Prayers and Poem for Worship




Prayers for Worship Proper 11 by Ron Gordon

Mark 6: 30-34; 53-56

Collect:

Lord Jesus, teacher and healer of humankind, you recognised the need for rest and recovery for your disciples and yourself. You knew the limits of human endurance but moved by compassion you had pity on a crowd and taught them about God’s realm of mercy and justice for all. Teach and heal us, we pray, and grant us the same vision, we ask in your name. Amen.

Prayer:
Creator of all things, we praise you for your wisdom which in making us human, provided for rest and recreation for our welfare. You gave us the Sabbath as your day of rest and set us a fine example. Your Son showed us as a fellow human being that we do not need to be everywhere and do everything. There are limits to human achievements and endurance. Give us your Spirit of wisdom to be able to discern these limits for ourselves. True Son of the Father, and true brother of us all, we are humbled by your compassion for a crowd of people, as we are often overcome by the vastness of a crowd, and immobilised by our inability to aid them all. Yet you venture forth to teach and heal all you can and spend yourself in giving to others. You affirm your teaching by suffering death on the cross and by being raised by God’s justifying power. You are truly our God forever. Spirit of Wisdom, you prepare the way of God within us and bring us to repentance and faith. May you guide us in the way of Jesus and enable us to show his love to others. Where we mistreat ourselves, often disabling our ability to show compassion and the gentle art of healing and reconciliation: Lord, have mercy. Where we mistreat others and inhibit their powers of response to your healing and freeing power: Christ, have mercy. Where we hesitate to show lack of compassion for the sufferings and trials of others: Lord, have mercy. Holy and Blessed is the one who forgives our sins and leads us into newness of life. May we live to show the mercy and forgiveness of our God who is blessed for ever and ever. Amen. © 2009 Ron Gordon (used with permission)
come away by Jenn Gordon
Mark 6:30-34, 53-36 you say, come away and rest a while when we tell you tales of our days and how we’ve been so busy coming and going, no time to eat, come away, by yourselves, and rest but because you travel with us we are followed and the crowding, craving cares of the world always find our hidden shore waiting, wanting more and so instead you feed us in the midst of them and we are filled with wonder at how so many can be fed on compassion and a little bread and in the many market-places they’re still begging for a touch of your healing hand to feed their hunger, heal their bodies, make them whole … and you will say sometimes you have to come away (Comments to Jenn at jennieg@labyrinth.net.au.)