| New Book now Available Here is an anthology of over 1100 brief prayers and thought-starters, for each day of the year, with almost 400 original prayers by Bruce Prewer. Included is both a subject index and an index of authors-- an ecumenical collection of about 300 different sources. |
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| Title: Brief Prayers for Busy People. Author: Bruce D Prewer ISBN 978-1-62880-090-6 Available from Australian Church Resources, web site www.acresources.com.au email service@acresources.com.au or by order from your local book shop or online on amazon. |
John 6:56-69....
(Sermon
1: “Almost a Sermon.”)
Ephesians 6: 10-20.... (Sermon
2: “Pussy Cat Christians?”)
1 Kings 8: 22-30, 41-43....
Psalm 84
ENTRY INTO WORSHIP
Grace, mercy and peace be with you all.
And also with you.
How lovely is your dwelling place, O God of hosts!
My soul longs, yes even faints,
for the courts of God.
My heart and my soul sing for joy to the living God.
OR
Will you, God, live on this small planet earth?
Look! Heaven and earth cannot contain You,
much less this house of prayer
which we have built and cherished..
Raise the stone and you shall find
me,
cleave the
wood and I am there.
There is no god like you, God of Jesus,
neither on earth nor elsewhere in the whole universe!
A God who keeps every promise
and shows unswerving love to your servants
who with all their hearts walk in your ways.
Blessed are you, our Creator and Redeemer,
in whom we live and move and have our being
PRAYER OF APPROACH
More awesome than lofty mountains or rolling ocean, are you, holy Friend.
More cheering than the sunshine through winter windows,
fairer than springtime and more fruitful than mellow autumn,
more abundant in mercy than the number of stars in the Milky Way,
and as expensively loving as Christ crucified,
are you, God of all space, time and eternity!
Lovelier than the faces of those whom we most cherish,
more mysterious than the beginning of space and time,
more irrepressible than even Christ on Easter morning,
are God, God of grace, mercy, peace and joy.
There is nothing like you in the heavens above or on earth below!
You always keep faith with your stumbling people
and pour grace upon those who trust and serve you!
Glory and honour,
thanksgiving and worship, shall be yours forever!
Amen!
THANKS, CONFESSION AND ASSURANCE
Let us count our blessings and
seek the continuing mercy of God.
Let us pray.
Thank you empowering God, for all that is loving and beautiful in the way we have lived our lives. Thanks for friends cherished, strangers welcomed, enemies forgiven, the needy enabled, hard lessons learned, integrity maintained, obstacles surmounted, injustices fought, and faith enlarged. We praise you for the graces that has flowered in our weakness, and for the blessings that have stretched our strengths.
Forgive us for the darker side of our performance. For the things that have been slipshod or cowardly, insensitive or unhelpful, sly or vindictive, self promoting or pompous, degrading or despairing. Have pity on us also for the twists and knots in the labyrinth of our minds; those dark chambers where we rarely see the truth clearly, and seldom deal with the dark forces effectively. We ask not only the word of your forgiveness to release us from shame and discouragement, but also your healing fingers to deeply probe those shadowy places where corruption needs dislodging and motives need straightening.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Liberator and Physician.
Amen!
FORGIVENESS
Friends of God, let us repeat
together one of the many words of forgiveness that speak to us from the pages
of Holy Scripture:
“If we confess our sins God is
faithful and just, and will forgive our sins
and cleanse
us from all unrighteousness”.
We
are indeed forgiven, and by grace have become the liberated children of the new
age.
Thanks
be to God.
PRAYER FOR
CHILDREN
Dear God,
thank you for giving us a sense of humour,
so that we can chuckle at jokes,
and even laugh at ourselves
when we have done stupid things.
Teach us to only laugh kindly,
never sniggering at kids we don’t like
nor laughing when others get hurt.
Please give us the good spirit of Jesus,
so that our laughter becomes
a blessing to those around us.
Amen!
PSALM 84
Beauty is your dwelling place,
God of the starry hosts!
My spirit yearns and aches
to make all my life worship.
My mind and heart sing for joy
in the presence of the living God.
Like the common sparrows,
we want a home under your eaves.
Like swallows we will build our nest
where we may raise our young.
Close to your altars, God of hosts,
near you, our most regal Friend.
Happy are those who live with you,
every moment is a song of praise.
Happy people draw strength from you,
their heart is set on your highways.
