Opening Prayer
“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” -Julian of Norwich (1342-1416) (silent reflection) Prayer of the Bible I love You, O Lord my strength. You are my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; You are my rock, in whom I take refuge. You are my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon You, for You are worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. -Psalm 18:1-3 (Free expression of praise and thanksgiving to God) Confession of Sin Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord -Psalm 25:6-7 (Time of silence for confession of sin) The Words of Jesus Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken—do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? -John 10: 32-37 (Think deeply on these life-giving words of Jesus) Prayers for Ourselves and Others I will exalt you, O Lord, for you lifted me up and did not let my enemies rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried to you for help and you healed me. -Psalm 30: 1-2 (Time to bring before God our own needs and the needs of others) Closing Prayer Gracious God, thank you for this gift of a life so rich with meaning and eternal purpose. Thank you for the awesome glory of being in Your image, the privilege of being a maker in Your kingdom. Open my ears to Your instruction, open my eyes to Your handiwork, open my heart to the joy of union with You. Take all that I am — my desires and sensitivities, my energy and strength, my flawed and finite being — and love Your world through me. -Leanne Payne (1932-2015) |