Endless Grace by Ryan Whitaker Smith and Dan Wiltნიმუში

Psalm 79

Table of Mercy

Lord God,

we have opened our

hearts,

minds,

bodies,

temples,

to the influence of idols.

Have mercy on us.

We have allowed

twisted intentions,

wayward wants,

destructive desires

a place at the table of mercy.

Have mercy on us.

We have followed the spirit of the age:

amused,

allured,

coerced,

conformed.

Have mercy on us.

We have courted death,

wooed destruction,

offered ourselves up as lambs for slaughter.

Have mercy on us.

Once we walked in victory,

but now we are lifeless:

possessing a form of godliness,

but denying its power.

We are pitied,

parodied,

skewered,

scorned.

Have mercy on us.

In the midst of judgment,

is there hope for restoration?

Occasion for mercy?

Destroy that which destroys us, Lord.

Break that which breaks us.

Restore our communion—

the bread and the cup

at the table of mercy.

For not one of us is without sin.

Save us, O Lord,

from the sway of lesser loves.

May peace triumph over violence,

mercy over judgment.

Forgive what we have been.

Sanctify what we are.

Order what we shall be.

By the blood of the Lamb,

remember our sins no more.

We are a temple, desecrated;

a holy place in ruins,

haunted by the cries of the innocent.

Evil spreads its sickness

through every vine

and vein,

until every field

is a field of blood;

every valley

a Gehenna.

But nothing is hidden from You.

All will come to light.

When You restore us,

when Your Spirit breathes

life into these bones,

the nations will cry to You,

the seat of their desire,

and the temple of the earth

will be set free from its bondage

into the freedom of the glory

of the children of God.

The prayers of the saints

are poured out before You:

a fragrant incense

rising to Your throne.

Hear the cries of the righteous, Lord.

May those who turn their face against You,

who shun Your mercy,

defy Your way,

deride the children of Your covenant,

reap what they have sown—

while the heirs of Your promise

venture deeper

and deeper

into the love of God,

ever praising You

for Your sustaining hand,

Your endless grace.

Yes, Lord,

we gather once again

at the table of mercy

to tell what You have done.

Amen.