Glorious God, our maker, creator and redeemer, dare we call you friend? Too many people in this world have been taught that you are a power and a presence to be feared and yet we describe you as merciful and loving. As we work out the meaning of salvation, the question we must answer is this: Do we really believe what we confess? When we are confronted by the evil that permeates our daily lives, we wonder where you are in the midst of it all. We are praying you will intervene, like Superman and save human beings from themselves. We confess some resentment at your not being the divine fixer of all that is awful, evil, sick and twisted. We wonder why you allow us to do unto others what we would not do to ourselves. Maybe if you turn out the lights for just a little while, we would have to stop and fend for ourselves, groping to find our way in the darkness. We wouldn’t know if the hand we grasped in that darkness was friend or foe, only that both hands were asking for help. Hear our prayer, O Lord. Amen.
PREPARING FOR THE OFFERING
We live in a world that offers miraculous panaceas for just about any condition: overweight, balding, joint pain, depression, dry eyes, anything that leaks, even a lackluster sex life. I remember laughing out loud when a friend asked if there wasn’t a pill to cure someone’s incessant babbling. “There must be a pill for that!” You can’t watch prime television these day without hearing about the latest pill to fix problems that aren’t topics of polite conversation. But there are no pills to improve spiritual growth, or enhance one’s prayer performance. There are no miraculous drops to clear spiritual blindness, or fizzy drinks to energize one’s serving and giving capabilities. We have to work at comprehending what it means to keep the Christ in the center of our lives. This is a heart, body and mind workout that will be worth everything, in the end.
UNISON OFFERTORY PRAYER
Gracious God, offering our gifts is an act of worship just as important as our praying singing and attending to your word for us. We are happy to place our trust in you, seeking to discern your will and way for us. Our hearts are full as we labor in your vineyard sharing the work with our brother and sister Christians. As we reach out to those in heed, lending our hearts and hands to heal a broken and hurting world, let us bring glory to your name. All this we pray in the name of the Christ. Amen.
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