All time belongs to You, O God, and all the ages.
We know that 160 years, in your eyes, is hardly anything.
160 years, in the history of the world,
In the history of the planet,
Is hardly even a blink of an eye;
And yet so much has come about in this place, at this corner in Hamilton
because of the people who have come and gone through the doors,
worshipping and going out to live their lives,
Like lights shining with your love.
So we give thanks for 160 years.
We give you thanks for Scriptures read and interpreted, words of life that have found welcome soil and taken root and nurtured faith.
We give you thanks for water poured out as a visible sign of your grace, naming us your children and initiating us into the life of faith.
We give you thanks for bread broken, wine poured, mouths that have opened to receive the meal of life.
We give you thanks for beautiful music that has reverberated in these walls and strengthened hearts, leading into awe and joy.
We give you thanks for all the prayers uttered, seeking your will, interceding for the world you love.
We give you thanks for all the meals served, the mouths fed, the cups of tea over which bonds of care and compassion have been woven.
We give you thanks for all the conversations that have encouraged and created belonging.
We give you thanks for the love that has been sent forth from this congregation in the form of money and meals and blankets.
We give you thanks for each hand extended in welcome, especially to those new to this country, and to those needing a place to sit and rest.
We give you thanks for each minister who has given of themselves by your Spirit and offered gifts of the Spirit to nurture this congregation.
We give you thanks for each person who has given of themselves, in spiritual leadership, in teaching, in music, in ministries of compassion and management, practical maintenance of walls and doors and floors. We give you thanks for bodies and breath, sitting, standing, singing, listening, being here.
And now as we come to this new time,
When the 160th year will soon be in the past,
And as the new keeps opening up before us
Help the congregation of MacNab, we pray, by the power of your Spirit,
And by attention to Jesus Christ resurrected and guiding us,
To find a path of wisdom and love
That is responsive to your will,
That is faithful to who you are
And how you so love the world.
Forgetting what lies behind
And regarding everything as loss
May we strain forward, run the race, to grasp the call that Christ issues to us now:
the call to resurrected life in Christ for the sake of the world.
We pray for the Presbyterian Church in Canada as it seeks to find its way and make wise decisions about how to be the church in this country of Canada.
Christ in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We join together in our MacNab prayer: Loving God, by your Spirit the congregation of MacNab was formed, 160 years ago. This congregation has loved and served the city of Hamilton and the world in many ways over the years. Now we are in a new place and we need the help of your Spirit to see what you are calling us to do and be. Open our eyes and our hearts, we pray, so we can like Abraham and Sarah, find life in this new land. Help us both “hold on to what is good” and let go of what we no longer need. Christ, in your great mercy, hear our prayer.”
Offered to the congregation of MacNab St Presbyterian Church, Hamilton April 27, 2014
Rev. C Stewart