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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, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.

Prayer for the Morning

Oh Lord, most heavenly Father, Almighty and everlasting God, who has safely brought me to the beginning of this day; I give you thanks for my creation, preservation, and all the blessings of my life. Grant that this day I fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger; but that all my doings, being governed by your will, may be righteous in your sight. Through Christ our Lord, I pray.

Prayer for Grace and Strength

Lord God, I pray that you will fill my heart with the blessing of your Holy Spirit. Grant me this day the strength to be temperate in all things, diligent in my duties, and patient under my afflictions. Direct me in all my ways. Give me grace to be just and upright in all my dealings; quiet and peaceable; full of compassion; and ready to do good to all people, according to my abilities and opportunities. For the sake of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

Community of Prayer

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be among the community of all who pray in the name of Christ this morning, and remain among us always.

Think of the day ahead in terms of God with you, and visualize health, strength, guidance, purity, calm confidence, and victory as the gifts of His presence.

Gospel of John 1:1-5

In the Beginning

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through him; and without him nothing was made that has been made.

In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

And the light shined in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

Notes on the Scripture

John is different from the other three gospels; scholars say that the first three gospels actually come from a common source, while John was written separately, and it is somewhat different from the other gospels. The Gospel of John has a more philosophical or theological emphasis. Its account of Christ's earthly life begins with his baptism and the Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down from heaven and visibly anointed Him. But it begins with the origin of Christ's spiritual nature, rather than the birth of Jesus the human.

The first verses of John form one of the most powerful and profound poetic works in all Western literature. Like the first verse of Genesis, it starts with the words "In the beginning". The first verses of Genesis describe how God made the physical universe, including humanity. The first verses of John describe the origin of the spiritual universe. When John says "life", he is talking about the eternal life of the spirit, not the temporary life of the body.

Although Jesus was born in Bethlehem 2000 years ago, Christ was a part of God before the universe was created. John uses words to describe Christ like "the Word" and "the light of men". But until Jesus was born and baptized, people did not even understand what spiritual light was. Imagine stumbling around in pitch-black woods at night, unable to see anything, not even realizing that seeing was possible. Then God sends someone to you with a flashlight. This was the condition of the world at the time Jesus went to the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptist, which is the Scripture for tomorrow.

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