Eternal God,
Forever and the same …
Just and loving,
Kind and merciful …
But not to be trifled with …
Nor scammed by religious schemes …
You are not beguiled by our hymns and pretty buildings …
Nor our prayers and our programs …
LORD, remind us: the church is not a building, but a people.
A people searching and serving,
Living and loving,
Listening and learning …
Giving and forgiving …
Hoping and helping …
Finding and sharing …
Dear God, do you ever get tired of us and our religion?
We talk so easily of Jesus …
Getting saved.
Going to heaven.
With mumbled prayers and casual duties …
Forgive us, we pray …
And by your Holy Spirit,
Revive us …
Refashion these hearts of ours …
Hearts too often cold and hard …
We need the warmth of a new love, O God …
Religion isn’t good enough …
We need something deeper and richer,
Higher and healthier …
We need you, O God, up close and personal.
We need your grace and your power.
Your love and your purpose.
A purpose big enough to change the world.
A purpose worthy of our life, and then some.
A purpose worthy of the name Christian.
Revive us, we pray, with the Spirit of Christ.
That we might take up our cross and follow him.
To be salt-laden disciples.
Light-shining disciples …
Filled with good works,
To bring faith, hope and love to our world.
To put love to work and make it justice …
To set things right …
Lift up the downtrodden and settle the score,
Keep things in balance,
So those who have much won’t have too much,
And those who have little won’t have too little.
LORD, we love the Bible.
Help us to read it well …
To know the women and men who fill its pages …
To learn from their stories …
To see something of ourselves in their faith and in their failures …
To see your grace at work in all things,
And in all things to seek your glory.
In the name of our LORD Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray, saying, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name …
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