Natalie's Grace Notes

  Service of Worship Eastern Parkway United Methodist Church May 30, 2021 Rev. Natalie Bowerman, Pastor   Let us pray: Holy Spirit of God, invisible like the wind, we do not see you moving among us, but the effect we see— come to our hearts: that we may be renewed and reborn. Open our minds: that we may perceive your kingdom. Lift up our eyes to where the cross of Christ stands for our healing: so may we believe, and in believing not die but have eternal life; through him who in your love for us you sent into the world, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.   Isaiah 6: 1-8 Isaiah’s Commission 1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.  2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.  3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lo

  Service of Worship Eastern Parkway United Methodist Church May 23, 2021 Rev. Natalie Bowerman, Pastor   Let us pray: Come, Holy Spirit, and comfort those who grieve. Grant them the peace that only you can bring. Stir within us a trust in life beyond death, as we ponder the mysteries of Christ’s resurrection and the hope we have in new and everlasting life. Come, Holy Spirit, and bring wholeness to the sick. Strengthen those who are weak; heal the wounded and broken; give rest to the weary. Come, Holy Spirit, and inspire our warring world to seek peace, to love our enemies, to put away our weapons, to remember the price paid for our freedom, to care for those who have served. Come, Holy Spirit, and ignite a fire in our bones, a passion for justice that cannot be quenched until all of your children are loved, until no one is marginalized or oppressed, until everyone has the opportunity to thrive, until the world is transformed and renewed. Come

  Service of Worship Eastern Parkway United Methodist Church May 16, 2021 Rev. Natalie Bowerman, Pastor   Let us pray: Our gracious, eternal God, we thank you for the challenges which life brings. It also brings changes which sometimes throw us into crisis. Be with us in such times in our Christian community. Like the early disciples help us in our common life to find your guidance in our collective decisions. Help us to approach our decisions, seeking your guidance through prayer. Help us to examine our own hearts for any unseemly motives. Help us to focus on the common good and not be driven by our own selfish interests. Help us to seek consensus and never be satisfied with power plays and divisiveness. Help us all to share in our mutual ministry. Lead us forward and help us to create a community where love, acceptance, and mutuality are expressed, where joy abounds, and where results are achieved because we are all working hand in hand together. May it be said of

  Service of Worship Eastern Parkway United Methodist Church May 9, 2021 Rev. Natalie Bowerman, Pastor   Let us pray: Eternal God, in these moments of quiet we thank you for your presence in our lives. We thank you for all of the testimonies of your profound love for your children. We especially thank you this day for the holy one Jesus. We thank you for his humility. We thank you that rather than elevating himself above us he instead would lift us up and as with his disciples call us “friends.” We thank you for his many reminders that we are to love one another. But we confess that we have great difficulty following his command to love. We become upset with others and find it easier to reject them than to seek to understand and to love them. We struggle with the almost impossible command to love our enemies. We become driven to meet our own needs and become blind to the needs of others. We are driven to succeed which becomes all-consuming and trumps our command to

  Service of Worship Eastern Parkway United Methodist Church May 2, 2021 Rev. Natalie Bowerman, Pastor   Let us pray: Risen Lord, you came as a sacrifice for our sin. Give us faith to accept this act of love, so that we turn from all human efforts and drink in the atoning righteousness of your death and resurrection. Lord, in your mercy  . . . hear our prayer. Risen Lord, you are the true vine and we are the branches. By your Spirit, produce the fruit of love, joy, peace, and patience in us for others to taste and enjoy. Keep us from hanging on to love for ourselves. Prune all selfishness from us and fill us with your love. Lord, in your mercy . . .  hear our prayer. Risen Lord, have mercy on your earth and supply its needs. Where people are hungry, give food. Where people are in distress, comfort them. Where people are in trouble, bring order and peace. And turn the whole world to you in faith, repentance and praise. Lord, in your mercy . . .  hear our prayer.