Prayer for our nation during tumultuous times

Dear God,

We pray for the unity of our nation. Heal the wounds of division and discord. Foster in us a spirit of reconciliation and mutual respect so that we may come together in our shared humanity to seek the well-being of all your children.

Lord, in these times of uncertainty, help us to remember that our ultimate allegiance is to your Kin-dom. Fill our hearts with love, compassion and a relentless commitment to justice. Empower us to be peacemakers, bridge builders and advocates for truth.

In Your infinite wisdom, guide our nation’s leaders. May they govern with righteousness and compassion. Grant them the courage to seek the common good over partisan interests, and the discernment to make decisions that foster peace and justice for all. May they be compassionate toward the vulnerable and the marginalized, working tirelessly to ensure that every voice is heard and valued.

Lord, as we enter this election season, we lift our nation to you. We pray for every citizen, every candidate and every public servant. We ask for your protection over our democratic processes and institutions. May they reflect integrity, transparency and fairness, honoring the dignity and worth of every individual created in your image.

As we navigate through these tumultuous times, we are reminded of the sacred duty you have entrusted to us — to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with you, our God. May we strive to be your justice seekers and peacemakers in our church sanctuaries and civic duties. 

In the name of Jesus Christ, who is our peace and our hope, we pray. Amen.

Rev. Bronwen Boswell
Acting Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Looking into the lectionary - June 9, 2024 worship resources

June 9, 2024 Third Sunday after Pentecost  Mark 3:20-35 For nearly four months, lectionary preachers have had heaping helpings of the Gospel of John. Now with Lent and Easter, Pentecost and Trinity Sundays past, we have returned to ordinary time, and, beginning last week, we have returned to a steady diet of readings from the Gospel of Mark. The contrast between John and Mark is notable. The recent lessons from John set before us the confident and wise Jesus, certain of his purpose and profound in his teaching. He is calm, capable and in control. Through sustained discourses and long prayers that are unique to John, we have also glimpsed the mystery of Jesus’s intimate relationship with the Father and the continuation of Jesus’ ministry through the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. The divine nature of Jesus is on full display in the Gospel of John in all of its depth and complexity and wonder. Mark presents Jesus differently. In contrast to John’s cool and composed Jesus, the Jesus in this week’s passage from Mark is volatile and, to some, erratic. The scene in this week’s passage follows a fast-paced opening sequence in Mark where in the space of just a couple of chapters, Jesus performs an impressive list of healings and exorcisms, generating astonishment and amazement from an ever-growing crowd. “We have never seen anything like this” (Mark 2:12) typifies the response to Jesus in the early part of Mark. In addition to the great crowds, Jesus also draws the ire of the religious authorities who already seek to “destroy him” (3:6). The dividing lines are quickly drawn. Accordingly, emotions are high and the situation is tense as our passage begins. A multitude gathers again around the charismatic Jesus, even while others decide he has gone too far. Is he too popular, too powerful, too “outside the box?” Have too many outsiders been included, too many sinners welcomed, too many norms violated? There is something about this Jesus that attracts and repels. Great numbers crowd around him; but others, even his own family, conclude he needs to be restrained. “He has gone out of his mind” some say (3:21), which is perhaps really a way of saying that he has gone beyond our minds. He has surpassed what we might expect or imagine. The boundlessness, the inclusiveness, the unwillingness to be limited by regulation or convention, the unrestrained mercy and grace – all of it is beyond what we can grasp – and well beyond our control. He doesn’t conform to polite society, and he seemingly has little interest in decency and order. What kind of Presbyterian is he? ... Read the rest of the commentary on the website. Thank you to this week's writer John Wurster. Order of worship for June 9, 2024. These liturgies are free to use. Ordination exams: “The time for review is now.” by Rob Lowry Living letters (June 9, 2024) by Amanda Shanks What if ministry isn’t about what we think it’s about? by Sharon Core Want the worship resources for June 2, 2024? You can find them here. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... Kendrick vs. Drake and the parallels with Christian integrity The current beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake causes Chris Burton to reflect the spiritual practice of rebuking.  The grace in innovation "The practical necessity of innovation in our increasingly post-Christian country is an opportunity, perhaps even a movement of grace," writes Chris Dela Cruz. Background checks are essential for kids’ ministry. No one knows how many churches do them. Many denominations have passed new policies and procedures to make their churches safer for kids — few check to see if churches follow them. — Bob Smietana Unification Commission introduces its culture consultant Kelly Beeland has worked with organizations small and large, including the Transportation Security Administration and NASA. — Mike Ferguson Your summer reading guide — bonus content Outlook Social Media Producer Jesy Littlejohn and Book Review Editor Amy Pagliarella offer a deeper look into the minds that curate our reading lists. Plus: all the books you should read this summer. Discussion guide for the May 2024 issue In each issue of the Outlook, we include a discussion guide to further reflect on the issue. We recommend using this guide in your Bible study, small group or book club. It's our invitation into a faithful conversation. Join Faith and Money Network on a Trip of Perspective to Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi. On the Deep South Investors Tour, we will deepen our understanding of racial inequity and learn how we can participate in solutions that build wealth for Black Americans. #Ad A Prayer for Memorial Day "Lord God, until there is war no more and you wipe every tear from every eye, we will remember." — Jill Duffield

