A Prayer for the Annual Meeting

(If you are looking for Sunday's sermon, it's in the post below this one. )

In our Old Testament reading today (1 Samuel 3:1-10), God calls the child Samuel to be a prophet.   Samuel doesn’t recognize that it’s God calling.  He needs Eli to help him understand who is calling and how to answer the call. 

Often it’s the same for us.  We don’t know that voice we hear is God’s voice.  We don’t know how to answer.  Sometimes we put limits on how we think God can call us and what parts of our lives God’s call applies to.

In our Psalm today (Psalm 139: 1-17), we learned that God knows every bit of us, has known every bit of us from the very beginning.  There is nothing about us that is hidden from God – no parts of our lives are off limits.  There is no where we can go that God won’t find us. 

We move now from worship to consider the business of our congregation.  And it’s easy to compartmentalize here as well – to forget that what we do in the next half hour or so is also part of the call God has placed on our lives.  While we may think that approving the budget and electing officers is “just business,” God sees this as part of our holy calling – efforts to order our life together and allocate our resources in a way that honors and serves God and furthers God’s kingdom on earth.

So, as we start our meeting this morning, we go to God in prayer, asking that we may hear God’s call and willing respond, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”

Almighty God, your Holy Spirit equips the church with a rich variety of gifts.  Grant that we may use them to bear witness to Christ in lives that are built on faith and love.  Make us ready to live the gospel and eager to do your will, so that we may share with all your church in the joys of eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.  Amen. (This prayer taken from Evangelical Lutheran Worship hymnal)