I Love Your Kingdom, Lord, LBW 368
Devotion
I love your kingdom, Lord,
the place of your abode;
the church our blest Redeemer saved
with his own precious blood.
I love your church, O God!
Its walls before you stand,
dear as the apple of your eye
and graven on your hand.
Beyond my highest joy
I prize its heav'nly ways,
its sweet communion, solemn vows,
its hymns of love and praise.
Sure as your truth shall last,
to Zion shall be giv'n
the brightest glories earth can yield,
and brighter bliss of heav’n.
We grow when we give the first part of our day in prayer and meditation to God. We grow when we give the first part of our week to God in worship. We grow when we give the first part of our income to God, sharing what we have with our community and our world. We grow when we give of our time serving according to our life skills, and when we spend time in fellowship with one another. The church as gathered community is God's gift to us, the place that makes possible this holy ordering of our lives. It's a place to love and be loved.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, draw us as your church in close and intimate communion that we may know your sorrows and your joys. May we share your passion for the redemption of the world you created, loved, and came to save. Amen.