Prayers and Poem for Worship




Prayers for Worship Easter 5 by Ron Gordon

John 15: 1-8

Collect:

Lord Jesus, you call your disciples to dwell in you as branches live in a vine. You are the source of nourishment for life, for growth, and for fruitfulness. You keep us online by your word and give us resources to love and serve you in our loving service to others. Holy is the True Vine and the Father who is the gardener. Amen.

Prayer:
Great and Good Gardener of Planet Earth, we delight in all your pleasant planting and rejoice in all your provisions for human kind. You planted a people to know and respond to you in love and mercy. You tended them and looked for the harvest of your work. They refused to give you what was owing. Your messengers were denied and rejected. You came amongst us in Emmanuel, and spoke with us and reminded us of our contract with you. We rejected him and his words and deeds and crucified him, cutting down the True Vine: Lord, have mercy. Lord Jesus you came to us knowing the terrible cost that would be involved. Your love for the Father and for us took you to the cross, to set us free to grow as children of God. You know our need to be planted firmly where we belong and to draw nourishment from your word. You prune and purify your people, promising always to be the source of their life. On our resistance and hesitance to subject ourselves to your teaching and nurturing: Christ, have mercy. Spirit of the Good Gardener, you keep the life of Christ flowing in our hearts, warming us, feeding us, and opening us to growth in love. You let the flow happen, which brings us to our right minds and to loving service of others. Where we feed on other stunting and poisonous food, and deny you as our ultimate resource, becoming less than we should be: Lord, have mercy. Good Gardener of your chosen vineyard, receive our prayers and repentance, assure us of your forgiveness, and help us grow as your loving and free children through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit: God blessed forever. Amen. © 2009 Ron Gordon (used with permission)
sacred secateurs by Jenn Gordon
O holy hand, good gardener stomp with your Blundstones worn and true on crunchy earth made crisp with dew along the neatly measured lanes of earth caressed by sun and rains and softly stretched upon the wire my branches wait, they trail along like arms, they’re reaching; still and strong ready to embrace their death or feel the blessing of your breath O sacred secateurs, be quick cut down the muddle of my ways then burn the rubble where it lays the remnants dead, of seasons gone and growth that branched too far from home and when the winter’s worst is past may buds of hope swell full and keen upon my limbs of tender green where once the deadwood held it’s sway may new fruit greet the awakening day (Comments to Jenn at jennieg@labyrinth.net.au.)