Daily Prayer for Friday, May 8, 2020

Be Thou our guard while life shall last, and our eternal home.                                            —-Isaac Watts, 1719


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 Peter 1:3
Blessed be the Lord,
who has given us new birth into a living hope
through the resurrection fo Jesus Christ.


Prayer                                                             Julian of Norwich (c. 1342-1416)
In you, Father almighty,
we have our preservation and our bliss.
In you, Christ,
we have our restoring and our saving.
You are our mother, brother, and Savior.
In you, our Lord the Holy Spirit,
is marvelous and plenteous grace.
You are our clothing;
for in love you wrap us and embrace us.
You are our maker, our lover, our keeper.
Teach us to believe that by your grace
all shall be well,
and all shall be well,
and all manner of things shall be well.  Amen.


Hymn of the Day
Every Praise, by Hezekiah Walker.   Listen and rejoice! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuuZMg6NVeA&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0BrQO-dJkMdl8LP02I41j8LEqWTpyd6ylnvgfyCJEtp25qsGYkgNG_zwk


Reading of the Day:                                              1 Thessalonians 4: 9-12
9 Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another; 10 and indeed you do love all the brothers and sisters throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, beloved, to do so more and more, 11 to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we directed you, 12 so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and be dependent on no one.


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, Linda and Mario Berrios and their family, Debbi’s neighbors and all others who are out of work, Star Sims’ family and Donna Ardell’s family, as they grieve the loss of their loved ones, and for Connie’s Aunt Bonnie and her two cousins— Bonnie is hospitalized with the virus. And today let us pray particularly for caretakers who put themselves at risk to provide comfort for those who need it. 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 the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that you may abound in hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit.