The Watchword for the Week:
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we
will see face to face. 1 Corinthians 13:12
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty,
The earth is full of your glory.
We give thanks for your way is perfect,
And your will for our lives brings peace.
Psalm 71:1-6
In you, O God, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me.
Incline your ear to me and save me.
Be to me a rock of refuge,
a strong fortress, to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
Rescue me, O my God,
from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.
For you, O God, are my hope,
my trust, O God, from my youth.
Upon you I have leaned from my birth;
it was you who took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is continually of you.
Confession of Sin
Seeing God dimly is a part of human existence, but when we cease to search for greater clarity we lose the ability to make wise choices, and so it is that we sin. Let us make confession of those short-comings.
Gracious God, we know that you are the creator of all that is and will be. We confess that your supreme wisdom set the planets into motion, set the galaxies in their places, and made the universe in all of its infinite majesty. We recognize that it is you who set forth life on this planet, and created each one of us with love and care. Forgive us when we lose sight of you. Forgive us when we think that it is our wisdom that makes our part of the world go around. Forgive us for the times when we have not understood your presence and have said and done things that caused division. Bring us home to you, our rock and our redeemer.
God is faithful and just. God seeks only to forgive your sins and will not remember them. Rejoice, be glad, and give God praise.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. AMEN.
Take time to read today’s Daily Texts. 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). 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 conveyed to you today. How might today’s Word make a part of your life new again? When you have finished praying, continue as follows.
Let us profess our faith in the One who truly loves us:
I believe in the one true God, the Father of humanity,
who creates and sustains the universe in wisdom and power,
who calls us into being and into relationship with God by grace, whose nature is love.
I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
who lived that we might see God,
who died that we might be reconciled to God,
who rose that we might experience the life of God,
who freely accepts and welcomes all who come to him, not on the basis of their merit, but on the basis of his unconditional love.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
who is God present with us now,
who shows us our need for God,
who assures us of God’s love in all circumstances
who lives the life and love of Jesus Christ through us.
In this faith I will seek to live in harmony with God, with people everywhere, and with all of creation. Amen.
(From the Moravian Book of Worship, the Liturgy for Creation, page 29. Used by permission from the Moravian Interprovincial Board of Communication.)
Triune God, seeing you more clearly calls us to bring good news to the oppressed,
and to bind the wounds of those broken in heart,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of prisons to those who are bound,
to announce the year of your grace,
to comfort all who mourn.
Lord of Life, in whom we live and move, guide our steps through the journey of our lives.
Keep us mindful of your steadfast love for us, and ways in which we can make that love come alive in the hearts of those that we love, serve, and come in contact with this very day. AMEN