The Prayers of the People

From Sunday, by David Morrison 

To be honest with you, of the four core images of the Church at the Southpoint, I have had the least clarity about the image of the Net. Knowing I was to lead the Prayers of the People this morning I paid very close attention throughout the service. And I gained some important insights from Brian as he led worship, from Ruth during the Children’s Time and from Anne as she guided the Lectio Visio and Lectio Divina.

Brian spoke of “the net of God’s love and mercy that has captured us.” That really grabbed me; the idea that I and all God’s people had somehow been caught in God’s love net.

Ruth showed the children a variety of different containers and holders and told them that “the net is the way that we hold one another in love”. I got the idea of a soft, net bag for holding precious things.

And Anne led us to meditate on the Net as the actions whereby we make and mend connections.

These insights lead us to pray.
Let us pray.

Loving God. Three in One. Lover, Beloved and the Love between them, 
You are being itself and you are being in relationship itself. God of all relations and relatedness we come to you.

We thank you for all the connections in which and by which we live. Thank you that you did not make us lonely astronauts but you made us for relationship with other creatures, other humans and with you.

Let us now pray for one another. If “the net is the way we hold each other in love” let us pray for each other. Open your eyes and look around and lead us in brief focussed audible prayer for someone.

(There followed a short time where several people caught others in a net of prayerful caring.)

Loving God, many of our human networks are worn and broken.

Nations are at war.
We weep for Gaza and for Israel.
Nations are in turmoil.
Families are fractured.

Grant us a core experience of being caught up in your net of love and mercy. Loving God, grant us a continually renewing experience of your love, acceptance and presence.

Grant us humility, hope, and grace that by actions of wisdom, courage and justice we might mend and extend those connections that are healing and humanizing and reconciling.

Inspire among us the prophetic vision of a deep, abiding, and all-embracing shalom. As Jesus prayed, may we be one as you are one.

In the name of Christ.
Amen