The leader says the lines in italics.
The lines marked by | may be omitted when used as an individual devotion.
Hymn
“We Gather Together to Ask the Lord’s Blessing”
Trans. Theodore Baker; KremserMusic
1) We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
he chastens and hastens his will to make known;
the wicked oppressing now cease from distressing;
sing praises to his name, he forgets not his own.
2) Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine;
so from the beginning the fight we were winning:
thou, Lord wast at our side–all glory be thine!
3) We all do extol thee, thou leader triumphant,
and pray that thou still our defender wilt be.
Let thy congregation endure thro’ tribulation;
thy name be ever prais’d! O Lord, make us free!
Psalm
O Lord, open our lips.
And our mouth shall proclaim your praise
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be forever. Amen.
Alleluia!
Psalm 65
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song.
1 Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion,
and to you shall vows be performed.
2 O you who hears prayer,
to you shall all flesh come.
3 When iniquities prevail against me,
you atone for our transgressions.
4 Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,
to dwell in your courts!
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
the holiness of your temple!
5 By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas;
6 the one who by his strength established the mountains,
being girded with might;
7 who stills the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples,
8 so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.
You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.
9 You visit the earth and water it;
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide their 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 abundance.
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.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be forever. Amen.
Lesson
|The scripture lesson is Ephesians 1:3-14.
|Hear the word of God!
|Our ears are open!
Here read the scripture chosen for this service.
|Praise God for His holy word!
|To You, O Lord, be glory and praise!
Prayers
|The Lord be with you.
|And also with you.
|Let us pray.
The 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 debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
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. Amen.
Collect of the Day
Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks
for the fruits of the earth in their season
and for the labors of those who harvest them.
Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty,
for the provision of our necessities and the relief
of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
Extemporaneous Prayers
Individuals may offer prayers for general and personal needs: for events
of the day, for family, for church and community, for nation and world.
Hymn
“Now Thank We All Our God”
Martin Rinckart, 1636; Nun DanketMusic
1) Now thank we all our God with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things has done, in whom his world rejoices;
who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.
2) O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
with ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us,
and keep us in his grace, and guide us when perplexed,
and free us from all ills in this world in the next.
3) All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given,
the Son and him who reigns, with them in highest heaven–
the one eternal God, whom earth and heaven adore;
for thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.
Closing Prayer
Almighty God, who has given us grace at this time
to make our common supplications to you,
and has promised through your well-beloved Son
that when two or three are gathered together in his Name
you will be in the midst of them:
Fulfill, now, O Lord
the desires and petitions of your servants as may be best for us;
granting us in this world knowledge of your truth,
and in the world to come, life everlasting. Amen.
David Green 