Everyone is welcome at Cherry Log Christian Church (DOC).
Our Prayer for the week of July 25-31, 2010
Almighty God, Loving and Forgiving God, God of Mercy and Life, we offer to you our praise as well as our allegiance. We come renewing our faithfulness and our baptismal covenant to be your people.
We confess that we have confused belonging with faithfulness. In fact, we have worn ourselves out by trying to be responsible people who belong to the church. We have signed up for committees, paid our dues, and dusted off our seats by our weekly presence.
But today, Compassionate God, we come not seeing faith as belonging but to experience faith as transforming. Transform us from being pleased with our sometimes painful dedication to finding joy in our giving to others. Use our hurts not as a statue for martyrdom, but help us to accept the hurt, love the hurt, and so transform our hurt. Move us from believing in certain doctrines to giving compassion to people who need real acceptance. Transform us from image people to mission people. Transform us from being only logical, rational people to being also loving and caring disciples.
Almighty God, stir us beyond our what is normal for people of faith. Ignite your Spirit within us that we may give of ourselves with a passion that is spirited-directed.
Loving God, these spoken and unspoken prayers we offer in the name of the risen Christ. Amen.
Hear Us O Lord - J. Wyndham