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 75 “All People That on Earth Do Dwell”
PSALM 8
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
O God, our God, you made us in your image,
and commanded us to
be fruitful and multiply,
fill the earth and subdue it,
and to have dominion over
the fish of the sea,
the birds of the air,
and every living thing
that moves upon the earth.
What tremendous risk you took,
giving us sovereignty.
We feel the responsibility,
sense the great privilege,
and fear getting it wrong.
Yet you created us
in your holy image.
You abide with us,
and we with you.
Alone among all your creatures,
we struggle with morality.
Sin constantly tugs at us.
Our relationship with you
calls us to righteousness.
Back and forth,
right and wrong,
abiding, resisting,
we struggle to win.
And the world you have created
hangs in the balance.
We want to give it back,
to forfeit our sovereignty,
and have you rule totally.
Yet, here is where
we grow spiritually,
where your image
comes to the forefront.
You have made us only a little lower
than yourself, God.
Let the children you birthed,
discover the lasting joy
of being family with you.
Let your spiritual DNA
dominate our dominion
and guide us into actions
that reflect your image.
Coach us as we work unwavering
to live up to your name.
Let us speak your truth,
apply the minds you provided,
and strengthen our hands,
in a holy union
with your creation,
restoring its harmony
and delicate balance.
And as your creation responds
to our faithful touch,
our joy, God, will be
that you allow us
to join into creating.
The created ones
wear the glory
and the honor
you give them.
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 79 “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name”
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.
