Opening Prayer

On Friday evening our National Gathering began in prayer, contemplation and sharing around the reign of God, a fitting beginning for our conference on "Mission and Ministry in the 21st Century."

We began by listing to images of the kindom of God from Scripture in English & Spanish:

• The kindom of heaven is like a sower who went out to sow . . .
• The kindom of heaven may be likened to a person who sowed good seed in the field.  While everyone was asleep an enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. . . 
• The kindom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field.  It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. . . .
• The kindom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that she has and buys that field. . . .
• The kindom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.  When she finds a pearl of great price, she goes and sells all that she has and buys it. . . .
• The kindom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. . . .
• The kindom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened. . . .
  
• El reino de los cielos es como un sembrador que salió a sembrar…
• El reino de los cielos es semejante a una persona que sembró buena semilla en el campo. Cuando todos dormían un enemigo vino y sembró cizaña en medio del trigo, y se fue.
• El reino de los cielos es semejante a la semilla de mostaza que una persona tomo y sembró en el campo. Es la semilla más pequeña de todas, pero cuando crece es la planta más grande de todas.
• El reino de los cielos es semejante a un tesoro enterrado en el campo, que alguien encuentra y vuelve a enterrar y lleno de alegría va y vende todo lo que tiene y compra ese campo.
• El reino de los cielos es como una red que se echa al mar y recoge toda clase de peces.
• El reino de los cielos es como la levadura que una mujer toma y mezcla con tres medidas de harina hasta que todo el lote a fermentado …

We then listened to "We Are" by Sweet Honey in the Rock (listen here on YouTube!)

We finished our prayer by reflecting and sharing around the following question:

• What burning questions about mission and ministry do we need to ask at this time?
• ¿Cuáles preguntas referentes a la misión o al ministerio debemos hacer en este momento?