CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Loving and merciful God we are awed by the work of your hands. We love the mountains that we look upon. We delight in the myriad colors that adorn the early morning sky until blue dominates and begins to transform ever so gradually to the pinks, purples, oranges and grays of the sunset. At once we are aware that all of creation is transformed by the passage of time. Help us, wondrous and all-knowing God, to understand your message of the hours revealed in the unbreakable bond shared between the sunrise and the sunset. As our own bodies age and change, help us keep our eyes upon the dawn which heralds every new day in your universe. In the name of the Christ we pray. Amen.
PREPARING FOR THE OFFERING
Time-Lapse photography was developed by a banker with a plant hobby back in the 1930s. The image being filmed is captured at a very slow frame-rate — say 1 frame per second and when played at normal speed—the eye witnesses the growth of a plant, an animal, or the movement of the sunrise to sunset, in seconds rather than hours. It’s as if it is happening before our very eyes, like watching Clark Kent become Superman. He has always been Superman, but until we saw him change for the first time we didn’t know that. He has suddenly been revealed to us in a way we hadn’t seen him before. From that first revealing moment we anticipate seeing him more often in the blue and red outfit with the cape. Hmmm... If we time-lapsed the offering, wouldn’t it seem to grow right before our eyes?
UNISON OFFERTORY PRAYER
Lord, Bless the gifts we bring. Transform them with your blessing into instruments of your goodwill for all people. We offer them with grateful, joyful hearts seeking to serve you in all our work, at all times, in all places, as often as ever we can. May the work of our hands, the prayers of our hearts, and these gifts witness to your unreserved presence in our lives. Breathe into us, your renewing Spirit and make us living proof of your grace, mercy and love for all. Amen.
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