Daily Prayer for Friday, April 17, 2020

              Where there is hatred let me bring your love...
                                               Attr. St. Francis, 1181-1226
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                                                                 John 20: 19
Peace be with you.  Jesus stands among us.

Prayer                                                         Reinhold Neibuhr, 1892-1971    
       God, give me grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.
        Living one day at a time,
enjoying one moment at a time,
accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
taking, as Jesus did,
this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it,
trusting that you will make all things right,
if I surrender to your will,
so that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
and supremely happy in this life,
and supremely happy with you
forever in the next.  Amen.    


Hymn of the Day
Make Me a Channel of Your Peace (Glory to God #753)
The hymn is sung here in a haunting, beautiful way by Irish singer/songwriter Sinead O’Connor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnhhLWOKUeA


Reading of the Day                                                             Luke 24: 1-12 
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in, they did not find the body. 4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5 The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. 6 Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 8 Then they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

Prayers for self and others
Please pray today for those who are being affected by COVID 19, including Mark Sabala and Marcy Szeliga in their work as nurses, Debbi’s daughter Linda’s neighbors, Star Sims and her sister, brother-in-law, and nephew, all hospitalized with the virus, and Mary Warwick from TWRC. Pray for prisoners and prison workers, who are especially susceptible to the virus. 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:
Christ is risen!  Do not be afraid.
Go and tell this good news to all.
​Alleluia!  Amen.