Good morning.
Today is Friday,
March 26th,
2021.
Oh Lord,
Let my soul rise up to meet you as the day rises to meet the sun.
Glory to God,
The three in one,
Creator,
Redeemer,
And Sustainer.
As it was in the beginning,
Is now,
And will be forever.
Amen.
Come let us worship and bow down.
Let us kneel before the Lord,
Our Maker.
Remind yourself that you're in God's presence.
Notice how God may be speaking to you today.
Let yourself simply dwell on a word or a phrase that catches your attention or moves your heart and let your heart respond to God in prayer.
Please repeat these words.
Jesus,
You are the light of the world.
Open our eyes that we might see.
Our reading today is from John 12,
Verses 12 through 19.
The next day,
The great crowd that had come for the Passover feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.
So they got palm branches and went out to meet him.
They shouted joyfully,
Hosanna,
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of our God,
The ruler of Israel.
Jesus rode in sitting upon a donkey in accord with the scripture.
Fear not,
O people of Zion,
Your ruler comes to you sitting on a donkey's colt.
At the time,
The disciples didn't understand all this.
But after Jesus was glorified,
They recalled that the people had done to him precisely what had been written about him.
Those who had been present when Jesus called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word.
A crowd gathered,
And they went out to meet Jesus because they had heard he had performed this miraculous sign.
The Pharisees said to one another,
This is getting us nowhere.
Look,
The whole world is running after him.
Please repeat these words.
Jesus,
You are the light of the world.
Open our eyes that we might see.
I invite you now to hold someone's name before God.
Whoever the Holy Spirit leads your mind to in this space,
Hold before God in prayer.
You can repeat the person's name over and over with your voice or in your mind,
Or just hold this person silently in your heart.
Don't worry about diagnosing the person's need or telling God what to do.
May the light of Christ go before you and behind you,
Beneath you and above you.
On your right and on your left,
When you rise and when you lie down,
May the light of Christ be with you.
May the light of Christ be in you.
In the name of Jesus who taught us to pray.
Our Father which art in heaven,
Eternal God,
Earth maker,
Pain bearer,
Life giver,
Source of all that is and all that shall be.
Not only Father,
But Mother of us all.
May the hallowing of your name echo through the universe.
May the way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world.
May your heavenly will be done by all created beings.
May your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today,
Feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another,
Forgive us.
In times of temptation and test,
Strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure,
Spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil,
Free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
Now and forever.
Amen.
Jesus you are the resurrection and the life.
Lord,
We believe.
Help our unbelief.
Give us hope.
Give us life.
Amen.
And now my friends,
May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ go with you wherever he may send you today.
May he guide you through the wilderness,
Protect you through the storm.
May he bring you home rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you.
May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
Go in peace.
