None of us comes to worship each Sunday with exactly the same outlook or hopes or expectations as we felt on any previous Sunday. Worship is always a unique experience in and of itself. In it, God speaks to us, and we speak to God. In this divine-human dialogue, faith is deepened and trust is enlarged. Waiting to hear the voice of Him who leads us here, let us therefore with confidence worship God.
Pastoral Prayer
We give Thee thanks and praise, O God, for the miracle of life, and for the abiding truth that though each of us might not have been, by Thy grace and goodness we are; we exist; we live; in the best of times we thrive. Help us to reflect gratitude each day for the existence Thou alone hast given to us, and to show our thanks by seeking to do Thy will in Thy world. We thank Thee for all the opportunities we have to deepen and improve not only our own lives but also the lives of others around us. Grant us a growing awareness of how we are connected to one another, especially because we are connected to Thee.
We praise Thee for all the people who have given unique and continuing meaning to our lives: parents, grandparents, sisters and brothers, other family members, spouses, friends, teachers, personal and business associates, authors, statesmen, poets, musicians, actors, philosophers, theologians, and many others whose influence on us is both incalculable and undeniable. We acknowledge that none of us is an isolated self; we all are a composite of countless other people who have been woven into the fabric of our being. Enable us to utilize the best that everyone has offered to us, so that we may also offer our best to Thee.
We pray for all people who are bearing particularly heavy burdens at this time: those who pray to Thee and those who do not, those who trust in Thine assistance and those who do not, those who are aware of their need of Thee and those who are not. Once again we remember those who have been personally affected by warfare anywhere in the world, those who have encountered serious and debilitating illness, and those who are facing death, whether or not they are aware of it. Lord God, the list of misfortunes which can befall us is great, but Thine ability to lead us through those misfortunes is much greater still. Give us an informed and hopeful faith for the journey, and a confident trust in the ultimate destination to which Thou art leading us. All these things we pray in the name of Jesus, who by his love and his example has drawn us into Thy kingdom. Now we pray together as he taught his followers, saying, Our Father….