Good morning.
Today is Friday,
December 4th,
2020.
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 bow down in worship.
Let us kneel before the Lord,
Our maker.
Remind yourself that you're in God's presence today.
Notice how God may be speaking to you.
Let yourself dwell on any word or phrase that catches your attention and moves your heart.
Then let your heart simply respond to God in prayer.
Please repeat these words.
I will wait for you,
Lord.
My soul waits,
And in your word,
I put my trust.
The scripture this morning is Romans 13,
Verses 11 through 14.
You know the time in which we are living.
It is now the hour for you to wake from sleep,
For our salvation is closer than when we first accepted the faith.
The night is far spent,
The day draws near.
So let us cast off deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Let us live honorably,
As in daylight,
Not in carousing and drunkenness,
Not in sexual excess and lust,
Not in quarreling and jealousy.
Rather,
Clothe yourself with our Savior,
Jesus Christ,
And make no provision for the desires of the night.
Please repeat these words.
So I wait for you,
Lord.
My soul waits,
And in your word,
I put my trust.
I invite you now to hold someone's name before God.
Whoever the Spirit of God leads you to think about,
Take that person and imagine your hands lifted toward God,
Holding this person that you love.
Don't worry about diagnosing the person's needs or telling God what to do.
Simply trust the love of God.
And now I invite you to hear these words of blessing,
Both for the person you love and for you yourself.
These were written by Jan Richardson.
What I really want to tell you is just lay this blessing on your forehead,
On your heart.
Let it rest in the palm of your hand,
Because there is hardly anything this blessing could say,
Any word it could offer to fill the hollow.
Let this blessing work its way into you with its lines that hold nearly unspeakable lament.
Let this blessing settle into you with its hope more ancient than knowing.
Hear how this blessing has not come alone,
How it echoes with the voices who accompany you,
Who attend you in every moment,
Who continually whisper how they do not cease to walk with you,
Even when the dark is deepest.
Hear how they encompass you always,
Breathing this blessing to you,
Bearing this blessing to you still.
We pray 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.
And now 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.
