The invitation has been given:
Come and gather, come on and all, come as you are!
The welcome mat is laid out:
Come in and sit down! Join us!
We gather to sing and listen,
we gather to pray and be refreshed.
Hospitable God, welcoming God,
may this time together fill us with vision of what it means to embrace Radical hospitality.
Challenging God, coaxing God,
may this time together push us to ask ourselves hard questions about ourselves and push us to new actions.
Loving God, encouraging God,
we pray in the name of Jesus, who teaches us how to welcome others in your Kingdom.
And who teaches us to pray together saying...
PRAYER FOR AND ASSURANCE OF GRACE
Merciful God, we try to live in the Way of wisdom, but sometimes we get confused. There seem to be 2 sets of rules and it is hard to choose. The common sense of the world seems much more attractive than the Radicalness of Your Way. For all the times we play it safe, when we stay in our comfort zone, forgive us.
...time of silent prayer...
God's Way is not always easy or comfortable. But it is always available. When we make other choices God is always there to lead us back, never holding our wanderings over our heads. God is Gracious and Forgiving. We are a forgiven people.
Thanks and Praise to God! Amen.
BENEDICTION:
God called us here together, welcoming us just as we are.
And God calls us to welcome others, just as they are.
As we go out into the world,
We go remembering that all are welcome in God's kingdom.
Which means that we have a message for the world,
we share God's message of welcome, of Radical acceptance and hospitality
As you go to welcome the world, go out knowing that the God who creates, re-creates, and sustains us is with you every step of the way.
Thanks be to God! Amen!
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