Memorial Day 2019 Prayer

Yesterday, I was happy to share the invocation prayer as well as the benediction for the Centerville Memorial Day Service. Our guest speaker was Captain Matt Hebert, who commands the Naval Medical Research Unit at Wright Patterson Air Force Base here in our community. Music was provided by the  Centerville community band and community choir, as well as a bagpiper who played Amazing Grace. Local Scouts led us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Here's the invocation prayer I offered:

Gracious God and Father, we cherish the freedoms we enjoy in America. For more than 240 years, these freedoms have been, in large part, secured and established by the ultimate sacrifice paid by members of our armed forces: the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. Today, we gather to remember and give thanks for these honored dead. But we also ask that You would empower us to honor them on more than Mondays in May. Grant that, with gratitude to the fallen, our entire lives will be lived as  grateful citizens who cherish, not only our freedoms, but also the example of service and sacrifice we honor today. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen

We also prayed for a member of the Honor Guard who fainted early in the program. Because the Honor Guard was composed of not only veterans, but first responders, the gentleman received quick medical attention.

Among the notable guests present was a 101-year-old veteran of the Army Air Force. Another World War II veteran made a point of introducing himself to me after the program, saying, "I'm a Lutheran too." He seemed proud that a representative of the Lutheran community was taking part in this commemoration of the fallen.

Last year's speaker, another World War II veteran and a retired Wright State University philosophy professor, sat behind me. A member of our congregation was a volunteer for the event and several of our members were there to honor, commemorate, and pray.

I always enjoy this event.

[I'm the pastor of Living Water Lutheran Church in Centerville, Ohio.]

Memorial Day Prayer

This prayer was shared today as the invocation for Centerville, Ohio's annual Memorial Day Ceremony.

Lord of the nations, we gather today to remember and to honor the military personnel of the United States who have given their lives to protect this nation from all enemies of our freedom, foreign and domestic.  

We thank You that by their sacrifice, they have preserved and entrusted to us a constitutional democracy which has, for nearly two-and-a-half centuries, been the envy and aspirational model of people all over the world.  

We pray that we would honor their memories with more than just our words, songs, prayers, and salutes today, honoring them every day by being committed, informed citizens and caring neighbors. May our lives memorialize our honored dead through a steadfast commitment to being the nation that seeks “liberty and justice for all.”  

In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

[I'm the pastor of Living Water Lutheran Church in Centerville, Ohio.]

Memorial Day Prayers, Blessings, and Charges

Today's Centerville Memorial Day Service was a meaningful remembrance of those American service members who gave their lives for our country.

Colonel Bradley McDonald, Installation and 88th Air Base Wing Commander at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, challenged us all to remember, revere, and respond to the sacrifices made by members of the armed forces.

Mayor Brooks Compton also spoke movingly about the significance of the day.

Local high school students sang, read a self-written essay, and presented the moving The America We Love, written by former President Barack Obama.

The Centerville Community Band played Goin' Home, as well as Beautiful Savior and the National Anthem.

Local boy and girl scouts led us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Greg Martin piped Amazing Grace and Tom Voss played Taps.

I shared the Invocation and the Benediction for today's gathering. Both are presented below.

We gather in the name of God the Father, God the Son, Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit. Amen 

Father, we come together today to remember those Americans who have given their lives in the cause of freedom. We thank You for their sacrifice and we pray that we, the living, will be worthy of the great cost that they have expended for us. As they were diligent in doing their duty for America, help us to do our duty: to understand the founding principles of this unique and special land--freedom ensured by mutual accountability--and to keep them in mind when we speak and vote and form our opinions; to be informed as citizens; to be good neighbors who understand that, while we may sometimes disagree, we and our fellow citizens all love America. As we remember and celebrate the sacrifices of the fallen, fill us with new resolve to be Americans: committed to our neighbor’s freedom, fighting for others’ well-being as the fallen have done for us, seeking to extend the blessings of the great American constitutional experiment to all of our citizens, and maintaining this unique and blessed land for future generations. Help us in these ways to honor those we remember today. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

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It was the height of the Vietnam War and I was in high school. Several of my classmates would go on to fight in that war. An admiral came to speak at an assembly. It was a time when people were saying, "My country, right or wrong." But the admiral said that he didn't subscribe to that view. Instead, he believed, "My country: When right to keep it right, when wrong to make it right." In honor of those who have fallen, we can do no less than to seek, with God's help, to take a similar approach. 

And now, the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace. Amen

[Blogger Mark Daniels is pastor of Living Water Lutheran Church in Centerville, Ohio.]

Prayer

This was the invocation prayer for the City of Centerville Mayor's Faith Leaders Appreciation Breakfast on March 22:

Gracious God, we thank you for the gift of relationship with you. We thank you for the privilege of living in this community and working, together and individually, for the good of the people who live here. Thank you for the leaders of our city government, who respect the role of the faith community in the life of Centerville Ohio. We thank you for all city employees who keep our streets safe, respond in times of need, and ensure out safety, freedom, and opportunities for healthy living, We thank you too, for all who have prepared this meal. We thank you that you have given us the food that has been prepared. Above all we thank you, in this season of Lent, for the gift of Christ who gives us an eternity of hope for life with you and eternal freedom. In Jesus name. Amen

[Blogger Mark Daniels is pastor of Living Water Lutheran Church in Centerville, Ohio.]

This weekend, at my niece's wedding, the "cake"...

...will be composed of doughnuts from the third best doughnut shop in the US, Bill's Donuts of Centerville, Ohio. (While I won't be able to eat them--blasted Celiac Disease, I will be able to smell them.)

Prayer for the Centerville Business Community

[This prayer was offered at the start of today's Mayor's Business Appreciation Breakfast sponsored by the city of Centerville, Ohio, held at The Golf Club at Yankee Trace. There are more than 700 businesses that call Centerville home.]

Mighty God and King, thank You for the people in this room who have used the brains, the ability, the drive to be one’s best, and the willingness to innovate and to try that You have given to them as they have established businesses, created opportunities, and improved the life of this community. Bless them with insight and wisdom and the faith to follow where You lead them and their businesses. We thank You for the food we’re about to eat and we thank You for the people who prepared it all. Use this food and our time together this morning to strengthen us to serve You and our neighbors with dedication and heart. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

A Prayer for a Local Government

On Monday night, I offered the following invocation for the opening of the Centerville, Ohio city council meeting. It was a privilege to do so.

Father,
This is a night of new beginnings. For Mayor Brooks Compton and two members of this council, Mark Engert and Bil Serr, it marks the beginning of serving in new capacities.

It also brings closer a new beginning for Debbie James, as she prepares to retire from her service to the city of Centerville and start a new life in Indianapolis. We pray that You will guide her through the transitions before her.

On the mayor and all the members of the city council, new and incumbent, we pray blessings of wisdom, patience, the willingness to learn and to listen, and an openness to the paths you mark out for them.

We pray that through their decisions and their work, the people of Centerville will be well served, You will be glorified, and they will find the fulfillment found in jobs well done. We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

In the New Testament book of 1 Timothy, written by the apostle Paul, we read:

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior...(1 Timothy 2:1-3)

The very first and most important piece of political activism in which all Christians are to engage is to pray for those in authority, whatever their party. If they can bring a "peaceful and quiet" environment, it creates the opportunity that Christians most seek: the opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ and to make disciples.