Salt River, Arizona
Opening Prayer
Great are You LORD, and greatly to be praised; Your greatness is unsearchable. -Psalm 145:3 (silent reflection) Prayer of the Bible For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. -Isaiah 55:8-11 (Free expression of praise and thanksgiving to God) Confession of Sin “Jesus forgive me my sin and set me free from all evil passions, heal my heart of all disordered affections; that, I may be made fit to love, courageous to suffer, and steady to persevere." -Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471) (Time of silence for confession of sin) The Words of Jesus You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God) then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.” -Mark 7:8-13 (Think deeply on the life and words of Jesus) Prayers for Ourselves and Others If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. -John 15:7 (Time to bring before God our own needs and the needs of others) Closing Prayer Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. –Book of Common Prayer 
Bruges, Belgium
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