Daily Prayer for Friday, November 6, 2020

“The one eternal God, whom heaven and earth adore, the God who was, and is, and shall be evermore.”        
                                        —-Martin Rinkart, c. 1636

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 130:7
People of God, hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord there is steadfast love.

Prayer                                                                St. Julian of Norwich, c. 1390
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 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
My Baby Needs a Shepherd, by Emmylou Harris.  Listen and pray. 

Reading of the Day                                                            Psalm 23 (NRSV)
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
3  he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
    for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
    I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff--
    they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    my whole life long.

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.  As we hear of more friends who are directly affected, or who are working in high risk places, we will list them here. Pray today for children everywhere, that they would be loved and cherished and taught wisely, and that they would be well.  Use this time to lift your joys, concerns, and hopes to God.

Benediction
The blessing of the one God--
Spirit, Son, and Father--
be with you now and always.
Amen.