As they travel through the valley of tears
they make it a source of refreshment.
They find streams of hope and renewal,
and pools filled with spring rains.
They go from strength to strength
and see God on the mount of prayer.
God of the starry hosts, hear us,
turn and listen, God of Jesus.
See how small are our defences,
shine on us with the face of Christ.
One day in your house is better
than a thousand anywhere else.
I would rather be your doorkeeper
than a pampered guest of the wicked.
God is both our sunshine and shelter,
freely giving grace and honour.
No helpful gift is held back
from those who walk lovingly.
O God of the starry hosts,
happy are those who trust you!
© B.D. Prewer 2002
WILL YOU ALSO GO AWAY?
The sun shone bright, the crowds
were there,
the kingdom seemed quite near,
but Jesus did not preach to please
so some began to sneer.
He spoke of life that comes through
death,
his blood and flesh abused.
He asked them all to eat to their
fill
but they were not amused.
“We cannot stomach this,” they
said,
“He’s mad or just a liar.”
Like clots of discontent they left
to find some new messiah.
A cold wind blew across the sea
to the remnant on the shore.
“Will you too go far away?” he
said?
“The tide has turned for sure.”
Quick, as usual, Peter spoke
the first thing in his head:
“Where else can we go, dear Lord,
Without you we are dead.”
From that day on the way was hard
and Judas became sour,
till Christ would all forsaken be
in his finest hour.
I find myself on that same shore
where crowds saw him in flesh.
Their footprints are long swept
away
but I find his still fresh.
© B.D. Prewer 2000
Most humble God, if we don’t come to you, where on earth can we find top quality life?
You have displayed in Jesus of Nazareth a quality exceeding all others.
Let his word live and grow within us, that with him as both our sustenance and our goal,
we may go on in strength or in weakness, to achieve that destiny which you have prepared for us before the universe began.
By the grace of Christ, we ask this.
Amen!
Sermon 1: ALMOST A
SERMON
John 6: 56-69
You are not getting a sermon today. It has been one of those weeks when I have been over-stretched and harried, right up until late last evening. The few ideas I had last Monday as I read the Gospel for this Sunday, are the only thoughts I carry into this pulpit. I will tell you a little of what I may have said if I had been giving a sermon.
If I had been preaching, I would have commenced with the word of Jesus and the response of Simon Peter.
Situation: by the shores of Lake Galilee.
Mood: discouragement.
Event: the crowds have turned their back on Jesus, and drifted away.
Jesus to his disciples: “Do you also want to go away?”
Peter: “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. And we have believed, and now know for ourselves, that you are God’s Holy One.”
Good old Peter! Don’t you love that bloke? He always says what’s really on his mind. Sometimes that is bad, sometimes it is good. Here it is great! They would not forsake Jesus; he was God’s Holy Child, and he was giving them their first taste of true life.
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Now, in preaching a sermon I would probably ask: “Where else can we go to find the highest quality life possible?” And I would want you to have a good think about that question.
Maybe I would remind you that the “eternal life,” so often mentioned in John’s Gospel, is first and foremost about quality. It is most unfortunate that many people think solely of longevity; of eternal life as just this life going on and on without end. Everlastingness is just one element, but it is not the main point of eternal life.
Eternal life is the quality life that the disciples found in the presence of Christ, where there were no barriers and no limits. It was the “real thing,” wonder-life that people have longed for throughout the ages. It is the life for which the world was made and for which humans came into being. It is fellowship with God and with each other, where love is the prime essence. Eternal life is sharing in the Jesus thing. It is Wow Life!
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Where else can we find such quality? In a sermon I might say that I personally don’t find the alternatives very attractive.
“New age” religion? With its sacred crystals, pyramids, pseudo druid rituals, or self appointed “good” witches? Not for me; What about you?
Consumerism? The dominant religion of the western world. Surround yourself with more and more things? Shopping sprees as the chief sacrament?
Hedonism? Pursuit of pleasure? “Me first” credo? Whatever feels good to you, do it and to hell with anyone else? Drugs, sex, way-out adventures and “adrenalin rushes”?
Other world religions? I don’t put these in the same trivial bracket as the one’s I have just mentioned. I have known young people who have found their bearings in the Hindu religion or Buddhist philosophy. I know people who have discovered contentment in the daily, open acts of prayer and fasting as practised by Islam. I will not criticise such people. All I can say is, "It’s not good enough for me." For me, the joyous courage-love of Jesus Christ outshines these other ways.
