Here’s
an opening prayer for Lent from Rev. Dr Douglas Galbraith. It was posted on the
Church of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday website.
Opening Prayer
God,
you loved the world so much
that
you embraced it in all its suffering
in
your beloved Son Jesus Christ,
who
sought the way of the cross
that
he might come to Easter
and
offer us the way back to you.
We
thank you for this space apart,
not
just on this Sunday morning
but
in the weeks that are to come –
space
to become more receptive
to
the incredible promise of new life:
life
to challenge all that is deathly in our world,
life
to challenge all that is dull in our hearts.
Help
us to use this time,
not
just in prayer at worship,
but
in the thoughtfulness
in
which we go about these coming days,
listening
for your voice in all we do,
as
you challenge the habits that restrict us
and
the assumptions that close our minds.
Help
us also to be aware of others
who
at this time are examining themselves,
whether
from religious duty
or
because they have reached a turning point,
in
a career, or in a relationship, or in a crisis.
Give
us an ear that listens
that
we may find the words to sustain
and
the openness to learn
through
Jesus Christ,
our
deliverance and our hope. Amen.
~
written by Rev Dr Douglas Galbraith, and posted on the Church of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday website. http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/
