M I S S I O N T I D E
A time for deepening our understanding of what
it means to walk by faith and not by sight
THE PROCLAMATION OF THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH
WE ARE THE PEOPLE
WHO HAVE HEARD GOD'S "YES" TO OUR LIVES,
WHO HAVE RECEIVED "GRACE UPON GRACE"
AS WAVE AFTER WAVE OF GOD'S LOVE CLAIMS US.
WE ARE THE PEOPLE OF GOD, THE CHURCH, WHO HAVE SAID
"YES" TO GOD'S "YES,"
WHO HAVE SEEN THAT SAVING WORD IN JESUS CHRIST;
WHO HAVE FELT THAT HEARTWARMING EMBRACE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT.
WE ARE THE PEOPLE
WHO REMEMBER OUR MOTHERS AND FATHERS IN THE FAITH,
WHO CROSSED THE RED SEA,
TRIUMPHED OVER THE CROSS,
AND FOUND A WAY TO SAY
THIS GRACE-FILLED "YES" EVEN TO US.
WE ARE THE PEOPLE OF GOD, THE CHURCH,
WHO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS MEMORY IS IN OUR HANDS
TO PRESERVE AND PASS ON TO GENERATIONS UNBORN,
NOT MERELY IN WORDS AND RITUAL, BUT IN THE WILLINGNESS
TO LAY DOWN OUR LIVES FOR EACH OTHER.
WE ARE THE PEOPLE
WHO CONFESS THAT WE HAVE OFTEN
SEEN OUR OWN NEEDS FIRST,
BEEN DEAF TO THE PAINFUL CRIES OF THE OPPRESSED,
TASTED AND PREFERRED THE SWEET SECURITY
OF OUR OWN SANCTUARIES TO THE
BITTER WINDS OF THE OUTSIDE WORLD,
AND AFRAID TO TOUCH THE HURTS
OF OTHERS FOR FEAR THAT THEY MIGHT BE CONTAGIOUS;
WE ARE THE PEOPLE OF GOD, THE CHURCH,
IMPERFECT, BUT CHANGING,
UNWISE, BUT LEARNING,
INCOMPLETE, BUT GROWING.
WE ARE THE PEOPLE
WHO HAVE SEEN A SAVIOR WE CANNOT UNSEE,
HEARD A PROMISE WE CANNOT FORGET;
WE ARE THE PEOPLE OF GOD, THE CHURCH, AND WE KNOW
IN OUR HEARTS THAT SALVATION AND SERVICE ARE INSEPARABLE,
THAT OUR MISSION IS TO THE WORLD,
IN THE WORLD, BUT NOT OF THE WORLD,
AND THAT WE WILL NOT FAIL.
+++
Leader: The Kingdom of God is like a grain of mustard-seed
small, when sown, but grows to become
the greatest of shrubs.
PEOPLE: SO MAY IT BE WITH US. MAY THE SEED OF FAITH
WITHIN US GROW INTO MANY ACTS OF LOVE.
ALL: AMEN
+++
O God,
Sometimes I like my own little world too much,
especially when I act as though I am the only person in it.
I am not sure I want "Thy Kingdom to come," if it means
mine has to change too much.
Yet, I know that I cannot remain the same always,
and I do not want everyone around me to remain the same either.
I want to grow as a person
and I want those I care about the most to grow, too.
Inform my values,
broaden my concerns,
strengthen my spirit,
deepen my dedication.
Help me to become a better person.
Amen.
+++
O God,
I want to live in a way that makes me alive to
everything around me and within me.
I have tasted the kind of death that comes
from being surrounded by insensitive, "dead" people.
What is worse, I have tasted the death that comes
when I have been insensitive to all that is alive around me.
I do not want to be a walking corpse, dead before my day.
Help me to do more than merely exist.
