Here’s a pastoral prayer based on Matthew 22:34-40, one of the suggested scripture readings for October 23, 2011 (Proper 25A, Ordinary 30A). It was written by Nancy Townley.
Pastoral Prayer
(based on Matthew 22:34-40)
Patient God, we find it so easy to give lip service and “check” service to the commandment to love. We can say we know of your love and that we respond in kind, but we far too often do not respond in loving ways toward others. We write checks to support ministries of compassion without ever truly feeling the deep compassion that service demands.
Dig deeper into our souls, O God. Expose the vain selfishness and the fear that seem to block true discipleship. Engage us in ministries of justice in which the kind of love that you call us to have is required, not just in our spoken word or in our offerings of monies, but in our very passionate nature. Free us and inspire us to love all persons, those whom we would deem unlovable, and those whom we find it easy to love. Help us love ourselves, respecting ourselves in gratitude for the gifts you have given to us; then move us to use these gifts in service to you.
We ask these things in the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
— written by Nancy C. Townley, and posted on the Worship Connection page of the Ministry Matters website. Visit there for other great suggestions for worship on October 23, 2011.
For more worship resources related to this text, or other texts for October 23, 2011 (the nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost), click on Proper 25A in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.
