Good morning, Church! Happy Sunday! (AND HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, Christopher!)
It’s good to be back with you this morning. Last Sunday, I was in Haiti, preaching on the very verses that Dr. Bell has chosen for our memory verse this week: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Before I left Haiti, all of the children said, “Tell the Church in Louisiana, we LOVE THEM!” There is something special about having a group of children hold your hands and pray for you and your church. Indeed, let us love one another as Christ has loved us.
You’ve heard me say often before the pastoral prayer, “Let us quiet our hearts and go to the Lord in prayer.” That’s a Quaker saying! Imagine that! It’s the process of breathing out all distraction, and breathing in the Spirit of God to rest upon your heart. Now, I have a lot of energy. Sometimes it’s a little hard for me to focus and quiet my heart, even while I’m sitting in a worship service! One of the practices my Quaker mentor taught me was to take the words from Psalm 46 and recite them over and over, each time taking away one word. I’d like for us to do that now, as we prepare to lift up our joys and concerns to God…
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know that.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.
God of love,
God of benevolence,
God of grace,
God of mercy,
God of persistency,
We look to You, not only as our great example,
but also as our constant companion.
When we cannot see beyond the mundane,
when our future looks bleak,
and in those moments when we find ourselves paralyzed
by situations that are life depleting,
You remind us of Your preferred future for our lives
– a future filled with hope, abundant life and love.
When we feel lonely,
when our human interactions produce pain,
and when we find ourselves at our most unlovable,
You remind us that we are Your children,
and the recipients of Your unconditional love and abiding presence.
As Your beloved, we yearn to be a loving people
– a people who are known for the two most important things –
our love of God and our love of neighbor.
As such, this morning, we seek to come alongside
those we know to be in need.
This day, we lift in prayer those on our congregation’s prayer list,
especially those in the hospital:
· John Liles
· Ernie Dunham
And those recovering at home:
· James Potter
· Janie Beck
May the healing mercies of our Great Physician overwhelm our friends.
We also grieve with those who grieve,
especially those in our family who have recently experienced loss, including:
· Cindy Fortson in the death of her brother, Jere Kendrick
· Tami White in the death of her mother, Betty Vickers
· Nina Parault in the death of her brother, Walt Oliver
· Ryan Palmer in the death of his father, Tommy Palmer
· The family of Joanne McGriff Eck
· Vickie Mashburn in the death of her mother, Rosario Gomez Valdez
And we continue to remember those who are far away from their families
and serving our country overseas, especially:
· Trinity Edwards
· Carson Huckaby
· Jamie Irvin
· Kyle McCotter
· Brian Smith
O, Lord, each of those we have named are
people You love and people we love.
Bless these members of our faith family with
Your abiding presence and loving compassion.
As we look to You, Holy God, we remember our priorities.
We remember the image of Christ,
who called us to love one another,
even our enemies, with a love that transforms.
Because You are love,
we must be love also.
We hear the endless call to love as Christ loved,
to serve as Christ served,
to grow more fully and deeply into the image of the One,
who perfectly lived and loved,
so that all may live fully.
We seek to learn from Christ’s example
and to live with purpose in this complicated world.
Remind us to grow into our calling –
to live lives that exemplify You, O Lord,
through our worship and our care for our neighbors.
We yearn to be the flock of the faithful shepherd,
and we commit to do as He commands,
for His commands are not burdensome, but joyful.
Loving God, we pray all these things in the name of the One,
who gave all in love for us, and laid down His life for us, His friends,
Jesus the Christ, who taught us to pray as one by saying these 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.
OFFERTORY PRAYER
Friends, God has given us the gift of generous love.
May we respond to God’s generous love,
by loving one another as God has loved us.
Let us do so now by committing our tithes,
which go to support so many local and global missions,
and by committing our lives, to love by serving.
As always, you are welcome to leave your offering
in one of the baskets by the door,
by giving online, or by mailing your offering to the church.
Let us pray:
Loving God,
you have given us the task
to love one another.
May the gifts we offer
bring love and life to others.
May the love we share
bring hope to a world.
May the words of our mouths
and the meditations of our hearts,
and the offering of our lives
be pleasing to You, O Lord.
Amen.
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