Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, ELW 807 v. 3
Devotion
Oh, to grace how great a debtor
daily I'm constrained to be;
let that grace now like a fetter
bind my wand'ring heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;
prone to leave the God I love.
Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it;
seal it for thy courts above.
When I recognized the call to ministry there was a part of me that believed that I had to follow it because if I did not I would leave the church for sure. If I did not tie myself to a community of faith, I would easily be pulled away from faith altogether. It's not surprising to me that many of my contemporaries have walked away from the institution of the church. However, I do not believe any one of them is "lost;" they are only doing what many of us also do, seeking diverse ways to make God "real" in their lives. I do believe that God is real and is at work in our lives. And I trust that God's grace is big enough to hold us all, to seal us all, to bind us all together, no matter where we are.
Prayer
God of grace and glory, open your arms to hold us all in your care. Remind us that you are the only thing that can fill us with freedom. Amen.