Call to Worship
Come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us 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. (Ps. 95: 6-7)
(You may use the light/bold print to take turns at readings if there is more than one person)
Hymn suggestions: Fairest Lord Jesus / Holy, Holy, Holy / Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Praying with the Psalmist
PSALM 121
Levavi oculos
1 I will lift up my eyes unto the hills;
from whence comes my help?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who has made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved,
and he who keeps you will not sleep.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord himself is your keeper;
the Lordis your defense upon your right hand,
6 So that the sun shall not burn you by day,
neither the moon by night.
7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
indeed, it is he who shall keep your soul.
8 The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in,
from this time forth for evermore.
The Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Silence
New Testament Reading
From the Gospel of John From Colossians
In the beginning was the Word. He is before all things.
The Word was with God . . . is God. In Him all things hold together.
In Him was life. All things were created by and for him.
The Word became flesh. God’s fullness dwelt in him.
He was in the world. To reconcile all things.
Leader: The Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
Prayers of Intercession
Leader: Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications to you; and you have promised through your well beloved son that when two or three are gathered in Christ’s name, you will also be there.Grant now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting.
(A Prayer of St. John Chrysostom, 4th& 5thCenturies)
We bless you, O God most high and Lord of mercies, you who works great and mysterious deeds for us, glorious, wonderful, and numberless; who provides us with sleep as rest from our infirmities and as a repose for our bodies tired by labor. We thank you that you have not destroyed us in our transgressions, but in your love toward humankind you have raised us up, as we lay in despair, that we may glorify your majesty.Amen.
(A Prayer of St. Basil the Great, 4thCentury)
Pray for our world, and for one another…
Praying for the Global Health Crisis – Here’s a prayer guide.
The 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,the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Closing Hymn How Can I Keep from Singing?
(the recording below is from the “DITA at 10” conference, Duke University)
How Can I Keep from Singing?
- My life flows on in endless song;
Above earth’s lamentation
I hear the sweet thought far off hymn
That hails a new creation.
Chorus: No storm can shake my inmost calm
While to the rock I’m clinging;
Since Christ is Lord of Heav’n earth,
How can I keep from singing?
- Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear the music ringing:
It finds an echo in my soul,
How can I keep from singing? (chorus)
- What though my joys and comfort die?
The Lord my Savior liveth:
What thought the darkness gather round!
Songs in the night He giveth. (chorus)
4. The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
A fountain ever springing:
All things are mine since I am His
How can I keep from singing? (chorus)
Benediction
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. (2 Corinthians 13:14)
La gracia del Señor Jesucristo, el amor de Dios, y la comunión del Espíritu Santo, sean con todos vosotros. Amén. (2 Corintios 13;14)
Carlos Colón 