“Come, Almighty to deliver, let us all Thy life receive…’”
—-Charles Wesley, 1747 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 113:7 The Lord raises the poor from the dust and lifts up the needy from the ashes. Prayer Patrick of Ireland, c. 389-461 May the strength of God pilot us. May the power of God preserve us. May the wisdom of God instruct us. May the hand of God protect us. May the way of God direct us. May the shield of God defend us. May the host of God guard us against the snares of evil and the temptations of the world. May Christ be with us, Christ before us, Christ in us, Christ over us. May your salvation, O Lord, be always ours this day and forevermore. Amen. Hymn of the Day The Lord Watches Over You, by Jennifer and Jessica Jeon. Listen and pray. The lyrics are in the bio. Reading of the Day 1 Peter 4: 12-19 12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, a criminal, or even as a mischief maker. 16 Yet if any of you suffers as a Christian, do not consider it a disgrace, but glorify God because you bear this name. 17 For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God; if it begins with us, what will be the end for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinners?” 19 Therefore, let those suffering in accordance with God’s will entrust themselves to a faithful Creator, while continuing to do good. 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 Dr. Marshall Cash, working directly with COVID patients in Shreveport, LA. As we hear of more friends who are directly affected, or who are working in high risk places, we will list them here. Pray for college administrators, working to mitigate outbreaks on campuses, and for students, that they would take appropriate precautions. Use this time to lift your joys, concerns, and hopes to God. Benediction Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God through him. Amen.
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“Breathe, O breathe Thy loving Spirit into every troubled breast!’”
—-Charles Wesley, 1747 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 Mark 9: 35-37 The last are first in the realm of God; the least are welcomed in Jesus’ name. Prayer Book of Common Worship, PC(USA), 2018 O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us, in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work together with mutual forbearance and respect; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Hymn of the Day How Can I Keep From Singing, by the NYC Virtual Choir and Orchestra. Listen, pray, and rejoice! Reading of the Day 1 Peter 4: 7-11 7 The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Be hospitable to one another without complaining. 10 Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. 11 Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. 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 Dr. Marshall Cash, working directly with COVID patients in Shreveport, LA. As we hear of more friends who are directly affected, or who are working in high risk places, we will list them here. Pray for school nurses, in charge of making sure everyone at their school is symptom-free, with many new precautions and systems. Use this time to lift your joys, concerns, and hopes to God. Benediction Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God through him. Amen. “Love divine, all loves excelling, joy of heaven to earth come down…’”
—-Charles Wesley, 1747 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 Philippians 1:27 Live in a way that is worthy of the gospel. Stand firm in the Spirit, side by side. Prayer Saint Ephraim the Syrian, c. 305-373 O Lord and Master of my life, give me not a spirit of sloth, vain curiosity, lust for power, or idle talk. But give to me, your servant, a spirit of soberness, humility, patience, and love. Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own faults, and not to condemn my brother; for blessed are you to the ages of ages. Amen. Hymn of the Day Amazing Grace, by Martin Gross, on dobro. Listen and pray. Reading of the Day 1 Peter 4: 1-6 1 Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same intention (for whoever has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin), 2 so as to live for the rest of your earthly life no longer by human desires but by the will of God. 3 You have already spent enough time in doing what the Gentiles like to do, living in licentiousness, passions, drunkenness, revels, carousing, and lawless idolatry. 4 They are surprised that you no longer join them in the same excesses of dissipation, and so they blaspheme. 5 But they will have to give an accounting to him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that, though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they might live in the spirit as God does. 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. As we hear of more friends who are directly affected, or who are working in high risk places, we will list them here. Pray also for residents of the west coast, that they would be safe from the fires which are ravaging the land. Use this time to lift your joys, concerns, and hopes to God. Benediction Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God through him. Amen. “Lord, you bless with words assuring: ‘I am with you to the end.’”
