Prayers

 A prayer when in the wilderness

Mark 1:12; Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13

Call to worship

A life untested is a life unfulfilled;

the path must be walked.

God, in our struggle to have a resilient faith

walk with us.

The national park wilderness

confronts with raw glacial sculpture,

imposes limits to my control,

and brings me to an edge.

It stretches my comfort zone,

it sharpens my endurance.

It’s tempting to want technology’s magic,

like America cup super yachts,

impressive and awesome,

but in a cyclone – they are seaweed. 

I dream of great empires,

people looking up to me

as I wield great power.

But if I listen to my soul

I place my feet back on the track.

God, when I trust you,

it’s an all or nothing relationship.

Roped together on the mountainside I know

it is all about faith. 

Together:

God take us outside the box of a holy house,

learning to live with enough,

sharing our joy in love,

and facing the hard questions.

God, push our limits,

grow our ability

in harmony with your creative will.

These are testing times,

God, give us courage,

Amen.

                                                © John Howell

(permission is granted to print on Worship orders of service only.

The prayers are written as a prayer the congregation prays (says) together. If lead by the Minister change the "I" to "we".)