A Service of Prayer for the Beginning of Day (Wednesday, July 1, 2020)
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
God’s Word has the power to mold, shape and transform us with its wisdom. We have the choice to receive it with joy or to reject it with distain or simply dismiss it with disregard. The Lord warns Jeremiah that, like the potter, He has the power to destroy Judah or to build and plant it. He desires good for his people, but the covenant with His people works both ways. The people must repent, make an about face, turn from their evil ways, do good in the sight of the Lord, and to listen and obey His Word.
Praise be to God who sent us his Son, Jesus. Jesus who spoke words of kindness, caring, healing, and love to the poor, the hungry, the lame and the blind. And Jesus who speaks words of righteous to us. If we listen carefully to his Word, repent of our exclusive, haughty, self-righteous ways, help promote justice, practice inclusiveness, practice humility and goodness, we then show that we have responded to the unconditional love that Christ first granted us. Today we focus on the light of God’s Word and repentance.
DIALOGUE
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall declare your praise.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen
Alleluia.
PSALMODY
Give glory to God, our light and our life.
Oh, come, let us worship him.
Oh, come, let us sing to the Lord; let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God and a great king above all gods.
In his hand are the caverns of the earth; the heights of the hills are also his.
The sea is his, for he made it; and his hands have molded the dry land.
Oh, come, let us bow down and bend the knee, and kneel before the Lord, our maker.
For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen
Give glory to God, our light and our life.
Oh, come, let us worship him.
Psalm 119:161-168
Princes persecute me without cause,
but my heart stands in awe of your words.
I rejoice at your word
like one who finds great spoil.
I hate and abhor falsehood,
but I love your law.
Seven times a day I praise you
for your righteous ordinances.
Great peace have those who love your law;
nothing can make them stumble.
I hope for your salvation, O LORD,
and I fulfill your commandments.
My soul keeps your decrees;
I love them exceedingly.
I keep your precepts and decrees,
for all my ways are before you.
Your testimonies are very sure, and holiness befits your house, O Lord, forever and forevermore.
HYMN
Thy Word is a Lamp Unto My Feet
Refrain:
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet
and a Light unto my path.
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet
and a Light unto my path.
1. When I feel afraid, think I’ve lost my way
still your there right beside me.
Nothing will I fear, as long as you are near.
Please be with me to the end. Refrain
2. I will not forget your love for me and yet,
my heart forever is wandering.
Jesus be my guide. Hold me to your side.
And I will love you to the end.
Amy Grant - Thy Word (Lyric Video)
READINGS
Jeremiah 18:1-11
The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: “Come, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him.
Then the word of the LORD came to me: Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the LORD. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it. And at another moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, but if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will change my mind about the good that I had intended to do to it. Now, therefore, say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Thus says the LORD: Look, I am a potter shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, all of you from your evil way, and amend your ways and your doings.
Silence for meditation.
Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets,
but in these last days God has spoken to us by the Son.
GOSPEL
Matthew 11:20-24
Then [Jesus] began to reproach the cities in which most of his deeds of power had been done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades.
For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you.”
Silence for meditation.
Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets,
but in these last days God has spoken to us by the Son.
THE GOSPEL CANTICLE
Refrain:
In the tender compassion of our God the Dawn from on high shall break upon us.
Blessed are you, Lord, the God of Israel,
you have come to your people and set them free.
You have raised up for us a mighty Savior,
born of the house of your servant David. Refrain
Through your holy prophets, you promised of old
to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us;
you promised to show mercy to our forebears
and to remember your holy covenant. Refrain
This was the oath you swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship you without fear,
holy and righteous before you, all the days of our life. Refrain
And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way,
to give God's people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins. Refrain
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace. Refrain
PRAYERS
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray,
Mighty God of mercy, we thank you for the resurrection dawn, bringing the glory of our risen Lord who makes every day new.
Especially we thank you—
for the sustaining goodness of your creation . . .
for the new creation in Christ and all gifts of healing and forgiveness . . .
for the gifts of relationship with others . . .
for the communion of faith in your church . . .
Merciful God of might, renew this weary world, heal the hurts of all your children, and bring about your peace for all in Christ Jesus, the living Lord.
Especially we pray—
for those who govern nations of the world especially our president and governors . . .
for the people of our country, for the restoration of peace, and for justice . . .
for the people in countries ravaged by strife or warfare . . .
for all who work for peace and international harmony . . .
for all who strive to save the earth from carelessness and destruction . . .
for the church of Jesus Christ in every land . . .
Almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us in safety to this new day. Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin nor be overcome in adversity. In all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever.
Amen
Let us bless the Lord
Thanks be to God.
BENEDICTION
Almighty God, the Father, ☩ the Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless and preserve us. Amen
HYMN
Change My Heart, O God
Change my heart, O God;
make it ever true.
Change my heart, O God;
may I be like you.
You are the potter;
I am the clay.
Mold me and make me;
this is what I pray.
Change my heart, O God;
make it ever true.
Change my heart, O God;
may I be like you.
Text: Eddie Espinosa, b. 1953
Text © 1982 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing, admin. Music Services
Copyright © 2020 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SB125183.