Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
L: May the God of mountaintops be with you!
P: And also with you!
L: People of God, love the One who would make your hearts a a place of holiness and hope.
P: We open ourselves to God, who raises us to new life.
L: God’s beloved children, sing to the One who will not let you stumble on your way to salvation.
P: We rejoice in God, who is foolish enough to save us from ourselves.
From the very beginning,
Vulnerable God,
all creation has sung your glory:
goodness laughing from the mountaintops,
beauty echoing in every valley.
You shaped us from creation,
your Word calling us by name,
your Spirit breathing life into us.
You set us free to live with you
in that garden of delightful wonders,
but we believed our thoughts
were better than yours.
We shaped idols to look like our desires,
and placed them in such a way
that we would not see you.
There is nothing that stays hidden from you,
so you saw how foolish we were.
Sin muddled our minds
so that we could not listen
to the prophets you sent,
so Jesus came to show us
your love which had never abandoned us.
With those who stood at the foot of Sinai,
with those who were astounded in the temple,
with those who have become foolish by following you,
with all your children of every time and in every place,
we lift our songs to your glory:
P: Holy, holy, holy are you, Architect of creation.
The heavens, the earth and everything you made
overflow with your gracious joy.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who walks on to Jerusalem.
Hosanna in the highest.
Holy are you, God of grace and glory,
and blessed is Jesus, the Christ, our Lord.
When we insisted on worshipping
every petty and pretty idol,
he came to show us exactly
what your love looks like.
When we put our expectations in his way,
hoping that he would stumble over them,
he picked them up and threw them aside,
so he could continue until
he reached the end of your journey.
When we looked for a sign
that God is with us,
he died on the cross,
and was raised to new life.
As we seek the strength to follow your Child,
as we long to be as obedient as he was,
we would speak of that mystery called faith:
P: Christ became weak,
so death would lose its power;
Christ looked foolish,
so we might become wise enough to believe.
Christ will come again in glory,
to bring us home to God.
Pour out your Spirit
upon the gifts on this Table,
Ever Faithful God.
Here, where creation
yearns for comfort,
speak hope.
Here, where your children
are broken, longing for life,
speak healing.
Here, where the bread
fills us with life and peace,
where the cup refreshes
our weary spirits,
send us forth to offer ourselves
in all those ways of service
the world finds so foolish.
And when our journey has ended,
when we are gathered around that Feast
which awaits us in that place called home,
we will join our words and our hearts,
honoring you with praise and song,
God in Community, Holy in One. Amen.
Submitted by Rev. Thom Shuman, author of Lectionary Liturgies.
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