Christ has love and the words that offer truly eternal life: unlimited life; love life; joy life; expanding life. inclusive life, deathless life. Wow life!
Where else shall we go?
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If I were preaching a sermon I might go on to stress that it is not the church to which we go for this life. Oh no! The church is far too scabby a body to satisfy our hunger for eternal life. Nor is it enough to point to a particular form of denominational theology or practice. Nor to treat Christianity as a general philosophy for the production of good behaviour. Nothing will suffice except Christ Jesus. His life and love stands high above the church like a Tasmanian mountain ash soaring far above bracken.
I think, in a sermon I might then quote from one of my poems:
Where
is the truth, where is the light,
where is the way through this dark
night?
Where
is the word, where is the call,
where is the joy waiting for all?
Where
is the goal, where is the gain,
where is the hope never in vain?
Where is the pearl, where is the yeast,
where is the one worthy high priest?
Where is the meek, where is the just,
where the wealth without moth or
rust?
Where
is the sower, where is the seed,
where is the creed incarnate in
deed?
Where
is the robe, where is the ring,
where is the feast fit for a king?
Where
is the dance, where is the song,
where is the music where we belong?
Where
is the peace, where is the grace,
where is the door into God’s space?
Look
no further, seek no other,
Mary’s
son is your first-born Brother.
or---
If
Jesus was just a dreamer, then let us dream all day.
If
Jesus was failure, I want to fail much more.
If
Jesus was simplistic, then simple is the way.
If
Jesus was a madman, please let him in my door.
If
Jesus was a loser, then all the rules must bend.
If
Jesus is just human, I wish we all were too.
If
Jesus is divine, then God’s our humble friend.
If
Jesus was a con-man, I wish he would con you.
Or
from Christina- Rossetti ---
No other lamb, no
other name,
No other hope in
heaven or earth or sea.
No other resting place
from sin and shame.
None beside thee!
SERMON 2: PUSSY
CAT CHRISTIANS?
* Too long ; reduce by one third
Ephesians 6: 10-18
The Christian life is not a feather bed. The more like Christ we become, the more ready we should be to be confronted by evil. Christ sets us an agenda which is diametrically opposed to the ambitions of the world. That means some level of conflict.
Do not fool yourself. There is an ongoing battle between belief and cynicism, light and darkness, greed and generosity, lust and contentment, love and indifference. If we are smart Christians, we will fortify our hearts and minds and be prepared defend our Christian integrity if and when things get rough. We should arm ourselves, metaphorically speaking, like riot police with those protective shields, and safety helmets, and with appropriate weapons.
St Paul had no illusions about the world being a friendly place for those who love God. Paul was a realist; he knew that we needed to be ready to protect the precious Gospel that had been entrusted to us. He used military metaphors to ram home his point.
Let’s try a contemporary rendering of his words in Ephesians 6: 13-16
Put on the whole
protective equipment God provides. Stand tough, having buckled on truth like
your armoured belt, and protect yourself with the bullet proof vest of
righteousness. Wear the sturdy boots of Gospel peace, and carry the anti-riot
shield of faith to ward off dangerous missiles. Don’t forget to protect your
head with the safety helmet of salvation. And always have available your best
weapon-- the word of God supplied
by the Spirit.
St Paul told his readers to be constantly on the alert. That we need to buckle up each morning, and even when we prepare for bed, we should to keep our shield and weapons close at hand.
Hey! You may want to protest! Isn’t that a bit weird? Like paranoid?
Maybe Paul’s hard life made him unbalanced? Maybe he did have a persecution complex; a personality disorder. Perhaps he imagined a spiritual mugger lurking on every street corner and hiding under every bed? Is that how it was?
We would not want to live our lives always looking over our shoulder. For us to live our life this way, surely is to welcome perpetual anxiety into our lives? If we did that, then wouldn’t we all end paranoid?
PAUL A BIG PUSSY CAT?
Let’s get one thing clear: Paul was on the alert, yet he was also extremely relaxed. In fact, when I think of him I think of a big pussy cat.
An unlikely image, eh? I would wager than not many of you have never, I repeat ‘never’, thought of Paul as a pussy cat! Why do I?
When a cat stretches out in the sunshine, or on a rug in front of a fire or heater, you will not find anything more relaxed. Yet if a danger suddenly threatens, you will not find any creature more alert and ready to deal with that threat. A feline appears to be fine tuned for both relaxation and defence.
