Great and wondrous God, we are grateful to be in your presence. We come before you now, worshiping and
praising your name, singing, sharing, and loving as you have called us to do.
We marvel at your great love, a love that is so pure that we
cannot fully comprehend it as much as we try.
At the same time that we acknowledge your greatness, your majesty,
Father, we are often darkened in our understanding, alienated from you because
of our hard hearts and our ignorance. We
have become greedy, insensitive, and have embraced recklessness and immorality. This is not the message of Jesus Christ. This is not how we were taught. This is
not your agenda, Father. This is not
your truth. We know from the Gospel, Father, that your word is truth.
Your word is truth, gracious Lord. Your word teaches us how to worship, how to serve,
how we should live our lives of obedience to you. We know it pleases you when we study your
word, your truth, and then use it to remake ourselves as mature followers of
the Way.
Your word is truth, Father, evidenced by your limitless patience,
your steadfast faithfulness. We know you
shall never forsake us. In times of
stress, help us remember that you are THE constant in our lives.
Sanctify us in the truth, O God. Clothe us in your truth so when the darkness
of evil, when the selfishness of the world closes in on us, we can break free
into the light that is your love.
Send us into the church, mature Christians, ready and able
to disciple, using your strength and your truth to gird up our brothers and
sisters, those both new in the faith and those long-suffering servants who
never give up in their efforts to glorify you.
Help us center our lives around you, your people, and your call to share
the Good News with the world.
Send us into the world to share your truth, the truth that
is in Jesus Christ. Send us into the
world, Father, to share your love, to turn enemy into friend, to be kind to one
another, tender-hearted, and forgiving all in your name, all to glorify you.
In the silence, hear our prayers of thanksgiving for this truth,
this love. We also know you welcome our
joys and sorrows and we bring them to you now.
Your Truth is in Jesus.
Our truth is in Jesus. Praise be
to you, Lord God almighty.
We now remember one of our own family, Cody Spencer, who is
faithfully serving with Globalscope in Spain.
Strengthen him and his team as they work to share your truth with
university students who often believe in nothing.
And now we pray together the prayer that our truth, Jesus
Christ taught us:
