Shekinah Glory

The Lord be with you

And Also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them up to the lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God

It is right to give thanks and praise.

We are but a small sliver of creation
That gives thanks and praise
To your everlasting goodness.
In the depth of Sheol
We know that you are there
Even though we may not percieve you.
We see through a glass darkly
So we return to the times when we
Felt the presence of your blessings.

It is through the one who called you Abba
That we know a life
That makes dusty texts living words,
That turn our mumbled creeds
Into action and faithfulness,
And that bring our stories together
Through the knitting of bones, sinew and flesh
Into a living community that can be called Christ’s.

Through tough teaching this man displayed
The audacity to touch the untouchable,
To bless the damned,
To liberate the incurable,
To listen to the banished
And to challenge power.

It is at this table that we are transformed
As a community into the body and blood
Of the one who taught us true humanity.
We are being transformed by our repentance,
We are transformed through undeserved grace,
But most of all we are transformed
By accepting a mercy that forces us
To recognize our dignity before our creator.
Knowing death he knows us
And has participated
In humanities ultimate experience.
We pray that we might know
More than the reason for death,
But might understand resurrection.

Christ promised us his spirit
Before he ascended.
We pray for the abundance
Of that Spirit in our lives.
Turn us from being people
Who think that spirituality
Is our own private personal well
Into a congregation of friends.

It is in our trust of the Spirit’s prodding
That we are comforted by an active faith.
The spirit which turns us
From our own selfish wishes
To the work of reconciliation
In all of our associations.
Your spirit turns us from anger to unity
And from dissention to love.
Come Holy Spirit Come!

In expectation of your coming
We pray the prayer taught to us by Christ:

Our Father who art in heaven
Hallowed by thy name
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day
Our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil
For thine is the kingdom
And the power
And the glory
Forever.
Amen.