We continued with our "All of Life" Stewardship commitment emphasis yesterday. The sermon was a little strange, but we made it through just fine (Mondays aren't the best days to review Sundays).
In a separate entry I will post some Saturday pics that include having family in town, the return of my Honda motorcycle (Thanks, Ross!!!), attempts at attending the Apple Festival, and the uncertain thrill of bleachers collapsing beneath me and my family at the band competition at Tusculum College.
For now, I want to introduce a new feature of this blog: the pastoral prayer. I know, I know, I know. The weekly prayer has been a part of this blog for a year and a half now.
I have reluctantly given the pastoral prayer back to the elders of the church (where it belongs, really). I say "reluctantly" not because I don't want to give it away, but because it has been a good discipline. The pastoral prayers at Grandview will now be written by three different people each week; one in each service. I will try to share one each week, rotating between the three services.
I have to say that when Bill Greer was leading the pastoral prayer in the 9:30 service it was a surprising joy to sit and pray without leading (excellent prayer, Bill ... but I don't have your written copy, so I'm going with Bob Hall's 11am prayer this week).
Without further adieu, from the mind and heart of Bob Hall (the younger):
5 October 2008
Father, God we adore your giving spirit. We adore your love and covet your blessings. You give us our sustenance. You give us life. You cleave us to you and we don’t want you to let go.
Still we want what we want. We want it all, everything we can get…for ourselves. Our level of selfishness, our love of self, of what’s ours…can at times be of staggering proportions. Take, take, take is often our mantra. Our hearts are hard…wedged full of all the stuff we can cram in them. When our hearts are closed we are no better than a brood of vipers looking to warm ourselves in the sun that is meant for more than just us.
Redeem us, Lord. Set our minds right. In your scriptures, you show us the folly of our egos, the folly of our greed. You show us how the unredeemable can be touched, touched by the love of the Father, the example of the Son and infected with the Holy Spirit. Give us the strength to be as holy as the tax collectors who were bowed down before the Christ, seeking salvation and asking what they could do.
We are takers at our worst (and most) and true givers at our best. But our best is so inconsistent. Help us to be our best every day. It’s what your world and YOU deserve from us. We are members of one another, members of your human race, even as diverse and strange as we may be to each other. We are your family.
We pray for our enemies, Lord, asking that you bless them. And may we be an extension of your blessings to them.
In the silence, Father, hear our prayers…of joy, of anguish, of desperation, of thanksgiving:
Bless our missionaries, those who overtly give of themselves to others, working to spread your love and your word to all peoples. Specifically, God, we ask your strength, health, wisdom, and passion on the the Coleys, the Freelands, the Headens, the Hillmans, the Nyadors, the Veals, and the McDades. Bless the organizations and individuals who support them in Your name.
And now we pray together as Jesus taught us to pray:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debt as we forgive our debtors.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
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