Friday, April 19, 2024
Opening Prayer:
O Lord, you have said, “Seek my face.”My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn me away in anger. Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.
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: 1 Samuel 2:1b-10
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 10:34-48
Prayer of Adoration:
God: I adore you because you show no partiality. Anyone and everyone who believes in Jesus receives forgiveness of sins through his name. Thank you that you are pursuing people in every tribe, tongue, and nation, through the proclamation of the gospel and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Psalm Reading: Psalm 91
Prayer of Consecration
Lord, you are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. This Psalm promises that you will deliver me from evil. And yet, this is also the very Psalm that Satan used to tempt Jesus, urging him to throw himself down from the temple, because “angels will bear you up.” So today Lord, let me rest in this Psalm as Jesus did - confident of my final vindication, but aware that in this world I will have trouble. Help me not to put you to the test by making demands of you. Instead, let me rest in the good of the gospel, confident in the promise of eternal life. Let me hold fast to you in love, as my Savior did. Amen.
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.
