Time passes, events occur, we all make decisions. Where is God in this entire uncertain process? We gather in praise of a God whom we are convinced can bring good out of anything that happens: a personal decision gone terribly astray, wars or national or international conflicts in which the outcomes are very much in doubt, a political crisis through which most or all political leaders serve their constituents very badly but from which good nonetheless can somehow emerge. Therefore let us, with confidence, worship the God of providential hope.
Pastoral Prayer
Loving God, Thou hast created the universe, the world, everything in it, and all people to reflect Thy purposes for all creation for all time. We confess before Thee that far too often we have been far too concerned with ourselves as a particular species, and especially with ourselves as individuals within that species. Help us to become more responsible members of the human race, more responsible citizens of our particular country, and more responsible women and men who seek to be Thine agents in Thy world. Enlarge our vision, broaden our concerns, and enable us globally to think in a more effective manner and to act locally for the benefit of everyone around us as well ourselves.
We pray for people who cannot or will not pray for themselves: for little children who face enormous obstacles, and whose path to the future is controlled solely by adults, some of whom seldom if ever contemplate the welfare of children; for youth whose minds are not yet fully formed who have already made poor choices which may obstruct a good future for them; for adults of all ages who never believed in Thee or Thy providential goodness and who are confronted by great difficulties which they cannot overcome by themselves; for the gravely ill or the severely old who have lost touch with all reality, including the reality of Thine unceasing love. Uphold these and all Thy children in all their complicated and complicating needs.
We pray for ourselves in whatever cares or concerns are uppermost in our minds at the moment. Be with those who would never voice their deepest concerns to anyone, even to Thee. Grant relief to those who for an extended period have been facing pain or illness or declining vitality. Our needs are great, O God, but Thy grace is greater still. Therefore we ask for an awareness of Thy presence in the midst of our lives. These and all our prayers we make in the name of Jesus, whom we believe to be Thy Christ, and who taught his followers to pray together, saying, Our Father….