Good morning.
It is a very snowy Thursday,
December 17th,
2020 here in New York.
Oh Lord,
Let my soul rise up to meet you as the day rises to meet the sun.
Glory to God,
The three-in-one creator,
Redeemer,
And sustainer.
As it was in the beginning,
Is now,
And will be forever.
Amen.
Come let us sing to the Lord.
Let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
Remind yourself that you're in God's presence.
Notice how God may be speaking to you today.
Let yourself dwell on a word or phrase that catches your attention and let your heart simply respond to God in prayer.
Please repeat these words.
The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Whom shall I fear?
Luke 1 verses 46 through 55.
Mary said,
My soul proclaims your greatness,
O God.
My spirit rejoices in you,
My Savior.
For you have looked with favor upon your lowly servant.
And from this day forward,
All generations will call me blessed.
For you,
The Almighty,
Have done great things for me.
And holy is your name.
Your mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear you.
You have shown strength with your arm.
You have scattered the proud in their conceit.
You have deposed the mighty from their thrones and raised the lowly to high places.
You have filled the hungry with good things.
While you have sent the rich away empty.
You have come to the aid of Israel,
Your servant,
Mindful of your mercy.
The promise you made to our ancestors,
To Sarah and Abraham and their descendants forever.
Please repeat these words.
The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Whom shall I fear?
God our Savior,
You have done great things for us.
You have scattered the proud and lifted up the lowly.
You have filled the hungry with good things.
May we sing of your grace in our modern world.
May we remember your faithfulness and tell of it to generations to come.
Because you have kept your promises to our ancestors and their descendants forever.
Amen.
I invite you now in a short moment of silence to hold someone before God.
Don't worry about diagnosing the person's need or telling God what to do,
Simply hold this person before the God of love.
Bless all who call on you Almighty God from the rising of the sun to its setting.
May the light of Christ go before us and behind us,
Beneath us and above us,
On our right and on our left,
When we rise and when we lie down.
May the light of Christ be with us.
May the light of Christ be in us.
In the name of Jesus who taught us to pray.
Our Father which art in heaven,
Eternal God,
Earth maker,
Pain bearer,
Life giver,
Source of all that is and all that shall be.
Not only father but mother of us all.
May the hallowing of your name echo through the universe.
May the way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world.
May your heavenly will be done by all created beings.
May your commonwealth of peace and freedom,
Sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another,
Forgive us.
In times of temptation and test,
Strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure,
Spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil,
Free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
Now and forever.
Amen.
I know my friends,
May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ go with you wherever he may send you today.
May he guide you through the wilderness,
Protect you through the storm.
May he bring you home rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you.
May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
Go in peace.
