October 13th, 2020

Day 208 - Audio Version

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​Day 208 | Tuesday, 13 October 2020

 A Beginning:
“Praise! Praise God all days, give thanks in many ways, in quiet prayer or with loud hoorays.

 Praise God!  Sing joyfully, like choirs of angels, glad to praise the One who bears burdens, who   heals and forgives and leads us to life through baptismal waters.  Praise the God of heaven.”

 An Invocation”
“Gracious God, we are your children; and as your children we are called to confront giants and to venture away from the safety of the shore where storms arise. We praise you that you go with us; and your Word has the power to slay the giants and to calm the seas. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.”

 A Prayer of Praise:
“O look up and out and praise God, for the joyful awakening of each dawn, announced by the singing of birds and the return of light to guide our steps.
O Look up and out and praise God, for mountains and hills bathed in shadows and light, for glad singing streams and for clouds dancing in the wind.

O Look up and out and praise God, for radiant beauty in tiny flowers, glorious color in wild- flowers, and vibrant changes in autumn leaves.

O Look up and out and praise God, for refreshing breeze and warming sun, for the constancy of waves on the shore and the dazzling surprise of a pink-orange sunset.
O Look up and out and praise God, for graceful, leaping dolphins, soaring eagles and the companionship of pets.

O Look up and out and praise God, for long-sought deep-soaking rain, for cool nights and evenings of dazzling stars.

O Look up and out and praise God and see a thousand windows showing us God.
It is always sunrise somewhere.  Praise God.”

 A Prayer: Awe
“In the quietness of this moment, matchless God, speak to our hearts. We long to know you completely and fully, but the problem is that our vision and faith are too puny to envision or trust your greatness.

We can look into the heavens and see countless stars; we can see the surface of Mars as human inventions clatter over its surface; we can send our telescopes to the outer reaches of our solar system to snap pictures of the rings of Saturn.  Yet when all of that is said and done, we have explored only a speck of dust in comparison to the vastness of the universe.

How, then, can we hope to fathom you, for whom the universe is but a small thing? How can we hope to explain your presence and power when it was you who flung the stars and planets upon the tapestry of space? We cannot explain you, understand you or limit you, but we can attempt to understand our understanding, and then to say in faith, "We believe."

This is precisely what we say today. Honor us in our attempts to share your love, to spread around your compassion, to notify people of your presence in our world, so that they, too, may believe in you - whom to believe is life eternal. Amen.”

 A Blessing:
“O God help us to continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May our daily walk with Christ be ever more meaningful and thereby more joyful. In his name. Amen.”
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 COVID update: as of 10/12/2020 at 4:30 – 791 cases in the county 219 in zip 14701 -