—-Jeffrey W. Rowthorn, 1978 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 Matthew 10: 40 Welcome one another in Jesus’ name, for Christ is truly present among us. Prayer Rabbi David Wolpe, on the anniversary of 9/11 Dear God, how do we pray for what was lost? We cannot pray for deliverance or a miracle, for the tragedy has already burned itself into our souls. Children have grown fatherless. Families are long since bereaved. We know there is no prayer to change the past. So we pray to live with memory, with constant love, with the promise both to combat evil and to cherish goodness. Do not let our pain cloud our hopes or crush our hearts. Help us grow through this tragedy, keep faith with its victims, and sustain our trust in You. Hymn of the Day Will the Circle Be Unbroken, sung by Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. Listen and pray. Reading of the Day 1 Peter 3: 8-22 8 Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing. 10 For “Those who desire life and desire to see good days, let them keep their tongues from evil and their lips from speaking deceit; 11 let them turn away from evil and do good; let them seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 13 Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? 14 But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, 15 but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; 16 yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, 20 who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. 21 And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him. 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. As we hear of more friends who are directly affected, or who are working in high risk places, we will list them here. Pray also for people who are enslaved by anger, that they would find God’s peace and be able to let go of their fears. Use this time to lift your joys, concerns, and hopes to God. Benediction May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge and God and Jesus our Lord. Alleluia! “Lord, you show us love’s true measure: ‘Father, what they do, forgive.’”
—-Jeffrey W. Rowthorn, 1978 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 30: 5 Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes in the morning. Prayer Søren Kierkegaard, 1813-1855 Teach me, O God, not to torture myself, not to make a martyr out of myself through stifling reflection, but rather teach me to breathe deeply in faith. Hymn of the Day Rock of Ages, sung by Ella Fitzgerald. Listen and pray. Reading of the Day 1 Peter 3: 1-7 1 Wives, in the same way, accept the authority of your husbands, so that, even if some of them do not obey the word, they may be won over without a word by their wives’ conduct, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3 Do not adorn yourselves outwardly by braiding your hair, and by wearing gold ornaments or fine clothing; 4 rather, let your adornment be the inner self with the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in God’s sight. 5 It was in this way long ago that the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves by accepting the authority of their husbands. 6 Thus Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord. You have become her daughters as long as you do what is good and never let fears alarm you. 7 Husbands, in the same way, show consideration for your wives in your life together, paying honor to the woman as the weaker sex, since they too are also heirs of the gracious gift of life—so that nothing may hinder your prayers. ! 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. As we hear of more friends who are directly affected, or who are working in high risk places, we will list them here. Pray also for a fair and just society for all African American women and men, as our culture reckons with systemic racism. Use this time to lift your joys, concerns, and hopes to God. Benediction May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge and God and Jesus our Lord. Alleluia! “Lord, you make the common holy: ‘This my body, this my blood.’”
—-Jeffrey W. Rowthorn, 1978 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 15: 9-10 Rejoice with me! The lost are found. There is joy in the presence of God Prayer The Office for Special Occasions, 1900 Students’ Morning Prayer O Lord God, we humbly beseech thee to direct our thoughts and prayers this day; purify our hearts from every evil and false imagination, and may no vail and worldly desires have their abode in us. Keep us from all wandering looks and ways, from an undevout mind, and careless prayers. Let the voice of thy love enter our souls, that we may study thy word with reverence and holy fear, with fervor and delight. O God, thou seest us: help us to look up unto thee; for the sake of thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Hymn of the Day John Rutter’s Gaelic Blessing, sung by the Edinburgh Singers at Greyfriar’s Kirk. Listen, pray, and receive this blessing. Reading of the Day 1 Peter 2: 11-24 11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul. 12 Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge. 13 For the Lord’s sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme, 14 or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish. 16 As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. 17 Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor. 18 Slaves, accept the authority of your masters with all deference, not only those who are kind and gentle but also those who are harsh. 19 For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. 20 If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. 22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” 23 When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. 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. Please pray for Mark Sabala, working with Covid patients as a nurse, Marcy Szeliga, working as a case investigator and contact tracer, for Sylvia Washer, for Jeanette and her family who’ve been heavily impacted, and for all who have been recently diagnosed with- or are recovering from- the virus. Pray for those who are in pain, that they would have comfort. 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 May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge and God and Jesus our Lord. Alleluia! “Lord, you call us to your service: ‘In my name, baptize and teach.’”
—-Jeffrey W. Rowthorn, 1978 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 116: 4,8 I called to God: Lord, save my life! God has delivered my soul from death. Prayer Book of Common Worship, PC(USA) Almighty God, you call your church to witness that in Christ we are reconciled to you. Help us so to proclaim the good news of your love, that all who hear it may turn to you; through 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 “Sabbath Prayer,” from Fiddler on the Roof, original motion picture soundtrack, written by John Williams. Listen and join in praying. Reading of the Day 1 Peter 2: 1-10 Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and 5 like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in scripture: “See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 7 To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner,” 8 and “A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 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. Please pray for Mark Sabala, working with Covid patients as a nurse, Marcy Szeliga, working as a case investigator and contact tracer, for Sylvia Washer, for Jeanette and her family who’ve been heavily impacted, and for all who have been recently diagnosed with- or are recovering from- the virus. Pray for Christians all around the world- members of the Church universal, for they are all in need of wisdom and care. 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 May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge and God and Jesus our Lord. Alleluia! “Lord, you give the great commision: ‘Heal the sick and preach the word.’”
