A prayer taken from my book Short Prayers for Public Worship, celebrating the wonder of God’s grace that welcomes us as we are – weak, foolish and faithless.
Lord, we come to you hesitantly,
overwhelmed by your greatness,
yet you welcome us with arms outstretched.
We come guiltily,
crushed by a sense of failure,
yet you pick us up and wash us clean.
We come uncertainly,
our faith weak and wavering,
yet you are always close,
eager to bless us
and lead us forward into new experiences of your love.
So we come –
joyfully,
gratefully,
reverently,
hungry to worship you –
and once more you are here,
waiting to surprise us with the wonder of your grace.
Receive our praise,
in Jesus’ name.
Amen.