Thursday, May 2, 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
Holy God: Dust I am, and to dust I shall return. I am like a flower of the field, that appears for a little while and then vanishes. But I confess my tendency to live days, weeks, even months at a time with little thought for my mortality, and little consideration for eternity. Forgive my presumption and self-reliance. Humble me to the dust, that I might be ever-mindful of my frailty, and freshly awed by your eternal, infinite beauty. Through Christ, our Lord: Amen.
Old Testament Reading: Jeremiah 31:1-14
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 John 5
Prayer of Adoration:
GOD: thank you that you have given us eternal life in your Son. I adore you as the one who is True - indeed, as Truth itself. There is no truth outside of you, no life apart from you, and no other way of salvation. I worship you - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Psalm Reading: Psalm 30
Prayer of Consecration
God: this Psalm is a great reminder that all sorrow is temporary. “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” This world is full of sorrow and pain; yet joy is guaranteed for your people, and it is coming as surely as the sun rises! So fill me with anticipation for the new heavens and the new earth. And in the midst of my current sorrows and hardships, remind me that you already HAVE turned my mourning into dancing. Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and called me to himself. Therefore, I am clothed with the gladness of salvation even in the midst of the sadness and trials of this earthly life. So today, whatever my circumstances, fill me with the joy of the Lord. Let me not be numb to the sadness and sorrow of life on earth; but let the joy of the Holy Spirit outweigh the burdens and concerns I carry. Fill me with gladness today, and let me be a source of gladness to others.
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.