Help me to fully live the life you have given me,
so that when physical death does come it will not be The End,
but a New Beginning,
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
+++
Dear God,
You have come to claim your people in many ways:
You led us out of bondage into the Promised Land;
You have us commandments to help us shape our lives;
You were present in the throbbing words of the prophets;
And you came to us as a person in Jesus of Nazereth.
We confess, though, that we do not always recognize you when you come:
We sometimes prefer bondage, where it seems safe;
We ignore your commandments, thinking they are merely mortal words;
We turn deaf ears to your prophets, preferring teachers who suit our own likings;
And we are like those on the Road to Emmaus,
who did not even know Jesus was with them.
Give us eyes of faith that see beyond the disguises you wear
when you come to claim us.
In the name of Jesus, Amen.
+++
From the Sarum Primer, 1558
God, be in my head, and in my understanding;
God, be in my eyes, and in my looking;
God, be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God, be in my heart, and in my thinking;
God, be at my end, and at my departing.
Amen
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A D V E N T
A time of anticipation that One will come who knows
our needs and limitations and will help us overcome them
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C H R I S T M A S T I D E
A time of acceptance of the gift of love in the realization
that in each new Act of Love, everyone's love is renewed
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E P I P H A N Y
A time of sharing love received in a way
that will overcome human needs and limitations
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THE PROCLAMATION OF PURPOSE
We gather to worship to claim our reverence for Life.
YOU HAVE TAUGHT US TO LOVE, DEAR GOD,
BY FIRST LOVING US.
You have revealed to us that every person has value.
AND WE HAVE COME TODAY TO RECLAIM THOSE MOMENTS
WHEN WE HAVE BELIEVED THAT WITH ALL OUR HEARTS.
+
O God,
You are the one who knows the life
that is alive deep inside of me.
As for me,
my own behavior baffles me.
I do not always do what I really want to do,
even when I know in my heart what is right.
Often I have the will to do good,
but not the power.
There is a part of me that starts out each day
seeking the good life.
Yet, at the end of the day it is sometimes difficult
for me to recognize my own self.
It is an agonizing situation and I yearn to be
set freefrom all that threatens and limits me.
Show me the way out,
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen
(based on Romans 7:14 JBP trans.)
+
When I am honest, O God, there is a battle
going on inside me. It is a battle between
past, present, and future.
Often, every threatening memory I have ever had
seems to rise to be faced again.
Is it true that the only way I can turn loose of those
kind ofmemories is by remembering them?
Is it true that, in reality, remembering
is a critical step toward forgetting?
Remind me that you are the One who knows my
memories even better than I do and you are
the One who loves me, memories and all.
Amen
+
O Creator of All,
We have allowed ourselves to be trapped
by things we should master.
Our love of money turns us into puppets.
Our thirst for power makes un heartless.
Our hungry pride tempts us
to misuse and abuse others.
We can justify almost anything in the name
of a good time, which we easily convince
ourselves we have deserved.
We have fallen captive to that which
we were meant to control.
And, what is worse, we magnify our sin
by spreading the gospel of these false gods
where we have the most influence,
in our families.
Help us in our struggle to know the difference
between the gods wecreate and
the One who has created us.
Amen
+
O God,
there are so many things I want to try, but do not.
Sometimes I feel limited by my fear and I remain
in the little box someone else has created for me.
Sometimes I feel that my abilities are limited
and that I am destined never to improve.
Sometimes I feel limited by my age.
Is there too much time left or too little?
I do want to do something worthwhile with my life.
Help me to know the difference between
a right and a privilege;
an obligation and a responsibility;
a temptation and an opportunity.
May I know my parameters so well
that I can grow because of them.
Amen
+
O God,
too much of life is consumed in hostility.
Yet, we are never comfortable with hate,
not our own or anyone else's.
Show us again how love can break through
any barrier, dissolve hate, and bring even
the lion and thelamb together.
You have shown us howlove
always wins and never loses,
always finds and never loses,
always saves and never loses.
Teach us to make love, all kinds,
and not war, any kind.
