Call to Worship
Almighty God,
unto whom all hearts be open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hid:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Some people have excellent eyesight but do not see further than their noses...
Some have sight yet choose to see only a fragment of the truth and love of Christ.
And some there are who have no physical sight yet who see brilliantly.
The light of Christ Jesus be with you all.
And also with you.
One thing we know for sure,
Once we were blind but now we can see.
Discerner of hearts,
you look beneath our outward appearance
and see your image in each of us.
Banish in us the blindness
that prevents us from recognizing truth,
so we may see the world through your eyes
and with the compassion of Jesus Christ who redeems us. Amen.
Confession
Let us pray.
(Silence for personal confession.)
Let us ask our God’s forgiveness for being blind to Love
and failing to ask healing for our own blindness.
Forgive in us what has gone wrong.
Repair in us what is wasted.
Reveal in us what is good.
God of glory and God of grace, bring us to our senses.
If that means shining your light fiercely
until our inner eyes hurt,
and our ugly ways stand exposed
then so be it.
We do not look for an easy way
but the hard way of truth and healing.
Slowly but surely we come to you.
In your arms may we find the grace to let go,
to accept your forgiveness and receive restoration.
This we pray
in the name of Christ Jesus our Saviour.
Amen
Forgiveness and Assurance
Almighty God,
you show to those who are in error the light of your truth,
that they may return to the way of righteousness:
In the name of Jesus, we step free for the shadowy past and turn to the bright future with keen eyes and optimistic hearts. We are a forgiven people.
Thanks be to God.
The Lord is my light,
my light and salvation;
in God I trust, in God I trust.
Through the cross of Christ,
God have mercy on you,
pardon you and set you free.
Now you are light in Christ.
Live as children of the light.
Light produces every kind of goodness,
justice and truth.
Thanks be to God