Psalm and Prayer of the Day June 3

Psalm 65

Praise is due to you,
    O God, in Zion;
and to you shall vows be performed,
    O you who answer prayer!
To you all flesh shall come.
When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
    you forgive our transgressions.
Happy are those whom you choose and bring near
    to live in your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
    your holy temple.

By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,
    O God of our salvation;
you are the hope of all the ends of the earth
    and of the farthest seas.
By your[a] strength you established the mountains;
    you are girded with might.
You silence the roaring of the seas,
    the roaring of their waves,
    the tumult of the peoples.
Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs;
you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.

You visit the earth and water it,
    you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
    you provide the people with grain,
    for so you have prepared it.
10 You water its furrows abundantly,
    settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
    and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your bounty;
    your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
    the hills gird themselves with joy,
13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
    the valleys deck themselves with grain,
    they shout and sing together for joy.

Prayer
Eternal God, you have shaped our lives by grace, and your hand  rescued us from sin by love. May your hand guide us through this day, guarding us from evil, strengthening us to do justice and love, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
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Psalm 146

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
    I will sing praises to my God all my life long.

Do not put your trust in princes,
    in mortals, in whom there is no help.
When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
    on that very day their plans perish.

Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God,
who made heaven and earth,
    the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever;
    who executes justice for the oppressed;
    who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free;
    the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
    the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the strangers;
    he upholds the orphan and the widow,
    but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

10 The Lord will reign forever,
    your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!

Prayer

We offer thanks for all the ways we know peace and stability; for our loved ones who support us throughout our lives; for shelter and sustenance; for love and forgiveness.
We lift up our prayers today for those who know no peace; who are oppressed and grieving; who fear and hate; who are in harms way; who are enemies.
May your Spirit lead us to solve the ills of this world which seem to have no end.  Transform our hearts and minds to nurture the love you have for all of humanity. Help us to make true peace in the face of chaos. Help us grow past our own sins as we work to share the gospel. Amen.

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Psalm and Prayer of the Day June 1

Psalm 8 – This is the Psalm reading for the worship service on June 7, Trinity Sunday.  This beautiful poem reminds us of God’s creative power and our place within creation.  Our place is a result of God’s grace given to we mere mortals. From the beginning we have been given the responsibility for what God has created, to care for it and nurture it.  We may be in a slightly elevated position to the rest of the natural world, but that means we have a greater burden to bear.  May we demonstrate to God the awe and wonder of the Psalmist while taking seriously our call to care for God’s world and all that is in it.

O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2
Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
to silence the enemy and the avenger.
3
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;
4
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?
5
Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
and crowned them with glory and honor.
6
You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under their feet,
7
all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
8
the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9
O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Prayer

God, our creator, you have given us work to do and call us to use our talents for the good of all.  Guide us as we work, and teach us to live in the Spirit who made us your sons and daughters, in the love that made us sisters and brothers, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

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Worship Podcast – May 31, 2020

Full worship service for Pentecost. Worship led by Rev. Lou Ellen Hartley. Soloists Mary Kwantes and Jeff Sandquist. Pianist Lorie Francis.

Music streamed under CCLI license #20587126 and OneLicense #A-727888.

Sermon Podcast – May 31, 2020 – Pentecost

Preached by Rev. Lou Ellen Hartley. Based on John 20:19-23; Acts 2:1-21; and 1 Corinthians 12:4-13.

 

Psalm and Prayer of the Day 5/27/2020

Psalm 27
The Lord is my light and my salvation;

    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold[a] of my life;
    of whom shall I be afraid?

When evildoers assail me
    to devour my flesh—
my adversaries and foes—
    they shall stumble and fall.

Though an army encamp against me,
    my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
    yet I will be confident.

One thing I asked of the Lord,
    that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
    and to inquire in his temple.

For he will hide me in his shelter
    in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
    he will set me high on a rock.

Now my head is lifted up
    above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
    sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,
    be gracious to me and answer me!
“Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!”
    Your face, Lord, do I seek.
    Do not hide your face from me.

Do not turn your servant away in anger,
    you who have been my help.
Do not cast me off, do not forsake me,
    O God of my salvation!
10 If my father and mother forsake me,
    the Lord will take me up.

11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
    and lead me on a level path
    because of my enemies.
12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
    for false witnesses have risen against me,
    and they are breathing out violence.

13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
    be strong, and let your heart take courage;
    wait for the Lord!

Prayer
Holy God:  In your wounded world, help us to bring healing. As your people, help us to see our sin. Throughout our lives, help us to seek peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation. In Christ we pray, amen.

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Psalm and Prayer of the Day May 27

As you read this psalm today, you will notice there is light and bold print, as if it were written for corporate worship.  As you read it silently or aloud, whatever your practice, I encourage you to hear all the saints read the bold with you.  Remember how often these words have been read in worship by countless believers over the millennia.  I invite you to hear their voices joined with yours because this prayer has been offered and answered, sung and read more times than we can imagine. May this psalm be your comfort, strength, courage, and  reminder of God’s grace and providence. We are joined with all the saints through the Holy Spirit.  May you hear them praising God with you as you go through your day.

Psalm 121:1-3,7-8

I lift up my eyes to the hills—     from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lordwho made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.

The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in
    from this time on and forevermore.

Prayer:

Eternal God, your hand shaped our lives by grace and your hand rescued us from sin by love.  May your hand guide us through this day, shielding us from all evil, strengthening us to do justice and love, in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

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Psalm and Prayer of the Day May 26

Psalm 119:114-117 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

114 You are my hiding place and my shield;
    I hope in your word.
115 Go away from me, you evildoers,
    that I may keep the commandments of my God.
116 Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live,
    and let me not be put to shame in my hope.
117 Hold me up, that I may be safe
    and have regard for your statutes continually.

Prayer

For your grace which surrounds us today, gracious Lord, we offer thanks. For those who are fearful, we pray for courage. For those who are anxious, we pray for peace. For those who are lonely, we pray for community. For those who are grieving, we pray for comfort. For those in harm’s way, we pray for protection. For your church, we pray for unity in purpose and confidence in your calling. May your Spirit blanket us all with your love and inspire our creativity.  In Christ we pray, Amen.

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