In the name of the Prince of Peace.
Amen
+
Dear God,
I need help with today.
My whole being sometimes wanders into tomorrow
or next week or next year, but deep down
I know I can only live one day at time.
It is a struggle, though, Lord.
I must plan for the future or
I might fall behind in everything I have to do.
It is like having to be in two places at once!
Save me from the anxiety and frustration
of not being able to do everything at once.
Help me to give the proper respect
to where I am now and
to take the next step with a trusting heart.
Amen
+
O God,
We confess that while we like to think of ourselves
as modern people and progressive thinkers,
we are often afraid of change.
We know that Christ calls us to be
transformers of the world and, yet,
too often in our insecurity we are merely
protectors of the status quo.
We are so busy trying to keep our lives
comfortableand secure that wefail to see the
possibilities for growth you are constantly offering us.
Remind us, O Lord, that growth requires change
and that we can continue to grow
no matter what our age.
Help us to understand
that only as we allow ourselves
to be open to creative change
can newness of life take place in us
as persons and as a people.
Amen
+
L E N T
A time of personal examination as to how
we have kept our agreement to love
+
THE GETHSEMANE PRAYERS
O God,
We have been in the darkness too long,
unable to see the light, incapable of finding the way.
In that darkness we have hidden our insights,
nursed our sorrows, and honed our grudges.
The darkness has blinded us and made us
timid of heart, weak of spirit, and lonely of soul.
Jar our memories, open our eyes, loosen our tongues,
give us confidence to share out of the depths
of who we really are.
If a time should come when we see clearly
the truth, but lack the courage to do it,
please, Good Lord,
if it is possible, let that cup pass from me,
but if not...Amen
+
O God,
There are timesI feel hopeless and afraid;
confused and not sure about anything.
What difference does my life make
in the midst of such a vast universe?
Sometimes, thoughts of my own death
stir-up feelings of doubt and uncertainty.
I feel that I am going in circles
rather than toward a destination.
In the midst of my unsureness I become
impatient with those who are closest to me.
If it is possible, let that cup pass from me,
but if not...Amen
+
Dear Lord,
You have shown me what a bridge love is
across my wild rivers of anger and
my deep valleys of mistrust;
how it can tame that
uncompromising beast, Guilt.
You have shown me how love
warms without burning,
cools without chilling,
holds without crushing.
Whenever I may be hungry,
love can fill my emptiness.
Whenever I may be wounded,
love can heal.
However down I may feel,
one touch of its pleasure
can make me a saint.
There are times, though, when love
expects more of me than I have to give.
If it is possible, let that cup pass from me,
but it not...Amen
+
O God,
You so generously give us life,
the freedom of choice,
sunrise in the morning,
sunset in the evening,
and all the time there is.
We confess that our schedules often
crowd out appreciation of these gifts.
Everyday living requires such a serious
investment of ourselves that we often
neglect the time to laugh and play.
Then, when sorrow comes
and despair engulfs us,
all our strength seems drained from us.
If it is possible, let that cup pass from me,
but if not...Amen
+
Dear God,
You know that there are times when I have
more questions than I do answers.
I seem trappedby my own inability
or reluctance to make a decision.
I am afraid of the consequences.
I want a guarantee that everything
will work to my benefit.
There are times when I hope that
someone will take over for me and
times when I know I must do it myself.
If it is possible, let that cup pass from me,
but if not...Amen
+
Dear Lord,
I, too, can feel the excitement in the
long-awaited coming of One who can change
shadows into sunlight,
despair into hope,
and even death into life.
With all inhibitions downI could join in the
parades,
processionals,
and testimonials
for such a person.
If I were to be asked, though,
to join with such a person on a march
that could lead to
rejection,
negation,
and maybe even death,
I am not so sure.
