Opening Prayer
Jesus help us to know our own hearts and to care for our hearts as you care for them, because You have told us that what is in our hearts will set direction, motivate our actions, and ultimately determine who we become. -A2J Community (silent reflection) Prayer of the Bible Your eyes, O Lord, move to and from throughout the whole earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to you. -2 Chronicles 16:9 (Free expression of praise and thanksgiving to God) Confession of Sin I shall pour clean water over you and you will be cleansed; I shall cleanse you of all your defilement and all your idols. I shall give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you; I shall remove the heart of stone from your bodies and give you a heart of flesh instead. -Ezekiel 36:25-26 (Time of silence for confession of sin) The Words of Jesus And when Jesus had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” -Mark 7:17-23 (Think deeply on the life and words of Jesus) Prayers for Ourselves and Others Help us Lord, to rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and be constant in prayer. Amen -Romans 12:2 (Time to bring before God our own needs and the needs of others) Closing Prayer Lord, give me a pure heart—that I may see Thee, A humble heart—that I may hear Thee A heart of love—that I may serve Thee, A heart of faith—that I may abide in Thee -Dag Hammarskjold (1905-1961) |