Loving
God, we each have made our way here this morning … seeking community and looking to
join together to worship you. Thank
you for this opportunity to set aside the busy-ness of our lives and focus on
your word and your call to live a life set apart from the ways of the world. Our time in worship is a deep breathe of
peace.
Take
from us, Lord, those things that get in the way of our relationship with you—our
pride and self-certainty, our doubt and our fear. We become blind to your wondrous presence and the work that
you are doing in our midst. Remove
those things that keep us from you... Lord, hear our
prayer....
Strong
and present God, we seek your wisdom and long to understand the confusing world
that surrounds us. We know that you are
love, and that we are called to love our neighbor, but often it seems
impossible to love when we are confronted with hatred and violence .
We pray
for the families, the co-workers and the people who witnessed the murders of
Allison Parker and Adam Ward on television last Wednesday. Our hearts ache for the victims of the gun
violence that seems to have a grip on our country. Guide us God, help us find ways to settle
disagreements and work together to stop the mass shootings that too frequently.
Today,
We remember the fourteen year old boy from Chicago who travelled to Mississippi
60 years ago and was murdered for whistling at a white woman. Be with those who gathered this weekend in
Chicago to commemorate the tragic anniversary of Emmett Till's death.
52
years ago, Dr. King shared with the multitude of people gathered at the Lincoln
Memorial , a speech that remains written on the souls of our nation. Dr. King shared his dreams … "I have a
dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they
will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their
character. I have a dream today!"
Merciful and just God, you have walked with those like
Dr. King who have worked to move us forward.
We have seen the hearts change and people grow in acceptance. But we also know we still have a long way to go. Comfort the victims of racial hatred and
violence. Ignite a fire within us, lead
us forward to the day when truly all people are loved and judged only on the
content of their character.
Ten
years ago this weekend, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, and
destroyed the lives of thousands of people.
Our hearts were heavy with the news of the devastation, but even more so
when we learned of the lack of assistance for the victims of the storm. We lift up to you today, our brothers and
sisters in faith, Charles and Thirawer Duplessis and the good people of Mt Nebo
Bible Baptist Church. We grieve that they
lost so much, but we celebrate the spirit of hope that remains as they still
are working towards rebuilding their church.
As a
congregation we lift up to you those that we have named, and the people and
concerns that lie on our hearts. Lord,
hear our prayers …
We pray
all these things in the name of Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior, our
brother and our friend …
as we speak together the
prayer he taught …
No comments:
Post a Comment