If it is possible, let that cup pass from me,
but if not...Amen
+
E A S T E R T I D E
A time of realization that even in the face of crucifixion
love survives, deepens, and raises us to new heights
+
THE EASTER PROCLAMATION
I BELIEVE
THAT MY LIFE IS A GIFT,
THAT IT KEEPS COMING AND NEVER ENDS;
THAT MORE THAN ANYTHING I POSSESS OR CONSUME,
IT IS LOVE ALONE THAT MAKES IT WORTH LIVING.
I BELIEVE
THAT I AM LOVED,
BY PEOPLE NEAR AND FAR, YOUNG AND OLD;
THAT LOVE CAN BE A MEMORY,
LOVE CAN BE A TOUCH,
LOVE CAN BE A WORD SPOKEN IN TRUTH,
BUT WHENEVER AND HOWEVER IT HAPPENS,
IT, TOO, COMES AS A GIFT AND RENEWS MY LIFE.
I BELIEVE
THAT I CAN LOVE,
MYSELF,
PEOPLE WHO ARE LIKE ME,
PEOPLE WHO ARE DIFFERENT FROM ME.
I CAN DO IT WITH MY WHOLE BEING,
BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT.
I BELIEVE
THAT IS WHAT LOVING GOD IS ALL ABOUT
AND THAT IS PRECISELY THE WAY GOD
KEEPS GIVING LIFE BACK TO US.
GOD LOVES US BACK TO LIFE!
AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN!
AMEN
+
O GOD OF GOOD FRIDAY AND EASTER,
OVERCOME OUR WILLINGNESS TO TAKE LIFE AS IT IS,
RATHER THAN SEARCH OUT ITS NEW POSSIBILITIES.
WE HAVE BEEN DEADENED BY HARD REALITY
AND COLD FACTS LONGER THAN WE CARE TO ADMIT.
GIVE US BACK THE LAUGHTER,
THE ENTHUSIASM,
THE OPTIMISM,
THE DREAMS,
THAT HELP US FIND SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN ONCE AGAIN.
ROLL THE STONE AWAY FROM OUREMPTY HEARTS.
FILL US WITHLOVE AND ENABLE US
TO BE TRULY ALIVE ONCE MORE.
HELP US TO SEE OURSELVES AS YOU SEE US,
AS YOUR BLESSED CHILD.
AWAKEN US FULLY TO THE NEW MORNING
THAT HAS BROKEN THIS DAY,
THROUGH JESUS CHRIST,
WHO HAS BECOME OUR SAVIOR.
AMEN
+
O GOD,
WE HAVE BEEN EASTER CHRISTIANS FOR TOO LONG.
WE JOINED THE PROCESSIONS
AND SHOUTED OUR HALLELUJAS FOR AWHILE,
BUT NOW WE SPEND TOO MUCH OF OUR TIME
AS BYSTANDERS AND ONLOOKERS.
FORGIVE US WHEN WE LOOK DOWN ON THOSE FIRST
FOLLOWERS WHO ABANDONED JESUS THE NEARER
HE GOT TO THE CROSS. WE ARE TOO MUCH LIKE THEM.
FORGIVE US FOR AVOIDING THE CROSSES AND
REACHING FOR THE CROWNS.
SHOW US AGAIN THAT FAITH CAN HANDLE BOTH.
AMEN
+
CREATOR GOD,
WE TURN TO YOU IN OUR GRATITUDE AND PRAISE.
IN EVERY LEAF THERE IS THE WONDER OF CREATION.
IN EVERY SUNRISE THERE IS THE MYSTERY OF A NEW DAY.
WITH EVERY BREATH WE EXPERIENCE
THE MIRACLE OF LIVING.
SLOW US DOWN SOON ENOUGH
AND QUIET US LONG ENOUGH
THAT OUR AWARENESS OF YOU MAY FLOW
INTO RIVERS OF GRATITUDE AND SONGS OF PRAISE.
OPEN OUR EARS TO THOSE WHO CAUTION US
THAT WE ARE ENDANGERING LIFE ON THIS PLANET.
