Loving God, you spoke to us and we did not listen

Loving God, you spoke to us and we did not listen.
'I am sending you', said God.
We looked around to see who would go,
then as realization dawned,
we made off in the opposite direction. So we pray:

Forgive us, and send us.

'I need workers', said God.
We looked around to see who would respond,
then, making our excuses,
we tried to tiptoe gently away. So we pray:

Forgive us, and empower us.

'You must be wise as serpents', said Jesus.
We looked around, startled and amazed.
We did not expect to bring intelligence
into reading the gospel! So we pray:

Forgive us, and embolden us.

'Be innocent as doves', said Jesus.
We looked around at those we must face --
challenged to be accepting, gentle, peaceful. So we pray:

Forgive us, and inspire us.

From The Companion to the Lectionary (1996), The British Methodist Church