of grief, to seek unity where there is division, to dance and rejoice in God’s goodness and grace, and to be open to receiving the gifts and blessings that God has in mind for us.

     But in our scripture reading for today, the lesson we receive from the life of David is, “Don’t make the same mistakes that I did.”  Today, we get the story of David’s adultery with Bathsheba. 

     It’s a very tragic story that reminds us of this doctrine of original sin.  Even though David was known as a man who was after God’s own heart and he was this great king of Israel, he was still vulnerable to the gravity and the pull of sin.

     When we hear this story, we tend to only focus on David’s sin of adultery with Bathsheba, but when we look carefully at this story, we find that David didn’t just break one of the Ten Commandments, he broke at least three of the ten in just this one story!  “Do Not Covet” is one.  “Do Not Commit Adultery” is the second one.  And the third commandment that David broke was the commandment, “Do not kill.”

     This story reminds us how easily one sin can lead to another and then to another.  Walter Scott wrote the famous line, “O, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.”  This pretty much sums up this sad story from the life of David.

     David’s sin is great.  He commits adultery with Bathsheba while her husband was out fighting a battle for Israel.  He tries to cover up his involvement in Bathsheba’s pregnancy by having Uriah come back from battle to be with Bathsheba.  This plan backfires because of Uriah’s vow to not be with his wife until the battle is over.

     David tries to convince Uriah again by getting him drunk, but that plan doesn’t work either.  So, David sends Uriah to the front of the battle where he would definitely end up being killed.  And this is pretty much the end of this sad story of David’s sin.  “O, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” 

     This story is included in the Bible to help us see that because of original sin, we are all prone to sin against God. Even this man who is known to be one of the greatest people in the entire bible made these terrible decisions that led to tragic consequences.

     This story of David is a story about power and how power can sometimes lead us to sin.  Early in this story, we get a hint that something is going to go wrong when II Samuel tells us in verse one that “It was in the spring of the year, the time of the year when kings go out to battle.”

     Even to this point, Israel has been at war and David’s job as King was to continue to lead the people in battle.  Instead of doing what a king should do, David sends Joab to wage war instead while he stays back in Jerusalem and takes it easy. 

     David, who had been such a great leader is now beginning to let power go to his head.  He thinks that he can handle things his own way.  He no longer has his focus on God.

     In his hymn, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” Robert Robinson penned these words, “Oh to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be! Let they goodness like a fetter bind my wandering heart to thee.  Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love; here’s my heart – O take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above.”

     Robinson wrote those words because he was known to wander from his faith because of sin.

     Like this great hymn writer and David in our scripture today, all of us are prone to wander and leave the God we love.  The pull of sin can keep us from being the people God created us to be.

     Maybe instead of just being born again, we need to be born again and again and again and again and again.  We need to be born again every day.  We need to receive God’s grace moment by moment, kind of like we need to breathe again and again and again.

     The Christian faith is not a sprint.  It’s a long journey that includes ups and downs and detours and zigzags.  But it also includes wonderful and unforgettable moments where God’s grace is present for us just when we need it the most.  All we need to do is receive it.

     You know, when new members join the church, they also respond to this question which is an important one for us to always remember, “Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?”

     We don’t have to give into sin, and we don’t have to allow the pull of sin to lead us down the wrong road.  God’s grace is always reaching out to us to help us be the people we are called to be in any given situation.

     About a year ago, a friend of mine who’s a pastor was sharing with me about a situation he was facing in his church.  One of his church members was undermining his ministry by always speaking negatively about him and his family. 

     Another member of the church agreed to serve as a mediator between them.  So late one night, the three of them met in the sanctuary to work things out.  My friend said that before that meeting, he had been praying all day long to remain calm and to take the high road no matter what this member of his congregation might say in that meeting.

     Unfortunately, the meeting did not go well at all, even with the help of a mediator.  This person made accusations about my friend that just weren’t true.  I asked him, “How did you respond to her?” 

     And he said, “I just listened the best I could and when it was my turn to speak, I calmly pointed out that what she was saying about me just wasn’t true.  But she would interrupt me and didn’t want to hear what I had to say.”

