Psalm 80:8-13 You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.

Psalm 80:8-13 You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land. (The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches. It sent out its branches to the sea and its shoots to the River. Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit? The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it.

What happened, Lord, Your church was vibrant, speaking in full voice to the needs and emptiness of the world, bringing the message of mercy, grace and transformation to all? Where did we begin to drift from our calling to make disciples of all the world? We became flaccid and weak, wrapped in our rituals and self-absorbency, no longer caring that the world around us recognizes that we are impotent and sterile.