Opening Prayer
We taste Thee, O Thou living bread, and long to feast upon Thee still; we drink of Thee, the fountainhead and thirst our souls from Thee to fill. -Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) (Silent reflection) Prayer of the Bible I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. -Psalm 34:8-10 (Free expression of praise and thanksgiving to God) Confession of Sin I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.’ -Luke 15:18 (Time of silence for confession of sin) The Words of Jesus Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil. -Matthew 5:33-37 (Think deeply on these life-giving words of Jesus) Pray for ourselves and others Pray to God the Father, through the power of our Master Jesus, through the love of the Spirit. -Romans 15:30 (Time to bring before God our own needs and the needs of others) Closing Prayer I am no longer my own, but yours. Do to me as you desire, place me among those you see fit. Put me to service and put me to suffering, let me be sent out by you or laid aside for you. Let me be exalted for you, or brought low for you. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to your pleasure and disposal. And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you are mine, and I am yours and the covenant which I have made on earth, Let it be sealed in heaven. -John Wesley (1703-1791) |