Good and Gracious God,
Today, we celebrate!
We celebrate the Good News of the Resurrection!
We celebrate the faithful God, who is and was and will ever be!
We celebrate the abundance of blessings You have given,
not only to us individually,
but to us corporately as a community of believers at First United Methodist Church.
Our hearts are filled with contagious hope!
Our minds are overflowing with thanksgiving!
Our souls are bursting with Your abundant love!
We come today prepared to lay our offerings before Your altar,
to pledge ourselves to You and Your faithful service.
You call us, each of us, to drop our nets and follow You.
You call us, each of us, to cast our burdens upon You, and walk by faith.
You call us, each of us, to go throughout the world,
proclaiming Your name, spreading the Good News.
All are called to serve You, O Lord.
While few are called to be Your priests and pastors,
all are called to bloom wherever You plant us.
No matter where we spend our days,
no matter where we call home,
we are called to reflect Your light wherever we are.
We are called to rise up, stand firm,
and be leaders and shepherds of the flocks we oversee.
We are called to infiltrate our communities and office buildings
and positively influence those around us.
But how do we do this?
In His teachings, Jesus did not just talk about
what He could do or how He could give;
He spoke about who He IS.
He doesn’t just give bread; He IS the bread.
He doesn’t merely reflect the light; He IS the light.
He doesn’t quench our thirst with H2O;
He IS the living water for our bodies and souls.
So, when I think about impacting the world around us,
my mind turns to Your challenge
for we disciples to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world,
to live our lives counter-cultural to secular, sinful nature.
Lord, You want us to be “salt”,
to add flavor to Your world.
We cannot be bland witnesses to Your love,
only serving when it’s convenient for us.
If we lose our “saltiness”,
it cannot be regained.
Give us courage and joy in our service to You.
Help us to be people who clear
the pathways to service,
rather than those who place road-blocks and “potholes”,
where people can stumble.
Lord, we love the light.
We surround ourselves with bright and shiny things.
We mix with cheerful and happy people.
We keep our lamps lit, our fires burning, and our salt at the ready.
But, Lord, we know that there are dark and unsavory places inside us:
Places we have not allowed Your light to shine;
Activities we have not allowed Your salt to flavor;
Dark and unsavory attitudes that affect the lives of those around us;
Dark and unsavory actions and words that hurt and leave scars we cannot heal.
Forgive us, Lord.
Bring Your light and healing touch to every part of our lives:
every relationship, every activity, every word.
And as we begin to experience Your forgiveness and healing,
guide us into the dark and unsavory places around us,
to bring Your light and hope,
Your joy and peace to those who need it most.
Lord, keep us alert this coming week;
eyes open to discover Your light shining in unexpected places,
looking for ways to share the flavors of Your love with a hungry world.
Give us confidence and joy in all that we do,
for we offer our lives and our prayers
to you in the name of Jesus the Christ,
who taught us to pray by saying these loving words:
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 trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And 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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