The Watchword for the week:
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing! Revelation 5:12
This is the day that the Lord has made,
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
God is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving.
We offer up shouts of praise to God and respond to God’s love by loving others.
Psalm 30
I will extol you, O Lord,
for you have drawn me up,
and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
O God my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
O God, you brought up my soul from Sheol,
restored me to life from among those
gone down to the Pit.
Sing praises to God, O you God’s faithful ones,
and give thanks to God’s holy name.
For God’s anger is but for a moment;
God’s favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
As for me, I said in my prosperity,
“I shall never be moved.”
By your favor, O God, you had established me
as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed.
To you, O God, I cried,
and to you I made supplication:
“What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it tell of your faithfulness?
“Hear, O God, and be gracious to me!
O God, be my helper!”
You have turned my mourning into dancing;
you have taken off my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy,
so that my soul may praise you
and not be silent.
O God my God, I will give thanks
to you forever.
Confession of Sin
Almighty and most merciful God, we have erred and strayed from your holy ways. Too often we have followed the desires of our hearts, and we have strayed from your sacred path. This has separated us from you and from those that we love. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done things we ought not to have done, and we are truly sorry. O Lord, have mercy on us. Forgive us our sins as we can honestly confess them to you. Restore your image in us, and make us a new creation, ready and willing to serve you.
Grant to your faithful people pardon and peace that we may be cleansed from our sins and serve you with a quiet mind through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. 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.
As brothers and sisters in Christ, we pray as our Lord taught us to:
Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your Name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, And the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.
Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)
We thank you, Lord Jesus, not only for the privilege of believing in you but also for suffering for you so that we may also be glorified with you.
Let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts since we were called to peace as members of the body. And let us be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in us richly as we teach and admonish one another with all wisdom. Therefore, whatever we do, whether in word or deed, let us do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Amen. (Colossians 3:16&17, adapted)