Daily Prayers for July 14
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 “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”
Rise up, O God! Maintain your cause : Deliver us from the endless ruins.
Psalm 74:1 – 3, 9
O God, why have you utterly cast us off? : why is your wrath so hot against the sheep of your pasture?
Remember your congregation that you purchased long ago : the tribe you redeemed to be your inheritance, and Mount Zion where you dwell.
Turn your steps toward the endless ruins : the enemy has laid waste everything in your sanctuary.
How long, O God, will the adversary scoff? : will the enemy blaspheme your name for ever?
Rise up, O God! Maintain your cause : Deliver us from the endless ruins.
Judges 12:1 – 7 Acts 20:1 – 16
Rise up, O God! Maintain your cause : Deliver us from the endless ruins.
Listen to these words from the Shepherd of Hermas, whose second-century writings were cherished by the early Christians: “You know that you who are God’s servants are living in a foreign country, for your own city-state is far away from this City-state. Knowing, then, which one is to be your own City-state, why do you acquire fields, costly furnishings, buildings, and frail dwellings here? Instead of fields, buy for yourselves -people in distress in accordance with your means. It is far, far better to buy this kind of field, property, or building, which is quite different and which you can find again in your own City when you come home. This ‘extravagance’ is beautiful and holy; it brings no grief and no fear; it brings nothing but joy.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, apart from you our fragile lives would crumble into ruins. Sustain us by your mighty power, and help us rebuild our lives among those who have no home to call their own — the poor of heart and pocket, the homeless, the hungry, the unattended sick, and the imprisoned. 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.
