The watchword for the week:
From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised. Psalm 113:3
From the busyness that our jobs bring us,
We pause to give praise to God.
From the busyness that fills our daily lives,
We pause to give praise to God.
From the distractions that re-order our life’s priorities,
We pause to give praise to God.
Psalm 113
Praise be to God!
Praise, O servants of God;
praise the name of God.
Blessed be the name of the God
from this time on and forevermore.
From the rising of the sun to its setting
the name of the God is to be praised.
God is high above all nations,
and God’s glory above the heavens.
Who is like God our God, who is seated on high,
who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?
God raises the poor from the dust,
and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with nobles,
with the leaders of God’s people.
God gives the childless woman a home,
making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise be to God!
Let us humbly confess our sins.
Gracious God, we know that you deserve our praise each hour of the day. However, instead of praise, we spend more time grumbling about places in our lives where we feel cheated. We humbly ask that you create in us a clean heart and an understanding that will help us see your way and observe it with our whole heart. Lord have mercy on us.
The Lord says to us: I will forgive your iniquity and remember your sin no more. Peace be with you.
With grateful hearts, we say: 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 pray together:
Creator of us all, we praise your name because you have lovingly made each one of us. May your intended purpose be made real here on earth, even as it is already done in heaven. Feed us today with the things we genuinely need, and may we share our abundance with others. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who have done wrong to us. In times of temptation, may we know of your life-giving strength and keep us from all evil. Gracious God, this is your kingdom, and we acknowledge your power and glory now and forever more. AMEN.
From waking in the morning to resting in the evening, may we all praise God.
God has created a life pattern intended to bring us to wholeness.
That wholeness was shown to us as Jesus brought the reality of God into human form.
We praise God for this most generous gift.
We pray that God might awaken in us the desire to follow his path more closely amidst the temptations and difficulties of our lives.
Come, Holy Spirit, show us the way, the truth, and the life.
Whatever we do, therefore, 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.
Thanks be to God. Amen.