Offertory Prayer

Invitation to the Offering

The offering you made last week empowered ministry within our congregation and in response to the needs of our community. It also helped support the work of ministries beyond the local church that reach people who are in desperate need to hear the good news of love and redemption. People here in our cities and communities who are immigrants trying to navigate their way to working status and citizenship find help through ministries such as Justice for Our Neighbors (JFON), which is a network of monthly clinics, hosted by more than 30 local United Methodist churches across the U.S. They provide professional legal services to immigrants for free, helping to reunite their families, secure immigration status, and enjoy the right to work. It also encourages churches to extend radical hospitality by providing places for community gathering and table fellowship. Coordinated by our General Board of Global Ministries, it is supported through our church’s giving to the World Service Fund. I invite you once again to give generously as we worship God through the sharing of our gifts, tithes and offerings.


May 19, 2013 – Day of Pentecost

Almighty God who comes to us in wind and fire, may the doors of our hearts be open to let your Holy Spirit blow in and your love and grace flow out! As we offer up these gifts to you this morning, may they empower mission and ministries that spread across all your creation like wildfire. May our giving help your church to be born anew, not as bricks and mortar, but as hearts on fire to serve others and make disciples for Jesus Christ. In his holy name, we pray. Amen. (Acts 2:1-21)


GBOD continues to deliver the full text of each month's offertory prayers via email. You may also find the Offertory Prayers online at www.GBOD.org


Written by Ken Sloane, Director of Stewardship for GBOD.



Thursday, October 18, 2012

God Replies, a Reflection on Job 38:1-7

Reposting of earlier entry:
....
In the Job text, the Lord does speak, and, to emphasize the importance of the words, is speaking for the first time in the book.

"Man up. Answer these questions. Where were you when I was creating? Who gave me any help or advice about anything?"

Tangent 1: Please note that later the Lord will say "I'm angry with those three guys who kept mounting pious arguments to Job when he was suffering. Job is the one who has spoken right of me," (42:7-10). Thus, I'm asserting that God is okay with our needing to express laments.

Tangent 2: Allen & Williamson in their excellent Preaching the Old Testament quote Charles R. Balisdell's suggestion to exercise what he calls "tone of voice exegesis,"
that is, noticing that the way one inflects the text--the tone of voice--makes a significant difference in the meaning that one assigns to the text. The reader can intone the divine speeches with feelings as different as anger, arrogance, impatience, disdain, humor, or compassion.

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