Thursday, June 29, 2023
Opening Prayer:
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.
Confession of Sin & Prayer for Grace
Lord God, although I have been raised with Christ, I have failed to put to death the sin in my heart. I have become complacent and self-satisfied. I have willfully ignored the sin that lingers in my life. Of this I repent and ask for your mercy. Direct me, O Lord, in all my doings with your gracious favor, and further me with your continual help; that in all my works begun, continued, and ended in you, I may glorify your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 66
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
New Testament Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Prayer of Adoration:
God, I adore you because you have chosen the weak, the foolish, and the despised to shame the strong, the wise, and the noble. Your foolishness is wiser than men, and your weakness is stronger than men. I boast in the foolishness of the cross today!
Psalm Reading: Psalm 66
Prayer of Consecration
God, I say to you today: “How awesome are your deeds!” The Psalmist looks back to the Red Sea as proof of your power and might; how much MORE awesome is your saving power through the cross of Jesus Christ? If the Israelites had great reason to give you glorious praise, how much more reason do I have? I want to say to the people around me, “Come and see what God has done! Come and hear his word!” So give me boldness and courage to be your ambassador today. If I am cherishing any iniquity in my heart, convict me, and bring me to repentance. Whatever promises I’ve made to you, let me fulfill them. Fill my mind with remembrance of your awesome deeds, and my tongue with words of praise to you.
BENEDICTION
And now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and always, until the day of Christ's return.
