GREETING (adapted from Richard of Chichester, England)
Day by day, dear Lord, of you three things we pray:
to see you more clearly,
love you more dearly,
follow you more nearly, day by day.
HYMN 437 “This Is My Song”
PSALM 33
PRAYER
(Consider some of the following concerns for prayers of thanksgiving, intercession, and petition. Follow with your personal prayer list.)
For peace between God and self For peace between groups
Accepting God’s forgiveness Peace negotiations
Accepting who we are Peace within nations
Accepting God’s vision of who we can become Peace between nations
For learning the way of Godly living Innocent victims of war
For walking in the way of God Weapons industry reform
To become a godly man or woman Swords into plowshares
For peace between individuals End of racial prejudice
Peace between neighbors End of religious intolerance
Peace within families Equality and mutual respect
For patience and tolerance God’s self-giving love
Forgiving one another Our self-giving love
Reconciling with one another ____________________________
Respect for one another ____________________________
Constructive, rather than destructive, conflict ____________________________
THE LORD'S PRAYER
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 (from Mark 11:25)
Almighty God,
whose merciful love is our peace;
set the quiet of peace free in us,
to rule our thoughts,
to form our words
and direct our actions.
Transform our character,
so we build bridges rather than walls,
bear olive branches rather than grudges,
offer forgiveness, not demand it from others.
Transform our hearts,
so that we replace hate with love,
meanness with friendship,
injury with pardon.
Transform our spirits,
so we replace aggression with patience,
selfishness with self-giving,
prejudice with respect.
Transform our lives
to be strong enough to be gentle,
wise enough to be understanding,
and loving enough to resemble you.
Give us eyes that see this world’s present
in the light of your future,
and let us plant the seeds here
that bear tomorrow's fruit everywhere.
We humbly request transformation, God
in the name of Jesus Christ,
the one who restores the peace
between you and all your people. 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 431 "Let There Be Peace on Earth"
CLOSING PRAYER (with references to Matthew 22:36-40 and Romans 12:1-2)
Thank you, Father, for this glorious new morning,
fresh with new opportunities to join you in your work.
Keep us constant in loving you throughout the day.
Make us bold in loving every friend, stranger and foe.
Awaken us to the needs and troubles of neighbors.
and let us be like salt and light to them in every need.
We pray you spare us from cross-carrying today,
but if you will it, let us do it with joy and confidence.
As Jesus gave his life for us and our loved ones,
so we today offer our lives to you as living sacrifices,
which is the true and spiritual worship you desire.
Today is the time in which we declare our love to you. Amen.
Copyright 2020. Robert D. Ingram, 32746 Jourden Rd., Albany, Ohio 45710 (dr.bobingram@gmail.com). Used by permission.
