Call to Worship – July 19, 2015
Time, like Old Man River, just keeps rolling along. Today we look at King David in old age, and we contemplate ourselves as we approach old age in various stages. Do we see ourselves as going it alone, or do trust that God goes with us each step of the way? As we get older, do we feel more or less connected to God and to everyone else? Before we get too old and infirm to act, does it behoove us to decide what actions we should take? God walks beside us. Let us therefore, with the confidence of advancing years, worship God.
Pastoral Prayer
Lord God of all creation, certain events happen in our lives, and we are reminded of how truly great Thou art. A space vehicle soars past the most distant planet in our solar system, which we were told only recently is not a planet at all. Nevertheless, there on the television screen or in the newspaper we see little Pluto in all its icy but magnificent silence. Then we ponder what spins further out, only to realize that three billion miles of solar space is as nothing compared to the ever-expanding universe beyond. How marvelous are Thy works, O God, how wonderfully beyond our ability they are either to grasp or to define them! We thank Thee for the innovative human genius which makes such exploration possible, but even more so for Thee, the Creator, without whom nothing would be possible. Help us to appreciate the new horizons but also the immensity of the ultimate mysteries which exist beyond the new horizons.
We pray for the American electorate, confronted by an ever-growing plethora of politicians who seek our votes in the nomination process to become candidates for the highest office in our land. Grant to each of the candidates sufficient strength for however long their journey lasts, and grant to each of us the wisdom, discernment, forbearance, objectivity, and intellectual clarity necessary to cast an informed vote when the time comes many months from now to cast our ballots.
This week we also have become confronted by a long-sought proposed agreement between the nation of Iran and several western nations. We hear a cacophony of claims both negative and positive about what has been proposed, and no one can be certain that the ideas which have been put forth are the proper things to do. Help us, who are usually so willing to take the risks necessary to make war, to find the courage to take the risks necessary to try to ensure peace. In an uncertain world, loving God, make us certain of Thy love, which never fails. Teach us how to look to Thee and then to look to ourselves to effect the wise changes which only we can make. And as we pray for Thy guidance in the world of politics, we pray also for Thine assistance in the world of ordinary people. Be with the tired, the poor, the sick, the forgotten, the stymied, the grief-stricken, and those who feel they have lost their faith. Uphold all of us, O God of power and might. These prayers we make in the name of him whom we call the Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, whose life and teachings have guided us into Thy presence. Now we pray as Jesus taught his initial followers, saying, Our Father….