Liturgy

We believe that God the Father,
Good Creator and giver of life,
Calls us to love all creation

And care for it as respectful stewards,
To do justice, to love mercy,
And to walk humbly with God.

We believe that Jesus Christ,
Sent from God to save and lead us,
Teaches us to love God with heart, soul, mind, and strength

And to love our neighbors as ourselves,
So we see God in the poor, oppressed, condemned, and forgotten,
And embrace all people with God’s true compassion.

We believe that the Holy Spirit,
Who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
Unites us in God’s eternal dance of love,

Empowers us diversely to serve and love,
And fills us to overflow with grace, truth, beauty, and life
As God’s hands and feet in this world.

We proclaim this in the name of the Father, the Son
and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Congregational Prayer

In prayer, let us confess to God as a community.

God, our Father,
we lay our sins at the foot of your Son, Christ Jesus,
knowing we have fallen short of your glory.

For our failure to live as brothers and sisters, and as your children,
we confess to you,
living God, have mercy.

For those whom we have not loved as you have loved us,
we confess to you,
God of love, have mercy.

For moments we doubt your word and fail to obey your teaching,
we confess to you,
God of grace, have mercy.

For our desire to own you and contain you within our doctrines and theologies,
we confess to you,
God of patience, have mercy.

For the times we overlook you as the Lord of all and try to control our own lives,
we confess to you,
almighty God, have mercy.

Forgive us and redeem us for we have not allowed your presence
to shine among us.

Hear our repentance and guide us,
God in community, holy in One.
Amen.

Reflection

Are there opportunities for you to show mercy this week?
Who/what comes to mind that might trigger your heart toward compassion and empathy?
What compels you to be merciful?

Benediction

Take your encouragement from Christ,
that your joy may be complete.
We will share in the Spirit;
We will find consolation in love.
Practice a ministry of humility and compassion,
For God is at work in you, empowering you.
We will welcome Christ into our hearts.
We will live lives worthy of the Gospel.
We will go forth in hope and in peace,

to serve others 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.

[Photo by Gideon Tsang @ Flickr]