Loving Lord,
From ancient times you have been the great refuge of your people,
Welcoming and sheltering them from hostile powers that threaten,
Illumining their puniness by the light of glory in the face of Jesus,
Comforting, consoling, convicting, correcting, cleansing, conforming
Them/us to that face, that heart, that mind—YOU becoming our all!
In the presence that You are, You downsize the hostile powers, and
Upsize the weapons by which You will confront and defeat them:
Our reliance upon You that makes real what will be; our hope in
You that proves what others do not yet see; and our love for You
And in You, that surrenders crosswise toward third day dawning.
Let our entering and sheltering in Your presence today so ground
And strengthen us in You and one another that we will not fret over
How we will live, or whether You will provide; and we will not fear
Anything at all except disappointing You! Then, let us salt the
Earth, leaven the world, pursue the good, and glorify the Name!
In that name we pray, Amen.