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 sing to the Lord.
Let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
Take a minute to notice your breath.
Observe the shifting of breath and energy in your body.
Notice how God is breathing life into you at this very moment,
As God breathed life into the first human beings.
As the Spirit of God breathes life and energy into our souls,
You are right now,
In this moment,
Receiving the gift of breath.
As you inhale,
Feel the energy of God lift you up.
And as you exhale,
Surrender to gravity,
Grounded in your unique vocation of service in this world.
Just rest in this space for a moment.
Observe your breath.
Transfer your thoughts and feelings to God without trying to control or change anything.
Please repeat these words.
Lord,
You are near to all who call on you.
Lord,
You are near to all who call on you.
Our reading today is Philippians 3,
Verses 7 through 16.
But those things I used to consider gain,
I now count as lost for the sake of Christ.
What is more,
I consider everything a loss in light of the surpassing knowledge of my Savior Jesus Christ,
For whose sake I have forfeited everything.
I count everything else as garbage so that Christ may be my wealth.
Indeed,
That I may be found in Christ,
Not having any justice of my own based on observance of the law.
The justice I possess is that which comes through faith in Christ.
It has its origin in God and is based on faith.
All I want is to know Christ and the power of the resurrection and how to share in Christ's sufferings by being formed into the pattern of Jesus' death,
Perhaps even to arrive at the resurrection from the dead.
It's not that I have reached it yet or have already finished my course,
But I'm running the race in order to grab hold of the prize if possible,
Since Christ Jesus has grabbed hold of me.
Sisters and brothers,
I don't think of myself as having reached the finish line.
I give no thought to what lies behind,
But I push on to what is ahead.
My entire attention is on the finish line as I run toward the prize,
The high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
We who are mature should adopt this attitude,
And if you have a different opinion on any matter,
God will make that clear to you as well.
Just resolve to live up to what we have already attained.
Please repeat these words.
Lord,
You are near to all who call on you.
Lord,
You are near to all who call on you.
I invite you now to hold someone's name before God.
You can repeat the person's name over and over with your voice or in your mind,
Or maybe just hold this person silently in your heart.
Don't worry about diagnosing the person's need or telling God what to do.
As you picture this person's face,
Join me in this blessing.
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.
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.
In the name of Jesus,
Who taught us to pray.
Our Father 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.
And 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.
And now my friends,
May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ go with you wherever he may send you.
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.
So in peace.