     And then he said, “The worst part of the meeting was at the end when the mediator, sensing that this other person had no interest in working things out, said, ‘Well let’s at least close in prayer together.’  But the woman refused and said, ‘Oh, I’m not going to pray with him.’”

     And the mediator making sure she heard this correctly said, “I’m sorry, did I hear you correctly? You’re refusing to even close our time in prayer?” “That’s right,” she said in a huff.  “When I do pray for him, I pray that he’ll leave the church or something bad will happen to him.” 

     The mediator’s jaw dropped in disbelief at what she just heard, especially since they were sitting in front of the sanctuary altar for this meeting.

    My friend said that he was shocked as well, but surprisingly remained calm and didn’t react.  And I asked, “How on earth did you manage that?” And he said, “Oh, believe me…It was all I could do to not reach over and…”

     I know why he didn’t reach over. Somewhere in that heated moment, God’s grace helped him to resist.

     God’s grace is what enables us to not act impulsively even when we feel that we have been treated unfairly. Just ask my friend.

     God’s grace is what enables us to turn back to God after we have wandered from the faith. Just ask the hymn writer, Robert Robinson.

     We don’t need to get caught in tangled webs of sin of our own making. It’s not worth it. Just ask David.

     And remember that in any given moment, you and I can accept the freedom and power God gives us to resist evil, injustice, sin, and oppression.

     Thanks be to God!

Sunday (July 28) Pastoral Prayer

July 28, 2024

Beulah UMC & Oak Grove UMC

God of mercy and grace, like the hymn writer, Robert Robinson expresses in our prayer hymn this morning, we confess how prone we are to wander in being the people you have called us to be.

 

Tune our hearts to sing thy grace. Tune our hearts to become more and more like you. Tune our hearts to not react impulsively in any given situation but to react with the confident and calm assurance that you are in control. Tune our hearts to see others as you see them, as your blessed, beloved, and beautiful children of God. Tune our hearts every single day because as you know, we are prone to wander from You.

 

Thank you for this weekly time of prayer where you invite us to tune our hearts and lift up to you those who are in need of your healing, your comforting, your guiding, and your forgiving love. Today, we especially pray for anyone who is burdened down with the consequences of their sin and the heaviness of past regrets. May your goodness like a fetter bind our wandering hearts to thee.

 

And lead us to share the good news of your goodness with those around us. May each of our lives be reflections of your streams of mercy that are never ceasing so that all may know of your redeeming love.

 

Take our hearts, our hearts that are sometimes broken, our hearts that are sometimes grieving, our hearts that are sometimes stained by sin, and our hearts that are sometimes feeling empty, take our hearts even in theses moment and seal them for thy courts above.

 

We pray this in the name of Jesus who is more than able to forgive, to redeem, and to transform us, and who taught us to pray together…

 

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Sermon (July 21) “The Life of David: Trading Places” by Rev. Robert McDowell

July 21, 2024

Beulah UMC & Oak Grove UMC

     Like many of you, I sometimes struggle with what to buy for people when it’s their birthday or for Christmas. There’s a feeling of accomplishment when you think of that perfect gift to give to somebody.  

     But isn’t it disheartening when you forget to buy someone a Christmas gift?  Or if somebody buys you a gift and they give it to you like a couple of days before Christmas and then you’re left with a dilemma.  “Would it be tacky if I buy this person a gift?  Obviously, they’re going to know that any gift I give to them is only because they bought me a gift.” And we wonder what we’re going to do in that situation.

     Gift giving isn’t always easy.

     Someone in my family used to always get me something religious for my birthday and at Christmas.  And there’s certainly nothing wrong with religious things.

     And yet, how many praying hands book ends does a pastor need?  Or how many bible verse wall plaques are one too many?  

     And then we have the problem of buying for someone who seems to have everything.  These are the people who tell you, “Oh, you don’t need to get me anything.”  

     They think they’re being modest and polite, but it really just makes it that much more difficult for you as the gift buyer.  It would be so much easier if that person would just say something like, “You know, I could use another set of praying hands.”

     What do you get for someone who seems to have everything?

