Gracious and merciful God, thank you for loving sinners like us. Thank you for loving imperfect people like us. Freely, freely, we have received, and freely, freely, may we also welcome and share your love with others. Help our church to always grow in setting a culture of open hearts, open minds, and open doors.
Freely, freely, we share your love this morning with those who are on our church’s prayer list as well as others who are on our hearts and minds. We pray that each of these persons would know of your welcoming, gracious, healing, comforting, guiding, and protecting presence in whatever situations and challenges they may be facing. We also lift up to you our nation at the recent shooting of political activist, Charlie Kirk in Utah. Lord, hear our prayers in how we might help our country to prevent such terrible acts of violence.
And today, we especially lift up to you all pastors as they seek to help their congregations to be extensions of your overflowing love in their communities. Be with our Bishop, Leonard Fairly as he shepherds the pastors and churches of our South Carolina Conference. Thank you for the privilege in knowing that we are part of a large connection of churches that are seeking to grow in what it means to be your loving and faithful people for the sake of our community and world.
We pray this in the name of Jesus who welcomes sinners like us, teaches us what it means to be welcoming toward others, and who invites us to pray this prayer that he taught us to say 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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