The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service - Sunday, May 26, 2024

Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community: The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service ...: During most of the Summer, the congregation of Sligo Presbyterian Church will explore the Apostle Paul's Letter to the Galatians and con...

Sunday's Message - The Book of Galatians: Set Free. Live Free (One Gospel - Galatians 1:1-10)

Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community: Sunday's Message - The Book of Galatians: Set Free...: During most of the Summer, the congregation of Sligo Presbyterian Church will explore the Apostle Paul's Letter to the Galatians and con...

Prayers for Our Community, Our Nation and Our World

We can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Between Monday, June 3 and Sunday, June 9, we'll lay before God the needs listed below.

• Monday, June 3, 2024 - That loving families would be valued and protected by all authorities in this nation.
• Tuesday, June 4, 2024 - That people reflect the love and mercy of God in their daily lives.
• Wednesday, June 5, 2024 - That the Body of Christ claims a renewed sense of unity.
• Thursday, June 6, 2024 - That people take seriously God's call to be good stewards of creation.
• Friday, June 7, 2024 - That fathers and mothers in every American household would exercise godliness.
• Saturday, June 8, 2024 - That American students would have a passion for God.
• Sunday, June 9, 2024 - That nations work to secure and enhance international peace.

Looking into the lectionary - Pastoring in a secular age

June 2, 2024 Second Sunday after Pentecost  Deuteronomy 5:12-15, Mark 2:23–3:6 In a recent peer-learning session with other young-ish Presbyterian pastors, I heard a colleague present about his church’s creative communal practice of sabbath: once a month they have worship on Saturday night so that everyone can take the whole day off on Sunday. As part of the workshop, he asked us to share our own sabbath practices with the group. I eagerly quoted Rabbi Abraham Heschel’s precept for sabbath activity: “If you work with your hands, sabbath with your mind. If you work with your mind, sabbath with your hands.” “That’s why I love folding laundry on my day off,” I continued. My colleague smiled kindly at me and said, “It’s amazing what we can convince ourselves is not work, isn’t it?” What constitutes permissible sabbath work? That is the point of conflict in these paired controversial stories in Mark. First, Jesus’ disciples pick grain on the Sabbath, the religious rest day. The Pharisees object, and Jesus responds that if David’s men could break the law by eating consecrated bread when they were hungry, then his disciples could bend the rules about harvesting on the Sabbath to satisfy their needs. This puts the Pharisees on high alert. So when Jesus enters the synagogue on the Sabbath, they watch to see if he will heal a man with a withered hand, if he will work on a day when religion instructs him to rest. Jesus does, and again the Pharisees take issue, their anger increasing. Jesus reasons that he is saving the man’s life, and work that saves a life is permitted on the Sabbath. Mark does not record the Pharisees’ counterargument, but I can imagine they thought that since the man’s injury was not life-threatening, healing him could wait until the work week. It’s easy for us to read the hard-hearted Pharisees as the villains in this story, and Jesus, Son of Man, Lord of the Sabbath, as the hero.  ... Read the rest of the commentary on the website. Thank you to this week's writer Ellen Williams Hensle. Order of worship for June 2, 2024. These liturgies are free to use. A hymn-prayer in response to student protests by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette Enduring through faith: Paul’s suffering and Corrie ten Boom’s legacy (June 2, 2024) by Ellen Williams Hensle Pastoring in a secular age: Confessions of a recovering deist by Andy Kadzban Want the worship resources for May 26, 2024? You can find them here. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... PC(USA)’s engagement with Israel/Palestine at the 226th General Assembly Business before 226th General Assembly seeks to further denomination’s commitment to peace in Israel/Palestine. — Eric Ledermann Union Theological Seminary votes to divest from companies profiting from Gaza war Union, a private, ecumenical school that serves as Columbia University’s faculty of theology but maintains a separate endowment, is the first U.S. institute of higher education known to divest from the war in Gaza. — Fiona Murphy #GA226 environmental and climate justice committee preview Fossil fuel divestment, single-use plastics, lithium mining to be considered at this summer’s national meeting. — Gregg Brekke Controversial antisemitism bills are passing, and not only in the US House A North Carolina bill known as the Shalom Act is similar to the Antisemitism Awareness Act that passed the U.S. House of Representatives recently. — Yonat Shimron 2025-26 unifying budget proposal clears its last hurdle on the way to the 226th General Assembly Unification Commission gives the proposal its unanimous blessing. The commission will present the unifying budget to the GA next month. Meet Marian McClure Taylor and Danny Morales: #GA226 co-moderator candidates Get to know two of the candidates standing for co-moderator, Marian McClure Taylor and Danny Morales, in an Outlook-exclusive video. Podcast review: “New Way” An extension of the 1001 New Worshiping Communities initiative, Sara Hayden's New Way podcast, is an honest conversation between pastors and church leaders exploring a new way of doing ministry. Join Faith and Money Network on a Trip of Perspective to Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi. On the Deep South Investors Tour, we will deepen our understanding of racial inequity and learn how we can participate in solutions that build wealth for Black Americans. #Ad A Prayer for Memorial Day "Lord God, until there is war no more and you wipe every tear from every eye, we will remember." — Jill Duffield

WCC News: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity celebrated in southern hemisphere

The world’s largest prayer gathering—the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity—is being celebrated in the southern hemisphere from 19-26 May, drawing together churches across the globe under the theme "You shall love the Lord your God ... and your neighbour as yourself" (Luke 10:27). Photos: WCC 22 May 2024 The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an international Christian ecumenical observance kept annually on 18-25 January in the northern hemisphere and around Pentecost in the southern hemisphere. Each year, ecumenical partners in a different region are asked to prepare the materials. The materials for the 2024 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity were prepared by an ecumenical team from Burkina Faso facilitated by the local Chemin Neuf Community. Brothers and sisters from the Catholic Archdiocese of Ouagadougou, Protestant churches, ecumenical bodies, and the Chemin Neuf Community in Burkina Faso collaborated in drafting the prayers and reflections, and experienced their work together as a real path of ecumenical conversion. WCC offers inspiring resources, from liturgical materials to colorful social media cards. The resources include an ecumenical opening prayer service, biblical reflections and prayers for eight days, and other elements of worship. The materials for 2024 are available in English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Arabic. Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Resources for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2024 See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland