The Church of Jesus Christ is one of God’s primary means of making Himself known throughout the world. It is not His only means, and no denomination or branch of Christianity represents the entire Church, nor is the Church God’s only means of reaching all His people dwelling on the earth. We are a congregation representing many denominations through our lifetimes, and to the God of all the denominations and churches we now turn in praise and thanks. Let us worship God.
Pastoral Prayer
Loving God and Creator of us all, we come to this place as individuals to worship Thee. When we arrive, the many are made one by the mathematics of Thy universal Church. We praise Thee for Thy benevolence in uniting us as one people, even though we represent many different faith traditions from years past. And we thank Thee that we discover a unity with one another both because of and despite our theological and ecclesiastical differences. Help us to see in one another the means whereby all of us are escorted into Thy presence and the presence of Jesus Christ our Lord.
We thank Thee for the many reminders we have of Thy kindness toward us: for our homes and those who live with us or near us; for this unique community in which we live, and for all the people who make it so special; for our nation, and for all it has represented in both the past and present; for the gift of life itself, and for the ability Thou hast given to us to perceive Thee in every aspect of life. Teach us how to see Thy glory and power in a single green leaf, a millipede slowly wending its way across our path, a friend who shows up when we find ourselves down, a cobalt blue sky, a massive storm cloud, a book, a poem, an incomplete but captivating thought. Enable our limited eyes to see unlimited things all around us, thereby seeing Thee in the vision.
As always we pray for people in unusually great need: for the continuing or the newly ill, who struggle with uncertain diagnoses and treatments; for the newly frightened, whose lives have been disrupted by circumstances in their lives they have never face before and who are severely buffeted by concern over what lies ahead; for the morally upright who are confronted by various kinds of immorality all around them; for lawyers and judges who attempt to follow the rule of law in a world which seems frequently to disregard law and the security it is intended to produce. We need Thee every hour; stay Thou near by. Give us faith and strength for the journey, and keep us ever in Thy loving grip. All our prayers we make in Jesus’ name. Now we join together as Jesus taught his first disciples, saying, Our Father….