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 684 “Christ, Mighty Savior”
PSALM 121
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
Lord of the night and darkness,
keeper of the noonday sun,
cast out our fear of the dark.
Let us walk by faith alone.
Because we can’t see everything,
we project our worst fears.
Imagination detects monsters.
Every shadow spells danger.
But your piercing eyes perceive,
what we cannot or will not.
Shadows don’t make you shake.
Night noises don’t cower you.
With you by our side, Lord,
we can walk without fear.
With our fear chased away,
we enjoy the lovely night sky.
We look up at the moon and stars,
and see your reflection, God.
We wonder why we were afraid,
acting like you were absent.
We recognize our foolishness,
imagining terrible monsters.
We confidently close our eyes now,
to enter sleep in blissful peace.
Lord of the night and darkness,
keeper of the noon-day sun,
we thank you for your company
and assurance of your care. 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 687 “Day Is Dying in the West”
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.
