A Service of Prayer at Midday
September 7, 2023
Invocation
In the name of the Father, + Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dialogue
Jesus Christ is the light of the world
The light that shines perpetually.
Be with us Lord, in the tasks of this day.
Your light shines over all.
Let your light scatter any darkness
And illumine your church and its people.
Psalmody
Come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before God’s presence with thanksgiving
and raise a loud shout to the Lord with psalms.
For you, Lord, are a great God,
and a great ruler above all gods.
Come, let us sing to the Lord:
let us shout or joy to the rock of our salvation.
In your hand are the caverns of the earth;
the heights of the hills are also yours.
The sea is yours, for you made it;
and your hands have molded the dry land.
Come, let us sing to the Lord:
let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
Come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
For the Lord is our God,
and we are the people of God’s pasture
and the sheep of God’s hand.
Come, let us sing to the Lord:
Let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
This is the day that the Lord has made
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
Collect:
Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting God, you are with us in this new day.
Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin nor be overcome in adversity. In all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purposes through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Commemoration
Albert Schweitzer was a Lutheran pastor and organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. He was born on January 14, 1875. He had a distinguished academic career, but entered the mission field as a physician in 1913. He was imprisoned in France during World War I and returned to Africa in 1924 to rebuild a hospital and create a leper colony. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952. Schweitzer is described as the century's greatest humanitarian. He died September 4, 1965, and is buried at the hospital he built and served.
Psalm 119:33-40
33Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes,
and I will observe it to the end.
34Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
and observe it with my whole heart.
35Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I delight in it.
36Turn my heart to your decrees,
and not to selfish gain.
37Turn my eyes from looking at vanities;
give me life in your ways.
38Confirm to your servant your promise,
which is for those who fear you.
39Turn away the disgrace that I dread,
for your ordinances are good.
40See, I have longed for your precepts;
in your righteousness give me life.
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.
Readings
Lamentations 1:1-6, 9d, 11c, 20
1How lonely sits the city
that once was full of people!
How like a widow she has become,
she that was great among the nations!
She that was a princess among the provinces
has become a vassal.
2She weeps bitterly in the night,
with tears on her cheeks;
among all her lovers
she has no one to comfort her;
all her friends have dealt treacherously with her,
they have become her enemies.
3Judah has gone into exile with suffering
and hard servitude;
she lives now among the nations,
and finds no resting place;
her pursuers have all overtaken her
in the midst of her distress.
4The roads to Zion mourn,
for no one comes to the festivals;
all her gates are desolate,
her priests groan;
her young girls grieve,
and her lot is bitter.
5Her foes have become the masters,
her enemies prosper,
because the LORD has made her suffer
for the multitude of her transgressions;
her children have gone away,
captives before the foe.
6From daughter Zion has departed
all her majesty.
Her princes have become like stags
that find no pasture;
they fled without strength
before the pursuer.
9Her uncleanness was in her skirts;
she took no thought of her future;
her downfall was appalling,
with none to comfort her.
"O LORD, look at my affliction,
for the enemy has triumphed!"
11All her people groan
as they search for bread;
they trade their treasures for food
to revive their strength.
Look, O LORD, and see
how worthless I have become.
20See, O LORD, how distressed I am;
my stomach churns,
my heart is wrung within me,
because I have been very rebellious.
In the street the sword bereaves;
in the house it is like death.
Ezekiel 33:7-11
7So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 8If I say to the wicked, "O wicked ones, you shall surely die," and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your hand. 9But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but you will have saved your life.
10Now you, mortal, say to the house of Israel, Thus you have said: "Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?" 11Say to them, As I live, says the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?
Reflection
Veni Creator
Come Lord, come down,
Come in, come among us.
Come as the wind to move us;
Come as the light to prove us;
Come as the night to rest us;
Come as the storm to test us;
Come as the sun to warm us;
Come as the stillness to calm us;
Come Lord, come down,
Come in, come among us.
To God the Father, who created the world;
To God the Son, who redeemed the world:
To God the Holy Spirit, who sustains the world
Be all praise and glory, now and forever. Amen.
Expression of Faith
Lord, you have always given
Bread for the coming day;
And though I am poor,
Today, I believe
Lord, you have always given
Strength for the coming day;
And though I am weak,
Today I believe.
Lord, you have always given
Peace for the coming day;
And though of anxious heart,
Today I believe.
Lord, you have always kept
Me safe in trials;
And now, tried as I am,
Today I believe.
Lord, you have always marked
The road for the coming day;
And though it may be hidden,
Today I believe.
Lord, you have always lightened
This darkness of mine;
And though shadows are here,
Today I believe.
Lord, you have always spoken
When the time was ripe;
And though I don’t hear your voice
Today I believe.
Prayers
In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
or the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the church of God, and for the unity of all, let u pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For this holy house, and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the health of the creation, for abundant harvests that all may share, and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For public servants, the government, and those who protect us; for those who work to bring peace, justice, healing, and protection in this and every place, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For those who travel, for those who are sick and suffering, and for those who are in captivity, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For deliverance in the time of affliction, wrath, danger, and need, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For all servants of the church, for this assembly, and for all people who await from the Lord great and abundant mercy, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
A brief silence may follow.
Giving thanks for all who have gone before us and are at rest, rejoicing in the communion of all the saints, we commend ourselves, one another, and our whole life to you, through Christ our Lord.
To you, O Lord.
O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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.
Blessing
Go in peace
for you cannot go where God is not.
Go in love
for only love endures.
Go with conviction
and God will honor your dedication.
The blessing of God Almighty,
the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit
be with us and remain with us forever.
Let us go then in peace
Amen
Liturgical Text from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, © 2006, 2020, 2022 Augsburg Fortress. Reprinted and/or streamed with permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies License #SAS016761. All rights reserved.
"Veni Creator" and "Expression of Faith", The Northumbria Community, Celtic Daily Prayer, Book One, Andy Raine, compiler, HarperCollins, 2002.
