O God, Father of the Lord Jesus Christ and Sender of the Holy Spirit,
I praise You as the Triune God, eternally existing as Father, Son, and Spirit. You have always lived in community. You exemplify interrelationship and interconnectedness. You created mankind to live in fellowship with You and one another. Your communal nature means that You participate in and interact with all of Your creation. And You have invited me into this communal way of life.
But too often I have chosen to live alienated from You and alienated from Your people. I have gone my own way. I have pursued my selfish agendas. Instead of pursuing an interdependency with You and others, I have pursued either unhealthy dependence or unhealthy independence. In short, I have not loved You or others as I ought. Too often my sinful choices have caused me to live in lonely isolation.
But You did not want me to live alone. You pursued me. You loved me enough to send Jesus to die for my sins, so that I could know You and be adopted to be Your beloved child. You brought me, the solitary, into Your family so I could have a relationship with You and with Your other children as we together inherit eternal life.
So now, I am no longer a stranger or a foreigner. I am no longer a wandering exile. I am now a fellow citizen in Your kingdom with all Your people that You have made holy in Your sight. Your household of faith is now our home.
You have built a home for me and for all Your people. I belong. We all belong. Together, we are Your house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus Himself.
It’s the gospel of Jesus that makes all this possible. Christ is the One who holds the household together and makes us continue to grow into a holy temple for the Lord.
Together, we are a sanctuary that is dedicated, set apart, and sacred in the presence of the Lord. You are building us – all together – to be Your dwelling place by the Spirit.
Help me to see that You love not just a collection of individuals, but a community of people. May I see that You have not merely invited me into a personal relationship with You, but into Your glorious family. Help me to embrace the gift You have given – a divine relationship with You and with all my brothers and sisters in Your church all around the world. Teach me how to love and to be loved as the gospel not only transforms my heart, but also transforms our relationships in the church, with our neighbors, and in the community around us.
May our lives together reflect the eternal love which existed in eternity past between You, Father, and the Son and the Spirit.
Amen
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This prayer has been inspired by Ephesians 2:19–23. Some of the words and phrases in this prayer have been taken directly from the English Standard Version, The Message, the Contemporary English Version, the Amplified Bible, and the New Living Translation.
