No longer slaves to sin.
Lord, that is our prayer as we come before you today… that
we are no longer slaves to sin. Help us
embrace the gift of your son, the gift of our baptism -- our cleansing -- and
the grace that they represent and that has truly set us free.
We are slaves to sin because we are slaves to ourselves, our
typically selfish wants and desires…
We think we can love, when the love we think we are
experiencing is really all about us.
We think we can serve when the act of service is really
about us and about us feeling good about what we’ve done.
We think we can live Godly lives when the purpose of such
lives is really so we can control our goodness and show others how wonderful we
are.
Free us from this sin, Lord.
Wash us clean. Put us down in the
water, Father; hold us down until we shed our love of self to such a great
degree that the love of Christ is all that is left.
Set us free from the sin of loving ourselves too much or
hating ourselves the same. Regardless,
the focus is on us and not your kingdom.
In the silence, Father, bathe us in your presence, cleanse
us with your spirit.
You call us to seek first the kingdom of God. Help us be Christ-like as we seek your
kingdom. Help us be Christ-like as we love
our neighbors and even more so our enemies.
Help us be Christ-like as we dig in and get mixed up with the messiness
of this world in your name.
In the name of Jesus,
we ask that we love as Jesus loves.
In the name of Jesus,
we call upon you to help us seek your kingdom above all else and then follow
where that focus leads.
In the name of Jesus,
we cry out to you, O Lord. Cleanse us.
Help us commit ourselves to you.
Allow us to trust you to move forward, not relying on
ourselves, but in the one who set us free by his death, burial and
resurrection…Help us remember our baptisms.
Help us remember when we were still so focused on pleasing you.
Help us understand your freedom, the freedom that is ours
through your grace and the sacrifice of your son who taught us to pray:
