Friday, March 3, 2023

We, your people, join together to sing your praises, O Yahweh. Thank you for delivering us from trouble when we call out to you. Thank you for answering us. Thank you for feeding us the finest food and satisfying our thirst with Life-giving Water.

Divine Family, thank you we share and participate in your heavenly calling. Thank you, Jesus, son of God, for being faithful to God and to us. We look to you with open hearts and minds so we can learn and grow in our relationship with you and be in partnership with you.

We enter your sacred prayer space throwing off our exteriors, these barriers that are full of deceitful and pious behaviours. We long to be genuine, to return to our true selves, the way you created us to be. We have learned how to put on a good show for others. But these are the ways of darkness. We seek a new path. We seek your path of life.

In peace we will lie down, for it is you, O LORD, you alone who makes us to rest secure.
Be it on your own beloved arm, O God of Grace, that in peace we shall awake.

Be the peace of the Spirit ours on this journey.
Be the peace of the Son ours on this journey.
Be the peace of the Creator ours on this journey.
The peace of all peace be ours on this journey,
As we sojourn together on your new path with you.

We enter your sacred prayer space from where we are on our Lenten Journey. You meet us and invite us to selah, and to listen. You reveal our brokenness, our frailty, our impulse to hurt you and others. Your words shake us; and we question your judgement, and blurt out: “Surely, not us, LORD.” We feel ashamed, but, at the same time, desire to please you, to bring you honour, instead of hurt you.

Thank you, Yahweh, for wrapping us in your love. Thank you for reminding us to let go of our anger, bitterness, and slander. Thank you for the invitation to be kind and compassionate. Thank you for forgiving us.