Katherine offered the following pastoral prayer yesterday. And, Rich preached a sermon on the subject of affection...His sermon, entitled Not A Star by Our Own Making, can be heard by clicking on the link below. (Our winter sermon series on the Ten Commandments continues this Sunday at 9:00 and 10:30.) God of Creation, God of Covenant: by your spirit, you gathered our spiritual ancestors into a congregation. You granted them a vision, and the wherewithal to work toward it. They dreamed of a church marked by true community, deep Christian spirituality, and an unwavering passion for mission. They dreamed that the seeds they planted would flourish from generation to generation; that the seedling congregation would, in time, become like an oak tree, offering shelter and shade to all who seek it. They dreamed of us – and here we are, O God, your people, gathered this morning to worship and engage in the holy work set before us in our 128th annual congregational meeting. Be now our vision as you were then. Shape us into faithful disciples, living our lives to your glory. Thank you, gracious God. Thank you for the grit and grace of our forefathers and foremothers. Thank you for the remarkable gifts we have received from them – the beautiful sanctuary, the commitment to Christian education, the legacy of trustworthy leadership. Most of all, though, we thank you for the love we experience here – the love of God, the love of neighbor, the love of friends who have promised to share our joys and bear our burdens. Let us continue to be vessels of your holy and just love, giving and receiving it freely. We lift up those who suffer and grieve. We lift up a world that seems irreparably broken. We lift up irrational anxieties and looming fears. The weight of these sorrows is too heavy for us, even for us to carry together, and so we trust that you will give us strength and hope and a way forward. Jesus taught his disciples to pray for your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. This is our prayer, O God, that the peace and justice and comfort and beauty of your Kingdom would take root and grow, like a tiny mustard seed becoming a vast plant, transforming your beloved Creation. Amen.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 22:06:04 +0000
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