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Great Lord
Jesus, what a tremendous gift your love is to us! It is first a gift
to each one of us. When we were your enemies, you made it possible
for us to switch sides. We became your allies in the battle for
peace and justice because your provided us with forgiveness, showed mercy
to us and rejuvenated us with your Holy Spirit. There is no way to
measure the value of that special blessing. Then you gave us a new
ability to love others. You placed us into a church family that
cares for us and nurtures us. You have creat ed special bonds
between us and other Christians so that we could see the scope of your
work. In love, you have united us into one body which allows for no
boundaries. Beyond this great unity of purpose, you have given us a
mission of love. No longer is it based on our selfish motives and
personal needs. You have given us the power of your holy love and
reaches out to others who are in need simply because they are in need.
Today,
we pray for a church that has not yielded to the plan of love and
community that is part of your heavenly purpose for us. We look at
the Body of Christ and we see many fractures and division in the
fellowship. We have allowed denominationalism to divide us. We
continue to assert the superiority of our portion of the body as over and
against other parts. We allow nationalism to become more important
than Christian unity. We let classism and racism exist side by side
with our confession of faith in Jesus. We argue over beliefs and
theologies instead of claiming each other as part of the same family.
We cry over our failures to love within our common faith, within our
denomination and even within our local fellowship. Forgive us and
strengthen us to build our fellowship rather than tear it down.
As
part of our commitment to each other, we bring our concerns to you for our
sisters and brothers in faith. We ask for wholeness and healing to
be given to all who cry out to you. We especially remember today.
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