A Service of Prayer for September 30, 2020

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.  

Ephesians 1:17-19

Today our readings center on our longing for God’s help in times of trouble and on God’s power to deliver us from what troubles or ails us. We will focus on faith in God and on God’s power.

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. Amens

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 28

Of David.

To you, O LORD, I call;
my rock, do not refuse to hear me,
for if you are silent to me,
I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
Hear the voice of my supplication,
as I cry to you for help,
as I lift up my hands
toward your most holy sanctuary.

Do not drag me away with the wicked,
with those who are workers of evil,
who speak peace with their neighbors,
while mischief is in their hearts
Repay them according to their work,
and according to the evil of their deeds;
repay them according to the work of their hands;
render them their due reward.
Because they do not regard the works of the LORD,
or the work of his hands,
he will break them down and build them up no more.

Blessed be the LORD,
for he has heard the sound of my pleadings.
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts;
so I am helped, and my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.

The LORD is the strength of his people;
he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
O save your people, and bless your heritage;
be their shepherd, and carry them forever.

 HYMN
As the Deer

1.  As the deer panteth for the water
    So my soul longeth after Thee
    You alone are my heart's desire
    And I long to worship Thee

Refrain
  You alone are my strength, my shield
  To You alone may my spirit yield
    You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship Thee

2. You’re my friend
    And You are my brother
    Even though You are a King
    I love You more than any other
    So much more than anything  Refrain

3.  I want You more than gold or silver
    Only You can satisfy
    You alone are the real joy giver
    And the apple of my eye.         Refrain

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Martin J. Nystrom
As the Deer lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc

READINGS
Judges 16:23-31

Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon, and to rejoice; for they said, “Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand.” When the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said, “Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the ravager of our country, who has killed many of us.” And when their hearts were merry, they said, “Call Samson, and let him entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them. They made him stand between the pillars; and Samson said to the attendant who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, so that I may lean against them.” Now the house was full of men and women; all the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about three thousand men and women, who looked on while Samson performed.

Then Samson called to the LORD and said, “Lord GOD, remember me and strengthen me only this once, O God, so that with this one act of revenge I may pay back the Philistines for my two eyes.” And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. Then Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” He strained with all his might; and the house fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So those he killed at his death were more than those he had killed during his life. Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. He had judged Israel twenty years.

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 9:2-8

And just then some people were carrying a paralyzed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”Then some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.”  But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Stand up, take your bed and go to your home.” And he stood up and went to his home. When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings.

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.

MESSAGE

Psalm 28 is a plea for deliverance from the writer’s enemies. His vision of God is described in terms of power—military strength: a rock, strength, shield, stronghold. He doesn’t want to see himself grouped with those from whom God is distanced. So, I get the sense that he is pleading with God for deliverance. 

There is urgency and desperation in the psalmist’s call upon the Lord. Don’t hide from me. I need you, Lord, he prays.  As a deer pants for water to survive, so do I need you to save me. Then the psalm turns to blessing and praise as the writer believes that God has heard his pleas. Through God’s power he will be will be delivered from the powers of evil. He encourages others to do likewise and he prays, not only for himself but for God’s ongoing protection of Israel.

In the Judges reading, God gave Samson great physical power and strength. He has a direct connection with God, both through his being a Nazirite and through his prayers. Yet he is tricked by a woman and captured by Philistines.  He turns to the LORD to assist him in having a final vengeance upon his enemies, by enabling him to overturn the pillars of the temple and all that was within it. Thus, even Samson’s death became a pretext for a strike against the Philistines.

Finally, we come to the Matthew reading where we see the wonderful powers of Jesus. Some people, having faith in Jesus, bring a paralytic to him. Jesus comforts and encourages the paralytic saying, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”  By declaring the paralytic’s sins forgiven, it seems that Jesus may be alluding to cultural beliefs that there is a relation between sickness and sin. It was often believed that if someone became sick or suffered hardship that they committed some sin against God that caused their predicament. 

Well the scribes are intently watching Jesus and they begin saying among themselves, “‘This one blasphemes.”  Jesus knowing their thoughts and said: “Why are you thinking evil thoughts in your hearts? For which is easier—to say ‘your sins are forgiven,’ or to say ‘arise and walk?’ And then Jesus goes on to demonstrate his power of healing and says, “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power to forgive sins on earth” turning to the paralytic he commands him to “Stand up, take your bed and go to your home.” With that, the man stands up, picks up the bed he was lying in, and walks home

So, not only does Jesus have the power to heal, he has the power to read hearts. These powers are customarily attributed to God. The logic of the story is that, if Jesus has power over the paralysis, he also has power over the sins. By proving the former, he at least makes the latter more believable.

Feats of power appear to be the link to our three passages. God has the power to deliver us from our enemies. God has power to grant Samson the power and ability to perform miraculous acts of power over his enemies. And, Jesus has the power to know the hearts of humankind and to heal he paralytic. And the other element present in each of these passages is faith in God’s power.

In Christ,
Pastor Harkness

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
Blessed be the God of Israel

1. Blessed be the God of Israel,
who comes to set us free,
who visits and redeems us,
and grants us liberty.
The prophets spoke of mercy,
of freedom and release;
God shall fulfill the promise
to bring our people peace.

2. Now from the house of David
a child of grace has come,
a Savior who will lead us
to our eternal home.
Before him goes the herald,
forerunner in the way,
the prophet of salvation,
the harbinger of day.

3. On all by death imprisoned
the sun begins to rise,
the dawning of forgiveness
upon the sinner’s eyes,
to guide the feet of pilgrims
along the paths of peace;
oh, bless our God and Savior
with songs that never cease!

Text: Michael Perry, 1942-1996, based on Luke 1:68-79 Text © 1973 Jubilate Hymns, admin. Hope Publishing Company, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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