Lord, Why do You Love us – v2 - edited

with our hands, our words
with our false actions
we have mocked our worship
we have denied your love
we have pulled down your altars
the holy of holies
the curtain torn forever
yet nowhere to pray
we have fallen further
far from your commandments
thinking only of ourselves
not our fellow man
our lives not for your purpose
so far from submission
thinking we are holy
that we ourselves are our gods

Forgive us, O Lord, for our abject failings
for the sin of our ego of our destruction of life
Forgive us, O Lord, when we are unfaithful
for tearing down your altars, for rejecting your way
Forgive us, O Lord, for our estrangement, or folly
we have erected false idols, making mortals our gods
Forgive us, O Lord, lead us back to you
we know our sin, it is ever before us
Forgive us, O Lord, right the equation
balance the scales from the depths of your Love
Forgive us, O Lord, bring us back to you
we repent of our Sin, our defiance
forgive us, O Lord, forgive us we pray

Our estrangement from you
if we were truly honest
unable to understand
why you would forgive us
why you sent your Son
to die on the cross
why you redeemed us at all
when we know we are lost
we have worshipped false gods
we have spit in your face
denying we know you
though you pour out your grace
humble we should fall
bowing at your feet
instead we curse you
slinging insults in the street

We have torn down your altars
we have run from your love
worshipping false idols
stuff of this earth
we have cursed your name
throwing epithets at you
using your name as a weapon
against our own brothers
shouting in protest
shaking our fists
when we should love you
as you taught us to be
we are separated from you
by the depths of our sin
it is only through your mercy
that we have a prayer to live

edited February 25, 2012
changing the spelling from “worshipped” to “worshiped”,
because Blogger and Twitter said “worshipped” is a misspelling.
&
February 23, 2012
Merger of 4 poems,
“We have pulled down your altars”
http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2012/02/we-have-pulled-down-your-altars.html
“we have erected false idols”
http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2012/02/we-have-erected-false-idols.html
“we have worshipped false gods”
http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2012/02/we-have-worshipped-false-gods.html
and “we have cursed your name”
http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2012/02/we-have-cursed-your-name.html
Worship Theme – “Ash Wednesday”
Prelude
Unison Prayer
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 (CEB)
Joel 2:12-17a (CEB)
Prayer of Confession (Psalm 51:3)
Pastoral Prayer
Word of Assurance (GBOD 2012)
Thanksgiving over the ashes
Distribution of the Ashes
hymn, “Sunday’s Palms Are Wednesday’s Ashes” TFWS #2138
and Ash Wednesday Meditation,
“The Math of Lent”
by Pastor Ruth Foss
http://www.facebook.com/pastorruthfoss
http://www.ahandmaidenofthelord.blogspot.com
http://pastorruth.posterous.com/
A Handmaiden of the Lord
http://www.suncookumc.org
Suncook United Methodist Church
http://facebook.com/groups/136632035559/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Suncook-United-Methodist-Church/102221356487965
Suncook, NH
Ash Wednesday
February 22, 2012

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 16,060+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.