Liturgy
O God,
in this season of Lent,
we trust in your power,
even as it is often found in weakness;
in your wisdom,
even as it is expressed in seeming foolishness;
in your wholeness,
even as it comes to us amid brokenness.
We do not ask this day for
displays of strength, exercises of intellectual prowess,
or manifestations of miracles.
We come simply to worship you.
Be with us this day, O Lord, sinners that we are,
that we might become your saints,
your body, your children, your church.
For this community of your Spirit is built not upon our
own abilities, knowledge, or restorative skill, but upon you,
in Jesus Christ, whom you gave up for all of humanity.
We thank you and ask in your Son’s name, amen.
Congregational Prayer
Let us pray this prayer of faith together.
We believe that you, oh God, created everything,
from the tiniest animal to the largest mountain.
We believe that you provide for us
and for all you have made;
You are our Father and our Creator.
We believe you to be more complex than words
can describe or minds can understand, though we often try.
You are all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-wonderful.
We believe in your Son, Jesus Christ, who humbled himself
to be human and lived and died so that we,
along with the rest of the world, could be free from sin;
He conquered death by rising from the grave,
that we may live.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who gives us the power
to endure life’s hardships
and directs us when we are in need of guidance.
We seek your Holy Spirit to dwell within
that we may know your ways.
We believe in the church,
which is a body of believers of Christ.
We as members want to show Christ’s love to others and
to be his living message of hope and peace to the world.
We want to love one another as Christ loved us,
and to live as he taught his friends and disciples.
Be with us, oh God, now and forever.
May we seek you and remember you daily,
our King and our Savior.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Reflection
When do we find ourselves questioning other people’s gifts/service/actions?
In your life, when do you feel yourself reflecting Mary?
What have you debated doing that might be questioned by others?
What do you wish people could see in your heart when you give to God?
Benediction
Believe this: there is hope within you right now
so small that you might not know it is there;
But it has the power to grow into something
the world needs.
We trust that God is never done with us.
With God, there is always a new beginning,
A new possibility to make something different of ourselves,
and to make a difference in the lives of others.
Let God surprise you with strength
you did not know you had,
With creative possibilities you never dreamed of.
We will open ourselves to God’s quiet prompting.
We will trust that God nurtures within us
the gifts, talents, and character we need
to be God’s agents of transformation and loving service.
All in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
Amen.
Go in peace and live the church. See you throughout the week.
[Photo by Kevin Borland @ Flickr]