O Source of All that was and is and is to be, we come into your presence seeking release, ready to learn how to let go of the things that seem important to us:
money we feel we have earned – and already earmarked,
time we feel is limited – and so quickly passed,
lives we feel are our own – and yet never seem to be fully under our control
For you have commanded that when we have eaten our fill and when all that we have has been multiplied, we should not forget that you are the one who leads us through the wilderness, who feeds us, who tests us, who gives us the strength to prosper.
Therefore, inspire us to work for more than wages and to lend our talents and treasures without expectations, trusting that your hand will ensure that we always have what we truly need. Call us to deeper commitment through the friendships we find here with each other and with you, that, in the words of Henri Nouwen, we might know that, “The more able we are to receive the different gifts our friends have to give us, the more able we will be to offer our own unique but limited gifts.” Wrap us in this “beautiful tapestry of love.”
20 November 2005
by Deacon Sue Mosher