O God of all,
we bring our restless hearts
to you this Lent,
our souls longing for peace…peace.
Yet there is no peace
Like the woman at the well,
we are amazed at all you know about us;
like her,
we long for the refreshment of your comfort;
and, like her,
we chafe against a past that binds us
She did not understand Jesus’ words
although she was thirsty.
We, too, struggle
with the mystery of those promised living waters
and what they might mean for our lives
We confess to you this morning
that, like the Israelites, we are prone
to a weakness for other gods;
that sometimes we are very religious about our jobs,
our activities,
our entertainment
We confess that when we write out our daily lists of priorities,
you are absent.
We confess that, like Paul,
we fail in doing the good we want
We confess, God,
that this Lenten path we are walking
is a difficult one.
We have celebrated the birth of your child
and have warmly held him in our hearts during Advent.
We joyfully marked the days of Epiphany,
but as we anticipate taking those first steps toward Palm Sunday,
we are full of sorrow.
We walk slowly, God,
With dragging feet.
We do not want Jesus to die
We pray for faith
like the faith of the woman who struggled to grasp the hem of Jesus’ garment
and was healed,
faith enough to
stand at the foot of the cross
For we come this morning,
striving to respond to your gifts to us;
as eager to be your people in the world
through using those gifts
as we are needful of receiving them
Show us the path, God.
Make clear the way
AMEN