A Prayer of the Ransomed

Lord Jesus, you did not come to be served but to serve, and you gave your life as a ransom for many. We were among the many. We thank you for the price you paid and the freedom it bought.

We confess that we are more like James and John than we care to admit. We hear you speak of the cross and we think about seats. Forgive our ambition when it is aimed at being seen, and redirect it toward the cup you drank.

Make us servants in the places where we have authority, at work, at home, in your church. Let those under our care find life easier because we are there, not harder.

Give us the mind you had, which did not cling to glory but stooped. And when the cup is bitter, hold it with us. Amen.