Good morning.
Today is Friday,
February 19th,
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 bow down and worship.
Let us kneel before the Lord,
Our maker.
Remind yourself that you are in God's presence.
Notice how God may be speaking to you today.
Let yourself dwell on a word or a phrase that catches your attention or moves your heart,
And then let your heart simply respond to God in prayer.
Please repeat these words.
Hear the cry of your children,
Lord.
Come quickly and set us free.
Our reading today is John 4 verses 43 through 54.
On the third day,
Jesus left Samaria for Galilee.
Now Jesus had pointed out that a prophet is not esteemed in the prophet's own country.
So when he returned to Galilee,
It was the Galileans who welcomed him because they themselves had been at the feast and had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem on that occasion.
That's why Jesus returned to Cana in Galilee,
Where he had turned water into wine.
At Capernaum,
There lived a royal official whose child was ill.
Upon hearing that Jesus had returned to Galilee from Judea,
The official went and begged Jesus to come down and restore health to the child who was near death.
Jesus replied,
Unless people see signs and wonders,
They won't see it.
Rabbi,
The official pleaded,
Calm down before my child dies.
Jesus said,
Return home.
Your child lives.
The official believed what Jesus said and started for home.
On the way,
The official was met by members of the royal household with news that the child was going to live.
When the official asked at what time the fever broke,
They said about one o'clock yesterday afternoon.
The official realized that this was the very hour that Jesus had said,
Your child lives.
The whole household then became believers.
This was the second sign that Jesus performed after he had left Judea for Galilee.
Please repeat these words.
Hear the cry of your children,
Lord.
Come quickly and set us free.
Today is Friday and on Friday we pray for our enemies as Jesus instructed us to.
So who do you need to pray for today?
Perhaps there's someone that you desperately want to love,
But you are having such a hard time loving that person.
Pray for that person in this space.
Anyone that God is calling you to love,
But that you're having a hard time loving.
I invite you now to hold in a moment of quietness before the Lord.
Don't worry about explaining anything to God or telling God what to do.
Simply hold this person before God with all of the conflicting emotions that that brings.
And together we'll pray these words.
May the love of God 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 love of God be with you.
May the love of God be in you.
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.
We pray 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.
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.
