Zephaniah 3:14-20
Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!
The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more.
On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak.
The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory;
God will rejoice over you with gladness, God will renew you  in love;
God will save the lame and gather the outcast,
and change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.
At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you..
 
Isaiah 12:2-3
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid,
for the Lord God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 
 
Phillipians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.  Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Reflection
Ancient wisdom reminds us God is loving, encompassing, uplifting and renewing!
God is in our midst, renewing us in love, recognising all,
lifting the lowly with saving grace and drawing us all ‘home’.
We are to be loving people, active in God’s realm on earth
and ‘not let your hands grow weak’.
We are encouraged to trust in God, to let go of fear.
We are to draw water from the wells of salvation.
Rejoice! Courageously let go of worries that life lays on us, and turn to God, with joy.
Show gentleness to all, and offer thanksgiving to God.
Our gift is the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
creating a safe space where our heart, soul, mind and being rest easy with Jesus.

Prayer – A Prayer of Grace
Gentle One,
Fearsomely loving, inclusively gathering,
who offers us home, and refreshes us in arid days;
we rejoice in being in and with you, knowing that you are never far.
In you, we trust.

When we turn from you, we are haunted by our earthly gaze.
Life deflects us from the stillness of your presence
and the peace-filled space where our souls can be whole.
Let us not be overcome by worldly values and stresses.
We long to drink again the waters of salvation
that refresh the fatigue and weariness of our being.
With you, we are refreshed.

May we rejoice being in and with you,
living in your gentleness, loving as you love all people, finding home with you.
Your dwelling space shelters us in a calm beyond our understanding,
and we find rest, renewal and regeneration as your loving people.
May our hands and hearts never grow weak or tired of living in your Way.