adrift at sea, thank God.

"Lord of the waters, you have set us adrift in a trackless ocean, in a leaky boat with no oars or rudder. 'Rudderless' nicely describes our situation, but matters are worse. Even if we had a rudder, we would not know which direction to go. We are not even sure if there are any directions--or if there are any directions, we so distrust our wants that we do not know which way we really want to go. In short, we feel lost and, so feeling, think it is probably your fault. Yet you refuse to let us drown in self-pity and blame. Instead you drown us in your good kingdom, the death and resurrection of Jesus our Lord, making us part of that great ark, your church. The winds of your love blow that ark out to sea, away from the shores we think might provide safety, so that we might take on board the drowning. How wonderful it is that the more that are taken on board, the less your ark is crowded and the safer we are. Thank you for making us steady sailors who have no reason to fear the unknown, having learned that you would have us be at sea. Amen."

--Stanley Hauerwas, Prayers Plainly Spoken