A Prayer to begin a Presbytery meeting

God who calls us to be the church,
God who calls people to leadership within the church,
God who challenges us to be the church in times of change and transition
we who have been called and selected as leaders in that part of Christ's body which we call Northern Lights Presbytery have gathered here in Beaverlodge.
Over this weekend we will talk together, eat together, pray together, listen together as we strive to understand how you are calling us to be the church in this time and place.

God who speaks through the prophets and sages of old, saying “behold I am doing a new thing”;
we gather this weekend to discern where you would have the church go,
we gather at a time of transition, knowing that the “way we have always done it” will no longer work,
and so we pray for wisdom, trusting that you move within and among us.
Open our ears to hear your wisdom, even when that wisdom may sound harsh.
Open our eyes to see the face of Christ in each other, even in the midst of disagreement.
Open our minds to new understandings of what the church could be.
Open our hearts to feel your love flowing through this gathering and through this church we love and serve, even though there are days it frustrates and confounds us.
Open our souls to trust that we are not alone.
Open our wills to be ready to let go, or to hold on, and grant us the wisdom to know when to do both.

God of life and love, when our meeting is over we will return to our various homes and ministries.
May we carry the love we find in this gathering back to those places.
May we carry hope for an uncertain future, secure in the knowledge that you walk with us.
May we leave this place ready to be people of Love, to live the Kingdom life of Love, to share the Kingdom promise of Love.
We pray as followers of the man from Nazareth, Jesus, our teacher and guide, our rock and redeemer, the one we call Christ and Messiah, whose life, death, resurrection, and passion for The Way shows us the path to the Kingdom.
Amen.