Burgundy, France
Opening Prayer
You are the God who answered me in the day of my distress and have been with me wherever I have gone. -Genesis 35:3 (silent reflection) Prayer of the Bible “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!” We will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the Lord! -Psalm 115:1,18 (Free expression of praise and thanksgiving to God) Confession of Sin If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. -1 John 1:9 (Time of silence for confession of sin) The Words of Jesus As Jesus was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from the surrounding regions. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal. And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” The Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. -Luke 5:17-25 (Think deeply on the life and words of Jesus) Prayers for Ourselves and Others I will watch in hope for you, O Lord; I will wait for you, the God of my salvation; you will hear me. -Micah 7:7 (Time to bring before God our own needs and the needs of others) Closing Prayer We wait. We wait, our Father, until at last something of thy strength becomes our strength, something of thy heart becomes our heart, something of thy forgiveness becomes our forgiveness. We wait, O God, we wait. -Howard Thurman (1899-1981) 
Ephesus, Turkey
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