🙏🏻 We Come Together!

We come on our own, we come together. We come with our excitement and with our lack of expectation. 
We come with our lamps burning brightly and with our lamps hidden. 
We come with our longing and with our pride. 
We come with our words and with our silence. 
We come with our music and with our resentments.
We come to you, God of truth, with our hands open 
and ask that you reach out to us afresh.

Lord forgive our hardness of heart

Forgive us for those times when we think we can do it without you

Forgive us for our coldness towards you and others

Melt the ice of our coldness and breathe your new life into us

Generous God,
we thank you that a small amount of salt 
can season a whole meal;
a small candle can light a whole room,
a small act of kindness inspire a whole life,
a small community transform a whole city,
a small prayer bring near a whole kingdom.
We thank you, Lord, we thank you.

Please show me the areas of my life which have become flavourless?!

Show me in what ways can I be salt in my world?

We pray, gracious God, for your Church throughout the world, for your Church in this nation, in this place, that we would be light bearers and truth bearers. May we shed the light of encouragement where there is disappointment; the light of integrity where there is corruption; the light of clarity where there is uncertainty; the light of challenge where there is complacency; the light of acceptance where there is rejection. And may we always walk and pray and serve in the light of humility and in the strength of your name, that others may see you in us and give you the glory.

We pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

May you be as salt where there is staleness;
light where there is darkness; 
truth where there is unbelief 
and love where there is great need. 
And may you know the blessing of God the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit, 
close to you each moment and each day.