Monday, March 13, 2017

a real turn around ( a prayer of thanksgiving and confession based on Psalm 30:7-12)



Lord God,

We turn aside amidst all that is going on in our world and life.

We stop and we come to praise you for the wonderful God you are.

We turn again to you and thank you for all you have done.

We acknowledge that when we were in need we cried out to you

and you did not remain silent or unmoved

Rather you heard our prayers and you responded

On that big scale, you turned to us amidst our darkness and lost-ness

You responded by sending your son Jesus, the word became flesh

Jesus who proclaimed good news and abundant life

Who shone your light in our world

Healed the sick, welcomed the wanderer, called for love of the least

Who endured the worst of our inhumanity, by being killed on a cross

But what a turn up for the books, death could not hold him captive

Three days later you raised him to life again

What an amazing turn around for us

In his unjust death we have found mercy and forgiveness

In his resurrection, we have found a newness and abundance of life

We were cut off from you God, we were distant and disinterested

But you have drawn near and are gathering us back to you

We were alone estranged from you and from one another

But you have reconciled us and drawn us together as your people

We felt helpless to change ourselves and our world

But you sent a helper, your Holy Spirit to dwell in us

To lead and guide us, remind us of Jesus words and his presence

And enable and empower not just change but transformation.   



We thank you for responding to us

For all the ways that you have turned it all around

from trapped and chained in sin and wrongdoing

To forgiveness and freedom, the slate being wiped clean

From always searching for meaning and purpose

To finding life’s fullness in serving and caring for others

From feeling hopeless and despondent in the face of life hardness

To being hope filled, with expectant joy because you are with us

From being battered and bruised and dinged up in our very souls

To have our wounds bound up and in the process of being made whole

From thinking it was all our by right, or life wasn’t fair

To being thankful for all your provision and care

What a turn around, our awesome lord



And we turn, to look at where we are now

It’s not all just history and high ideal theology

But its real right here and now

So we confess our sins, the things we’ve done wrong

We confess our sin, the good we have left undone

And we ask you to forgive us and make us clean

We pray you’d fill us again with your spirit

That you would continue to turn us around

You would make us more like Jesus

That we would love as he loves

That we may be agents of your kingdom, Witnesses to our Lord

That in all we do and, we may live to bring you glory

Our loving God, father son and Holy Spirit

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