Sunday Worship 7/4, Easter 2

Prayers of Adoration & Confession

Watch or 10:23

During our prayers of Adoration I will read the Psalm for today, Psalm 133, which is an expression of the joy of living together in unity. Let us pray.

Eternal God, Resurrected Christ, Spirit of Unity,
We give thanks for your power over all that is broken in this world.
We praise you
for creating a world of justice and equality,
for living within and speaking against a world of suffering,
for dwelling among us as we inhabit the world today.
We give thanks for the joy that we share in our common life as a community of faith.
In the words of the Psalmist:

How very good and pleasant it is
when kindred live together in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down over the collar of his robes.
It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the Lord ordained a blessing,
life forevermore.

God we give you thanks for this image of abundance:
scented oil on warm skin,
dew on mountain tops.
We give thanks for the joy we experience in friendships, in our church life,
in our workplaces, with our neighbours, and in our global community.

Eternal God, Resurrected Christ, Spirit of Unity,
We confess that, as individuals, we fall short of the communal love you call us to,
We take friends, partners, and family members for granted,
We hold grudges, and speak thoughtlessly to and about neighbours and colleagues,
We fail to share what we have with those who have little.
Forgive us.

We confess that, as a nation, we fall short of acknowledging our common humanity,
We exploit workers overseas in our consumption of goods,
We fail to give refugees a fair chance at starting a new life,
We value the lives of people from our nation over those in other countries.
Forgive us.

Eternal God, Resurrected Christ, Spirit of Unity,
We long for our relationships to reflect your love. To be like oil on Aaron’s beard,
and dew on the mountains of Zion.
Forgive us and restore us.
Help us to dwell in Unity.
Amen.

Word of Grace
Siblings in Christ, God’s love for you does not depend on your good behaviour.
God loves us each, as we are, and fills us with the Spirit, calling us to new life in Christ.
Through Christ, In Christ, and because of Christ, our sin is forgiven.
Thanks be to God.

Natalie Sims, offered for worship 07/04/2024, Easter 2B