Daily Prayer for Monday, August 24, 2020

​“Christ is made the sure foundation, Christ the head and cornerstone…”        
                                        —-Henry Thomas Smart, 1867

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                                                                  Romans 12: 1
Present your bodies as a living sacrifice.
This is our spiritual worship.

Prayer                                          From the chapel porch, Pleshey Retreat House
Father we pray thee to fill this house with thy Spirit.
Here may the strong renew their strength and seek for their working lives a noble consecration.
Here may the poor find succor and the friendless friendship.
Here may the tempted find power, the sorrowing comfort and the bereaved find the truth that death hath no dominion over their beloved.
Here let the fearing find a new courage and the doubting have their faith and hope confirmed.
Here may the careless be awakened and all that are oppressed be freed.
Hither may many be drawn by thy love and go hence, their doubts resolved and faith renewed, their sins forgiven and their hearts aflame with thy love.  Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
  
Hymn of the Day
Amazing Grace, sung by people in their own languages, around the world.  Listen as you read and pray.

Reading of the Day                                                                  1 John 2: 1-6
     1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
      3 Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments. 4 Whoever says, “I have come to know him,” but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; 5 but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him: 6 whoever says, “I abide in him,” ought to walk just as he walked.

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. Please pray for Mark Sabala, working with Covid patients as a nurse, Marcy Szeliga, working as a case investigator and contact tracer, for Sylvia Washer, and for all who have been recently diagnosed with- or are recovering from- the virus.  Pray for all those in the path of the storms in the Gulf, that they would remain safe.  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 to the One who is able
to keep you from falling,
and to make you stand without shame
in the presence of God’s glory with rejoicing,
to the only God our Savior,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
be glory, majesty, power, and authority,
before all time and now and forever.
Amen.