Liturgy

God of the lost, the least,
and all who long for home,
when we wander from your ways
and waste the gifts you have given us,

welcome us back, we pray,
so that we may celebrate and rejoice
in your presence forever.

We give thanks and worship, praising
the name of you, the Father,
you, the Son,
and you, the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Community Confession

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

In our scripture today, we read of the prodigal son. He says,

“I will get up and go back to my Father and say:
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.
I am no longer fit to be called your child.
Please make me one of your hired laborers.’ ”

Let us return to our God, and make our confession. Let us pray.

Loving God,
There is enough evil within us to dampen our confidence;
Sometimes there is enough doubt in us to overshadow our faith.

Some days there is enough weariness in us to swamp our hopefulness.
There is enough apathy within us to smother our compassion.

Yet, thankfully there is also enough hunger in us to keep us unhappy.
And enough discontent in us to make us return home to your love.

God of our Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us as sinners.

Oh Lord, God of monumental patience and of prodigal mercy,
forgive your people their numerous sins,
have pity on our pride and folly,
lead us to the fountain of your grace,
and wash us thoroughly from all that corrupts us.

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

Reflection

How do the older and younger brother show themselves in our own lives?
In our wandering lives how do we receive and give the grace of Christ?

Benediction

May the extravagant love of God, the Father
fill our hearts and minds, and his embrace hold us
when we feel unworthy to be called his children.

May the friendship of Jesus, our companion
rid us of any notion that we are nothing
and may we find our home with him in his Kingdom.

May the Spirit of life release us from a world of duty
so that a new joy wells up in our lives.

Let us go and reconfigure the world
in our friendships,
in our work-places,
in our families,
in our streets
and in our world.

Go proclaim the story of our Christ,
serving 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 JoséPedro @ Flickr]