Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!… —-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 Rev. 7: 17 The Lamb of God will be our shepherd; he will guide us to the water of life. Prayer Howard Thurman (1900-1981) Open unto me— light for my darkness. Open unto me— courage to my fear. Open unto me— peace for my turmoil. Open unto me— joy for my sorrow. Open unto me— strength for my weakness. Open unto me— wisdom for my confusion. Open unto me— forgiveness for my sins. Open unto me— love for my hates. Open unto me— thy Self for my self. Lord, Lord, open unto me! Amen. Hymn of the Day (By request!) Charlie Daniels singing “He’s Alive”— a retelling of the scriptural stories about Jesus’ resurrection. Listen and pray. Reading of the Day: Psalm 98 1 O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory. 2 The Lord has made known his victory; he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations. 3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. 4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises. 5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody. 6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord. 7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who live in it. 8 Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy 9 at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity. 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 and her sister, brother-in-law, and nephew, all hospitalized with the virus, and the family of Lynn Thygessen, Donna Ardell’s cousin, who has died of the virus. Pray for those who are restless and feeling cabin fever, that we may be patient and wise in our movement. 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.
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AuthorBecky Downs, pastor of John Knox, started writing daily prayers for the congregation at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, to encourage the congregation in their faith during their time of separation from each other. The daily prayers were posted throughout the year. You might want to choose one a day to read, and modify the specific prayers for self and others to fit your life today. Archives
April 2021
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