     And what can you and I possibly give to God?  Have you ever thought of that?  What appropriate gift can we give since God is the creator of everything there is? 

     About 1,000 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, King David had a tremendous desire to give God a gift.  He was living during a period of Israel’s history where things have really settled down and the nation of Israel was at peace with her enemies.

     David was aware of God’s goodness and love.  And he wanted to express his gratitude to God for all of these blessings.  And one day, he thought to himself, “What would be a nice gift for God?  What does God need?”

    As he looked around at his beautiful house of cedar, the thought came to him that the Lord should have a nice house like this.  And so, David consulted the prophet Nathan that he wanted to build the Lord a Temple.

     Nathan likes the thought of this, and tells King David, “That’s a wonderful idea.  I suggest you begin working on getting that gift idea right away.”  But there ends up being one important snag in this whole new home for God idea.  The Lord tells David and Nathan, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

     Why would the Lord turn down such a nice gift?  If you know the rest of the story, it ended up being David’s son, Solomon who built the Lord a Temple.  But why didn’t the Lord want it to be David?

     Our scripture reading from II Samuel tells us why.  It was because the Lord still had another very important gift to give to David.

    Instead of a house for the Lord, the Lord wanted to give David a house, not a house of cedar which he already had, but a house or a kingdom that would last forever.  How’s that for trading places?  The gift giver, David, becomes the gift receiver!  

     And this gift of an everlasting kingdom was not only to bless David and his family, but was also a gift for the whole world, because it would be through Jesus Christ, a descendent of David that God’s kingdom would be established forever, a kingdom of God’s love, grace, and righteousness. 

     David’s desire to build the Lord a Temple was well meaning and from the heart.  But it didn’t come close to the gift that the Lord wanted to give David.  It can be a struggle to think of what gifts we might give to God, the God of all creation.

     Many of us put an offering in every Sunday morning.  Does God want our financial gifts?

     Or maybe we attend worship and serve in a ministry through our church.  Wouldn’t these be considered our gifts to God?  Does God want us to offer our time and our physical presence as gifts?

     Well yes, but…

     I heard a Christian once say, “You know, my wife and I give what we believe is a generous amount of money to the church each year.” 

     And then he went on to say, “But when I stop to think of who God is and how Jesus Christ has changed my life, it makes my donation to the church look so puny in comparison.”  

     I think this person is on to something.  Our gifts to God and the church are meant to be expressions of our gratitude for all that God has done.  Our gifts to God and the church are never meant to earn God’s favor or to pay back what God has done for us.  We can never do that.

     When we put our offering in the plate, I often feel like the man who, in a hurry to go to the church picnic, quickly grabbed a bologna sandwich and ran out the door.  Each family was asked to bring their own food to eat.  The man with the bologna sandwich sat next to a family who had this incredible spread of fried chicken, potato salad, and apple pie.

     And here, this man sat with this meager bologna sandwich all by himself.  The family, noticing this man sitting by himself graciously said, “Hey would it be ok if you share your sandwich with us and we’ll share our food with you?”  This man came with a plain old bologna sandwich and ended up receiving so much more.

     On a beautiful fall day, just about the time when the leaves were finally beginning to turn colors, I went for a run on the bike path.  It was a memorable autumn day with blue skies and sun rays shining through the leaves of the trees.

     It was just one of those moments that I’m sure you have experienced as well, where you just say to yourself, “God is so unbelievably present in this moment.”  And as I was running, I couldn’t help but to think of how God is so gracious to us.

     What gift could I give to God in that moment as I was taking in God’s beautiful creation?  I smiled as I thought about the absurdity of trying to write a personal check to the church as I was running, even though it’s what I felt like doing in that moment to show my appreciation to God.

     After I was done humoring myself with this crazy idea, a more serious thought came to me.

    There was really only one thing that I could realistically do as I ran through that splendid display of God’s beauty.  My offering to God in that moment was to simply whisper some psalms of praise to this wonderful God who blesses us again and again and overwhelms us with his grace.

    It’s times like these that a quote from Christian author, Philip Yancey comes to mind. He said how very sad it would be if we would receive a blessing but would have no one to thank for that blessing. 

