Daily Prayer for the First Tuesday in Advent, 2020

“O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by Thine advent here…”        
                                                             —-Latin, 12th C.


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                                                    Mark 13:31
Heaven and earth will pass away,
but the word of God endures forever.


Prayer                                      Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1466-1536)
O Lord Jesus Christ,
the Way, the Truth, and the Life:
Do not let us stray from you, the Way,
nor to distrust you, the Truth,
nor to rest in anything other than you, the Life.  Amen.


Hymn of the Day                            
Gabriel’s Message, sung by Sting.  Listen and pray.  https://youtu.be/iJ0NPaD0xic


Reading of the Day                                                    Psalm 122
1 I rejoiced with those who said to me,
    “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
2 Our feet are standing
    in your gates, Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem is built like a city
    that is closely compacted together.
4 That is where the tribes go up--
    the tribes of the Lord--
to praise the name of the Lord
    according to the statute given to Israel.
5 There stand the thrones for judgment,
    the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
    “May those who love you be secure.
7 May there be peace within your walls
    and security within your citadels.”
8 For the sake of my family and friends,
    I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
    I will seek your prosperity.


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, for Becky’s sister’s coworker Denie, who has returned to the ICU at Memorial Hermann Hospital with the virus; for Susan Smith’s brother-in-law John, hospitalized with the virus.  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 hospital employees working double time, and for hospital workers who have been laid off. Use this time to lift your joys, concerns, and hopes to God.


Benediction
May the love of the Father enfold us,
the wisdom of the Son enlighten us,
the fire of the Spirit inflame us;
and may the blessing of the triune God rest on us,
and abide with us,
now and evermore.