Good morning.
Today is Thursday,
November 12,
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 a phrase that jumps out at you and let your heart respond to God in prayer.
Please repeat these words.
Be not far away,
Oh Lord.
You are my strength.
Hasten to help me.
Our scripture today is Psalm 19 verses one through six.
The heavens herald your glory,
Oh God,
And the skies display your handiwork.
Day after day,
They tell their story and night after night,
They reveal the depth of their understanding.
Without speech,
Without words,
Without even an audible voice,
Their cry echoes through all the world and their message reaches the ends of the earth.
For in the heavens,
The sun has pitched a tent.
It comes forth with the grandeur of a wedding procession,
With the eagerness of an athlete ready to race.
It rises at one end of the sky and travels to the other end.
And nothing escapes its warmth.
Please repeat these words.
Be not far away,
Oh Lord.
You are my strength.
Hasten to help me.
On Thursdays,
We pray for our families.
So I invite you now to hold your family before the Lord,
Or perhaps hold someone in your family before God.
You can repeat the person's name over and over with your voice or in your mind or just hold this person or hold your family silently in your heart.
Don't worry about diagnosing the needs or telling God what to do.
And as you hold your family,
Your family member before God,
Here are these words of 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 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.
Gracious God,
We are so used to seeing ourselves as individuals with personal destinies.
Remind us that we are made in your image,
The image of community.
Help us to love each other and be made one as you are one.
Whisper your love to us and let us whisper your love to the world today.
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.
