Leader:
Let us be still in the presence of God and one another as we consider,

Who is our God?
How do we name God?
How does our service reflect the God we serve?

Reader:
In his writing and speaking, Father Greg Boyle suggests that we imitate the kind of God we profess. He says,

In the end, we are doomed to imitate the kind of God we believe in, and if our God wants to separate and divide and to be tiny spirited and to wag God's finger at us, I defy you to be any other way but that. You will always imitate the kind of God you believe in. If your God is exacting and judgmental; how can you be otherwise? If your God has an expansive and spacious heart; how can you be otherwise? It's important to land on the God that's larger.

Leader:
If, as Father Boyle suggests, the type of people we are reflects the type of God we believe in, it is not too far a stretch to propose that the way in which we serve is also a reflection of the God we worship

As we look toward the future in hope and plan with wisdom, let us remember what Jesus told us of himself:

Men:
I am the bread of life. John 6:35

Women:
I am the light of the world. John 8:12

Men:
I am the door of the sheep. John 10:7

Women:
I am the good shepherd. John 10:11

Men:
I am the way, the truth and the life. John 14:6

Women:
I am the true vine. John 15:1

Leader:
God of all faithfulness, we are grateful for your call to ministry and the opportunity to gather here as one community. Save us from creating you in our image and from limiting your possibilities to our capabilities. Bless our time together. Deepen our friendships. Broaden our vision. Unite us in love that we may be a witness to you, God of love. Amen.

Excerpted from, "Clinging to a Tiny God," Fr. Boyle's interview with The Work of the People, video link: http://www.theworkofthepeople.com/clinging-to-a-tiny-god.