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, 
of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.   
Amen.

Community Confession

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

Good and gracious God,
We give thanks for your covenant love in our lives.
And, at the same time, we confess
that we fall short of following you.

We lift before you the ways in which we have not lived your vision of justice. 
Our world and our lives ache for want of justice. 
God, forgive us and teach us to do justice.

God, we lift before you the ways in which we have not lived your vision of kindness. 
Our world and our lives reach out for kindness when it seems hard to find. 
God, forgive us and teach us to do kindness.

God, we lift before you the ways in which we have not lived your vision of your world, 
walking humbly with you. 
We stumble and often times, we forget and become prideful. 
God, forgive us and teach us to walk humbly with you.

As your church and as individuals, have mercy on us. 
Teach us to do justice,
to love kindness,
and to walk humbly in this life.

More importantly teach us
to see more clearly
when we fall short of those goals
and plant in us a desire
to humbly bend the arc of history
toward your love and justice.
 
We ask in the name of you, the Father,
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen. 

Reflection

What is God’s original vision for this world and our lives?
Will we join God as creators in living the church in Austin and not only be observers and participants?

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 maren-celest @ Flickr]