Everlasting
God. The God Most High. Creator.
Provider. Our shepherd. The God who
Sees. The Lord who Heals. We sing our
praises to you. We are in awe of your
mercies. We thank you for your mighty
works. Lord,
we are humbled by your majesty, and we ask that you be merciful to us.
We
confess that we do not always treat people as you would. Too often we are quick to judge others or
discount them. We close our eyes to the
marginalized… to those who serve us all through the week… to those who have
hurt us. We are partial to those who keep us comfortable.
Gracious
God, renew our hearts; make our spirit right and true. Remind
us of our salvation through Christ, and make our willing hearts steadfast for
you. Lord,
only you can blot out our transgressions, and leave us clean and white as snow.
We praise you and thank you for your
vast and deep love for us.
We
thank you that your world is inclusive.
It is unfathomable that you call us friend. You command us, saying, “You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.” Father God, teach us to see and treat people the way
that Jesus would. Grow our hearts. Form the expressions on our faces to reflect
you….despite the circumstances of our day. Get us out of ourselves and our
little world.
Expand us. Send
us out to be Your hands and feet. Lord,
some among us seem so equipped for that.
Others of us wrestle with how we can be used. Some of us need our eyes
open to service. Help us realize that we
each can be used by you. Help us to know
that in spite of ourselves, you have a plan for us to serve. Your plan is unwavering, and it is for
good.