WAR IS AN INADEQUATE ANSWER.
CARELESSNESS IS A POOR COMPANION.
OPEN OUR EYES TO SEE OPPORTUNITIES FOR POSITIVE CHANGE.
OPEN OUR LIVES TO LIVE CARINGLY,
SO THAT OUR CHILDREN AND OUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN
WILL LIVE ON A BALANCED AND BOUNTIFUL EARTH.
IN THE NAME OF THE RISEN CHRIST,
AMEN
+
O LORD, WE ARE THANKFUL FOR ALL THAT THE PAST HAS BEEN.
ITS MIXTURE OF JOY/SORROW, PAIN/HEALING, AND GUILT/FORGIVENESS
HAS MADE US WHAT WE ARE THIS DAY.
WHATEVER THE NIGHT MAY BRING,
WE HAVE LEARNED TO AWAIT THE NEW DAY
THAT COMES WITH THE BRIGHTNESS OF LIFE-GIVING LOVE.
HOWEVER LONG THE DROUGHT, NEW LIFE COMES TO US
AS THE SPRING RAINS THAT WATER THE EARTH.
FROM THE ALTARS OF THE PAST, O LORD, HELP US
ALWAYS TO TAKE THE FIRE AND NOT THE ASHES.
IN THE NAME OF THE ONE WHO SHOWED US THE WAY
FROM THE CROSS TO AN EMPTY TOMB
AND CHANGED SUNSET TO SUNRISE.
AMEN
+
ALMIGHTY GOD, WE CONFESS THAT WE HAVE NOT LOVED
AS WE HAVE BEEN LOVED, NOR HAVE WE GIVEN
AS FREELY AS WE HAVE RECEIVED.
WE HAVE HEARD YOUR CALL. WE HAVE SEEN YOUR WAY.
YOUR LIFE IS ALL AROUND US AND WITHIN US.
YET, THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHEN WE HAVE RESISTED YOUR SPIRIT.
WE HAVE BEEN SLOW TO LOVE. WE HAVE FORGOTTEN HOW TO BELIEVE.
FORGIVE WHAT WE HAVE BEEN. HELP US TO CHANGE WHAT WE ARE.
BY YOUR HOLY SPIRIT DIRECT WHAT WE SHALL BE,
THAT THROUGH JESUS CHRIST,
WE MAY BECOME THE PEOPLE YOU HAVE CALLED US TO BE:
YOUR BLESSED CHILDREN.
AMEN
+
O GOD, HELP US TO SAY THE WORDS
THAT JESUS SAID FROM THE CROSS,
"FATHER, INTO THY HANDS I COMMEND MY SPIRIT."
OTHERS HAD DONE VIOLENT THINGS TO HIS BODY,
AND THE CROSS IS A THREAT TO US ALL, O LORD.
EVEN HIS MIND HAD BEEN PRESSURED BY THE EXPERIENCE,
AND ALL OF US FEEL THE TENSION OF DECISION-MAKING
LIKE HE FELT IN GETHSEMANE.
BUT HIS SPIRIT WAS HIS OWN AND IN THE END
HE COMMITTED IT ANEW TO YOU,
WHO, ALONE, CAN LOVE US BACK TO LIFE.
MAY WE LEARN FROM THAT, O GOD.
WE, TOO, ARE BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT.
NO ONE CAN TAKE OUR SPIRIT FROM US,
NOR CAN IT EVER BE DESTROYED.
WE THANK YOU FOR AN EASTER EXPERIENCE
THAT MAKES THAT CLEAR.
AMEN
+
DEAR GOD, WE CONFESS THAT TOO OFTEN IN WORSHIP
WE CENTER ON OUR PETTY NEEDS AND SHALLOW HOPES
TO THE EXCLUSION OF MUCH THAT CAN STRENGTHEN OUR FAITH.
