Liturgy

God of justice, peace and righteousness,
come into our midst this morning.

Breathe your breath,
your Spirit of prophecy,
your energy,
your enlivening,
your imagination on us.

Wake us up, and
Open our eyes,
Uncover our ears

That we might hear
That we might see
That we might grieve
That we might dream
That we might follow the ways of your extraordinary kingdom.

Hear us, O Lord,
as we worship 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.

Great and Mighty God,
It is good for us to be humbled by your greatness.
We are nothing when compared to who you are.

Though we are weak and overwhelmed by our sins,
your grace enables us to become more like you.
In our sin and failure,
have mercy on us, O God.

May we remember the Mighty One, Jesus Christ,
who stands between us and makes a way for us to be redeemed.

His blood is our peace,
His righteousness our strength,
His condemnation our freedom,
His Spirit our power,
His Kingdom our heritage.

Lord, let us know your grace, feeling its strength.
By your grace,
overcome our evil natures,
set us apart from sin’s entrapments,
support us in life’s trials,

May our days be framed by character that you have molded,
and not by anxiety, hurry, and the pressure of life’s circumstances.

May we live with a clean conscience and continual hunger
for your righteousness.

Father, we ask that these things would happen by the power of your Spirit and the blood of your Son,
and we pray in confidence to you,
our God in community, Holy in One.
Amen.

Reflection

How can confession be a blessing to our lives?
Who are those that we need to seek forgiveness from?

Benediction

God is the rock to which you cling, your hiding place.
This doesn’t mean that now you should linger
where no one can find you.

Instead, this week, I invite you:
come down out of your own sycamore tree.
Jesus is coming to your home,
to where you work,
or learn,
or play.

Don’t be afraid, for our God is in control.
Salvation has come to our house,
because you too are a child, a descendant
of Abraham and Sarah.

So go and celebrate the redeeming story of our Lord,
and serve in the name 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 monstersoutside @ Flickr]