A Service of Prayer at Midday
August 31, 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 26

 ¹Vindicate me, O LORD,
 for I have walked in my integrity,
 and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
 ²Prove me, O LORD, and try me;
 test my heart and mind.
 ³For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
 and I walk in faithfulness to you.
 ⁴I do not sit with the worthless,
 nor do I consort with hypocrites;
 ⁵I hate the company of evildoers,
 and will not sit with the wicked.
 ⁶I wash my hands in innocence,
 and go around your altar, O LORD,
 ⁷singing aloud a song of thanksgiving,
 and telling all your wondrous deeds.
 ⁸O LORD, I love the house in which you dwell,
 and the place where your glory abides.
 ⁹Do not sweep me away with sinners,
 nor my life with the bloodthirsty,
 ¹⁰those in whose hands are evil devices,
 and whose right hands are full of bribes.
 ¹¹But as for me, I walk in my integrity;
 redeem me, and be gracious to me.
 ¹²My foot stands on level ground;
 in the great congregation I will bless the LORD.

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    Jeremiah  15:15-21

 ¹⁵O LORD, you know;
 remember me and visit me,
 and bring down retribution for me on my persecutors.
 In your forbearance do not take me away;
 know that on your account I suffer insult.
 ¹⁶Your words were found, and I ate them,
 and your words became to me a joy
 and the delight of my heart;
 for I am called by your name,
 O LORD, God of hosts.
 ¹⁷I did not sit in the company of merrymakers,
 nor did I rejoice;
 under the weight of your hand I sat alone,
 for you had filled me with indignation.
 ¹⁸Why is my pain unceasing,
 my wound incurable,
 refusing to be healed?
 Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook,
 like waters that fail.
 ¹⁹Therefore thus says the LORD:
 If you turn back, I will take you back,
 and you shall stand before me.
 If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless,
 you shall serve as my mouth.
 It is they who will turn to you,
 not you who will turn to them.
 ²⁰And I will make you to this people
 a fortified wall of bronze;
 they will fight against you,
 but they shall not prevail over you,
 for I am with you
 to save you and deliver you,
says the LORD.
 ²¹I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked,
 and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.

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.