(For the worship theme, Theodicy.)
God of snowy weekends,
and God of baptismal waters,
God of all, we come to you in worship this day,
wondering, how is it, that you choose us?
-once in our baptism, again every day -
How is it, that you claim us and name us,
and promise us that we are yours?
You see us stumble.
You see us start and stop.
And still you pursue us.
From manger, to font,
from tomb, to sanctuary.
Again and again you redeem,
you forgive,
you pour out grace upon grace.
God for your love,
so abundant it calls us to wonder how it can be,
we give you our thanks and praise.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers.
God the abundance of your love,
it calls us to wonder just how it can be,
for we have a hard time practicing it with ourselves.
What does it feel like to you,
maker of the heavens,
to watch your beloved critique ourselves like we do?
To pick on our flaws,
perseverate on the brokenness,
to deny the beauty you have woven into our making?
What must if feel like, to gift your creatures
with minds that know, and hearts that want,
to make us capable of creating good things,
only for us to deny it possible,
only for us to play small,
to obsess over destination,
and miss the magnitude of what you have for us this day?
Won’t you, keeper of the universe,
remind us again that your love is real.
Let our worry not be whether or not we deserve it,
but let us trust you enough
to see your love in ourselves,
to live into the claim of our calling, this and each day.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers.
For God, unless we learn to recognize the goodness
woven into our own being,
how will we ever come to see
the love that shines in one another?
God, what we must we look like to you?
Woven together with your beauty in our bones,
stitched together as your children,
one body interconnected and dependent,
struggling against ourselves.
Each of us, playing small, concerned with our corners,
desperately trying to win the day -
when you call us to bend the arc of history.
So God we pray,
break down the walls and flood the aisles,
help us to trust you love us enough,
that we can be certain you love the other too.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers.
So God we pray this day, reaffirming our trust in your claim,
giving ourselves again to your work in this world,
uniting our voices with all your children, as you taught us to pray…