Paul was like that. He had plenty to say about the peace which came to him through Christ. He found a solid core of calm in whatever awkward situation he found himself. This fellow did in truth lead a hazardous life; constantly hounded by critics, hauled in for questioning by local police, banned from some cities, at times arrested and flogged, mugged by robbers, beaten up or stoned by mobs, shipwrecked, adrift and hanging on to flotsam, marooned on an island, imprisoned, and hauled before hostile governors and kings. Yet he did not get rattled, as we might.
To use one of his own phrases, the peace of Christ actively garrisoned his heart.
Paul, this same bloke who urges us to be ever vigilant, with all that para-military imagery about wearing our armour, was also the cool apostle who could say:
“I have learned in
whatever circumstance, to be content.”
“Nothing on earth or
in the heavens can separate me from the love of God
in Christ Jesus our
Lord.”
Today’s reading is from the letter which the apostle wrote to Christians in the large city of Ephesus. He wrote it from imprisonment. He calls himself “An ambassador in chains and prisoner for Christ Jesus."
He had reason to feel hemmed in. This does not mean that this guy was paranoid. He had both feet firmly on the ground. As he wrote this letter to the little Christian flock, his feet own were perhaps in shackles. The battle was real. But there is no sense of panic in his letter.
This apostolic pussy cat knew what he was talking about; both the peace and the dangers. When Paul warns us about the constant spiritual dangers we face, and asks us to be always watchful and armed, on stand-by for an attack, he is not being a panic artist. This cool cat is as level-headed as they come. He knows the hazards of being loyal to our Lord. He knows that as long as we draw breath in this world we are never safe from possible attack.
Such spiritual assaults can take the form of criticism and abuse, or constant sniping from unbelievers. Or we can be attacked by a whole mob of temptations. Pressures and temptations are all around us, and some rise up like traitors from within us.
THE INVISIBLE ENEMIES
There is another point where critics might label Paul as paranoid. This is when he speaks about the invisible powers of evil.
For we are not in a contest
with flesh and blood. But
against the principalities and powers,
against the
world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of
wickedness in the heavenly
places.
Was Paul a neurotic pussy cat that jumped at shadows? It does sound a bit dodgy.
Our own experience warns us to be careful of those who
suffer from imaginary slights. When we hear are person raving on about
invisible enemies, we are getting into the weird (and not wonderful) world of
conspiracy theories, aren’t we? The hidden enemy and all that
kooky stuff?
The apostle is open about these hidden dangers. He claims that threats to our spiritual integrity do not come solely from those openly hostile agents that are seen by our eyes. Evil is like an underworld; most of it is hidden. It has an invisible face and a bulk much larger than a superficial assessment could estimate. There is hidden kingdom to evil, and people and situations around us are being contaminated and manipulated by dark forces.
Paul cautions us by using the language from the mythology and the cosmology of his time. That included the contemporary belief that the heavens consisted of various layers. In these heavenly planes were demonic forces, kingdoms of evil similar to the dark “principalities and powers” on earth. These stalked our lives, seeking our corruption and destruction. We should fear, he says, these “spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Just as angels of light can guide us to turn the right corner, so angels of darkness can play us for fools.
We may not share Paul’s mythology, and certainly do not follow his cosmology. We know the heavens are not stretched out above us in horizontal layers. Our view of the universe is larger, and our contemporary understanding is more accurate.
Yet we do have our own “mythology” which is equivalent to Paul’s “principalities and powers.”
We speak of a “social climate” or the “age of permissiveness,” “winds of change” and “social mores,” “genetic predispositions” and “peer pressures,” “a cultural cringe” or “the acids of secularism,” “mood of modernity” and “racist chauvinism,” “survival of the fittest or “market forces,” the “march of progress” and “political imperatives.” We could go on a list many more of these contemporary clichés; clichés which refer to “influences” that we believe do impact on our daily lives
This is the way we do speak; it is our mythology. These are our equivalent of the invisible influences, those unseen “principalities a powers” which bear heavily on our lives.
However, for some reason, there are some Christians today who do not take such unseen forces seriously. They turn a blind eye. Do not bother confront them as possible threats to their peace and joy in the Gospel of Christ Jesus. They sit comfortably with the modern jargon, but fail to be on the watch for the evil it may hide. That is a foolish mistake.
