We gather in praise of a God whose faithfulness toward us is without limits. In all the uncertainties and exigencies of life, God is there to support and uphold us, and to serve as a bridge over troubled waters. However, God cannot do these things for us if we refuse or do not know how to avail ourselves of His assistance. To do that, we need to sharpen our vision for the many ways by which and by whom we are given strength. Therefore, let us, with confidence, worship God!
Pastoral Prayer
We give Thee thanks, O Lord God, for the breadth and height and depth of Thy love for us in all things. Everything we see, everything we have, everything good that exists is a gift from Thee. We marvel at Thy love and kindness toward us, and we ask Thee to help us to become more worthy of Thy constant care. Teach us is all we do to honor Thee, and always to seek to do Thy bidding. Grant us vision ever more clearly to perceive Thee in everything around us, and to live in gratitude for Thy presence.
We thank Thee, O God, for all the people who have had a positive influence on our lives through all the years. Most of us have had many friends in many communities, and the benefits of those friendships are far too numerous adequately to recollect or reconstruct. We praise Thee for the spirit within the human race, and for the means by which personalities touch and intertwine with one another. Help us to see in the faces of others Thy face, and in the faithfulness of others Thy faithfulness. Give to us a deepening appreciation of the ties that bind our hearts in Christian love.
We pray for people who are ending chapters of their lives, or beginning new chapters. We remember those who are very ill or elderly, and whose fondest wish is for death to take them to a far better life. Give them patience for their journey. We pray for people who are newly married, for those who are new parents, for those starting new employment, for everyone in positions of high responsibility who need Thy assistance as well as their own skills to perform at their best, for those who daily seek to bring health back to the ill or hope to those who frequently are in despair. Keep all of us in Thy grace, loving Father, and help us to reflect that grace to those around us. These things and all things we pray in the name of Jesus, who taught his followers to pray, saying, Our Father….