Disturb us Lord. May we be Shaped by God

We wrote this liturgy for a recent Diocesan Study Day. It is a remix of Sir Francis Drake’s famous prayer, the parable of the mustard seed (Mark 4) and the ten marks of mission from the Dioceses Shaped by God vision. Let us Pray…

 

Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground.

Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does

not understand how it happens. The earth produces the crops on its own

Disturb us, Lord, when we miss your kingdom movements

May we be shaped by God as we seek the growth of His Kingdom

 

Disturb us, Lord, when we lose sight of the big picture

Catch our eye and capture our imagination

May we notice God at work among us

The divine dance in the detail of the everyday

Disturb us, Lord, when we lose sight of the big picture

May our vision be shaped by God

 

Disturb us, Lord, when we are going through the motions

Surprise and shock us in awe and wonder

May we worship in a way that renews and inspires

Echoing the praise of heaven and keeping the rocks silent

Disturb us, Lord, when we are going through the motions

May our worship be shaped by God

 

Disturb us, Lord, when we get bogged down in busyness

Free us up to find freedom and to free others

May we see and share stories of lives and communities transformed

The reality of the Good News of Jesus Christ breaking out among us

Disturb us, Lord, when we get bogged down in busyness

May our lives and communities be shaped by God

 

Disturb us, Lord, when we feel like we have nothing left to give

Gift us with your grace - empty but alive in your hands.

May we find ways to give ourselves in service to the community

And discover that blessing boomerangs

Disturb us, Lord, when we feel like we have nothing left to give

May our service be shaped by God

 

Disturb us, Lord, when we do things in our own strength

Reassert your rightful place and remind us that Christ is where the action is

May we be rooted in prayer

And may our prayers be rooted in the realities and needs of the world around us

Disturb us, Lord, when we do things in our own strength

May our prayers be shaped by God

 

Disturb us, Lord, when we lack confidence in our own ability

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you

May we be confident to share our faith in word and deed

Bearing fruit that will last

Disturb us, Lord, when we lack confidence in our own ability

May our evangelism be shaped by God

 

Disturb us, Lord, when we think we have all the answers

Mesmerise us again with your marvelous mystery

May we learn the lessons of lifelong Christian nurture

Mission overflowing from the cost of our discipleship

Disturb us, Lord, when we think we have all the answers

May our learning be shaped by God

 

Disturb us, Lord, when we fall into the habit of holy huddles

Disrupt us with diversity and send us strangers

May we welcome and cherish newcomers

Noticing and naming the divine in the face of the other

Disturb us, Lord, when we fall into the habit of holy huddles

May our gatherings be shaped by God

 

Disturb us, Lord, when we ignore our children

Challenge us with childish wisdom and wild creativity

May we become child friendly

Providing a platform for our children to lead by example

Disturb us, Lord, when we ignore our children

May our children be shaped by God

 

Disturb us, Lord, when we get too serious

Tease and taunt, play hide and seek with us and let joy explode

May we celebrate people and places

And be known for throwing the best parties in the city and county

Disturb us, Lord, when we get too serious

May our celebrations be shaped by God

 

Jesus said, “How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to

illustrate it? It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all

seeds, but it becomes the largest of all garden plants”

Disturb us, Lord, when we mute your kingdom movements

May we be shaped by God as we seek the growth of His Kingdom

Amen