Knock, Knock -- Justice Calling

Next Sunday we have the story of the persistent widow. Personally I believe that if God is a character in the story then God is the widow knocking on our windows and doors until we give in. Anyway, here is some of our liturgy (the other prayers--Opening and Commissioning/Benediction) I "borrowed" from Seasons of the Spirit):

CALL TO WORSHIP
All is silent and yet we hear a sound that never stops,
a voice crying out for justice, a plea that the people of the world would live together in peace.
All is silent and yet the call keeps coming.
Calling us to respond, calling us to be part of the solution.
We who have heard the voice come together to listen more closely.
We who hear the pleas come together in response to the invitation.
Let us worship the God who calls us to be workers for justice. Let us pray…

PRAYER OF CONFESSION/ASSURANCE OF PARDON
Persistent God, we hear you knocking, knocking, knocking.
And we wonder whether to open the door.
We hear you crying out for justice.
And we alternate between wholehearted response and selective deafness.
For the times we choose to ignore the door, to be deaf to the pleas,
we ask forgiveness and pledge to try again
…time of silent prayer…
Because God is persistent in the call for justice, we know that we are given a second chance. God’s forgiveness is just as persistent as God’s cry for justice.
We are forgiven. Thanks be to God! Amen.

Offering Prayer
God, over and over you call us to action,
here we come to respond to your pleas for justice.
You have given us the tools and the will,
help us use them to spread your love in the world.
We offer these gifts in Jesus name,
may they continue the ongoing work of love and justice in the world. Amen.