Our Congregation at Prayer
An Order of Meditation and Prayer
(If you are a family meeting together, say the words in bold together.)
Invocation
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
(Everyone says the verse together. Spend up to two minutes learning the verse by heart. Then the leader reads the Bible lesson.)
Bible Readings
Date / The Gospel of MarkJuly 13 / The Lord’s Day
Monday / Luke 8:26-39
Tuesday / Luke 8:40-56
Wednesday / Luke 9:1-17
Thursday / Luke 9:18-27
Friday / Luke 9:28-36
Saturday / Luke 9:37-50
July 20 / Worship at 8:30 or 10:15
See you in church!
Weekly Prayer: O Lord, our God, govern the nations on earth and direct the affairs of this world that Your Church may worship You in peace and joy; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and rules with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be 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.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are Yours,
now and forever. Amen
Petitions for Daily Prayer:
· Sunday: We pray that You bless the whole and holy Christian Church on earth with true faith and with Godly zeal.
· Monday: Thank You for all who serve in our congregation at prayer: our pastors and lay leaders, our elders, musicians, altar guild and Sunday School teachers.
· Tuesday: We pray that Your hand will bless the children of our parish. Help them to grow as eternal children of God. Bless their parents’ marriages.
· Wednesday: At midweek, we pause to thank You for all the blessings of life: our bodies and souls, our daily bread, our families and friendships, our fellowship of believers, Your protecting and guiding hand. You are a good and merciful Father in heaven! We praise You!
· Thursday: Bless our commerce and industry, our fields and factories. Let all useful arts bless Your people and serve Your purposes. Let us use science and technology for Your noble purposes, not for selfish gain. We pray for our enemies, for those who have fallen away from the Church, for those who need to hear the Gospel.
· Friday: Jesus died on a Friday. We thank You, heavenly Father, for Your plan of salvation carried out by the Son for the salvation of Your people.
· Saturday: At the end of the week, we remember those who have gone before us and died in the faith. We pray that when our last hour comes, that we also may fall asleep in Jesus and join You and all the Church Triumphant. In Jesus’ name.
Catechism for the Week
The Apostles’ Creed
The First ArticleI believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. / All learn
What does this mean?
I believe that God created me and all that exists, and that He gave me my body and soul, eyes, ears and all my members, my mind and all my abilities. / K+
And I believe that God still preserves me by richly and daily providing clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, spouse and children, land, cattle, and all I own, and all that I need to keep my body and life. / Gr. 2+
God also preserves me by defending me against all danger, and guarding and protecting me from all evil. / Gr. 4+
All this God does only because He is my good and merciful Father in heaven, and not because I have earned or deserved it. / Gr. 6+
For all this I ought to thank and praise, to serve and obey Him. / All
This is most certainly true. / All
Talk about the Catechism:
(We are interrupting our summer session on the Lord’s Prayer to coordinate with our summer series on The Creeds.)
What does it mean to say “I believe”?
· To believe is
o to know that God exists
o to accept His Word as true and
o to trust in Him to care for us and to save us
We believe in God as our Maker. Can we be sure we did not evolve?
· He has never lied to us, and His Word both is the power of creation and the genesis of our own faith
· God’s creation cannot be “proven,” but there is much evidence of His creative work. The evidence for evolution out of nothing is not science; it is a belief.