Let’s not take the places where we meet for granted; the work, dedication, gifts and skills we have shared in being together. We are thankful for all those who make the connections between our Christian tradition and the challenges we face in becoming a public church. To do this we draw on an edited prayer of an Australian prophet, Michael Leunig who named this prayer, Here in this Place and we could respond, for what happens in this place.
Fill this place, O Lord, with a sense of your presence that it may be indeed a sanctuary, a wayside place for all people. A shelter, a place of refuge to bind up the broken hearted, a place of welcome and hospitality.
Here we meet for a sacred purpose, to celebrate our relationship to a covenanting God, to restore brokenness, to give thanks, to enter into binding relationships with one another, to rally for a cause, to confront injustice, to wait upon the Spirit.
A place where the good news is celebrated; a place where prayer is fulfilled according to your will. Here also we are encouraged to seek a purpose in life, to be challenged and invited to discern new directions and priorities for our life.
May the worship and service which is given here reflect your purpose for all humankind.
May we be a community receiving the gifts of your Spirit; rejoicing in the hearts that are opened through forgiveness. A community celebrating the differences which are welcomed into fellowship; a community witnessing the beginnings of courageous healing journeys.
As we travel inwards may we discover a renewed vision of the Good News and find ourselves embracing God’s wondrous purpose in reaching out to others in love and grace. And as we travel outwards from this place may we go knowing we are restoring what we can of our broken troubled world. Amen.