Daily Prayers for January 15

On January 15, 1929, Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia. In celebration of his contribution to the civil rights movement, the United States Congress made the third Monday in January a national holiday in 1983. While we celebrate Dr. King’s contribution to America, we also remember his insistence that the church exist as the “conscience of the state,” speaking prophetically to those in power. We honor Dr. King with all Americans, but we also remember that the sermon he intended to preach the Sunday after his assassination was titled “Why America May Go to Hell.”

O Lord, let my soul rise up to meet you

as the day rises to meet the sun.

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.

Come, let us bow down and bend the knee : let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

Song “We Shall Overcome”

Lord, if we are extremists : may we be extremists for love.

Psalm 78:1 – 3, 12 – 14

Hear my teaching, O my -people : incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

I will open my mouth in a parable : I will declare the mysteries of ancient times.

That which we have heard and known, and what our forefathers have told us : we will not hide from their children.

He worked marvels in the sight of their forefathers : in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

He split open the sea and let them pass through : he made the waters stand up like walls.

He led them with a cloud by day : and all the night through with a glow of fire.

Lord, if we are extremists : may we be extremists for love.

Genesis 8:6 – 22 Galatians 4:21 – 31

Lord, if we are extremists : may we be extremists for love.

Martin Luther King Jr. preached, “I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, that rough places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.”

Prayers for Others

Our Father

Lord, as we wake from another night’s slumber, we are reminded that your dreams are given to us and not merely conjured up by our imaginations. Help us understand both that your dreams come at a price and that their rewards are immeasurable. Amen.

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you;

may he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm;

may he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you;

may he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors.