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Devotional February 15, 2021

9 “Pray then in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
        hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
        Your will be done,
                 on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
         as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And do not bring us to the time of trial,
         but rescue us from the evil one.

-Matthew 6:9-13, NRSV

I learned the words before I could even read the words. I learned the words in the most organic way possible: by listening to the people of my church talk to God, one week after another. I liked the way those prayerful words sounded. I liked the rhythm of the “s” sounds when they recited the words “trespasses” and “trespass against us.” I listened to the lilt of those “s” sounds week after week after week. That’s how I learned how to pray the words of the Lord’s Prayer. 

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. 

I prayed those words countless times throughout my ministry. In different settings, in different churches, amongst those who prayed in different languages, I prayed:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. 

I prayed those words countless times throughout my ministry. In different settings, in different churches, aThen came the era of social distancing, the era of online worship, the era of COVID-19. Suddenly, the words sounded strange to my ear. I knew them by heart. I’d known them for years. I’d prayed those familiar words a thousand times. And yet suddenly, I found myself losing my place in the familiar words of the familiar prayer. It’s a prayer meant for community, after all; that’s why we begin with the words “Our Father.” Now, the community was scattered, and the comparative silence was strange and jarring. I could no longer hear the people of my church pray the words:mongst those who prayed in different languages, I prayed:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. 

One Sunday in November, we reopened our doors for RSVP in-person worship. For the first time in months, the voices of the faithful joined with mine. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes as together, we prayed the familiar words: 

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. 

Yesterday, for the first time in almost a year, my daughter sat beside me in Sunday morning worship. I heard her pray the words she had learned the same way I did — by overhearing the people of her church talking to God. I held my breath and listened as she stumbled over the words:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. 

For months, I didn’t realize how much I longed to hear others say the words with me.
For years, I didn’t realize how much of a privilege it was to say the words in audible community.
I promise you this, church: I’ll never take it for granted again.

And remember, friends:

Our God is bigger than coronavirus. 
Our vision is bigger than coronavirus, too. 
We are people blessing people. 
We are Wesley Church.   


Want to know more?

  • Learn about our church and its ministries: https://wesleychurch.com/
  • Make a gift to support our mission: https://wesleychurch.com/giving-2/
  • View our recent messages: https://wesleychurch.com/sermon-message-on-video/ 
  • View previous devotionals: https://wesleychurch.com/pastor-candys-devotionals-2/

Sunday June 26, 2022

Masking will remain optional at Wesley Church

In order to help you make an informed decision about your own mitigation practices, Wesley Church will share our county’s updated risk category and the CDC’s corresponding guidelines in each edition of our weekly enews.
We are currently in the “high risk” category. The CDC guidelines for the “high” category are:

   Wear a mask indoors in public

   Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines   

   Get tested if you have symptoms

   Additional precautions may be needed for people at high risk for severe illness

For more information, visit cdc.gov 

Click to learn more

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  • If you are interested in providing fresh flowers for worship, please sign up at the Connections Corner table.
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  • Do you enjoy being creative with pictures and video?  Do you like telling a story through images?  We are looking for people who enjoy making videos, who can use technology to help represent some of the music we use in worship, and possibly other parts of the worship service such as announcements, testimonies, and more.  If this interests or excites you, please see Becky Graybeal for more details and to get plugged in!

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