O Lord,
You call me to holiness not in theory,
but in life, in practice, in love.
To leave grain for the poor.
To deal honestly with others.
To show respect to the aged.
To welcome the stranger.
To love my neighbor as myself.
This is holiness, and it overwhelms me.
I confess, Father, I shrink holiness down to ritual.
I think of worship as an hour on Sunday.
I think of purity as avoiding a few sins.
But You call me higher
to holiness in how I treat people,
to holiness in justice and generosity,
to holiness in love that costs me something.
I confess I often fail.
I cling to comfort instead of compassion,
self protection instead of self giving love.
Yet You are holy and You share Your holiness.
You do not simply command what I cannot give.
You give me Your Spirit,
who writes Your law on my heart.
You give me Christ,
who loved perfectly when I could not,
who fulfilled the law when I fell short,
who laid down His life for His neighbors even enemies.
So here I am, Lord.
Make me holy as You are holy.
Let my worship not end in the sanctuary,
but flow into the streets, the home, the workplace.
Teach me to love my neighbor,
to welcome the stranger,
to care for the poor,
to reflect Your character in every act.
Let holiness be my life
because You are my God, and I am Yours.
Amen.