Opening Prayer 31 January 2016

Father God, creator and sustainer of life

majesty, honour and praise are yours and yours alone

the world around us is teeming with signs of you

signs of rain and wind,

signs of sun and calm waters

signs of love bursting forth all around

This is wonderful, too wonderful for us

mere morals to fully understand

and we find our only response is to bow before you

in adoration and praise,

knowing we only see a poor reflection of your glory

knowing our worship is less wondrous, than that in heaven

knowing our hearts desire to offer you what we can

this hour, this day

our love, our devotion, our trust

you are our rock, the foundation on which we build our lives on

from before our births, you loved us

with a prefect love

no words can express what this means to us

so we pause, in the quiet of this place to simply accept that love with the openness and trust of children, your children

Christ our Lord, God incarnate

in and through you all we see and know and are was created

you came into our world, risking all, giving up all status and power

to show God’s love, for all people, for the whole of creation

you must despair sometimes that we, your church, your people called to follow you,

we get concerned about status and position

we admire those with great gifts of the world

we fail to be love in the world in a million and one ways

Lord, forgive us, cleanse us of all the ways we fail to be your love in this world and, through your mercy you teach us a better way and through the holy spirit, guide us in your way.

The way of Jesus Christ, our saviour, our redeemer, who taught us to pray together: