Monday, July 8, 2024

Sunday (July 7) Pastoral Prayer


July 7, 2024
Beulah UMC & Oak Grove UMC

Unifying God, thank you for today’s focus on David and how he helped to unify your people at a very critical time during Israel’s history. And thank you for the unsung heroes at that time who were willing to seek unity over their own political and nationalistic agendas.

 

Open our hearts to focus more on the importance of unity rather than on all that would seek to divide us. Make us one as you are one and remind us that even though we do not think alike, we are always called to love alike.

 

Together, we pray for the people who are part of our church family that they would know of your healing, guiding, restoring, and loving presence… We pray for those who suffer and those who are in trouble…We pray for the concerns of this local community… We pray for this nation and all of our elected officials… We pray for the world, its peoples, and its leaders… And we pray for churches throughout the world, for their ministry leaders, their members, and their mission in sharing the good news of our faith that Christ has died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again.

 

We offer all of our prayers to you, knowing that your embrace is wider than what we can ever think or imagine. You love is deeper than any ocean. And your love is greater than what our minds can ever fathom. Only you, O God can bring unity out of all of our diversity.

 

Even the prayer that Jesus taught us to say reminds us of our unity because you invite us to say, “our Father” and not simply “my Father.” And now together, as your unified body of Christ, we now say this prayer 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.

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