GREETING (Psalm 8:1, 3-5)
O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?
Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
and crowned them with glory and honor.
HYMN 686 “O Gladsome Light”
PSALM 134
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
God of all great beginnings,
you sent light into our world
at the beginning of creation,
and in our Savior Jesus Christ.
You made a new beginning
in us with the light of Christ.
And yet there are times when
we still seek out the darkness.
God, you separated the Day
from Night and it was good.
Separate us from darkness.
Save us from entering into it.
Let there be light, Lord,
so that it cuts like a knife
through the world’s darkness
and declares your eternal truth.
Let there be light, Lord,
for leaders of government,
directing them toward peace
and more faithful stewardship.
Let there be light, Lord,
so your church may see
the paths you have for us
to lead us into your tomorrow.
Let there be light, Lord,
to shine into our souls.
Overcome our darkness,
and let love grow in its place.
Let there be light, Lord,
flowing from your throne,
calling us to the eternal Day
built in the glory of your love. 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 688 “God, That Madest Earth and Heaven”
CLOSING PRAYER
God, as you completed your astounding creation,
you saw the days and declared each of them good.
Now look at this day we have created with you,
and in your mercy and grace declare it good also
May this humble offering add to your goodness,
our faith, our hope, our obedience and our love.
All these things you first created in our hearts,
to spill out and fill all creation with their blessing.
God of goodness, grant us a good night’s rest,
and let our dreams be of an even better tomorrow. Amen.
Copyright 2020. Robert D. Ingram, 32746 Jourden Rd., Albany, Ohio 45710 (dr.bobingram@gmail.com). Used by permission.
