God of Jacob, Joseph and his brothers
we praise you for familial bonds
husbands and wives
parents and children
brothers and sisters
Aunts and Uncles
cousins
they give us something to belong to
people who love us, no matter what
we acknowledge being part of a family can be hard
we don’t always agree with one another and, sometimes, can become estranged from others in our families.
May we look to how Joseph was treated by his brothers, yet wanted the best for them and their families as an example of how we should live our lives
Life giving Christ
your pattern of life you taught your disciples was grounded in real life
we praise you for this, because on this we have a firm grounding
the pattern was not always an easy one,
but we know in loving enemies, in treating others as we would like to be treated, in giving without expecting anything in return
you showed us the pattern for the Kingdom of God
where you, Jesus, lived as you taught
even granting forgiveness from the cross
humbly, we know we may not manage to do that, but we pray for your strength and compassion to fill us, Lord
that we may love our enemies
that we may give expecting nothing in return
that we may treat others as we would long to be treated.
That in so doing, we can show we are Christians by our love, by our love
Loving Spirit
We praise you for filling us with love
we grieve for those who show no love
to those who have made mistakes, even terrible mistakes
no love for those who are different, in colour, religion, world view
no love for those who are in need and cannot possibly repay
no love for those with whom they disagree
no love for stranger
no love for self
we cry to you, Lord God
save them
save them for their hate
reach out in love, through the Holy Spirit and through us
to bring love, unconditional, compassionate love
to this world
where all are treated as you would, God, our God
your beloved children
Amen