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.
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