A Prayer to Quit Playing Church

Lord, you have entrusted your church to us. What a gift! What responsibility! O, how we've failed to see after it! O, how we've failed to assess its true value! O, how we've used it for our own gain! We've screwed up, God. Forgive us. And lead us away from the seemingly ever-present temptation to play church. To make mountains out of molehills. To obsess over the insignificant. Forgive us for tuning into these things when we should be tuning into the gospel. Forgive us for building barriers with and breaking relationships over such things, so insignificant, when we should be giving you, Holy Spirit, more to work with. Convict us, Spirit, when we're at risk of falling prey to such shallowness. Forgive us, God, for mistreating our church leaders...hateful emails, gossipping, and taunting. Help us to honor those who've given their lives to trying to lead your people. Forgive us for thinking we can make our errant ways right by giving more money, as if we can buy you off. And, instead God, empower us to be a faithful bride, to steward our resources well, to treat one another with respect and dignity, and to remember that all we do should be to bless you, not to please our flesh. God, we consecrate The Bridge Church to you. We stand, readily admitting that it is yours. We simply ask for wisdom to nurture us, your bride, to health. Hear our prayer, O God, so that we might quit being shallow and quit playing church. Help us live up to the responsibility you've tasked us with.