Ephesians: Chapter 5

Help Us to Follow You (Ephesians 5:1-10)

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Heavenly Father, you sent your Son to us as our Teacher.
As children copy their parents, help us to copy the actions of your Son.
Open our hearts so that we can love you fully.
Open our minds so that we can be receptive to your teachings.
Most importantly, give us the strength to follow you
and to love others as you did.

Our world is not a just world.
There are many who do not act in love,
but instead act in greed or evil.
Help us to be the example of a life lived in love.
Help us to live as the good, the just and the righteous.

We mourn those who have been killed, injured or impacted
by the violence in our world.
We grieve that our children and teachers have learned the lesson of fear
instead of the lesson of education.
We find wisdom in the voices of the teenagers and young adults
who raise their voices today to say, “No More.”
They are following your teachings.

We are saddened by stories of famine, of refugees, and war.
And we admit that we turn away and
say we cannot do anything to save them.
We are sickened when we hear how pollution or chemical spills
poison our water and our land.
And yet, we choose financial gain rather than
acting as the guardians of our world.
We see courage in the voices of those who speak up in protest
of policy and legislation that harms rather than protects.
They are following your teachings.

Lord, there is so much pain and suffering in our world.
And yet, we do not give up. We are your children, your followers.
Be with us in our struggle even as we support those among us who are ill or in pain.
We ask that you be with ___ and surround them with your healing grace and peace.
Open our hearts so that we can love you fully.
Open our minds so that we can be receptive to your teachings.
Open our ears so we can hear the needs of those around us.
Most importantly, give us the strength to follow you and to love others
as you did.

And, as we follow you in love, we use the words you taught us so long ago.
“Our Father…”

What We Claim (Ephesians 4:25-5:2)

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We have come to you in different stages of our lives, Lord.
Some of us were baptized as infants
and have no memory of the living water
that welcomed us into this community.
No memory of the promises that were made on our behalf.
Others joined as children, young adults, or even older.
We remember the promises that we made
to unite with Christ,
to unite with this community, and
to unite with the church.

The water of our baptism cleansed us and welcomed us.
Out of the water of baptism we rose with new life,
forgiven of sin, and renewed with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Help us to remember this feeling every day, Father.
Remind us that we are your children and we are to follow your ways.
Remind us to work for the good of the community,
rather than what is best for us individually.
Open our hearts to the needs of others,
open our eyes to see the need for justice in this world,
open our hands to fulfill your plan in our world
and open our ears so that we truly listen to one another.

We come together again this week in this holy space,
as members of your community.
We work together to feed the hungry,
to share the teaching of your word to others,
to live with one another in a committed body of Christ.
Living in community with one another,
we may find that we have different ideas on how to do something,
but remind us that each of us wants what is best for the church,
for your church, for your community of believers.
Remind us of our baptism into the community of believers.
Help us to remember this feeling every day, Father.

As your children, we know you are with us every day.
We feel your presence with us, always.
Be with those we name, those who may need your grace and healing touch,
be with __.
As members of your community,
we work to support one another.
Be with us as we grow in our faith.
Help us to be with one another
with honesty, with forgiveness,
and most of all, with understanding and acceptance.
Fill us with your Holy Spirit.
Unite us with Christ,
with this community
and, with your church.

As your children, as your community, we raise our voices to you,
using the words your Son taught us,
“Our Father…”

What We Discern (Ephesians 5:15-20)

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We gather here today in this sacred space.
We have chosen to spend our time here today,
with you and with one another.
For this few moments,
we quiet our thoughts,
we open our hearts,
and we focus on your word and your teachings.
Remind us to take this time throughout the week,
to spend time with you every day,
to feel your presence in our daily interactions,
to hear your teachings as we make our choices,
and to see your image in the faces of those we meet.
Remind us to speak with love, not judgement.
Remind us to listen to the stories of each other
allowing them the time they need to feel truly heard.

We gather here today in this sacred space.
We have chosen to spend our time here today,
with you and with one another.
For this few moments,
we quiet our thoughts,
we open our hearts,
and we focus on your word and your teachings.
It can be easy to focus on the things we do not have,
the things that cause us pain and worry,
the things that society tells us we should be doing.
Remind us to be grateful for what we have,
to spend our energies on what we can change and
to worry less about what we cannot control.
Remind us to share what we have with others
freely and without judgement.
Remind us that we are your children,
each of us deeply loved and uniquely cherished.
It is not up to society to judge us or to determine our worth.
Help us to become the best version of ourselves that we can be.

We gather here today in this sacred space.
We have chosen to spend our time here today,
with you and with one another.
For this few moments,
we quiet our thoughts,
we open our hearts,
and we focus on your word and your teachings.
We feel your presence among us
and we know that you are always with us.
Be with those among us who especially need your strength and grace,
naming __.
Remind us to also support each other, to share in each other’s joys and sorrows.
As we gather together here, as your children, we use the words Jesus gave us,
“Our Father…”