A Service of Prayer for the Beginning of Day (Wednesday, August 12, 2020)

Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the mighty waters; they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep. For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out from their distress; he made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. 

Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.    Psalm 107:23-25, 28-29, 31-32

Last week we encountered some storms. It hit some of us harder than others, but whether you were impacted by the hurricane or not, it is good to know that we have a God that will walk with us through the storms that come our way. Today our themes are calming the storms of life and Jesus always walking with us.

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 18:1-19

I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,
my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
so I shall be saved from my enemies.

The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of perdition assailed me;
 the cords of Sheol entangled me
the snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called upon the LORD;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.

Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
He bowed the heavens, and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
He rode on a cherub, and flew;
he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his covering around him,
his canopy thick clouds dark with water.
  Out of the brightness before him
there broke through his clouds
hailstones and coals of fire.
The LORD also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice.
And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings, and routed them.
Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

He reached down from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of mighty waters.
  He delivered me from my strong enemy,
and from those who hated me;
for they were too mighty for me.

They confronted me in the day of my calamity;
but the LORD was my support.
He brought me out into a broad place;
he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

Your testimonies are very sure, and holiness befits your house, O Lord, forever and forevermore.

HYMN
When the Storm of Life Are Raging
Stand by Me 

1. When the storms of life are raging, stand by me;
when the storms of life are raging, stand by me;
when the world is tossing me
like a ship upon the sea;
thou who rulest wind and water, stand by me.

2. In the midst of tribulation, stand by me;
in the midst of tribulation, stand by me;
when the hosts of hell assail,
and my strength begins to fail,
thou who never lost a battle, stand by me.

3. In the midst of faults and failures, stand by me;
in the midst of faults and failures, stand by me;
when I do the best I can,
and my friends misunderstand,
thou who knowest all about me, stand by me.

4. In the midst of persecution, stand by me;
in the midst of persecution, stand by me;
when my foes in battle array
undertake to stop my way,
thou who saved Paul and Silas, stand by me.

5. When I’m growing old and feeble, stand by me;
when I’m growing old and feeble, stand by me;
when my life becomes a burden,
and I’m nearing chilly Jordan,
O thou Lily of the Valley, stand by me.

Text: Charles A. Tindley, 1851-1933

READINGS
Job 36:24-33; 37:14-24

“Remember to extol his work,
of which mortals have sung.
 All people have looked on it;
everyone watches it from far away.
 Surely God is great, and we do not know him;
the number of his years is unsearchable.
 For he draws up the drops of water;
he distills his mist in rain,
 which the skies pour down
and drop upon mortals abundantly.
Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds,
the thunderings of his pavilion?
 See, he scatters his lightning around him
and covers the roots of the sea.
 For by these he governs peoples;
he gives food in abundance.

He covers his hands with the lightning,
and commands it to strike the mark.
 Its crashing tells about him;
he is jealous with anger against iniquity.

“Hear this, O Job;
stop and consider the wondrous works of God.
Do you know how God lays his command upon them,
and causes the lightning of his cloud to shine?
 Do you know the balancings of the clouds,
the wondrous works of the one whose knowledge is perfect,
 you whose garments are hot
when the earth is still because of the south wind?
Can you, like him, spread out the skies,
hard as a molten mirror?

 Teach us what we shall say to him;
we cannot draw up our case because of darkness.
Should he be told that I want to speak?
Did anyone ever wish to be swallowed up?
 Now, no one can look on the light
when it is bright in the skies,
when the wind has passed and cleared them.
Out of the north comes golden splendor;
around God is awesome majesty.

 The Almighty—we cannot find him;
he is great in power and justice,
and abundant righteousness he will not violate.
Therefore mortals fear him;
he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.”

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 8:23-27

And when [Jesus]  got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”

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 . . .
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
Calm to the Waves

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