Pastoral Prayer (April 22/Music Sunday) Athens First UMC

[Our Call to Worship on Music Sunday began with Psalm 100, “Make a joyful noise to the Lord!” Our several music ministry teams helped us to do just that during our 10:30 worship service yesterday. A big thank you to our Chancel Choir, Bell Choir, & Worship U Praise Band for offering their gift of music to the glory of God. On top of all of the wonderful music, we also recognized 7 graduates. See photo below. For discussion questions related to our Colossians scripture reading which focuses on the importance of music as it relates to our faith, click here.]

[Our graduates being recognized.]

O God, you have blessed our church with the beautiful gift of music. Thank you for singers and musicians who help us to honor and glorify you through our worship services.

Thank you for the many concerts that are held here through the School of Music and for the awesome St. Nicholas Christmas cantata that our church performed this past December. What a joy to see so many people in the community come and hear inspiring music here in our church.

We pray for the Anointed Gospel choir who will be here for a concert next week and for our choir who will be singing the following Sunday night for a special district event. O God, thank you for the gift of music in this place.

Gracious God, you have given us the gift of music to help us celebrate the many blessings in our lives like good health, family, friends, graduation, a new home, a new job opportunity, answered prayers, and most importantly the good news of our Easter faith.

You have also given us the gift of music to help us express our deepest longings to you and those things which weigh our hearts down. And so we pray for those who are in need of your healing, for those who are lonely, those who are without work, those who are in need of direction, and those who are going through a difficult and challenging time in their lives.  O God, you give us music for these times as well. 

And so whatever the song you have for us in this moment, help us to hear the melody so that we can be in rhythm with you. We pray this in the name of Christ who taught us to pray together,

“Our Father, who art in heaven…”

Pastoral Prayer (April 15) Athens First UMC

[Yesterday was our Growing Tree Preschool Sunday during the 10:30 service. Our Growing Tree children, parents, and families were our special guests. Our church also took time to thank our preschool teachers. From left to right: Laura Calentine, Angela Strycker, Kathy Mangen, & Cathy Bigger. We had a special recognition of our current director, Cathy Bigger who will retire from her director position after this school year. Kathy Mangen will become the new director this fall. We are grateful for everyone who helps to make Growing Tree preschool a special place of learning and nurture! Click here to find more information about Growing Tree.]

Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, thank you that you love us so much that you call us your children. On this Growing Tree Sunday, help us all to have a child-like faith.

A faith that feels free to ask you any question like...

Why are rainbows so beautiful? Did Jesus have long hair? Why are sermons so long? Are pets allowed in heaven? 

O God, help us to be like children who aren’t afraid to ask questions about you and our faith. Help us to learn together and to remind each other that we are all your children. 

We especially thank you on this Sunday for all of our Growing Tree children, their families, our Growing Tree teachers, and everyone who helps to make our Growing Tree preschool a special place of learning. You want all of us to be like growing trees where we never stop learning and discovering the world around us.

And dear God, since we have done our share of complaining about the weather in recent weeks, we just want you to know how incredibly grateful we are for the several days of sunshine and warmer temperatures this past week. 

You bless us in so many ways; family, friends, parents, grandparents, food, fellowship, fun puppet skits, and times like this when we get to say a prayer to you at the same time. And especially this prayer you taught us to say together as one family,

“Our Father, who art in heaven…”

Pastoral Prayer (April 1/Easter Sunday) Athens First UMC

[Our church was blessed to have Rev. Kirstin Shrom-Rhoads, a former member serve as our 10:30 worship leader. Kirstin plans to be ordained as a Deacon in the West Ohio Conference in June of 2019. She is currently a United Methodist camp director in Maryland and was in Athens visiting friends over the Easter weekend. Pictured above is Kirstin with her family. Click here for the Easter sermon.]

Rise up, Jesus! Rise up! We’re out of your way! 

Risen Lord, nothing was able to keep you from rising to new life on that Easter Sunday! Not even death itself could keep you in the grave. And so, on this Easter day, we boldly touch your living robe.

Your living robe is what makes us an Easter people. Your living robe is what reminds us that death is never the last word. Your living robe is what empowers us to live life fully. Your living robe is what gives us hope when we are feeling discouraged. Your living robe is what makes our hearts sing with such joy. Your living robe is what sends us forth to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of our community and world. Your living robe is what leads us to have a loving faith, a learning faith, and a living faith.

As your resurrection people, we pray for those who are longing to touch your many different robes this day. We pray for those who need to see your shining presence in their lives and who are longing for a more shining faith. We pray for those who are in need of your healing presence. We pray for those who are feeling separated from others and in need of your uniting love. We pray for those who have a heart to bless others and want to offer honor you with their gifts. We pray for those who are experiencing grief and loss and are in need of your redeeming grace. 

And Lord, on this glorious day of resurrection, we pray for those who are feeling defeated and are in need of a living faith.

Rise up, Lord Jesus! Rise up! We’re out of your way!

It is in the name of the risen Jesus, that we offer the prayer that he taught us to say together as his resurrection people…

“Our Father, who art in heaven…”

Pastoral Prayer (Maundy Thursday)

[The picture above is from yesterday’s Maundy Thursday service at New Marshfield UMC, just outside of Athens. Union UMC joined them for this special service. We also celebrated Holy Communion. These are the two churches that our Office Manager, Jenaye Hill is serving as she begins her local pastor licensing process. Pastor Robert has been asked to preside over the Sacrament of Holy Communion at these churches until Jenaye gets her license. Our scripture focus was about Jesus being a servant and washing the disciples’ feet. The people took the message to heart. After worship, they all came out in the rain to try to push Pastor Robert’s car out of the mud! See photo below.]

