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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