Good morning.
Today is Thursday,
October 22nd,
2020.
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 phrase that jumps out at you and let your heart respond to God in prayer.
Please repeat these words.
Shelter us not with walls that exclude,
But with your widespread wing.
John 2 verses 13 through 17.
Since it was almost the Jewish Passover,
Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
In the temple,
He found people selling cattle,
Sheep and pigeons,
While money changers sat at their counters.
Making a whip out of cords,
Jesus drove them all out of the temple,
Even the cattle and the sheep,
And overturned the tables of the money changers,
Scattering their coins.
Then he faced the pigeon sellers.
Take all this out of here.
Stop turning God's house into a market.
The disciples remembered the words,
Zeal for your house consumes me.
Please repeat these words.
Shelter us not with walls that exclude,
But with your widespread wing.
On Thursdays,
We pray for our families.
So I invite you now to consider someone in your family that the Spirit is leading you to pray for this morning.
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.
And as you hold this person before God,
Hear these words of blessing spoken over her or him.
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,
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.
From 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.
The light of the dawn reminds us that your mercies are new every morning.
We need your mercy,
Oh God.
We need your grace.
We long for your peace.
As sure as the sun rises,
Your love is with us always.
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.
