In a Perfect World

In a perfect world, every Sabbath is a glorious celebration of God’s extravagant generosity and endless grace.

In a perfect world, our devoted worship and authentic relationships make God smile.

In a perfect world, all people belong to God.

In a perfect world, all people KNOW they belong to God.

In a perfect world, we are motivated to welcome the stranger and embrace the neighbor.

In a perfect world, the currencies we most treasure are faith, hope and love.

But we are imperfect people living in an imperfect world: Songs can fall flat and expectations can be inflated. Fellowship can take a partisan turn. People can selectively forget to whom they belong and be distracted from the purposes made plain through Jesus.


Savior,

Save us from all we do to chip away at your perfect truth.

Save us when we are careless with your resources and stingy with our affection.

Save us when our worship is undone by our concern for the clock and the calendar.

Save us when our fellowship becomes exclusive.

Save us when the work we do in your name becomes more self-serving than Christ-serving.

Save us when we believe our most significant investments are on Wall Street rather than in one another.


Where there is Perfect Love, there is forgiveness.

Where there is Perfect Love, there is starting over.

The world may be imperfect, but the Perfect Love that comes from God through the person of Jesus Christ and the inspiration of the Spirit is ours.

With renewed joy, we feast on faith, feast on hope and feast on love this day. Amen.