We give thanks, O God …
For you have called us from the realms of darkness and sadness into the light and grace of our LORD Jesus Christ.
You have washed us and made us clean …
You have revealed to us our gifts …
You have given us a calling …
And you have given us a purpose.
To glorify you in the days of our lives …
To be mindful of you in all that we think and all that we do …
To pay attention to Jesus the Messiah …
Who opens the kingdom to us …
Paves the way for us …
Teaches us about you, our Father in heaven …
Leads us to mission …
And grants us life – here and now, then and there.
We pray all the more, O God, for the indwelling of your Holy Spirit, that we might be pleasing in your sight … for we can’t do this on our own … we confess our sin … the dark materials of our soul … the relentless self-interest that twists and distorts all that we are …
We need your mercy, O God …
We need your grace …
We need forgiveness and spiritual healing …
That our minds might find their rest in you …
And our hearts be filled with love and hope.
For we are tired of ourselves …
The same old patterns and the same old thoughts …
Relying on ourselves way too much …
For we need to rely upon you, O God …
To surrender our hearts and trust your grace …
To put our lives into your hands …
For you to make all things new …
To grace us with the gifts of your faithfulness:
Life in the face of death …
Light in the midst of darkness …
Doors closed to our strength now open …
And where no door was to be found, you made a way for us.
As you did for Noah and the ark …
Moses and the children of Israel …
David and Goliath …
Marvelous is your mercy, O God.
More than we could hope for or expect …
Greater than all dreams …
Larger than reality itself …
You are true and good and kind …
You are the springtime of life,
The hunger of the heart …
The yearning of the soul …
The thirst of the spirit …
You are the beginning of every journey …
The end of every road …
You are the Alpha and the Omega …
The God of everlasting …
The Ancient of Days …
The LORD of Hosts ...
Eternal Bread and Living Water …
The way, the truth and the life.
We thank you, O God, for the church of Jesus Christ …
Spread across the world …
Soaring cathedrals and solemn liturgies …
Thatched roof sheds and boisterous prayers …
Megachurches and praise bands …
Country churches and potluck dinners …
Churches in living rooms and basements …
Storefronts and coffee shops …
Churches all around the world …
And our church, here, O God …
The church of our memories, and the church of our dreams:
Covenant on the Corner …
Covenant Presbyterian Church …
And all who have served you here …
In thick and thin … sick and sin …
Who loved you first and served you best …
Who gave of themselves, above and beyond …
Who made the most of their time …
To glorify you in word and deed …
To make disciples along the way …
To meet needs in our community …
In an ever-changing world …
With the changeless gospel of Jesus Christ our LORD.
In his name we pray,
Seeking to live the prayer he taught us:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven …
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