Good morning.
Let us join together in prayer on Friday morning,
October 30th,
2020.
O 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.
Remind yourself that you're in God's presence.
Notice how God may be speaking to you today.
Let yourself dwell on a word or a phrase that jumps out at you and let your heart respond to God in prayer.
Please repeat these words.
You order your kingdom with justice.
And establish the world in peace.
Our scripture reading today comes from Ephesians 3,
Verses 7 through 13.
Each of us has received God's grace in the measure in which Christ has bestowed it.
Thus,
You find scripture saying you ascended on high,
Leading captives in your train and giving gifts to people.
You ascended.
What does this mean but that Christ first descended into the lower regions of the earth?
The one who descended is the very one who ascended high above the heavens in order to fill the whole universe.
And to some,
The gift they were given is that they should be apostles to some prophets,
To some evangelists,
To some pastors and teachers.
These gifts were given to equip fully the holy ones for the work of service and to build up the body of Christ until we all attain unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the only begotten of God.
Until we become mature,
Attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Please repeat these words.
You order your kingdom with justice.
And establish the world in peace.
On Fridays,
We pray for our enemies.
So I invite you now to hold someone before God that you have a hard time loving.
Just picture this person in your mind or if you'd like 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 him or her.
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 Halloween 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.
Lord within your community we are strengthened to persevere,
Empowered to proclaim your truth and shaped to wait on you.
Teach us anew what we can learn from other faithful brothers and sisters who serve you in their particular ways of worship and proclamation.
Amen.
And now 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.
Amen.
Go in peace.
