GREETING (adapted from Psalm 118:24)
This is the day that you have made, O God.
We rejoice and are glad in it.
HYMN 499 “Serenity”
PSALM 92
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.
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
(Declare your faith by repeating “The Apostles’ Creed” (882) or “The Nicene Creed,” (880) or use the following affirmation.)
We believe God is good all the time,
and that God has established a special relationship
with the people of Israel and now the followers of Christ.
As part of this special relationship,
God has laid down laws to guide us into blessing.
Obeying his commands would have brought goodness to us.
Never meant to limit our experiences,
the laws would have kept us and others from harm,
if we could have just followed the guidance they offered us.
Because of our continual disobedience,
we lost the chance for good, and fell to evil’s power.
We even destroyed the special relationship that God provided.
We believe Christ was God’s response.
With his heart, he followed the laws, as God wanted.
For his help, we turned from him and gave him to execution.
But death was not the end of Jesus.
After three days, he rose from his tomb alive and well.
Many saw him, and believed this good news of the kingdom.
We too believe in the resurrected Jesus,
and join ourselves to him as he leads us to new life.
In Christ we live by faith in grace, and use the law as a guide. Amen.
GLORY BE TO THE FATHER 70 or 71
PRAYER (from Exodus 20:8-11, Matthew 18:1-5 & 19:13-15, and others)
O God, God above all gods, who reminds us of the goodness of a nap,
and calls us away from work to keep a holy sabbath.
Success, Wealth and other such gods demand we work every waking hour.
They even invade our sleep and set us tossing in bed.
But you, Parent of parents, insist we stop and rest one day in seven.
You set us free to play, and smile when we do nothing.
Independence, Pride and other such gods cast away the joy of childhood.
They flee from it as if it were an infectious disease.
But you, Mightiest of the mighty, gather children to your blessing,
and your kingdom opens to those who are like them.
Justice, Vengeance and other such gods always claim an eye for an eye.
Their worshipers settle for only what is fair and right.
But you, Holy of holies, stoop down and touch us with your grace.
We rejoice in your judgment tempered with your love.
Ambition, Zeal and other such gods consume all our energy and drive.
They wring all the life and goodness from our souls.
But you, Lord of the sabbath, resurrect us as we rest in your arms.
For rest and play, new life and restored joy, we thank 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 472 “Near to the Heart of God”
CLOSING PRAYER
God of creation, resting on the seventh day,
God of sabbath-keeping, offering rest and renewal,
God of salvation, resurrecting the dead on the Lord’s Day;
thank you for the life you breathe into us.
Thank you for our spirits recharged in your love.
Thank you for the future and our coming Resurrection Day. Amen.
Copyright 2020. Robert D. Ingram, 32746 Jourden Rd., Albany, Ohio 45710 (dr.bobingram@gmail.com). Used by permission.
