Watchword for the Week — O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you, I will praise your name; for you have done wonderful things. Isaiah 25:1
Praise be to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Praise be to the One who knits us together as a community of faith.
Open our eyes, Lord, that we may see the many ways that you have blessed us.
Open our ears, Lord, that we may hear your word and proclaim it in such a way that we become a blessing to others.
Open our hearts, Lord, that we might feel your presence within this day.
Psalm for the Week: Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
3 he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil;
for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.
Let us confess our sins to our loving God:
(Adapted from the Liturgy of Christian Unity in the Moravian Book of Worship, page 125. Used by permission of the Interprovincial Board of Communication)
Gracious Lord and God, we know that we will remain less than the whole persons you have called us to be in Christ Jesus until we acknowledge our sins to you, so we bow before you and pray: We confess that we have tried to run away and hide from you. We constantly deceive ourselves into thinking that we can live without you. We have made idols of our own achievements. We have treated other persons as though they did not bear your image. We have failed to enfold and include all persons within the outstretched and open arms of Jesus Christ, our Savior. And we have left undone those deeds of lovingkindness and godly justice that you want us to pursue in your name. Bring your Spirit upon us in a gracious, healing way. Make us agents of reconciliation as we live within your holy presence. Amen.
Hear the comforting words of our Lord: Your sins are forgiven. Go and sin no more.
Thanks be to God.
Take time to read today’s Daily Texts. Remember that 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 the right of your page (at the bottom of the page if you are on a mobile phone). When you have finished praying, continue as follows.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, hear us.
Creator of all humanity, we call you Holy and seek to worship you all the days of our lives. We pray that the ways of your heavenly kingdom may be made real in the world that surrounds us. May the bread that we need for today be made available for us and all who are hungry; and may you forgive us, just as we are able to forgive those who have sinned against us. In the time of moral testing, may we listen first for your voice calling to us, instead of the call of the world; take from us the self-centeredness of our society. This world, and all that is in it, always has been and always will be yours, help us to lose ourselves to you and your kingdom. Help us to find who we truly are as we walk in your light. Amen.
God of all creation guide us to build our lives on you,
Help us to make you the cornerstone upon which all the rest of our lives lean for support.
God of our salvation guide us to build our lives on you,
So that we may live gracefully as a reflection of what you have given us.
God of the Spirit guide us to build our lives on you,
Fan the flames of our faith so that we may passionately share your love with those with whom we live and work and play.
May the love of God, the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
Be with us throughout the living of this day; we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.