Paul’s mythology is now outdated. But his core message is not. He was a realist about the dark powers that lurked behind the surface of things. He knew for certain that the biggest threats did not come from visible enemies who got “into his face.” The real dangers were the hidden ones.
Of course, he hat to meet the open attacks; those very visible powers of evil did indeed hound Paul, get him arrested and imprisoned. But the larger threat came from the unseen legions of evil, everywhere present, everywhere on the attack against people of faith and love.
IN AUSTRALIAN CULTURE
What about us? We the lucky inhabitants of “Terra Australis,” the “Great South Land.”
You don’t have to be a spiritual genius to recognise that a battle for the mind and soul is always going on here.
It is rare in our Australian culture for a Christian to be openly attacked by what Paul called calls “flesh and blood;” those clearly visible enemies. Although it can still happen, mostly with verbal attacks. They may occur in the workplace, on in one’s neighbourhood, or even within a family. Without question we need our spiritual armour to help us stand against such frontal attacks.
Yet more widespread, and more persistent, and more dangerous, are the hidden forces. Open attack is not common. However, subversion is. Many pervasive influences operate from within our own culture. If we ignore these, we are at risk. If we throw aside our spiritual armour as “old fashioned religion,” if we sit easily with them as harmless social foibles, then we have already surrendered. We have opted for the silent invasion and occupation of our own souls by the alien forces opposed to Christ Jesus and his values.
Am I now being paranoid? Not at all. I do have my share of neurotic tendencies, but I have been spared paranoia or any other psychotic episode.
With my Christian feet firmly planted on the ground, I know that spiritual armour is essential. You may wish to amend the list that Paul gave, but please don't scrap the whole notion. Staying vigilant, even while we find our security and peace in Christ Jesus, is the way for the Christian to go.
Paul the apostolic “pussy cat” is an appropriate metaphor for Australians in the twenty first century.
THE METAPHOR OF ARMOUR
We now leave the pussy cat metaphor and return to the military ones employed by Paul.
Our armour. What Paul was on about has not been outdated. Just look at it again for a moment.
The belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, boots the Gospel of peace, for shield faith, for helmet salvation, and for your sword the Holy Spirit.
Take a closer look:
Truth:
Put a metal buckler of truth around your waist. Don’t equivocate and expose a soft belly to your foes. Don’t be taken in by the lies and shabby glamour of the world that brags around you. Keep truth as a precious commodity in your dealings with others, and be ruthlessly truthful when dealing with your own cunning thoughts and moods.
Righteousness:
This means right living. Living your life by the right values that God has given you through Jesus of Nazareth. So, says Paul, put on a breastplate of righteousness. Cover your heart with it.
The Gospel of peace.
Your boots. It is a military axiom that soldiers must look after their feet. Quality, strong, well fitting footwear is essential. The Gospel of peace is custom made for our needs. This peace, which comes from utter security, is God’s bonus gift: “By grace we are saved, through faith.” That is our only security. Stand firm in the peace of the Gospel and our feet will never slip.
Faith:
The shield of faith. To the novice a shield may seem like another burden to carry. It is not so. Faith is a precious gift. We cannot create it by our efforts. No mental gymnastics will establish it. It is either welcomed and used or shunned. However, like a muscle (as a children’s song says) the more we use it the more faith we have.
Salvation:
Our helmet. Encase your precious head, with all its thoughts and hopes, in the helmet of salvation. The word ‘salvation’ embraces everything that God has done in Christ for our rescue and our healing. We can put this safety helmet on and wear it with confidence. It will enable you to keep your head when things get tough. It will never fracture.
The Spirit:
Paul calls the Spirit our best weapon; our sword. If you a re called upon to attack evil in any form, put your trust in the word of God. By the Spirit God still speaks to us. God did not stop speaking long ago. The word continues to comfort and challenge, protect and guide. When the Spirit says “yes,” no enemy can pin us down. When Spirit warns us “no”, only a damned fool would rush into trouble.
SUMMARY
Be secure in Christ and also relaxed, be vigilant and armed at all times. Pussy cat Christians.
There is nothing paranoid about the warnings which Paul gives us. It is sound tactics from one front line soldier who lived the Christian life to the full; even when he was a prisoner for Christ, an ambassador in chains.
Some commentators have argued that Paul is too entrenched in a defensive position. It might sound that way if the only thing you ever read from Ephesians is this brief passage. But when you take the whole letter of the Ephesians together, you find an apostle who is daringly on the front foot.
