Faith, Hope and Love

I hope some of the prayers I wrote recently for the last of a trilogy of services on Faith, Hope and Love at Swanage United Reformed Church, may help you when you pray. They were inspired by just looking out of my window at the world outside my own back door and the thought that whatever else happens in life, when all powers and empires have faded, the only thing that persists is relationship - ours with God and with each other. Brian.

Lord, how wonderful to draw close in your presence,
To share in worship and praise of the one who created us -
Who breathed life into the dust of the universe
And raised up the restless power of life.

In the morning we wonder at the sun tipped clouds,
Giving way to the life sustaining brightness of day;
In the night we look skywards, not to emptiness
But the silver studded blanket of the heavens.

If we care to look, if we dare to see,
The expression of your love is all around
You surround us with the music of your creation
And reassure us with your gifts of faith, hope and love.

Lead us from the blindness of selfishness
To see, true and clear, the beauty which surrounds us;
Help us to see through pain and pettiness
To the fullness of life that you alone offer.

Lord, in all thankfulness, we come to you. ....

In the face of such creative love,
So often our response falls short:
With a sweep of the arm we send you reeling
With a turn of the head we ignore your suffering

In self interest, we plough onwards
To the destruction of all around.
Help us, Lord, to turn to you,
To find peace in service of you:

Following your way in preference to our own -
Being the people you created us to be.
You command us to love: to love you,
To love our neighbour as ourselves;

May the love we receive from you,
Be reflected in the kindness we offer the stranger
And the care we offer our friends.
Lord, lead us back to you, In the enduring power of love.

Amen.