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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.

Preparation for Prayer

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
and with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly-minded.
For with blessings in his hand
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
our full homage to command.

~ from the Liturgy of Saint James

Prayer of Praise

O  Father, majestic is Your name!
From the rising of the sun to its setting Your name is to be praised,
Merciful God, gracious Lord.
Hear us in the name of Your Son,
For He has promised that where two or three of us are gathered in Your name,
He would be with us and our prayer would be heard.
Hear us in the name of Your Son,
For He is the revelation of Your wisdom, the outpouring of Your glory,
The incarnation of Your mercy toward us and the whole human race.
To You be the glory,
All praise and honor, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
One God, now and evermore.

~ Hughes Oliphant Old

Prayer for Forgiveness

Almighty and most merciful Father, I have erred and strayed from your ways like a lost sheep. I have followed too much the devices and desires of my own heart. I have offended against your holy laws. I have left undone those things which I ought to have done; and I have done those things which I ought not to have done; and there is no good in me.

O Lord, have mercy upon me, a miserable sinner. Spare all those, O God, who confess their faults. Restore those who are penitent; according to your promises declared to us in Christ Jesus our Lord. And Grant that I and all who confess his holy name may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life; to his glory and not our own,

Adapted from the 1928 Anglican Book of Common Prayer

Meditation

[Christ is the revelation of God’s wisdom.]

Benediction

God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, and Spirit of God amidst us, direct our way unto you. Make us to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you; to the end we may establish our hearts unblameable in holiness before you, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

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.

Psalm 91:9-16 (NKJV)

John 3:22-30 (ESV)

Being Important

After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized (for John had not yet been put in prison).

Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness — look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.”

John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’

The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Notes on the Scripture

fter John the Baptist baptized Jesus, he continued to work his mission (until he was arrested and beheaded by Herod). But Jesus then traveled up the road and, in effect, set up shop in competition. The crowds which had previously come to John for baptism began to go to Jesus, instead; and John’s disciples became jealous.

John did not mind; he was delighted to see people finding salvation. He was less interested in being important than in seeing people find salvation.

This was probably the last time in recorded history that a minister was happy to see his flock go somewhere else. It is a terrible truth, that most leaders of churches count their success, and even their self-worth, in part by how many heads come into their church on Sunday.

All of us measure ourselves in terms of how well those close to us are doing: our friends, our families, our neighbors. It is a natural instinct. If my neighbor drives an old beaten up car, and I have a two-year-old Honda Accord, I will have a natural instinct to feel a little more successful, more comfortable. But if my neighbor has a brand-new Mercedes, I might feel a little sheepish, at least to the point where I have to remind myself, consciously, that one’s automobile has no bearing on one’s self-worth.

Every day, we should examine our sins and ask God for forgiveness. And when we do so, it can help both our spiritual life and our earthly life to take a minute and examine how envy has snuck into our thinking. Do you feel intimidated or slightly angry at someone who is much richer or better-looking than you? Or feel a slight smugness, a tendency to patronize someone who is not as smart as you or wears unfashionable clothes? These feelings are the product of envy.

We are all sinners and will never be rid of temptation to sin in our lives. But also, we are all perfect in Christ. Other people are our brothers and sisters, our fellow men; and if we have found Christ, it is inconceivable that we are better or worse than them. It is important for us to work this concept in our prayers every day, for envy will constantly sneak up and creep into our lives if we do not actively guard against it.

Daily Inspiration

“ Your Earthly and Heavenly Home ”

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