Month: March 2017

Morning Prayer: Wed, 22 Mar – Psalm 107:2, 32; Psalm 108:3; 1 Peter 3:15 ~ tell your story

Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent

+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Opening Sentences

Heavenly Father, you made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you: Look upon the heartfelt desires of your humble servants, and stretch forth the strong hand of your Majesty to be our defense against our enemies; through Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen.
__________

Reading: Psalm 107:2, 32 (NLT)

Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.
_____

Let them exalt him publicly before the congregation and before the leaders of the nation.
__________

Reading: Psalm 108:3 (NLT)

I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations.
__________

Reading: 1 Peter 3:15 (NLT)

Worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.
__________

Prayer:

Lord God: you made me and chose me to love and serve you. With my whole heart, I praise your holy name –

+ You forgave all my sins and healed all my diseases.
+ You redeemed me from death and crowned me with love and tender mercies.
+ You filled my life with good things; you renewed my vitality and strength.

Lord Jesus Christ: you paid the price of my redemption. I honor you as Lord of my life –

+ You suffered on the cross for my sins, once for all time.
+ You died to bring me safely home to the Father.
+ You were raised to life and intercede for me in the presence of the Father.

Holy Spirit: you are my companion, my helper, my counselor. You stand with me and strengthen me –

+ That I may remember all that God has done for.
+ That I may do what is right and good, without worry or fear.
+ That I may always be prepared to tell my story to others.

Gracious God: may all those who listen take my story to heart; may they see your faithful love in my history. Through my Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
__________

“Redeemed” – Big Daddy Weave


__________

Blessing

The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.

+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Morning Prayer: Tue, 21 Mar – John 1:14; John 5:19-20b ~ what is God doing in your neighborhood

Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent

+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Opening Sentences

Heavenly Father, you made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you: Look upon the heartfelt desires of your humble servants, and stretch forth the strong hand of your Majesty to be our defense against our enemies; through Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen.
__________

Reading: John 1:14 (MSG)

The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.
__________

Reading: John 5:19-20b (NLT)

So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing.
__________

Prayer:

Heavenly Father: attune my heart and mind to yours through the guidance of your Word and Spirit. Give me the discernment to see you at work in my neighborhood.

+ Show me what you are doing with my family, near and afar

+ Show me what you are doing with my neighbors on either side of me

+ Show me what you are doing with my neighbors across the street

+ Show me what you are doing with my single and divorced neighbors

+ Show me what you are doing with my widow and widower neighbors

+ Show me what you are doing with my sick and infirmed neighbors

Heavenly Father: give me generosity of spirit that I may willingly join your work in the lives of my neighbors. Through my Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
__________

“Why Join God in the Neighborhood?” – Alan Roxburgh


__________

Blessing

The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.

+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Morning Prayer: Mon, 20 Mar – John 4:43-54 ~ a lifetime of signs and wonders

Monday of the Third Week of Lent

+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Opening Sentences

Heavenly Father, you made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you: Look upon the heartfelt desires of your humble servants, and stretch forth the strong hand of your Majesty to be our defense against our enemies; through Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen.
__________

Reading: John 4:43-54 (NLT)

Jesus Heals an Official’s Son

At the end of the two days, Jesus went on to Galilee. He himself had said that a prophet is not honored in his own hometown. Yet the Galileans welcomed him, for they had been in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration and had seen everything he did there.

As he traveled through Galilee, he came to Cana, where he had turned the water into wine. There was a government official in nearby Capernaum whose son was very sick. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Jesus to come to Capernaum to heal his son, who was about to die.

Jesus asked, “Will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?”

The official pleaded, “Lord, please come now before my little boy dies.”

Then Jesus told him, “Go back home. Your son will live!” And the man believed what Jesus said and started home.

While the man was on his way, some of his servants met him with the news that his son was alive and well. He asked them when the boy had begun to get better, and they replied, “Yesterday afternoon at one o’clock his fever suddenly disappeared!” Then the father realized that that was the very time Jesus had told him, “Your son will live.” And he and his entire household believed in Jesus. This was the second miraculous sign Jesus did in Galilee after coming from Judea.
__________

Prayer:

Sovereign Lord: you are the One in whom I live, and breathe, and have my being. You are the One in whom I find rest for my soul. Grant me your peace –

+ that I may trust you to provide for the daily, mundane, aspects of my life

+ that I may trust you with the lives of my family, my children and grandchildren

+ that I may trust in your loving-kindness for me especially when I’m at my wits end

+ that I may trust in your goodness to answer me when I cry out to you for help

+ that I may trust in your presence with me for strength and courage to face the day

Sovereign Lord: my whole life is a miracle – a continuing series of signs and wonders, testimonies to your power, mercy and grace. Empower me to show and tell those you have already prepared to hear and believe the Good News of what you have done for me. Through my Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
__________

“Anchor of Hope” – Ellie Holcomb


__________

Blessing

The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.