     Like when you see a beautiful sunset and have no one to thank. Or hear the good news that somebody you know is recovering from an illness and there’s no one to thank. Or that you received a gift out of the blue that you needed at just the right time but had no one to thank. 

     It would be sad to not be able to express our gratitude to someone. When we are invited to offer a gift to God and the church, that’s our opportunity to say thanks to God for all of the blessings that we have received. 

     This is why we sing “The Doxology.” 

     “Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise him all creatures here below. Praise him above ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.”

     The wonderful thing about being people of faith is that we have someone to thank, the One from whom all blessings flow!

     Like David, we offer to build God a great big house.  We bring our offerings and the best that we have, even if it’s only a plain old bologna sandwich.

     We bring it all to God.  And God gives us so much more. Thinking that we were the gift givers, we end up being the gift receivers. 

     And so, what do we learn from the life of David? We learn that when we think we have something special to give to God, God always has something even more special to give to us. We learn to trade places with the giver of all good gifts.

     And we are reminded that no matter how large we think our gifts may be, we can never out-give God. All we can really do is offer what gifts we have and simply say, “thanks.”

Sunday (July 21) Pastoral Prayer

July 21, 2024

Beulah UMC & Oak Grove UMC

O God, just as our opening hymn this morning asks you what gift we can bring, the prayer hymn which we just sung together answers that question. The best gifts we can give to you in any given moment is our praise and thanks.

 

Our praise and thanks when taking a walk through Falls Park along the Reedy River in Greenville, listening to the ocean waves along Folly Beach, enjoying a perfectly ripe tomato from a local produce stand, watching the purple martins flying back to Lake Murray during a beautiful sunset.

 

Thank you for these day-to-day holy moments that remind us to offer to you our praise and thanks. Like these Sunday mornings in church where you always seem to find a way to draw us closer to you and with each other.

 

And as we lift up to you those who are on our prayer list as well as those prayer needs that are on our hearts and minds this day, we give you praise and thanks for your healing, guiding, protecting and loving presence. Before we even have a chance to say, “Amen,” at the end of this prayer, you are already reaching out to those in need of your comforting and reassuring love.

 

Like David who wanted to build you a house, we are humbled when you tell us that you are building a house for us, a house not built with hands, but an eternal house, a house in which Jesus told us that there are many rooms. Thank you for providing room for each one of us where there is more than enough love, more than enough peace, and more than enough grace.

 

 O, God of the Sparrow and God of the Whale, what gift can we possibly bring to you this day for all that you have done for us? We give to you our praise and thanks. We pray this in the name of Jesus, the Son of David who taught us to pray together saying…

 

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Sermon (July 14) “The Life of David: Dance, David, Dance!” by Rev. Robert McDowell

July 14, 2024

Beulah UMC & Oak Grove UMC

    I have really been enjoying our focus this summer on the life of David.  David, who is this larger-than-life Old Testament figure has so much to teach us. After just five weeks of our summer study of his life, we have already learned a lot about this great person of faith.

     The life of David has helped us to explore what it means to pray boldly, to not allow outward appearances get in the way of serving God, to know that there is no giant in our lives that is too big for God and us to handle, that when we experience a loss we can grieve with hope, and to do whatever we can to seek unity among God’s people.

     So, what does David have to teach us today?  Are you ready for this?  David teaches us that it’s ok to dance.  So, consider me your dance instructor this morning!

     But first, let me quickly set the scene of this time in David’s life and then we’ll see how important it is to learn how to dance in our faith.

     Last Sunday, we learned how David had become king over all of Israel which included the northern tribes as well as the southern tribes.  And to help these two geographical areas of Israel begin to feel a sense of unity and common purpose as the people of God, David strategically made the city of Jerusalem the new capitol.  

     It was a neutral place that allowed both the southern and the northern tribes to claim as their capitol city together.  And because of David’s heroic efforts to take over the city, Jerusalem became known as the city of David.

     In our scripture passage today from II Samuel, David decides to do something else to help all of Israel know that they are one people and that they are God’s people.  He brings the ark of God, which is a symbol of God’s presence, to now stay in this new capitol city of Jerusalem. 

