Daily Prayers for September 5

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 sing to the Lord : let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.

Song “We Are Marching in the Light of God”

Open wide the doors of our homes: that we may embrace you with joy.

Psalm 24:7 – 10

Lift up your heads, O gates; lift them high, O everlasting doors : and the King of glory shall come in.

“Who is this King of glory?” : “The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle.”

Lift up your heads, O gates; lift them high, O everlasting doors : and the King of glory shall come in.

“Who is he, this King of glory?” : “The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.”

Open wide the doors of our homes: that we may embrace you with joy.

Esther 5:1 – 14 Matthew 5:21 – 26

Open wide the doors of our homes: that we may embrace you with joy.

In his book With Open Hands, Henri Nouwen wrote, “In another’s eyes I see my plea for forgiveness, and in a hardened frown I see my refusal. When someone murders, I know that I too could have done that, and when someone gives birth, I know that I am capable of that as well. In the depths of my being, I meet my fellow humans with whom I share love and have life and death.”

Prayers for Others

Our Father

Thank you, Lord, for the witness of women, like Esther, who understood themselves only in relation to their communities of faith. Grant us such a heart, and a similar mindset! Strengthen us with the joy of all those saints who have gone before us, that like them we might stand up to the powers that threaten your kingdom. 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.