+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Third Sunday of Lent: 19 March – John 4:5-15, 19-26, 39-42 ~ come to the well

Third Sunday of Lent: 19 March 2017

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:

May your unfailing compassion, O Lord, cleanse and protect your Church, and, since without you she cannot stand secure, may she be always governed by your grace. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
__________

Reading: John 4:5-15, 19-26,39-42 (NLT)

The Samaritan Woman at Jacob’s Well

Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.

The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”

Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”

“But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”

Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

“Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”
_____

“Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?”

Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

Then Jesus told her, “I am the Messiah!”
_____

Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.”
__________

Prayer:

O God, living and true, look upon your people, whose dry and stony hearts are parched with thirst. Unseal the living water of your Spirit; let it become within us an ever-flowing spring, leaping up to eternal life. Thus may we worship you in spirit and in truth through Christ, our deliverance and hope, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, holy and mighty God for ever and ever.
__________

“The Well” – Casting Crowns


__________

Closing:

The Lord has honored me, and my God has given me strength.

He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” – Isaiah 49″5b-6 (NLT)

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
_________

Format adapted from Lectio Divina: USCCB Lenten Resources, 2017

Morning Prayer: Sat, 18 Mar – Exodus 12:13-14; John 14:25-27; 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 ~ in remembrance

Saturday of the Second Week of Lent

+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Opening Sentences

Almighty God, you know that I have no power in myself to help myself: Keep me both outwardly in my body and inwardly in my soul, that I may be defended from all adversities which may happen to my body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt my soul; through Jesus Christ my Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
__________

Reading: Exodus 12:13-14 (NLT)

“The blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.

“This is a day to remember. Each year, from generation to generation, you must celebrate it as a special festival to the Lord. This is a law for all time.
__________

Reading: John 14:25-27 (NLT)

“I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
__________

Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 (NLT)

On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.”
__________

Eucharistic Prayer: adapted

Let us give thanks and praise to the Lord our God.

+ It is truly right to give you thanks, truly just to give you glory, Father, most holy, for you are the one God living and true, existing before all ages and abiding for all eternity, dwelling in unapproachable light; yet you, who alone are good, the source of life, have made all that is, so that you might fill your creatures with blessings and bring joy to many of them by the glory of your light.

+ We give you praise, Father most holy, for you are great, and you have fashioned all your works in wisdom and in love. You formed man in your own image and entrusted the whole world to his care, so that in serving you alone, the Creator, he might have dominion over all creatures.

+ And when through disobedience he had lost your friendship, you did not abandon him to the domain of death. For you came in mercy to the aid of all, so that those who seek might find you. Time and again you offered them covenants and through the prophets taught them to look forward to salvation.

+ And you so loved the world, Father most holy, that in the fullness of time you sent your Only Begotten Son to be our Savior. Made incarnate by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, he shared our human nature in all things but sin. To the poor he proclaimed the good news of salvation, to prisoners, freedom, and to the sorrowful of heart, joy.

+ To accomplish your plan, he gave himself up to death, and, rising from the dead, he destroyed death and restored life. And that we might live no longer for ourselves but for him who died and rose again for us, he sent the Holy Spirit from you, Father, as the first fruits for those who believe, so that, bringing to perfection his work in the world, he might sanctify creation to the full.

+ Therefore, O Lord, we pray: may this same Holy Spirit graciously sanctify these offerings, that they may become the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ for the celebration of this great mystery, which he himself left us as an eternal covenant.

Look, O Lord, upon the Sacrifice which you yourself have provided for your Church, and grant in your loving kindness to all who partake of this one Bread and one Chalice that, gathered into one body by the Holy Spirit, they may truly become a living sacrifice in Christ to the praise of your glory. Amen.
__________

“Remembrance” – Matt Redman


__________

Blessing

The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.

+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!