—-Jeffrey W. Rowthorn, 1978 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 Romans 14: 8-9 Whether we live or die, we belong to God. Christ is Lord of the dead and the living. Prayer St. Agnes Cathedral, Rockville Centre, NY Loving Father, on this weekend, when we rest from our usual labors, we pray for all who shoulder the tasks of human labor— in the marketplace, in factories and offices, in the professions, and in family living. We thank you, Lord, for the gift and opportunity of work; may our efforts always be pure of heart, for the good of others and the glory of your name. We lift up to you all who long for just employment and those who work to defend the rights and needs of workers everywhere. May those of us who are now retired always remember the valuable contribution we make to our Church and our world by our prayers and deeds of charity. May our working and our resting give you praise until the day we share together in eternal rest with all our departed in your kingdom as you live and reign Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen. Hymn of the Day Acappella Amazing Grace Jam, by the Acappella Company. Listen and give thanks to God. Reading of the Day 1 Peter 1: 13-25 13 Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. 14 Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. 15 Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; 16 for it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. 18 You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. 20 He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. 21 Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God. 22 Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. 23 You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.” That word is the good news that was announced to 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. Please pray for Mark Sabala, working with Covid patients as a nurse, Marcy Szeliga, working as a case investigator and contact tracer, for Sylvia Washer, for Jeanette and her family who’ve been heavily impacted, and for all who have been recently diagnosed with- or are recovering from- the virus. Pray for your next door neighbors— whether they are good friends or strangers— that they would be well. 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 May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge and God and Jesus our Lord. Alleluia! “Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee…”
—-Frances Ridley Havergal, 1874 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 1: 1-3 Happy are those who delight in God’s word. They are like trees planted by the water. Prayer written by an unknown prisoner in Ravensbrück concentration camp, and left by the body of a dead child. O Lord, remember not only the men and women of good will, but also those of ill will. But do not remember all the suffering they have inflicted on us; remember the fruits we have bought, thanks to this suffering— our comradeship, our loyalty, our humility, our courage, our generosity, the greatness of heart which has grown out of all this, and when they come to judgment let all the fruits which we have borne be their forgiveness. Hymn of the Day In Remembrance, words & music by Ragan Courtney & Buryl Red The Church of St. Paul the Apostle, NYC, Young Adult Choir & Ensemble Concert, Joey Chancey, Music Director. Listen and pray. Reading of the Day 1 Peter 1: 1-12 1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with his blood: May grace and peace be yours in abundance. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, 7 so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours made careful search and inquiry, 11 inquiring about the person or time that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated when it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ and the subsequent glory. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things that have now been announced to you through those who brought you good news by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look! 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. Please pray for Mark Sabala, working with Covid patients as a nurse, Marcy Szeliga, working as a case investigator and contact tracer, for Sylvia Washer, for Jeanette and her family who’ve been heavily impacted, and for all who have been recently diagnosed with- or are recovering from- the virus. Pray that you may be filled with kindness during this trying season. 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 Love one another; serve the Lord; live peaceably with all. Amen. “Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be thy royal throne…”
—-Frances Ridley Havergal, 1874 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 Isaiah 35:4 Be strong; do not fear! God is with us. The Lord will come to save us. Prayer Dionysius of the Syrian Jacobite Church, 9th C. God the Father, source of Divinity, good beyond all that is good, fair beyond all that is fair, in you is calmness, peace and unity. Repair the things that divide us from each other and restore our unity of love like your divine love. And as you are above all things, unite us in goodness and love that we may be spiritually one, with you and with each other, through your peace which makes all things peaceful and through the grace, mercy, and tenderness of your only Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. Hymn of the Day Way Maker, by Leeland. Listen and pray. Reading of the Day 1 John 5: 1-12 1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, 4 for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. 5 Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 6 This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth. 7 There are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree. 9 If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. 10 Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 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. Please pray for Mark Sabala, working with Covid patients as a nurse, Marcy Szeliga, working as a case investigator and contact tracer, for Sylvia Washer, for Jeanette and her family who’ve been heavily impacted, and for all who have been recently diagnosed with- or are recovering from- the virus. Pray for your own family today, whether they’re close by or far away. 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 Love one another; serve the Lord; live peaceably with all. Amen. |
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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