Heavenly Father,
We love that you're are a relational God. You are not cold and lonely and distant. You exist in three persons - Father, Son and Spirit - which means you interact with each other, you relate to one another, and relationships are part of your godly DNA.
We love that you created humans in your image, so that we are relational too, and that you called out to us from the very beginning, not just to have relationships with each other, but to have a relationship with you too. We thank you that it is possible for us to relate to you - the all powerful Creator God of the universe, relating with finite, powerless little humans. And yet you love us more than anything else in creation! Wow.
We thank you also that you give us relationships that we can enjoy with each other here on earth - mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, wives and husbands, fellow Christians, and all sorts of friendships. And of course children like Alexander. These relationships bring us so much joy, and we know that they're all based on the relationships that come from you. Thank you. We thank you that Jesus had a family, had brothers and sisters, and had many friends too. We thank you that he personally called them to come and follow him, and we thank you that he personally calls us to follow you too. Help us to recognise your glory, and follow you not just as a servant, but as a friend, and as his brother and sister.
We love that you called for yourself a community, who you set apart from the rest of the world, to be the trophy example of how you love people, and what relationship with you can be like. We thank you that you then broke open the gates into that community so that anyone can come and join up and be a part of that community. We thank you that you've made a place for us here in Waitara, and for people all over the world to love and worship you together, and to love and serve each other as a Christian family. Help us to look out for each other as a family, from the newest of our members to our oldest, and we pray for everyone in our congregations, that we as a church might serve one another in love.
We recognise that even as a Christian community, we fail to act as a loving community all the time. We are sorry for that, and we thank you that you forgive us and always welcome us into your arms. Help us to forever seek to return to you and your love and your relationship, and then take that love out to each other, and out even further to others who are beyond these church walls. We pray that you will empower us to open the doors of your community to all those who we meet and talk with and relate to each and every day. Help us to reflect your great love to them, and to welcome them into the community you are continually growing, so that one day we might all be together in your presence forever.
We pray all these things in the name of Jesus, our brother and Lord and saviour,
Amen
