Liturgy
Holy are you, God of infinite imagination,
and blessed is Jesus Christ, your Son,
our Hope, our Lord and Savior.
He should have been clothed
in royal robes of purple and gold,
but put on the uniform
of a condemned prisoner,
so we could be clothed in your grace.
He should have been given
every honor the world has,
but was cursed
so we might receive your blessings.
He should have had a long and healthy life,
but was put to death at an early age,
so we might live forever with you.
Remembering that it is not our words which save us,
but your imaginative Word of beauty and love;
remembering that it is not our achievements,
but our hope in Jesus Christ which assures us of your love,
we come in community to celebrate that mystery we call faith.
We give thanks in the name of the Father,
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.
Congregational Prayer
In prayer, let us confess to God as a community.
Lord God, Creator of all,
You have spoken to us but we have shut out your voice.
Your Spirit convicts us of our sin and our brokenness,
But we have tried to drown you out with the noise of this world.
We would rather hear our own named praised
among men rather than the name of Jesus.
We prefer telling people about our petty accomplishments
rather than speaking of your righteousness.
Lord, forgive us. Correct us.
Build in us a longing for your comforting voice.
Give us a thirst for your satisfying Word.
Give us joy in speaking your truth
into people’s lives.
May we be faithful stewards,
and humbly seek your guidance,
God in community, holy in One.
Amen.
Reflection
What does meekness look like for you?
What does it look like for you to defend the meek?
Benediction
God our Father, as followers of Jesus,
we accept our commission from you to invest our lives in others.
We will live out your kingdom here with humility, wisdom and courage,
asking your Son to be our model of grace in the world.
Give us eyes to see the path of service you desire and
ears to hear the cry of the world’s needs.
May you be our Lord, our light, and guardian
in the work you call us to do.
We leave here to serve
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 Gideon Tsang @ Flickr]