Daily Prayers for June 29

Peter and Paul

One of the ways we see the wisdom of the early church is in their placing Peter and Paul’s saint days together so that they have a shared celebration, thereby making sure that there was no room for divisions over their leadership, even with their disagreements. (It may be that the church forgot this wisdom in the Reformation, with Rome claiming Peter’s authority and Paul becoming the hero of Protestants.) The early church was quite clear that the first pastor and the first theologian of the faith had to be held in equal respect and in equal balance of authority. One without the other leaves us incomplete and unbalanced.

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 “O Lord, Hear My Prayer”

Our eyes are turned to you, O Lord : our eyes are turned to you.

Psalm 141:1, 3 – 6

O Lord, I call to you; come to me quickly : hear my voice when I cry to you.

Set a watch before my mouth, O Lord, and guard the door of my lips : let not my heart incline to any evil thing.

Let me not be occupied in wickedness with evildoers : nor eat of their choice foods.

Let the righteous smite me in friendly rebuke; let not the oil of the unrighteous anoint my head : for my prayer is continually against their wicked deeds.

Let their rulers be overthrown in stony places : that they may know my words are true.

Our eyes are turned to you, O Lord : our eyes are turned to you.

Ezekiel 39:21 – 29 Acts 13:13 – 25

Our eyes are turned to you, O Lord : our eyes are turned to you.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a leader in South Africa’s struggle against apartheid, wrote, “The first law of our being is that we are set in a delicate network of interdependence with our fellow human beings and with the rest of God’s creation.”

Prayers for Others

Our Father

Lord, you promise never to leave us or forsake us. Since we are always in your presence, help us always to keep our eyes fixed upon you that we might follow your lead in the never-ending dance of your life as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 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.