HELP US TO SEE OURSELVES THIS DAY
AS PART OF THE PEOPLE OF FAITH OF ALL AGES.
EVEN BEFORE THE TIME OF JESUS,
YOU WERE PREPARING FOR JUST SUCH A BODY OF FOLLOWERS
AS THE CHURCH, EVEN THIS CHURCH.
LONG AFTER WE ARE GONE, OTHERS WILL COME WILLINGLY
TO CARRY THE BANNER OF TRUTH.
MAY WE LIVE AS THOUGH WE KNOW OURSELVES
TO BE VITAL LINKS FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT
IN PRESERVING THE BONDS OF LOVE
THAT MAKE LIFE WORTH LIVING.
AMEN
+
PENTECOST
A time of actualization in which
we vow to live what we have heard
+
This is a New Day.
AND WE ARE A NEW PEOPLE.
If we listen carefully we can sense
the rushing wind of the spirit,
THAT WARMS OUR HEARTS AND
GIVES US TONGUES OF FIRE!
+
O Giver of Life,
We are the People who have heard a word we cannot unhear;
we have felt a warmth that cannot be chilled;
even a fire that will not be quenched.
It moves among us,
connecting us
to one another,
despite our different languages,
our different races,
our different loyalties,
our different religions,
our different cultures:
It is a word, a warmth, a fire
that cleanses with the gentleness of a spring shower,
that finishes like a fine carpenter sands rough wood,
that warms our hearts in a way that bonds us as One---
And no one can stop it from happening,
for at the heart of all Creation is a Unity
we are still discovering,
which instinctively we know will save our civilization.
Let us meet at that Center,
combining all the experiences that have made us who we are,
and sharing the many ways we have
heard that word,
felt that warmth, and
been illuminated by that fire.
Amen.
+
O God of the still, small voice,
we confess that during Pentecost
we spend too much time talking about your Spirit
without opening our lives to receive its many gifts.
We feel its fire burning,
but we quench its flame.
We feel it moving among us,
but we harden our hearts.
Breathe in us the fire of a Spirit that cannot be quenched.
Fill us with a love that pours freely from us
and never runs dry.
Through this Spirit of Love
raise us up from death itself and give us
a new heart,
a new hope,
and a new life,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
+
O GOD,
We are yearning for the rushing wind of the Spirit
that warms our hearts and gives us tongues of fire.
Wind and fire often make us fearful, though.
They can require more of us than we have to give.
We confess that too often
fear breeds only pious chatter;
too often fear is the fire that burns.
Too often fear deafens us
to the promptings of the Spirit.
Relieve us of our pretense.
Give us ears that truly hear;
hearts that are truly open.
May we sense that the rushing wind of your Spirit
comes on wings of love;
that its fire warms without burning;
that it can give us a new heart, a new hope, and a new life;
that these dry bones can live anew;
that the wind and fire of your Spirit
can raise us up from death itself,
through Christ our Lord,
Amen
+
O God,
We do not know how to pray as we should.
Help us to replace worn-out phrases
with feelings that run deep and truly communicate.
Forgive us when our prayers
become an exercise or a duty
or a way of shielding ourselves from reality.
May we not desire to hide from life,
but to find ourselves within it.
May we not vainly seek tasks suited to our strength,
but strength more suited to our tasks.
May we not panic in the presence of silence,
but learn to listen more and better.
Help us to hear the truth not only in the
"earthquake, wind, and fire,"
but also in the "still, small voice."
Amen
+
O God,
There is a part of me that only you and I know about.
Sometimes I find it hard to share that part of myself with anyone,
but you know me better than I know me.
You know the hidden depths and the strong yearnings.
Even when I look bad to everyone else,
you know what I am going through on the inside.
And, what is more, you save me from the awful death
of judging myself.
You are the one who makes sense of my sighs and groanings
and ignites, again, the flickering flame of my spirit.
Thank you for your love and forgiveness
that heals and makes me whole.
Amen
