Liturgy

Eternal God, our Alpha and Omega,
our beginning and our end,
we gather in this time and this place to worship you.

In your time, you created all things,
and wove into their fabric a yearning for fulfillment in you.
It is this yearning within us which has pulled us here this morning.

Take these moments, O Lord of time and space,
and breathe new life in us.

May our labor bring forth a new creation in you.
This is your hour, Christ Jesus,
help us to make the most of each moment.

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

Community Confession

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

O God, teach us of our need to live in peace,
to love others and to walk the right paths.

We seldom heed your wisdom,
and instead, turn back to our selfish ways.

When friends hurt us,
we hurt back;
when someone hits us,
we strike back;
when family members ridicule us,
we spread gossip about them.

God of mercy, forgive us of our wrongs.

Lead us to a different life:
a life of forgiving, not revenge;
a life of peace, not anger;
a life of love, not hate.

Grant us your mercy for all we have done,
and help us walk in your new ways of living.

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

Reflection

How can we be co-creators with God in new creation on this earth?
What are the things in our lives that are worth giving and investing in order to be part of a new creation?

Benediction

God invites us into his future,
where the one who makes all things new
has made his home among us.

We are called and chosen,
together embraced by our God in whom tears, mourning,
crying, pain and even death will be no more.

Remember God’s future, for this is our story.

So go forth this week, serving and celebrating
the love of the Father,
of the Risen Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Go in peace and live the church.
See you throughout the week.

[Photo by vamitos @ Flickr]