Daily Prayer for Monday, September 28, 2020

“All creatures of our God and King, lift up your voice and with us sing, Alleluia!  Alleluia!”        
                                               —-Francis of Assisi, 1225

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                                                               Exodus 20: 2-3
The Lord has delivered us from slavery;
there is no other god but the Lord.

Prayer                                                                Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
You, eternal Father,
are the table that offers us as food
the Lamb, your only-begotten Son.
He is the most exquisite of foods for us,
both in his teaching,
which nourishes us in your will,
and in the sacrament that we receive in holy communion,
which feeds and strengthens us.
And the Holy Spirit is indeed a waiter for us,
who serves us charity for our neighbors.  Amen.

Hymn of the Day
Make Me a Channel of Your Peace, sung by Sinead O’Connor.  Listen and pray. 

Reading of the Day                                                               Exodus 1: 1-14
These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5 The total number of people born to Jacob was seventy. Joseph was already in Egypt. 6 Then Joseph died, and all his brothers, and that whole generation. 7 But the Israelites were fruitful and prolific; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.

8 Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. 10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. 13 The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites, 14 and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labor. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them.

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 Dr. Marshall Cash, working directly with COVID patients in Shreveport, LA.  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 the safety of those who are traveling. Use this time to lift your joys, concerns, and hopes to God.

Benediction
May grace and peace be yours in abundance
in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Amen.   ​