Watchword for the Week:
No one who believes in Christ will be put to shame. Romans 10:11
In this Lenten season, Loving God, you call us to a time of reflection and contemplation.
This is a time to ponder where our wandering steps have separated us from you.
This is a time to consider all of who we are, and where you want us to be.
This is a time to establish a proper relationship with you.
O Lord, we want to be upright in heart.
May your comforting spirit allow us to unburden our souls.
Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
will say to God,
“My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.”
Because you have made the Lord your refuge,
the Most High your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent.
For God will command God's angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the adder,
the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
Those who love me, I will deliver;
I will protect those who know my name.
When they call to me, I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them.
With long life I will satisfy them,
and show them my salvation.
Confession of Sin
If we confess our sins God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. In full assurance of faith, let us confess our sins.
Gracious God, this season of Holy Lent calls us home to you. As we have wandered in our spiritual lives we now hear your invitation to return to you. As such Lent challenges us to look within ourselves and examine the priorities in our lives, as well as the ways in which those priorities have influenced our choices. Loving God, we easily see that our ways are not your ways, and for that we are sorry, and we seek to repent. Your ways are loving and gracious, yet we nurse selfish attitudes and practice only a selective distribution of grace. Forgive us for the barriers with which we separate ourselves from you so that we can keep you from looking deep into our hearts. We seek to have you know us, so that we in turn, might know our true selves. We trust, O Lord, in your steadfast love.
The good news in Christ is that when we face ourselves and God with the awareness of our need, we are given grace to grow, and courage to continue the journey.
Friends, believe the good news of the Gospel.
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven! 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.
Reading of the Daily Texts
Take time now to pray for the needs of the world, your community, your congregation, your family, and yourself. We you have concluded that, continue as follows:
Let us pray together:
Our Father in heaven, holy is your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.
Throughout this Lenten journey, let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
We thank you, Lord Jesus, not only for the privilege of believing in you, but of suffering for you as well, so that we may also be glorified with you.
Let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts, since as members of the body we were called to peace. And let us be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in us richly as we teach and admonish one another with all wisdom. Whatever we do, therefore, whether in word or deed, let us do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Amen.