For example, today’s lesson, from our ‘pussy cat’ prisoner Paul, concludes:
Pray for me. that I may be enabled to have the courage to open my mouth to proclaim mystery of the Gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may preach daringly, which is the only way I should do it.
I invite you to take this feisty apostle seriously. Be a pussy cat Christian, not for Paul’s sake but for Christ’s sake. Okay?
THANKSGIVING
Great Creator, with one word you brought out of nothing this immense cascade of fiery galaxies which we call the universe.
We thank you for its immense glory but even more or the way you produced our particular galaxy, our sun, and this particular planet , our home.
For the beauty of earth and sky, lake and ocean, plain and mountain, billabong and valley, we thank you.
For river red gums, desert wildflowers, silky oaks, golden wattles, pink heath and small ground orchids, we thank you.
For kangaroos, echidnas, eagles, lorikeets, olive pythons, goannas, coral trout and mighty whales, we thank you.
Everything you do is so prodigal! Wonderful is your generosity!
Great Redeemer, with one unique Word you sowed yourself in the furrows of history.
You became one of us in the incarnation of your holy Son, Jesus of Nazareth, for whom we are eternally thankful.
For his humble origins, restless questions, mind-stretching parables, healing touch, love for the unlovely, distaste for hypocrisy, and his revolutionary set of values, we thank you.
For his willingness to be misunderstood, rejected, betrayed, arrested, abused; for his words of his forgiveness to those who crucified him, and for his remarkable Easter victory, we give you thanks.
Everything you do in him is so prodigal! Wonderful is your generosity!
Great Spirit-Friend, with one loving word you committed yourself to this world by always being there for us.
We thank you for your Holy Spirit, moving over the face of this planet at its inception; for leading your servant people, inspiring the poets and the prophets, and coming upon Jesus at his Baptism.
Thanks for inflaming the young church with love for the world, enhancing its skills and creating new gifts in common folk who feared they had nothing to offer. For this continuing Presence, we thank you. Everything you do by your Spirit is so prodigal!
Wonderful is your generosity!
Therefore with angels and archangels...................
PRAYERS FOR OTHERS
* For 2 or 3 voices.
God our health and salvation, bless our prayers as we now pray for others. Let the efficacy of prayer when blessed by Christ’s hands, stretch far beyond the limited range of our concern, and probe much deeper than our compassion can ever reach.
We pray for the lost
and all who go searching for them, for the fallen and the merciful who give
them a hand, the timid souls and those who speak up for them.
We pray for the nations and advisers who have influence with governments, for the different races and all who treasure the smallest and weakest, for those at war, and the peace-keepers who stay the bloodshed, and peacemakers who try to bring a just reconciliation.
We pray for the hungry
millions and the agencies and donors who attempt to feed them, the homeless and
those who house them, for refugees and each country that gives them a new
start.
We pray for the handicapped and the therapists who encourage and enable them, the oppressed and those who empower them, the alcoholics and other drug addicts and each clinic or adviser that offers some respect and hope.
We pray for the
diseased and the nurses who touch and tend them, the injured and the surgeons
and carers who rehabilitate them, the mentally ill and each counsellor who
patiently works for their well being.
We pray for the dying and those who stay with them to the end, the sorrowing and pastors and loved ones who comfort them, for the inconsolable and those special friends who do not become impatient or expect a rapid recovery from grief.
We pray for the
unemployed and those who recognise their despair, for the unemployable and all
who understand their frustration, for those in sheltered workshops and the
supervisors who encourage and affirm them.
We pray for the church in its many denominations and congregations, for its leaders and members who elect them, the pastors and those who train and pastor them, the new converts who may feel impatient with staid ways, and established members who forget what it is like to be new comers.
Loving God, our health
and salvation, channel love through our praying, and show us
how to practice love in activity as well as in
prayer. In the name of Christ Jesus.
Amen!
SENDING OUT
May God make you impatient to get going,
eager to share the love you have found in the house of prayer,
and keen to exhibit mercy and peace in all your activities.
May God make you patient with those who seem tardy,
understanding with those who are hesitant, anxious or afraid,
and gracious towards any who appear (in your eyes) to be failing in their responsibility.
May the mind that was in Christ possess you,
the love that is always at the heart of God enlarge you,
and the joy of the Spirit give you kindly eyes and thankful soul.
Amen!
