Tomorrow's Offering

After a two week hiatus the posting of the pastoral prayer is back. I'm not sure why ... nobody mentioned the hiatus to me. But I bring it back anyway.

Tomorrow's sermon is on the Bad Samaritans. These are the ones who lived in Sychar; the town of the famous Woman at the Well who had such an interesting interaction with Jesus. I like the sermon, but it still needs some tweaking. This week was just filled with other necessary tasks like elders meetings, newsletter articles, Wednesday night preparations, etc... . I'm also trying to rework the syllabus for my Christ and Culture class that I will begin teaching on March 11.

Here's the prayer:

Prayer of the Church for Grandview
February 24, 2008

God, we call upon you because you are the one who made us and who keeps us alive. We call upon you because you have showered us with the blessing of being, of existing. You, O God, exist from forever, but we are aware that we have a starting point. We are aware that we also live in danger of an eminent ending point. Thank you for coming to us with an offer of eternity, and that with you, our Maker. Thank you for, while we were yet sinners and scoffers, coming to earth in the flesh to make the path to you real, tangible, and apparent.

All glory and honor and praise belong to you. In this gathering we raise our voices and our hearts to you because you are worthy. In this gathering we lift our thoughts to the cross, we bury our thoughts in the grave, and we see them rise with your son.

Forgive us for avoiding people who are in desperate need of relationships that are centered on your servanthood, love, and kingdom. Forgive us for keeping to ourselves what you intended we share with your world.

Thank you for the hunger of your Son; his hunger to see us with you; his hunger to express your nature and character in a human body; his hunger to reconcile our lives with eternity through his death, burial and resurrection. Allow us to share in that hunger.

Heal our sickness. Strengthen us in our weakness. Comfort our grieving. Protect our disadvantaged. Free us from our oppression, from addictions to material things, to food, alcohol, drugs, pornography, and to the praise of others. Give a peaceful death to those whose time to die has come.

In the silence, Lord, we offer you our unspoken prayer requests. We also invite you to speak to us.

silence

Bless world leaders, O Lord, and guide their footsteps into the paths of peace. Bring an end to war and conflict in Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa, and everywhere around the world. This is too big a task for us. We need your help. Bless our families and our enemies with peace. Bring our soldiers home to their families with great joy and peace.

We pray as you have taught us: