Liturgy
The image you have shaped within us,
mysteriously,
incredibly,
a reflection of your own Being,
Is best seen in the multiple refractions,
of our variegated humanity;
in the prismatic kaleidoscopes,
of our shared life,
our interconnectedness,
our being with each other.
We seek you, God, we long for you
and, thankfully, you are not far off
not hidden;
We need only remember
that you are most easily found
when we find you together,
and when we are humble enough to look
even in the faces we find most strange and unfamiliar.
We pray this in your name,
Amen
Community Confession
Too often, too easily, our eyes are drawn down, God,
to the suffering of victims
and the pain of perpetrators,
to the wounds we inflict on others
and the wounds we inflict on ourselves.
We need to see these things and pray,
But, we also need our eyes to be lifted, God,
to the signs of your life among us,
to the touch of your healing on our souls,
to the cross that casts its liberating shadow
across all human affairs.
We need our eyes to be lifted, God,
so our hearts may be filled with faith
and hope
and love.
We ask and pray in the name of you, the Father,
of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Who are the others in my life I’m being invited to embrace?
How is God inviting me to lean into this body and participate in a sustainable way?
Benediction
May the God who is community
be with us as we seek to be a community
May God bless our dreams
and may God shatter our dreams
May God help us to be real
and to find depth in weakness and brokenness
May God help us to face and grow through conflict
rather than pretend by being nice
May we look at each other through soft eyes
and truly respect each other as human beings
May God help us let go of control
and the need to fix one another
May God help us discover we are needy in our own souls
and give attention to our own hearts
May God grant us the gift of an extraordinary love
that flows from the heart of God
that covers a multitude of wrongs.
In the name of the Father,
of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit
Amen.
Go in peace and live the church.
See you throughout the week.