We live in a pocket of the world in which there is very little thought or emotion devoted to contemplating the end of the world. But at various times and in various places, that issue has been uppermost in the minds of many people. Today we will ponder how Jesus perceived the future of Jerusalem. Though Jerusalem was destroyed, God ultimately continues to govern the universe , and all people continue to live under His reign. Therefore let us, with confidence, worship God.
Pastoral Prayer
We give Thee thanks and praise, O God, that Thou hast moved within us to give Thee thanks and praise. We realize how empty our lives would feel if we did not sense Thy spirit to be inspiring our spirits. We thank Thee for the spiritual connection we have with one another in this congregation, and with all Christians of all congregations and denominations everywhere. We also express our gratitude for our human connection with every other person on earth, regardless of their religious or irreligious leanings. Help us to rejoice in our common humanity rather to focus too heavily on our many differences. We especially pray for that in another long election season.
As happens each year, once again we study the last events of the life of Jesus as he went through Holy Week in Jerusalem. We recall his teachings about apocalyptic concerns which he and many of his fellow Jews had in the midst of a very tense time in the political situation that confronted them. We pray for Christians today who are fearful that the world will end soon, for those who hope it will end soon, and for those who think seldom if ever about that. Ultimately we find great comfort in trusting that our times are in Thy hands, and that Thy will for all people is always for good and not for ill, for salvation and not for damnation. Help us to live confidently and comfortably with whatever time we have left, either individually or universally.
We ask Thy forgiveness for all the ways in which we have failed to live up to the best within us of which we are capable. Help us once again to try to do what we know we should do. We pray for people who are consumed by guilt, and whose lives have become tortuous to them. We pray for people who have no concept of either good or evil, and who thus make life difficult for those around them. We remember the mentally ill, the physically ill, young children in their innocent weakness, teenagers who are preparing to enter the adult world and who wonder if they truly are up to the challenge, young adults who are seeking to make their way in the world, older adults who either look forward with eager anticipation or backward with sadness and regret, and the very old who live in happy contentment or in increasing obliviousness to everything around them. Our needs are so great, but thankfully Thy grace is so much greater. Secure us in Thy love, and we ask all these things in Jesus’ name. Now we pray together as he taught his first disciples, saying, Our Father….