God of Welcome

Creator God,

You are great and powerful,

Yet so aware of our frailty and our needs each day.

The God who daily provided manna in the desert

Still provides for us

Still calls each of us by name

Still knows the yearnings of our hearts;

Listens to us as we lie in bed praying a worried prayer at night -

Joins us at the breakfast table as we make hopeful plans by day. Pause

 

Holy Spirit, you hovered over the waters in the beginning,

Were witnessed as wind and tongues of fire by the first Christians

And you still blow through our church

sending us in new directions.

You still sweep in like a draught under the door

Or drift in like the smell of Spring through an open window at home

Giving us a hunch about someone to think about

Someone to offer a lift to

someone to bless.  Pause

 

Jesus, in the beginning was the Word

And then you came and lived among us so long ago. 

And you laid yourself down.

Yet you still walk beside us

Interceding for us

Being with us

Teaching us,

And accepting us just as we are. Pause

 

Threefold God of welcome,

We thank you for the abundance of your provision for us

We revel in your presence with us

We stand amazed at your love for us.  Pause

 

We confess, though, that your welcome to us

Doesn’t always flow on in the way we welcome others.

 

Some people are easier to be with than others

Some people demand less of us than others

Giving of ourselves to some people feels more satisfying than giving of ourselves to others

And there is only so much time and energy and resources .

 

Forgive us when we miss the window of opportunity.

Help us to be wise with who we are and what we have and what we do.

Open our eyes to who you want us to see

 

May we be your people

May your welcome be in us

Help us to be the voice and face and hands of your welcoming presence in the world.

 

Amen