“When the morning wakens, then may I arise pure, and fresh, and sinless in Thy holy eyes.”
—Sabine Baring-Gould, 1865 Preparation for worship Sit in a relaxed position. Take a slow, deep breath (or 2 or 3 or as many as needed) until you feel your body, mind, and soul begin to relax and rest in the Spirit. Take time to reflect as you move through this time of worship… Opening Sentences 1 Corinthians 1:17-18 We proclaim the message of the cross: this is the wisdom and power of God. Prayer United Church of Canada Service Book, 1969 Grant unto us, O God, the fullness of your promises. Where we have been weak, grant us your strength; where we have been confused, grant us your guidance; where we have been distraught, grant us your comfort; where we have been dead, grant us your life. Apart from you, O Lord, we are nothing, in and with you we can do all things. Amen. Hymn of the Day Let Us Break Bread Together, by Reggie Houston. Listen and pray. Reading of the Day 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 1 If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. 9 For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; 10 but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13 And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love. Prayers for self and others Please pray today for those who are being affected by Covid-19 and by its side effects in our world. Pray for the thousands who are still being diagnosed positive in the U.S. each day, and for the thousands who are dying. Please continue to pray for Marcy Szeliga and for Mark Sabala, both working as nurses with Covid patients, and for Brandon Jantzen and his family— Brandon is experiencing continuing health problems after having Covid. Pray for people in low income and underserved areas- those hardest hit by the virus- that they would be able to get vaccinated. As we hear of more friends who are directly affected, or who are working in high risk places, we will list them here. Use this time to lift your joys, concerns, and hopes to God. Benediction Now may the Lord of peace give you peace at all times and in all ways. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Alleluia!
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“God be with you till we meet again; keep love’s banner floating o’er you, smite death’s threatening wave before you…”
—Jeremiah Eames Ranken, 1880 Preparation for worship Sit in a relaxed position. Take a slow, deep breath (or 2 or 3 or as many as needed) until you feel your body, mind, and soul begin to relax and rest in the Spirit. Take time to reflect as you move through this time of worship… Opening Sentences Luke 4:18, 21 Jesus said: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. May the word of God be fulfilled among us. Prayer Walter Brueggemann, 2008 We are strange mixtures of loss and hope. As we are able, we submit our losses to you. We know about sickness and dying, about death and mortality, about failure and disappointment. And now for a moment we do our failing and dying in your presence, you who attend to us in loss. As we are able, we submit our hopes to you. We know about self-focused fantasy and notions of control. But we also know that our futures are out beyond us, held in your good hand. Our hopes are filled with promises of well-being, justice, and mercy. Move us this day beyond our fears and anxieties into your land of goodness. We wait for your coming, We pray for your kingdom. In the meantime, give us bread for the day. Hymn of the Day Take and Eat This Bread, by Paul Tate, performed by the GSus Band, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Greenwich Village, NY. Listen and pray. Reading of the Day 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 10 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. 12 What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” 13 Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power. Prayers for self and others Please pray today for those who are being affected by Covid-19 and by its side effects in our world. Pray for the thousands who are still being diagnosed positive in the U.S. each day, and for the thousands who are dying. Please continue to pray for Marcy Szeliga and for Mark Sabala, both working as nurses with Covid patients, and for Brandon Jantzen and his family— Brandon is experiencing continuing health problems after having Covid. Pray for those studying new strains of the virus and determining how to protect the public from them. As we hear of more friends who are directly affected, or who are working in high risk places, we will list them here. Use this time to lift your joys, concerns, and hopes to God. Benediction Now may the Lord of peace give you peace at all times and in all ways. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Alleluia! “God be with you till we meet again; when life’s perils thick confound you, put unfailing arms around you…”
—Jeremiah Eames Ranken, 1880 Preparation for worship Sit in a relaxed position. Take a slow, deep breath (or 2 or 3 or as many as needed) until you feel your body, mind, and soul begin to relax and rest in the Spirit. Take time to reflect as you move through this time of worship… Opening Sentences 1 Corinthians 13:13 Now faith, hope, and love abide; and the greatest of these is love. Prayer Toyohiko Kagawa (1888-1960) O God, show us clearly the heart of your kingdom. We do not protest even if our life is destined to lead to the cross, or if the way leads to losing our lives. We will march in the face of distress and contrary winds. Teach us how to dispense with unnecessary things. Let us go forward without fear of death in order to fulfill our mission simply, surely, and steadily. Reveal to us our station clearly, and strengthen us to teach and guide, by our example, all persons, even those who are ruled by evil. We pray that you may find us worthy to work through us. Amen. Hymn of the Day Welcome Table, from A Southern Gospel Revival- Courtney Patton. Listen and pray. Reading of the Day 1 Corinthians 8: 1-13 1 Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; 3 but anyone who loves God is known by him. 4 Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “no idol in the world really exists,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as in fact there are many gods and many lords— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. 