Daily Prayer for Monday, March 29, 2021- Holy Week

“O Sacred head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down…”     
                         Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153)

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 116:12-13
What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord

Prayer                                                          Wild Goose Worship Group, 2000
On the Monday of Holy Week,
the crippled and the blind came to Jesus in the Temple and he healed them.  So let us pray for those who are crippled by disease or anxiety;

…those who are crippled by a system;

…those who are blind to beauty, love, and peace;

…those who are blind to what they must do now or do next;

…the church in places where it has the possibility of healing the wounds of the nations;

…and for ourselves we pray,
that we may discern a clear vision of your kingdom;
and that we may steadily walk in your path,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.

Hymn of the Day                            
Here I Am, Lord, sung by the choir and orchestra of St. Lillian.  Listen and pray.  

Reading of the Day                                                               Luke 19: 45-48
45 And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”
47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, 48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.

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, and of course for all those who have been affected by the winter storms.   Please continue to pray for Mark Sabala, working as a nurse with Covid patients.  Pray for our natural world, that though our attention has been turned toward the problem of human disease, we would continue to work toward the restoration of the earth.  Use this time to lift your joys, concerns, and hopes to God.

Benediction
May God guide you through the desert places,
may Christ lead you into knowing him more deeply,
and the Holy Spirit fill you with faith overflowing:
that as you share in Christ’s suffering,
you will also trust the power of his resurrection.