     The ark of God is what the Israelites carried with them during their wilderness journey to the Promised Land.  In the Book of Exodus, this ark of God is described for us.  It was four feet long, two and a half feet high, and the box that surrounded it was made out of acacia wood.

     This ark meant everything to the people of Israel.  It was a symbol of who they were.  Whenever they went to battle, they took this ark with them to defeat their enemy.  And since Israel was always on the move and battling the people around them, the ark was on the move as well. Up to this point, the ark had no true home.

     And so, to help symbolize the new unity of God’s people, David has decided to retrieve the ark from where it was last located and bring it with great fanfare into the new capitol city of Jerusalem.  This was a bold move on David’s part because something like this had never before happened. 

     To add to the drama, as the ark was being carried to Jerusalem, it began to shake, and one of the men did a no-no.  By instinct, he tried to steady the ark by touching it and because of this, he died, right there on the spot.  

     This just goes to show how holy and set apart the ark was for the people of God.  You didn’t treat it casually.  It was a matter of life and death.  So, the fact that David had decided to move the ark to a new and permanent location was a very bold thing for him to do, but one that he believed would help the people to serve God as one people.

     You might think that all of this was done in a very solemn and subdued way, but it was really the opposite.  And this is what is so surprising to me about this story of the ark making its way to Jerusalem.  What we have is loud and joyous music with lots of lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.  This was a celebration.

     And to top it off, we have David leading the way and they’re all dancing!  David and the people were dancing!

     Several years ago, I remember taking the dogs for a walk in our neighborhood.  It was a neighborhood that had a lot of families with children. During the walk, I began to hear someone singing and it was getting louder and louder.

    As I turned to head down a different street, there, standing in front of this house was a shy seven-year-old girl holding a toy microphone and singing out as if she was performing at an outdoor concert.  She was wearing a pretty dress and was showing off some well choreographed dance moves.

     Now, I had often waved to this little girl and to her parents during walks in that neighborhood, and this little girl would always look away because she was so shy.  On this particular day, she was singing and dancing to her heart’s content.  That is until she spotted me coming around the corner.

     She didn’t expect to see anybody on that quiet afternoon in the neighborhood.  I caught her by surprise.  In a matter of just a few seconds, she went from singing in front of hundreds of adoring fans at a make-believe outdoor concert, to being that shy seven-year-old who I would often see outside playing with her mom and dad.

     As soon as she saw me, she ducked behind one of the bushes that was in front of her house.  In an instant, this rock star phenom had become a hidden statue, frozen in time.  I could tell she was embarrassed.  

     As I passed by, I told her, “You have a great voice!”  Surprised that I had spotted her, she smiled back.  I often wonder if she resumed her concert.  I hope she is still singing and dancing today.

     I feel so bad for Penny that she ended up marrying a non-dancer.  But that’s the way it goes.  If I could have two wishes come true in my life it would be to be able to dunk a basketball and to be a really, really good dancer.

     You’ve all seen that guy on the dance floor at a wedding reception, right?  That guy who has all those awesome dance moves and looks really cool.  I want to be that guy!

     What keeps us from being like David where we feel free enough to dance and sing?  The great writer, H.L. Mencken once said that “a Puritan was someone who feared that somewhere, someone was having a good time.”  

     The reason that David let loose as the ark of God was being brought into Jerusalem was because he was celebrating the new thing that God was about to do in the midst of the people.  God was coming to dwell in this new capitol city. God was coming to unite a divided people.  God was coming to be the true king of all of Israel.  David was celebrating the new way that God was present in their midst.

     Some years ago, I attended a community ministerial meeting.  The host pastor led the morning devotions.  And I’ll never forget what he said.  He invited us to remember that time in our lives when we first knew just how much God loves us.  And then he shared his experience.

     He said, “I’ll never forget it.  I experienced a peace in my life like I never felt before.  I knew that my sins were forgiven and that I wasn’t alone.”  And then he looked at me and all the pastors around the table and he encouraged us to never forget.  “Don’t ever forget,” he said.        

