Prayers of Adoration & Confession

How blessed are you who are poor,
the kingdom of God is yours

Blessed are the poor in spirit –
those who know their total dependence on God
as the source of true riches –
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

We worship you Eternal God,
for in Christ you become poor
that all may be rich in love.
Give us the blessing of your Spirit today.

Blessed are those who mourn –
those who know the pain of a soul torn in two –
they will be comforted.

We worship you Compassionate God,
for in the suffering and death of Christ
you embrace the grief of humanity
with transforming love.
Give us the blessing
of your comforting Spirit today.

Blessed are the meek –
those powerless in the eyes of the world –
they will inherit the earth.

We worship you Creator God,
for through Christ’s life
you reshape the power-structures of the earth
with humble love.
Give us the blessing
of your Spirit of humility today.

Blessed are those who
hunger and thirst for righteousness –
who long for right relationship
with God and others –
they will be filled to overflowing.

We worship you Gracious God,
for in the flesh of Christ
you become hungry and thirsty
for the right expression of love.
Give us the blessing
of your righteous Spirit today.

Blessed are the merciful –
those who exhibit God’s love in action –
they will receive mercy.

We worship you Redeeming God,
for in Christ you take the brokenness of the world
and heal it with forgiving love.
Forgive and renew our broken world today.

Blessed are the pure in heart –
those with integrity,
whose heart is an open canvas
to be painted by divine creativity –
they will see God.

We worship you Sustaining God,
for through Christ you put your love
into our hearts.
Forgive and renew our frail
and struggling lives today.

Blessed are the peacemakers –
those active towards reconciliation –
they will be called children of God.

We worship you Reconciling God,
like a mother you shelter us under your wings,
like a father you lift us to your shoulders.
Forgive and renew our families,
communities and nations today.

Blessed are those who are persecuted
for righteousness’ sake –
those who suffer because they follow God’s way,
walking humbly with Christ –
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

We worship you Holy One,
Mother of Creation, Father of Christ,
Word of Wisdom,
Spirit of Love.
Carry us forgiven and forgiving
to the edge of comfort,
to the place we would rather not go.
Help us to declare there in our living
that we follow Christ’s radical way of blessing
whatever the cost.
Amen.

How blessed are you who are poor,
the kingdom of God is yours

This is the best of all:
when we are empty, God fills us;
when we are disheartened, God is compassionate;
when we are wounded, God brings healing;
when we confess our failure to love, God forgives.

In Christ, through Christ and because of Christ,
our sin is forgiven.
Thanks be to God!

offered for worship by Bella Taranto and Ian Ferguson, Epiphany 4A, 02/02/2020

Prayers of the people

God of Jesus, Spirit Sophia

We are fools. If we trust you, we become Fools about to jump over a cliff, not heeding the warnings of the world nor our instincts & turn ourselves upside down to follow you, to be  fools and to trust in these vague promises of blessings from you  a  man – tortured, poor, delusional, a powerless criminal & rebel, in a back water of an Empire,  rejected by his own community ….. How can you  offer the Reign of heaven?

Be Meek, humble, poor, enduring, do right, be peaceful, merciful, compassionate you ask ……… In this time of climate change? … Raging fire? In governments turning away refugees?  Helping corruption flourish?  Governments and alliances changing all around, with war and threats of war, grabbing land, more coal, denying  Voice Truth  Land  & Treaty for First peoples? …….

The world is not always good, pure, humble, forgiving, meek compassionate  ethical … we risk bullying, hurt, exclusion, accusations of madness, being soft, weak, too radical, idealistic, letting go too much tradition, not claiming ‘an eye for an eye’ ……….

God help us to hear the Beatitudes of the sermon on the Mount and become fools for you, to be turned upside down, our pockets emptied, risk a new vision, to walk over a cliff despite our fears  & need for security. Give us trust in this ‘foolish’ wisdom you have imparted to us.

Christ lead us, love us & lead us to love, to become the’ slave of love’ in and for this world of logic, power and ego; for our community & world,  so we may embrace it’s grief, and challenge its power by humility. That we as the Church, do this by walking with all faiths and those who   seek justice for all sentient beings. Guide us in your wisdom and compassion to be held in love, as we jump into the place of transformation, as a Servant & slave of Love.

In Jesus Name we pray. Amen

Jenne Perlstein, offered for worship Epiphany 4A, 02/02/2020