Lord our God,it is your goodness that awakens us to life and invites us to live this day as a new beginning.Yes, may our relationships be renewed by your trust in us and may we respond by passionately seeking all that promotes reconciliation and peace, for Jesus’ sake and in his Name…
You have made known to us, O our God, what you expect of us,nothing other than to do justice, love kindness, and walk faithfully with you.
We pray, give us a whole heart!
Where concern for appearances prevents any true encounterfree us from our pride.
We pray, give us a whole heart!
Where the power of weapons takes precedence over human life,free us from our tyrannies.
We pray, give us a whole heart!
Where poverty dehumanises and erodes the hope of entire populations,free us from our indifference.
We pray, give us a whole heart!
Jesus Lord,
perhaps it would have been simpler to be servants…
servants have set hours, they have ‘limited responsibility’
whether they are useful or not is up to their employer.
But you did not call us servants
you dared to call us your friends
and that changed everything.
A friend is a full-time job.
We share our wildest hopes with our friends,
our deepest sorrows, our doubts, and our plans.
Friendship has nothing to do with usefulness.
Friendship can only exist freely.
It is a pure gift.
And that is why we come to praise you tonight,
freely, for the joy of a friend’s presence to a friend…
Blessed be you, Jesus, for daring to do this crazy thing: taking us as your friends…
