
A Service of Prayer at Midday
August 24, 2023
Call to Worship
Lord of All Hopefulness
Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,
Whose strong hands are skilled at the plane and the lathe:
Be there at our labors and give us we pray,
Your strength in our hearts Lord, at the noon of the day.
Dialogue
O God, come to my assistance.
Make haste to help me, O Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Midday Prayer
Holy God, at midday you give us a time of rest; may we accept it gratefully and be strengthened by it, to serve you and our neighbor through Jesus, the Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Commemoration
Psalm 138
1I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
2I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness;
for you have exalted your name and your word
above everything.
3On the day I called, you answered me,
you increased my strength of soul.
4All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O LORD,
for they have heard the words of your mouth.
5They shall sing of the ways of the LORD,
for great is the glory of the LORD.
6For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly;
but the haughty he perceives from far away.
7Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand,
and your right hand delivers me.
8The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.
Gloria Patri
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be. Amen.
Reading Romans 12:1-2, 9-18
1I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God — what is good and acceptable and perfect.
9Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Homily
Prayers
Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal,
have mercy on us.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.
Show us your mercy, O God,
and grant us your salvation.
Give us the joy of your saving help again,
and sustain us with your bountiful Spirit.
Give peace in all the world;
for only in you can we live in safety.
Keep the nations under your care,
and guide us in the way of justice and truth.
Let your way be known upon earth;
your saving health among all nations.
Let not the needy be forgotten,
nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and sustain me with your Holy Spirit.
Lord, hear my prayer,
and let my cry come before you.
Reflection
"Have You Ever Tried to Enter the Long Black Branches"
from Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver
Prayer
O God, in you we live and move and have our being. Guide and govern us in this day by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but remember that always we are walking in your sight. You have given us work to do and call us to use our talents for the good of all. Guide us through our day, and teach us to live in the Spirit who made us your children, in the love that unites us, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
The Lord be with those in joy and also with those in sorrow.
The Lord be with those waiting for news and also with those avoiding the news.
The Lord be with those drowing in scandal and also with those scanning headlines for scandal.
The Lord be with them because the Lord is with us.
The Lord be in our tired bones and in our rising too.
The Lord is a steady help in times of need and times of need are all around us.
The Lord grant us quiet times so that we can love those whose times are not.
The Lord be with us and with everyone we lofve.
The Lord be with us and with eeryone we don't.
Tuama, Pádraig Ó; Jordan, Glenn. Borders and Belonging (pp. 103-104). Hymns Ancient & Modern. Kindle Edition.













