Tomorrow's Offering

With the pride of the Aussies, Dr. Gordon Moyes, preaching tomorrow I am not in the midst of sermon prep today. However, the dedication ceremony for tomorrow night is proving to be chocked full of little details.

Welcome, Dr. Moyes.

Prayers of the Church for Grandview
27 July 2008

Glorious God, who joined together the spheres of the earth while the heavenly hosts sang in praise of your marvelous works, look kindly upon this gathering as we join our voices to theirs. Great are you. Holy are you. Majestic is the wind of your presence blowing across the face of the earth, giving life and more life as it dances through our souls, our relationships, and your church.

You are never without a witness. Grant us the humbling, the overwhelming, grace to a part of that witness; to be a part of your reign. Bring the kernel of your kingdom, planted within us, to its fullest flowering. Help us to be a kingdom of love, joy, and peace even while we are surrounded by the kingdoms of this world; the kingdoms of self, of greed, of fear, of narrow justice, of race and tribe and clan.

Forgive us for relying upon these phony fiefdoms when you have offered your Son, the way, the truth, and the life. Forgive us for doing nothing when we knew we should be serving. Forgive us for thinking only of ourselves when we were needed in someone else’s life.

How can we worship you without being moved to mission ourselves? How can we worship the one who exchanged the glory of heaven for the condemnation of the cross so that the world would know you, and then keep that love to ourselves?

So, this morning we invite you to cultivate passion in us; passion for your kingdom as we sing, as we pray, as offer ourselves to you, as we hear your word spoken, and as we eat and drink in this, the new kingdom established by the death, burial, and resurrection of your Son.

We are hear from all over the world, this morning. We have more requests and praises than can be shared in a single gathering. Please hear the thoughts of our hearts in the silence:

silence

Be with the sick, the suffering, those blissfully unaware of you, those who are in harm’s way for our sake, the depressed, the grieving ones, and grant to the dying a peaceful death.

We pray together, the prayer of the kingdom, as you have taught us: