great prayer: song and dance

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is truly right and our greatest joy to give you thanks and praise, O God.

We praise you, O God,
who raised your voice and sang your Spirit over the chaos of creation
to make all that is beautiful and good and precious in your sight.

We rejoice in you, O God,
who gave songs to the prophets,
melodies to the people who you saved from flood and fire and famine.

We celebrate you, O God,
who David delighted in dance and poetry,
who Miriam gave glory with cymbal and drum.

We worship you, O God,
with all saints and angels from every time and place,
gathering our hearts and voices to sing to the glory of your name.

Holy Holy…

From the melodies in our hearts and the songs in our souls,
we give thanks and praise to our savior Jesus the Christ.

Cooing into silent nights, Jesus entered the world amongst the lowly.
Chanting songs of freedom, Jesus proclaimed good news to the captive.
Calling forth from the tombs, Jesus granted new life to people claimed by death.
Wailing and weeping, Jesus understood the stress and sorrow of a broken world.
Frolicking around wells and streams, Jesus opened hearts to Living Water.
Dancing through death, Jesus invites us to proclaim life in death’s bitter sting.

So we come to this table with deep joy and humble gratitude, for we know that:

Breaking bread, Jesus feeds us with a hunger for justice.
Pouring cup, Jesus invites us to join into the song of salvation.

Come, Holy Spirit, and stir in our hearts,
for the one who called us to the table calls us to sing and dance.
Teach us the music, guide us in the footsteps,
empower us to join in the celebration and invite all we see to do the same.

Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ,
through the power of the Holy Spirit,
may all glory and honor be yours, O Lord of the Dance,
who taught us to pray by saying,

Our Father…

referencing Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
submitted by Rev. Lindsay Conrad, Resident Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Ann Arbor, Michigan