Daily Prayer for May 1, 2020

Praise with elation, praise every morning, God’s recreation of the new day!                                                                        —-Eleanor Farjeon, 1931


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 23: 1, 6 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Prayer                                                         Book of Common Worship, PC(USA)
Almighty God,
you sent Jesus, our good shepherd,
to gather us together.
May we not wander from his flock,
bur follow wherever he leads us,
listening for his voice and staying near him,
until we are safely in your fold,
to live with you forever;
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
How Can I Keep from Singing?                                           Glory to God #821
Sung by none other than Martin Sheen, on the radio program Prairie Home Companion.  Listen and pray. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2Z2TOVIFxg


Reading of the Day:                                                          Matthew 4: 12-17

12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
15 “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
    on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles--
16 the people who sat in darkness
    have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
    light has dawned.”
17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

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, whose brother-in-law died from the virus after being on a ventilator for over two weeks, and for her sister, their children and their grandchildren, and the family of Lynn Thygessen, Donna Ardell’s cousin, who has died of the virus. Pray especially for those in regions and countries where the virus has been less destructive, or where the virus has not yet peaked. 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:
Now go forth in Jesus name,
remembering his new commandment
to love one another,
just as he has loved us. Amen.