Liturgy

Come to the water, all you who thirst—
come drink deeply from the river of life.

Come to the water, all you who are weary—
come rest in the quiet pools of God’s love.

Come to the water, all you who long for a justice—
come be renewed in God’s ever-flowing stream.

For God is here among us,
washing away the dust and grime of our lives,
and pouring out the Spirit on all who thirst.

Let us listen to his call and worship
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.

Holy God, you call us to come and share in community,
the rich feast which you have prepared.

But instead, we often choose to spend on ourselves
with things that do not satisfy.

You call us to listen carefully and to delight in you,
but instead, we often choose to look our own way
and impose our own will, listening to the noises around us,
rather than to hear the voice of your Spirit.

You call us to open our doors and our tables
to strangers as well as friends,
but we often choose to close
our doors and hearts to those unlike us.

You call us to seek you, to call on you and to find you near us,
but we often choose to ignore your cries
for justice and your plea for love without barriers and borders.

Remind us that your thoughts are higher than ours, O God,
and your ways are higher than our ways.

Forgive us and show us your mercy.
Invite us again to your feast,
fill us with your word and your Spirit,
that we might go out in joy and come back in peace.

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

Reflection

What does spiritual thirst and hunger look like for you?
How can you trust God to meet that need in your life?

Benediction

Go now, with God’s foolishness and weakness
as your only wisdom and strength.

Proclaim Christ crucified through the work that you do,
and seek riches only in the love of God’s Word
and in zeal for God’s kingdom.

And may God’s just demands be your nourishment and delight.
May Christ be the power and wisdom of God to you.
And may the Holy Spirit keep you, in thought and word,
in God’s good grace.

We go 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 Kyle Kelley @ Flickr]