Every year, Presbyterians recognize Heritage Sunday, a day to reflect upon and learn more about the long and rich history of the Presbyterian Church in America. Heritage Sunday always falls on the Sunday closest to May 21, the opening date of the first General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America in 1789.
God of grace and God of glory,
We give you thanks this day for all the saints who have gone before us —
for the bold ministers, elders and deacons who heard your call and answered
with courage, conviction and creativity.
We remember the work of your great Reformers,
not as frozen figures of the past, but as living voices who still challenge us
to be reformed and always reforming, according to your Word.
In their footsteps, we seek to love your people, in word and deed, proclaiming
grace, faith, Christ, Scripture, and glory to God.
As we honor today our Presbyterian heritage —
the beauty of shared leadership, the gift of a connectional church, and the
power of the Word embodied,
remind us that our heritage is not nostalgia, but a wellspring to draw from for
wisdom this day.
May we dismantle systems of oppression, care for your creation and embrace the
Spirit’s movement beyond tradition’s bounds.
May we be a people united not by fear, but faith;
not by scarcity, but abundance;
not by rigid doctrine, but our living call.
May our heritage not be a monument, but a mission –
prayerful, courageous, united, serving, and alive –
in Jesus Christ, our companion.
Amen.
