Prayers for the 6th Week of Epiphany

Watchword for the Week: Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. Psalm 30:5

In the beginning, darkness covered the earth and it was a formless void.
But God said, “Let there be light,”
And there was light.
And God saw that the light was good.
In our world we find darkness,
But into our darkness God pours the light of Jesus Christ, and the darkness cannot overcome it.

Psalm 30

1 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.
3 O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.
4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, "I shall never be moved."
7 By your favor, O Lord, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed.
8 To you, O Lord, I cried, and to the Lord I made supplication:
9 "What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper!"
11 You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

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 to our gracious God.

Forgive us Holy God, for we have sinned and fallen short of your intended will for us. Too often we diminish the power of your love and the ways through which you seek to bring us back to you. This causes us to live an undisciplined and unfocused life which does not bear witness to you. Forgive us when we allow the distractions of this world to hold a more powerful influence on us than your will. It is at these times and we misalign our priorities and find ourselves in places that we should not go. Forgive us when the darkness of our lives keeps us from seeing the light of your redemption, and the new life promised for us both today and in the world yet to come.

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

Prayers of the Community of Faith (spoken and silent)

Let us pray together:

Creator of all humanity, we call you Holy, and seek to worship you all the days of our lives. We pray that the ways of your heavenly kingdom may be made real in the world that surrounds us. May the bread that we need for today be made available for us and all who are hungry; and may you forgive us, just as we are able to forgive those who have sinned against us. In the time of moral testing, may we listen first for your voice calling to us, instead of the call of the world. This world, and all that is in it, always has been and always will be yours, help us to lose ourselves to you and your kingdom. Help us to find who we truly are as we walk in your light. Amen.

The followers of Jesus tasted the bitterness of sorrow and grief on a Friday afternoon,
But on Easter day darkness was turned to light and mourning was turned to joy.
May this good news guide our steps today.
For we know that weeping may linger for a night, but joy comes with the morning.
Rejoice greatly for Christ Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life.
He was dead and behold he is alive forevermore.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
Amen.