The watchword for the week: Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Mark 9:35
Praise the Lord and give thanks for all God’s mercies.
In Jesus Christ, God grants us the forgiveness of sin and shows us a new way of living.
We seek to respond to that love by following the way of servanthood.
We will rejoice and worship God with all our heart.
Hear now the call to draw near to God’s loving embrace.
We will rest ourselves in God and seek to follow God’s will.
Psalm 54
Save me, O God, by your name,
and vindicate me by your might.
Hear my prayer, O God;
give ear to the words of my mouth.
For the insolent have risen against me,
the ruthless seek my life;
they do not set God before them.
But surely, God is my helper;
God is the upholder of my life.
God will repay my enemies for their evil.
In your faithfulness, put an end to them.
With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
I will give thanks to your name,
O God, for it is good.
For God has delivered me from every trouble,
and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.
Let us humbly confess our sins.
Holy God, as we think of the life of Jesus, we are awed by the sacrifice that he made on our behalf. By accepting the way of the cross, he took upon himself the sin of the world. With this love fixed in our minds, we confess that we have not always lived up to the standard you set for us. We have often shunned the way of the cross and a life of integrity for what seemed like an easy path. By what we have both said and done and what we have left undone, we have not always been your servants, and for that, we are truly sorry. Strengthen us as we resolve to live more responsively to your gracious intent toward us and the world.
The Biblical message is clear: Christ has died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again that we might live in newness of life; new life both here and in the world yet to come. Let us give thanks to God.
Praise be to you triune God, for you have lovingly created us, compassionately redeemed us, and graciously empowered us to live the life of the cross. Amen.
Take time to read today’s Daily Texts. God speaks to us through the inspiration of scripture, so approach the opportunity to read the texts as a privilege, eagerly anticipating what might be spoken to you today. How might today’s Word make a part of your life new again? If you do not have a copy of the Daily Texts, you will find today’s texts posted in the margin on your page’s right side (at the bottom of the page if you are on a mobile phone). When you have finished praying, continue as follows.
Together let us affirm our faith in the words of the Nicene Creed.
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him, all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son, he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Let us go from here to serve the Lord and live a life that gives witness to what we believe.
Thanks be to God. Amen.