Thursday, May 23, 2024
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
Almighty God: to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid. Cleanse the thoughts of my heart by the working of your Holy Spirit, that I may perfectly love you, joyfully obey you, and worthily magnify your holy name, through Christ, our Lord: Amen.
Old Testament Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34
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: Acts 2:1-21
Prayer of Adoration:
Lord God, like your servant Peter, I rejoice in the inauguration of your long-awaited kingdom. In your church you have united a scattered people, filling them with the new wine of your Holy Spirit. Like your disciples, Lord, renew my awe in your salvation that I may tell in my own tongue the mighty works of God!
Psalm Reading: Psalm 104:24-35
Prayer of Consecration
This psalm reminds me of your wisdom and power, O Lord. I will sing to you while I have my being. May my meditation be sweet and pleasing in your sight. My imagination is filled with images of the sea: the ships going back and forth, and creatures teeming in the water. In ancient times the ocean was a symbol of chaos and darkness, but this psalm shows it as a joyful expression of your creativity. Holy Spirit, you not only fill the people of God and guide us into truth; you also sustain the entire created order. You bring life and renewal; you open your hand and fill your creatures with good things. As I go about my day, fill me with good things and help me to rejoice in you more and more.
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.
