Oakhurst Baptist Church

One of our pastors, Melanie Vaughn-Colwell, urged us to consider the collective “you” in her sermon on Pentecost.

To join our worship via Zoom or to receive full Worship Service recordings, please email [email protected].

A Prayer for the End of the School Year, offered by Marie Dunning.

A prayer for America by Ashley Robinson, one of our pastors.

God, your glory is alive all around us—I see your glory in every glimmer of hope that’s left in the eyes of immigrant parents who want a place to put down roots. Your glory sparkles in the lives of every q***r beloved—every ounce of their laughter, their tears, and their unapologetic joy shines with your presence. I see your glory in this land--this land that does not belong to us. Your glory echoes in the tress that still sing the songs of the Muscogee (Creek) people. Your glory ripples through the rivers, swollen with the sweat and the tears of the enslaved, as a torrent that begs us to keep moving, keep flowing toward justice. Your glory dances right over borders that don’t exist in your eternal atlas.

If this breath of eternity teaches us anything, may it be that America is a moment—a blink in the eyes of forever. May we remember that we have the power to make this moment a dream or a nightmare for your beloved who move through this place. May we remember that your glory existed before the very world existed, so that we’re not fooled into thinking that America is the final expression of your kingdom.

Empower us as believers to move through this moment with humility, making room for the beautiful tapestry of humanity at your welcome table.

God, bless America. Bless America with a moral revival so that our wealth would stop funding wars and instead fund compassion. God bless America with empathy. God, bless us, Americans, with the courage to make your justice, your joy, and your love come alive in this land.

Amen.