PRAYER DURING THE DAY FOR JULY 2020

Pray this at anytime of the day, with others or on your own. Streaming online at christchurchridleypark.org Monday-Thursday. Text in bold may be said by all.

O God, make speed to save us. O Lord, make haste to help us.

Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens and your faithfulness to the clouds.

Psalm 36.5

PRAISE A hymn, song, , extempore praise or a long dedicated silence

Come and find the quiet center making space within our thinking, in the crowded life we lead, lifting shades to show the sun, find the room for hope to enter, raising courage when we're shrinking, find the frame where we are freed: finding scope for faith begun. clear the chaos and the clutter, clear our eyes, that we can see In the Spirit let us travel, all the things that really matter, open to each other's pain, be at peace, and simply be. let our loves and fears unravel, celebrate the space we gain: Silence is a friend who claims us, there's a place for deepest dreaming, cools the heat and slows the pace, there's a time for heart to care, God it is who speaks and names us, in the Spirit's lively scheming knows our being, touches base, there is always room to spare!

Shirley Erena Murray THE WORD OF GOD

Read all or part of the Psalm of the day in a two week cycle. Day Week 1 Week 2 They are meant to be read aloud, so give that a try even if Monday 130 63.1–8 praying it on your own. Tuesday Each psalm or group of may end with 131 75 Wednesday 138 76 Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Thursday 148 101 Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall Friday 149 105.1-22 be for ever. Amen. Saturday 150 105.23-45 SHORT READINGS

Monday

The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Isaiah 11.6–9

Tuesday

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3.14–19

Wednesday

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.’ John 11.17–26a

Thursday

Your might isn’t in numbers, and your power isn’t in the strength of a human being. But you are the God of the humble. You are a helper of the underdog, defender of the weak, protector of those who despair, savior of those without hope. I beg you, God of my ancestor, God of Israel’s inheritance, ruler of heaven and earth, creator of the waters, king of all your creation, hear my prayer! Make my lying words a wound and a bruise to those who have planned cruel things against your covenant, your sacred temple, Mount Zion, and the house your children possess. Make your whole nation and every tribe understand and know that you are God, the God of all power and might, and that there is no one else who protects the people of Israel except you. Judith 9.11-14

Friday

So we aren’t depressed. But even if our bodies are breaking down on the outside, the person that we are on the inside is being renewed every day. Our temporary minor problems are producing an eternal stockpile of glory for us that is beyond all comparison. We don’t focus on the things that can be seen but on the things that can’t be seen. The things that can be seen don’t last, but the things that can’t be seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4.16-18

Saturday

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11.28-30

RESPONSE

Silence, study of another reading, and/or reflection: What leaps out at you? What is broken? What are we to know? Where are we in this passage?

Then follow with the conclusion:

Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will never die.

cf John 11.25,26

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH

Let us declare our faith in God.

We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love. We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high. We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

CONFESSION

Lord our God,in our sin we have avoided your call. Our love for you is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early. Have mercy on us; deliver us from judgement; bind up our wounds and revive us; in Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

May the God of love bring us back to himself, forgive us our sins, and assure us of his eternal love in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

PRAYERS

Let your prayers be guided by these concerns, and may your heart be led to even more:

O Lord, answer us in the day of trouble, send us help from your holy place.

Show us the path of life, for in your presence is joy.

Give justice to the orphan and oppressed, and break the power of wickedness and evil.

Look upon the hungry and sorrowful, and grant them the help for which they long.

Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad; may your glory endure for ever.

Your reign has authority over all that is and all that will be, and with you is our redemption.

The following is said to collect the prayers

Indwelling God: in our courage, in our caution on this beautiful day may we greet each other as companions on a shared journey. We acknowledge what we and others have carried: gratitude and sadness, excitement and anxiety; private struggles and collective hopes. As we take this next step forward, may we do so in the knowledge that we do not walk alone. In the unity of the Holy Trinity, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Redeeming God in the earth that can soften hard stone; God in the love that can soften our hearts: a rock we pick up and hold in our hand shows we can weaponize anything. Yet the same rock put down or put to good use shows another outcome is possible. May the weight of the stone we feel in our hands bring the load of that burden to mind, and may its release as we lay it aside bring softness to the roughness we hold. Through the God who made heaven and earth we pray. Amen.

Soothing God who sees our invisible scars, God who helps heal hidden wounds: many of us carry pain stored not in tissue, but in memories; held there by coping mechanisms that keep us carrying on. May we in our interactions be gentle and respectful, showing dignity to each other. And may our inner strength and others’ outer grace meet at the point of need to apply the balm our souls still seek, the relief you help us find. We ask this in the name of Jesus, your Son and our Lord. Amen.

God be in my head, and in my understanding; God be in my eyes, and in my looking; God be in my mouth, and in my speaking; God be in my heart, and in my thinking; God be at mine end, and at my departing. Amen. Sarum Primer

THE LORD’S PRAYER IS SAID

THE CONCLUSION

Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens and your faithfulness to the clouds.

May the good and gracious One Lord of All grant us refreshment and renewal, sot that we may live and work towards his Reign this day and always. Amen.

Adapted from Prayer During the Day for Saturday, , Affirmation of faith and prayers also from Common Worship. 1-3 from Corrymeela Community Poem/Lyrics: Words © 1992, 2005 Hope Publishing Company, 380 S Main Pl, Carol Stream, IL 60188