7 It is not everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 “Food will not bring us close to God.” We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols? 11 So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. 12 But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall. Prayers for self and others Please pray today for those who are being affected by COVID-19 and by its side effects in our world. Pray for the thousands who are still being diagnosed positive in the U.S. each day, and for the thousands who are dying. Please continue to pray for Marcy Szeliga, working as a nurse in a COVID ICU unit; for Frances Gutierrez and her daughters, all recovering from the virus at home; and for Brandon Jantzen and his family— Brandon is experiencing continuing health problems after having Covid. Pray for children who have struggled in school this year due to the pandemic— whether on campus or learning from home. As we hear of more friends who are directly affected, or who are working in high risk places, we will list them here. Use this time to lift your joys, concerns, and hopes to God. Benediction Now may the Lord of peace give you peace at all times and in all ways. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Alleluia! “God be with you till we meet again; unseen wings protecting hide you, daily manna still provide you…”
—Jeremiah Eames Ranken, 1880 Preparation for worship Sit in a relaxed position. Take a slow, deep breath (or 2 or 3 or as many as needed) until you feel your body, mind, and soul begin to relax and rest in the Spirit. Take time to reflect as you move through this time of worship… Opening Sentences Psalm 111:1-2 Give thanks to God with your whole heart. Great are the works of the Lord. Prayer St. Brigid of Ireland, c. 451-525 I should like a great lake of finest ale, for the King of Kings. I should like a table of the choicest food, for the family of heaven. Let the ale be made from the fruits of faith, and the food be forgiving love. I should welcome the poor to my feast, for they are God’s children. I should welcome the sick to my feast, for they are God’s joy. Let the poor sit with Jesus at the highest place, and the sick dance with the angels. God bless the poor, God bless the sick, and bless our human race. God bless our food, God bless our drink, all homes, O God, embrace. Hymn of the Day Draw Us in the Spirit's Tether, sung at Saint Peter’s Catholic Church in Columbia, SC, Mark Husey, organist. Listen and pray. Reading of the Day 1 Corinthians 1: 18-31 18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” 20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23 but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength. 26 Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, 29 so that no one might boast in the presence of God. 30 He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” Prayers for self and others Please pray today for those who are being affected by COVID-19 and by its side effects in our world. Pray for the thousands who are still being diagnosed positive in the U.S. each day, and for the thousands who are dying. Please continue to pray for Marcy Szeliga, working as a nurse in a COVID ICU unit; for Frances Gutierrez and her daughters, all recovering from the virus at home; and for Brandon Jantzen and his family— Brandon is experiencing continuing health problems after having Covid. Pray for there to be enough food for everyone who is in need— pray that our food banks, community pantries, and school distribution sites would be overflowing with donations as well as volunteers to manage them. As we hear of more friends who are directly affected, or who are working in high risk places, we will list them here. Use this time to lift your joys, concerns, and hopes to God. Benediction Now may the Lord of peace give you peace at all times and in all ways. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Alleluia! “God be with you till we meet again; loving counsels guide, uphold you, with a Shepherd’s care enfold you…”
—Jeremiah Eames Ranken, 1880 Preparation for worship Sit in a relaxed position. Take a slow, deep breath (or 2 or 3 or as many as needed) until you feel your body, mind, and soul begin to relax and rest in the Spirit. Take time to reflect as you move through this time of worship… Opening Sentences Micah 6:8 What does the Holy One require of us? To be just, kind, and humble before God. Prayer Book of Common Worship, PC(USA), 2018 Holy God, you confound the world’s wisdom by giving your kingdom to the lowly and pure in heart. Give us such a hunger and thirst for justice and perseverance in striving for peace, that by our words and deeds the world may see the promise of your kingdom, revealed in Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Hymn of the Day Bread & Wine, by Josh Garrells. Listen and pray. Reading of the Day Matthew 5:1-12 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Prayers for self and others Please pray today for those who are being affected by COVID-19 and by its side effects in our world. Pray for the thousands who are still being diagnosed positive in the U.S. each day, and for the thousands who are dying. Please continue to pray for Marcy Szeliga, working as a nurse in a COVID ICU unit; for Frances Gutierrez and her daughters, all recovering from the virus at home; and for Brandon Jantzen and his family— Brandon is experiencing continuing health problems after having Covid. Pray for patience and perseverance for all of us, that we would continue to take precautions even as we see the light at the end of the long night. As we hear of more friends who are directly affected, or who are working in high risk places, we will list them here. Use this time to lift your joys, concerns, and hopes to God. Benediction Now may the Lord of peace give you peace at all times and in all ways. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Alleluia! |
AuthorBecky Downs, pastor of John Knox, started writing daily prayers for the congregation at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, to encourage the congregation in their faith during their time of separation from each other. The daily prayers were posted throughout the year. You might want to choose one a day to read, and modify the specific prayers for self and others to fit your life today. Archives
April 2021
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