God of grace, you have given us all things, and you have fed us with Christ’s presence through this sacrament. We commit ourselves to you now, and we give ourselves to the work of your kingdom, which is upon us in Jesus’ life. Thanks be to God! Amen.
Submitted by Rev. Nathan Williams, Echo Hill Presbyterian Church, Cedar Rapids, IA
mark 12
confession: and we…
One: God, you call us to love you with all our heart,
All: and we are happy to confine love to our hearts,
though we reserve the right to define “all,”
loving only when we “feel” it.
One: You call us to love you with all our soul,
All: and that sounds easier,
because souls we only have to deal with at church.
One: You call us to love you with all our mind,
All: and we definitely know how to think about love!
One: You call us to love you with all our strength,
All: and we have used these words to justify
using our strength against others in your name.
One: You call us to love our neighbor, and our enemy,
as we love ourselves,
All: and we confess that now You are getting too personal.
How can we love those to whom we do not speak?
How can we love those with whom we disagree?
How can we love…how can You love…those people?
One: Forgive us, Lord, for drawing the circle too tightly,
for presuming to know your mind,
for being quick to judge and quick to anger.
All: Open our hearts, our souls, our minds, our strength
to love you, and our neighbor, with our whole being.
We pray in the name of the One who loved us first.
Amen.
Submitted by Rev. Teri Peterson, Ridgefield Crystal Lake Presbyterian Church, Crystal Lake, IL.
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