PRAYER OF CONFESSION/ASSURANCE OF PARDON
Creator God, it is your hope that your people grow and become all that they could be,
But too often we are content to remain stable, not being fruitful.
God of growth, you call us to step forward, enriching the lives of those around us.
But too often we are willing to look after our needs first, and then using our “extras” for the world around us.
God of the Earth, you call us to be good users of life’s soil,
But if we are honest there are many times when we appear to be a waste of soil. For those times when we resist growth, when we are not fruitful, when we are less than we could be, forgive us we pray.
…time of silent prayer…
God is a patient and caring Gardener. God continues to nourish and nurture us, helping us to bear fruit, even when it might seem more logical to start afresh. We are forgiven, we are fed.
Thanks be to God! Amen.
COMMISSIONING AND BENEDICTION
We go out as children of God, Beloved and nourished.
May we bear fruit in response to the care from the Gardener.
We go out to work in the soil of life, the dirty world in which we find ourselves.
May we help to enrich the soil around us so that all may grow to bear fruit in their own turn.
And remember, we are not growing of our own accord or power. We grow because we are held in the arms and care of the Gardener from germination to maturity.
Thanks be to God who gives us growth! Amen.
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