Opening Prayer
O God, you are my hiding place; you will preserve me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. -Psalm 32:7 (silent reflection) Prayer of the Bible On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth. It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” -Isaiah 25: 6-9 (Free expression of praise and thanksgiving to God) Confession of Sin May my heart take delight in your ways, O Lord, and may I remove the places of idolatry from my life. -2 Chronicles 17: 6 (Time of silence for confession of sin) The Words of Jesus But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” -John 11:10-15 (Think deeply on these life-giving words of Jesus) Prayers for Ourselves and Others Answer me, O Lord, for your lovingkindness is good; in the abundance of your mercies, turn to me -Psalm 69:16 (Time to bring before God our own needs and the needs of others) Closing Prayer Lord our God, rule over us in strength, and grant us your light. Let your Spirit be with us to confirm what has already taken place in our hearts, so that we have joy and trust even under all the strain and stress of this life. Shine into the darkness of the world. Shine for all people. May we be shown more and more clearly what we have been created for. Strengthen our faith for the future, our faith in everything good, for however hidden the good may be, it must at last come to the light. May we and all the world bring praise and honor to you. Amen -Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt (1842-1919) |