GREETING (Adapted from Psalm 119:105 & 111)
God, your word is a lamp to our feet
and a light to our path.
Your decrees are our heritage forever;
they are the joy of our hearts.
HYMN 468 “Dear Jesus, in Whose Life I See”
PSALM 120
PRAYER
(Think back to the beginning of this day. Start there, and mentally walk through the day again, while you thank God for the day's blessings and God's continuous work of love. Confess and repent of those times when you forgot, ignored or rebelled against God. Continue to pray with your personal prayer list.)
SCRIPTURE LESSON
(Choose a passage of scripture to read. It can be a chapter, a paragraph, or a particular story. Daily lectionaries are available online or in print that assign a lesson each day from the gospels, epistles, Old Testament and psalms on a three-year cycle. Or you can create a plan to read a book of the Bible, or the whole Bible. Then follow the steps below.)
Read a passage of scripture. Read it out loud, very slowly and carefully as if for the first time. Continue reading until a word, phrase or sentence captures your attention. Stop there to repeat the word, phrase or sentence over and over, listening to it deeply in your heart.
Reflect on why the passage got your attention. Consider the area of your life to which this may apply. Is God saying something to you in this passage? Take time to listen carefully to whatever God may be saying to you.
Respond to God in prayer (or with journaling, music, art or whatever you choose) about what you have heard. Ask questions. Open yourself to God’s will for you.
Rest in God’s company. Be still and quiet. Move beyond thinking, practicing interior silence. Let yourself be open to God’s presence. Savor this moment with God.
PRAYER
Father, keep the lips that speak your name pure.
Let no lies be formed by the tongues that sing your praises.
Lies dart out so quickly, so easily, so simply;
but, like the bite of a poisonous snake, their work is deadly.
They poison and sicken everyone they touch.
They destroy families, communities, and even entire nations.
And the lies we tell are noxious and vile to you,
eroding and poisoning our relationship with you, Holy One.
One lie, half truth, or truth hidden in silence,
and you can no longer stand our company in your kingdom.
Holy Father, post your Spirit to guard our lips,
and let your light probe our minds, our hearts and our souls.
Find and expose any guile lingering within us.
Uncover and destroy in us any tendency to lean on deceit.
Give us hearts that love truth like you love it.
Make us incapable of conceiving any and all false witness.
Let us become beacons of integrity and honesty,
like lighthouses calling to all those still foundering in lies.
Light up the darkness with the words we speak,
and let them bring honor to the great Teacher of All Truth.
Set up your veracity as a measure of our words,
and let others hear your voice sounding from our tongues.
But do not let us become mean in truth-telling,
like those who care not how much their words hurt others.
Counsel our speech with your steadfast love,
so that when heard it falls like gentle rain on a spring field.
For the sake of truth and holiness we pray this,
trusting you will honor and affirm our desire for truth-telling.
Until we bridle our wagging tongues, O God,
we will not be satisfied with the service we offer before you. Amen.
SILENCE AND COMMITMENT
(Pause to reflect and listen. Work to push out of your mind any distracting or irrelevant thoughts. Concentrate your thoughts on the words of the hymns and choruses you have sung, the prayers you have spoken and the scriptures you have read. Be aware of what you are feeling. Listen for anything that God might be saying to you in this time you have spent together. As God responds to your prayer-time, seek guidance for how you can best respond to God’s will. Then commit to serving God’s will for you.)
HYMN 382 “Have Thine Own Way, Lord”
CLOSING PRAYER
As we step away from our work,
and look toward a night’s rest, O God,
we continue in your company.
This and your steadfast love,
satisfy our needs and inspire dreams
of our serving you tomorrow. Amen.
Copyright 2020. Robert D. Ingram, 32746 Jourden Rd., Albany, Ohio 45710 (dr.bobingram@gmail.com). Used by permission.
