Thursday, August 22, 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
O Lord, you promise to work all things for my good. Yet I confess that instead of delighting in your grace, I find reasons to be unhappy. I have filled my life with busyness and scheduled myself into exhaustion. I have been quick to judge others and slow to forgive them. Open my eyes to Your glory which is all around me, and to Your love which is smiling through all things. Renew in me a sense of wonder in You and your good creation. Amen.
Old Testament Reading: Proverbs 9
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: Romans 12
Prayer of Adoration:
God, I adore you for your goodness. I praise you for your Spirit, who renews my mind, and your Son, into whose likeness I am conformed. Thank you for transforming me, so that I am able to love genuinely instead of out of obligation or duty.
Psalm Reading: Psalm 111
Prayer of Consecration
Thank you, Lord, that your word challenges my individualism. I tend to forget that I’m joined to the great company of God’s people, stretching back through time. This psalm lifts my eyes above myself, reminding me of your generational faithfulness. With the congregation of the upright, I will offer thanks to you with my whole heart. As I go about the work of this day, help me return again and again to your grace, your mercy, and your generous provision. As I interact with the people and situations you have ordained, help me cultivate a restful heart, because I’m grounded in your covenant love. Give me the fear of the Lord, that I might grow in wisdom, and an expansive vision for the community of saints to which I belong.
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.
