Move off the page

You, majestic sovereign…move off the page!

Move off the page to the world,
move off the page to the trouble,
move out of your paged leisure
to the turmoil of your creatures.

Move to the peace negotiations,
and cancer diagnoses,
and burning churches,
and lynched blacks,
and abused children.

Listen to the groans and moans,
and see and hear and know
and remember, and come down!"

(Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth: Prayers of Walter Brueggemann).

Prayer based on 1 Corinthians 13

Love is patient;
for our quick-temperedness:
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

Love is kind;
for our indifference towards others:
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

Love is not envious;
for our petty jealousies:
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

Love is not boastful;
for our pretentiousness:
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

Love is not arrogant;
for our opinionated views -
Lord, have mercy:
Christ, have mercy:

Love is not rude;
for our crass behaviour:
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

Love does not insist on getting its own way;
for our false sense of our own importance:
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

Love is not irritable;
for our resentful behaviour:
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

Love does not rejoice in wrong-doing;
for our rejoicing in all the wrong things:
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

May God show us mercy,
forgive us our sins against love
and lead us to life that lasts:

AMEN.

(adapted from a prayer at http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/bfletch/c213.html)