O God, sometimes it’s not the hymns or the sermon that help us to sort out what is deepest in our hearts and minds. Sometimes it’s simply the silence that helps us answer the question, “How is it with your soul?” 

For some of us, our souls may be feeling excited because we know that Easter awaits this long week of sorrow and sadness. For others of us, it’s hard to see beyond the thorns, the nails, the betrayal, and the denial. Life has been hard on us and it’s difficult to see any light at the end of the tunnel. Some of us may not be feeling anything because we have heard these events so many times that we wonder if they can speak to us in new and fresh ways.

Loving God, however we come to this service tonight, we are grateful that you accept us for where we are in our faith journeys. You want us to question, to explore, to reflect, and to wrestle with who you are calling us to be because of these Holy Week events. Thank you for your unconditional love for us especially when we misunderstand you, when we fail you, when we doubt you, and even when we deny and betray you.

Nothing says I love you like the Son of God stooping down to wash dirty feet. Nothing says I love you like the Prince of Peace sweating drops of blood while praying in a garden. Nothing says I love you like the King of kings dying on a cross for the sins of the world. Nothing says I love you like a group of people gathered around a table to humbly receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

And nothing says I love you like when the church prays for those who are hungry, homeless, discouraged, and lost. Nothing says I love you like when the church opens it doors to all people. Nothing says I love you like when the church offers their gifts to bring transformation to our community and world. 

O Savior of the world, on this holy night, we your people, seek to follow your example to serve others, and to pray the prayer that you taught your disciples to pray and now teach us to pray together saying…

“Our Father, who art in heaven…

[Tip of the Day: Don’t park in the grass during a flood warning.]

Pastoral Prayer (March 25/Palm Sunday) @ Athens First UMC

[One of our youth turned his palm branch into a beautiful interwoven tapestry during yesterday’s worship service. As we enter into Holy Week, we are reminded of how God was able to take all of the events of this week like the arrest, the mocking, and the crucifixion of Jesus and turn it into a beautiful resurrection victory. As we await the celebration of Easter, click here for the Palm Sunday cantata narration and reflection questions.]

Giving and gracious God, thank you for the cantata we just heard that tells the story of how Jesus gave his all for us, even death on a cross. But we know that there is one more song to be sung from this cantata.

It’s the last anthem that we have saved for next Sunday. It’s a song about the living robe of Jesus. The robe that reminds us that death doesn’t have the last word.

Even as we wait for our great Easter celebration next Sunday, help us to soak in all that you did for us as you met with your disciples in the Upper Room, when you suffered and died on a cross, and then when you were placed in a tomb. Help us to survey your wondrous cross on which the prince of glory died.

Lead us to think about what it means to continue to touch Jesus’ shining robe, his healing robe, his serving robe, his uniting robe, his honoring robe, his redeeming robe, and most importantly, his living robe. Thank you for this season of Lent journey to help us be the people you have called us to be.

Lord, on this Palm Sunday, we lift our palm branches to worship you and to pray on behalf of our community and world. We lift up to you our church family especially those who are in special need of you this day. We lift up to you our Bishop and District Superintendent that you would bless them in the work they do on our behalf. We lift up to our neighboring churches and especially the Presbyterian Church as they host our community Good Friday service this week. 

And Lord, we silently lift up to you those who are on our hearts and minds this morning. Hear our prayers…

And now teach us to pray the words that Christ taught his disciples and now teaches us to pray together saying…

“Our Father, who art in heaven…

Pastoral Prayer (March 18) Athens First UMC

[The Greek Orthodox icon of the Risen Christ raising up Adam and Eve was mentioned in this week’s sermon  “Come, Touch the Burial Robe of Jesus.” It’s a powerful image of how Christ’s death and resurrection offers us new life and hope. This Sunday (March 25), our choir will sing the cantata, “Come, Touch the Robe of Jesus” at one combined 10:30 am service. We will be able to ponder each of the robes of Jesus that we have been focusing on during this season of Lent.]

Redeeming God, only you could turn the shameful, torturous, ancient instrument of execution into a symbol of hope, salvation, and new life. Only you could do that and you did!

And so, we tremble because we are in awe of your redeeming work. We tremble because you did for us what we were unable to do for ourselves. We tremble because the agony you endured on the cross was no match for the magnitude of your grace. We tremble because as the Easter hymn says, “Love’s redeeming work is done.”

O God, we worship you this day because we hold on to the hope that your redeeming work continues to bring transformation to our broken and hurting world. We are in need of your all sufficient redeeming grace to help us overcome racism, gun violence, human trafficking, nuclear threats, drug abuse, domestic violence, world hunger, and anything else that brings harm to this world that you created and called good.  

But we also worship you this day because we hold on to the hope that your redeeming world is offered to each and every one of us in a very personal way. You extend us forgiveness especially when we find it hard to forgive ourselves. You offer us salvation especially when we think that we can save ourselves. You provide guidance especially when we don’t know which way to turn. You comfort us especially when we mourn and are confronted with the reality and sting of death. 

Yes, O God, we tremble because thanks to the cross, love’s redeeming work is done and continues to be active in our world and in our lives. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

And it is in his redeeming name that we pray together saying…

“Our Father, who art in heaven…”