As we are in appointment-making season, Bishop Shelton has encouraged all of us to pray for the Cabinet, clergy, their families, and congregations. We will be sharing prayers over the next few weeks and encourage you to share them with your church.
Read the next prayer in the series written by Rev. Ernesto Barriguete.
Querido Dios (Dear God),
As new appointments are made, we ask You to prepare the hearts and minds of all involved for the journey ahead. In this season of change and new beginnings, we lift up to You the pastors for whom English is not their first language.
We pray for these courageous souls who have left the comfort of their home countries, friends, and families to serve a new flock that was initially unfamiliar to them. We acknowledge their bravery and their sacrifices to spread Your love and word beyond language and cultural boundaries.
As a conference, we pray that we may receive the gift of Pentecost—tune our ears to hear Your voice beyond the barriers of language or accents. Help us to see Your presence in every act of kindness and love demonstrated by our immigrant pastors. Grant clarity and understanding in all our relationships.
We ask for Your blessings on these pastors so that they may find joy and fulfillment in their service, knowing that their efforts are a testament to Your unending grace and compassion. Help their new communities to recognize the significant sacrifices made by these clergy—who have left everything behind and embraced a new language and culture—to love and guide them.
May we all be reminded of the universality of Your love, which transcends all barriers, and be inspired to support and embrace our pastors from different lands and tongues. Let us see in their dedication a reflection of Your sacrificial love for us, encouraging us to extend our hands and hearts in welcome and gratitude.
In Your mercy, Lord, knit us all closer together so that through our varied voices and stories, we may sing a unified chorus of praise to You. We ask all this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Image: Unsplash / Zhen H