Daily Prayer for Friday, July 31, 2020

“And everywhere that we can be, Thou, God, art present there…”        
                                                    —-Isaac Watts, 1715

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                                                        Colossians 1:15, 19
Christ is the image of the invisible God;
in him the fullness of God came to dwell.

Prayer                                                              Mechtild of Magdeburg, 1207-94
O burning mountain, O chosen sun,
O perfect moon, O fathomless well,
O unattainable height, O clearness beyond measure,
O wisdom without end, O mercy without limit,
O strength beyond resistance, O crown of all majesty,
The humblest you created sings your praise.

Hymn of the Day
“We Are Not Alone,” by Pepper Choplin, sung by a combined virtual choir.  Listen and pray with assurance. 

Reading of the Day                                                    2 Corinthians 5:16-21
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. 17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Prayers for self and others
Please pray today for those who are being affected by COVID 19. Please pray for Mark Sabala, working with Covid patients as a nurse, Marcy Szeliga, working as a case investigator and contact tracer, for the Zumwalt's daughter Sherri Salley, Connie Powell's niece Krystal Powell, and for all others who have been recently diagnosed with- or are recovering from- the virus.  Today pray for the people of Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi, where the highest levels of cases are today.  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
Go forth in the name of the Lord.
This is God’s charge:
to trust in Jesus Christ
and to love one another as he commanded.
Amen.   ​