(This prayer references and indeed quotes both A New Creed and A Song of Faith, parts of the Doctrine section in the United Church of Canada's Basis of Union)
God,
you call us to be the church;
to
celebrate your presence, to explore how to live lives based on love
and justice.
God
you call us to be the church,
to
proclaim the Good News of the Risen Christ, to be made ready to live
and serve.
God
we acknowledge that the church has not always lived up to its vision
and
so we pray that the Holy Spirit would reorient it and us
helping
us balance faith and tradition,
so
that the church might be a blessing to the earth.
God
you call us to sing of a church with purpose,
faith
nurtured and hearts comforted,
gifts
shared for the good of all,
resistance
to the forces that exploit and marginalize,
fierce
love in the face of violence,
human
dignity defended,
members
of a community held and inspired by God, corrected and comforted,
instrument
of the loving Spirit of Christ,
And
so we sing of your mission O God,
pledging
ourselves anew to answer the call to be the church in the world.
Amen.