     Always remember that time when you first realized just how much God loves you.  Don’t let the demands of ministry and life ever get in the way of remembering what God has done for you and continues to do in your life.   Jesus loves you.  Never forget. That’s why we can be filled with joy.

     I don’t exactly recall what specific thing I was going through when he shared that thought with me that day, but I needed to hear that message that morning.  I left that meeting rejoicing because this pastor had helped me to remember who I was in Jesus Christ.  I didn’t dance like David, but I had a spring in my step the rest of that day.

     Friends, I’m going to do the same for you today.  I want you to remember when you first realized just how much God loves you.  Do you remember?  Never forget!  

     Don’t ever let the demands and challenges of life get in the way of remembering when you first experienced God’s unconditional love.  And when you remember, it’s ok if you want to celebrate your relationship with God in a fun way.  Rejoice in how much you are loved by God.

     Back in the day, we were known as the “Shouting Methodists.”  That’s hard to believe, isn’t it? Shouting Methodists!

     Back in 1807, here’s what one new Methodist convert said about the shouting Methodists.  “At length I went amongst them, to hear them groan and shout.  I thought they were distracted, such fools I’d never seen.  They’d stomp and clap and tremble, and wail and cry and scream.”

     We are fools, aren’t we?  To dance, to shout, and to express our joy in such inappropriate ways, like David who danced all the way into the city of Jerusalem.

     Thank you, David, for reminding us that God is present with us in a new way this day and in this moment!  Thank you, David for teaching us to dance.

Sunday (July 14) Pastoral Prayer & Special Worship Prayer (Trump Rally Shooting)

July 14, 2024

Beulah UMC & Oak Grove UMC

Trump Rally Shooting Prayer for Peace:

God of us all, just as you turned a violent Good Friday into a Day of Resurrection, turn our “thoughts and prayers” into acts of peace and justice. Turn our divisive rhetoric into works of righteousness. Turn our hearts of hate into hearts of love. Turn our fears and suspicions into hope and trust. Turn our “we vs. they” into “united we stand.” Turn our long and sad history of political violence into a future in which we can do better and be better. Lord, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us. Amen. 🙏💔

Pastoral Prayer & Lord’s Prayer:

Gracious God, first of all, we need to apologize to you because we so often forget just how much you love us. We come to church. Sing the hymns. Hear the preacher go on and on. But sometimes, it doesn’t really sink into the depths of our souls just how much you love us and how much you love this great big world of yours.

 

Talk about taking you for granted! We so often do, but that’s not really our intention. It’s just that we get in our routines, and we forget to celebrate your gift of salvation, your gift of overflowing love to us as demonstrated through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 

Remind us to sing when the Spirit says sing. Remind us to pray when the Spirit says pray. Remind us to just take a moment, like in this moment to silently thank you for loving us unconditionally and for saving sinners like us. [PAUSE]

 

Alleluia! Praise God! Glory to your name! You are the King of Kings and the Lord of lords! You are our Lord and Savior! Glory, Hallelujah!

As your joy-filled, forgiven, saved, and moving onto perfection people of faith, we offer our prayers for the many people who are on our hearts and minds this day; those on our church’s prayer list, those we have shared with each other during this time of prayer, those who are in need of physical, emotional, or spiritual healing, and especially people in Texas who are without power during this severe heat wave. We pray for presidential candidate Donald Trump following the shooting at his rally last night in Pennsylvania. We pray for his continued protection and healing and we pray for the ongoing investigation so that justice will prevail. O Lord, have mercy upon us.

 

And we also lift up to you Bishop Leonard Fairley our new Bishop who will begin serving our South Carolina Annual Conference this September. May your Holy Spirit empower and equip him as well as our current Bishop, Jonathan Holston during this time of transition. And now, in these next moments of silence, we pause to reflect on our many blessings and your boundless mercy and love. [PAUSE]

O God, back in the day we were known as shouting Methodists. So, lead us this week to shout out to the people around us the good news of our faith! Christ has died! Christ is risen! Christ will come again!

 

As your loved, forgiven, blessed, and joy-filled people of faith, we now pray the prayer you taught us to say… 

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.