Here’s
a pastoral prayer inspired by the scripture readings for Proper 4 C, the second
Sunday after Pentecost (especially 1 Kings 8 and Galatians 1: 1-12). It comes from the Ministry Matters website.
Prayer
for One Voice
Eternal
God, who in Jesus Christ redeems us from the sin that drives us apart and
reconciles us with the love that brings us together, we thank you for him who
has made us your partners in covenant. We bless you for the vision with which
you bless us through him: for the vision of yourself, whose love for all does
not diminish your love for each; for the vision of us as individuals, whose
move away from you does not slow your move toward us; for the vision of the
community of believers, whose history of division does not alter your desire
for union; and for the vision of the world, whose clamor for power does not
silence your demand for justice.
O
God, grant us the faith of Solomon's prayer: the faith that calls the temple
not by the builder's name but by your name; the faith that looks not within the
temple but beyond for your dwelling place; the faith that longs for the temple
to become a house of prayer—not for one people but for all the peoples of the
earth.
Unfortunately,
our faith in Christ has often been no match for Solomon's prayer. We sing of
Christ for all the world, but the world we have in mind is much smaller than
the world for which Solomon prayed. It is not the world of "all the
peoples of the earth," but only some of them—those of them who think as we
think, feel as we feel, worship as we worship, and live as we live.
Forgive
us, O God, not only for shrinking your world to the size of our prejudices, but
for reducing Christ to the level of our preferences. Too often we turn your
Christ into a Christ of our own creation: a Christ too narrow to tolerate any
behavior we do not approve; to sanction any belief we do not hold; to welcome
any person we do not like; to permit any worship we do not practice.
O
God, you have made us in your image. Forgive us for remaking the world in ours.
You have made Christ the church's one foundation. Forgive us for trying to
build it on another. Transform us, O Lord. Grant us the grace so to represent
the Christ you have sent that the world might receive your glorious gospel,
obey your great c and worship your holy name.
~
posted on the Ministry Matters website.
http://www.ministrymatters.com/worship/article/entry/3878/worship-elements-2-june-2-2013#axzz2TrliqFM6
