A Service of Prayer for the Beginning of Day for February 24, 2021

II bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.
I keep the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure.
For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit. 

You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy;  In your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
  Psalm 16:7-11

We are now into the Lenten season. Where do you see God guiding you? Where do you see God active in your life? Can you find a blessing each day and write it in a journal and then take it out when you are feeling gloomy? That’s my challenge for you over these 40 days.

DIALOGUE

O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall declare your praise.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Alleluia.

PSALMODY

Give glory to God, our light and our life.
Oh, come, let us worship him.
Oh, come, let us sing to the Lord; let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God and a great king above all gods.
In his hand are the caverns of the earth; the heights of the hills are also his.
The sea is his, for he made it; and his hands have molded the dry land.
Oh, come, let us bow down and bend the knee, and kneel before the Lord, our maker.
For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen

Give glory to God, our light and our life. 
Oh, come, let us worship him.

Psalm 77

To the leader: according to Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A Psalm.

I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, that he may hear me.
In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul refuses to be comforted.
I think of God, and I moan;
I meditate, and my spirit faints. Selah 

You keep my eyelids from closing;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
I consider the days of old,
and remember the years of long ago.
I commune with my heart in the night;
I meditate and search my spirit:
“Will the Lord spurn forever,
and never again be favorable?
Has his steadfast love ceased forever?
Are his promises at an end for all time?
  Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah
And I say, “It is my grief
that the right hand of the Most High has changed.” 

I will call to mind the deeds of the LORD;
I will remember your wonders of old.
I will meditate on all your work,
and muse on your mighty deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is so great as our God?
  You are the God who works wonders;
you have displayed your might among the peoples.
With your strong arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah 

When the waters saw you, O God,
when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
the very deep trembled.
The clouds poured out water;
the skies thundered;
your arrows flashed on every side.
The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
your lightnings lit up the world;
the earth trembled and shook.
Your way was through the sea,
your path, through the mighty waters;
yet your footprints were unseen.
You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron. 

 HYMN
Oh, That the Lord Would Guide My Ways 

Here is a very upbeat version of the well-known hymn. It will wake you up!

1. Oh, that the Lord would guide my ways
to keep his statutes still!
Oh, that my God would grant me grace
to know and do his will!

2. Order my footsteps by your word
and make my heart sincere;
let sin have no dominion, Lord,
but keep my conscience clear.

3. Assist my soul, too apt to stray,
a stricter watch to keep;
and should I e'er forget your way,
restore your wand'ring sheep.

4. Make me to walk in your commands,
'tis a delightful road;
nor let my head or heart or hands
offend against my God.

Text: Isaac Watts, 1674-1748, alt.

READINGS
Proverbs 30:1-9

The words of Agur son of Jakeh. An oracle.
Thus says the man: I am weary, O God,
I am weary, O God. How can I prevail?
Surely I am too stupid to be human;
I do not have human understanding.
I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of the holy ones.
Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind in the hollow of the hand?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is the person’s name?
And what is the name of the person’s child?
Surely you know! 

Every word of God proves true;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Do not add to his words,
or else he will rebuke you, and you will be found a liar. 

Two things I ask of you;
do not deny them to me before I die:
Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that I need,
or I shall be full, and deny you,
and say, “Who is the LORD?”
or I shall be poor, and steal,
and profane the name of my God.

Silence for meditation.

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets,
but in these last days God has spoken to us by the Son.

GOSPEL
Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished.The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written,
‘One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple,  saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,
‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,
‘Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.’”
Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him. 

Silence for meditation.

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets,
but in these last days God has spoken to us by the Son.

MESSAGE

All three lessons emphasize the importance of God’s guidance. So, I chose the above hymn which takes me back to my confirmation days. I sang this hymn as a duet with my best friend on the day of our confirmation.

As I meditated on Psalm 77,  tried to place it in context. The  writer is clearly troubled for times are difficult. He connects his personal predicament to Israel’s past. Clearly he has brought up images of the exodus and creation.  Does the psalmist hope for a new exodus? Possibly, because he sees the God of the exodus as faithful and merciful. But for right now, he wonders whether God has changed. He feels ignored and unloved. Is God still faithful? Does God still love me? Has God forgotten me? Is God angry with me? 

And then, we see a turn in the psalm. The writer begins to recall the wonderful works of the Lord—how God created the world from chaos and ignited the world with light. He realizes God’s ways are steadfast and his mind is filled with hope as he recalls how God led his people through the Red Sea by the hand of Moses and Aaron. Filled with gratitude he  appreciates how great is his Lord.

Regarding the Proverbs passage, the first question I asked myself was: who is Agur son of Jakeh? According to the Jewish Study Bible, he is apparently a foreign, sage. “It is thought that Agur was a Massaite, a member of the North Arabian tribe of Massa. 1 Kings 5:10 shows that the Israelites had respect for the wisdom of “the sons of the East.” So, it appears this proverb is “intended to show that even a foreigner can see the plain truth that pious obedience to God’s word supersedes all human wisdom.” The poem seems to be a cautionary response to the rest of the book of Proverbs, which makes wisdom extremely important. With this said, it seems ironic that Agur claims he is stupid and hasn’t learned wisdom. And yet, he is aware of God’s wisdom, His will, and His ways. We see this in the provocative questions he asks. Agur’s conclusion is that God is infinitely powerful and wise and man lowly and limited. He then prays to God. And it seems to me that his prayer displays wisdom because he asks, 1) to be rid of lies and 2) to be given earthly possessions in moderation. Excessive wealth will cause him to rely on himself and to deny God. On the other hand, poverty can also corrupt him and cause him to steal from others and profane name of the LORD.

The gospel is well-know to all of us and what impresses me most about it was that he was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Jesus fasts for forty days and nights. He is famished and weak from lack of food. And then, the “tempter” comes to him. He tests Jesus, but Jesus remains steadfast and faithful to God and doesn’t succumb to the devil’s temptations. Unable to steer Jesus away, the devil disappears and Jesus is attended by angels. Jesus adheres to God’s ways and has passed the tests.

Perhaps over these days in Lent we might want to look for how God is guiding us through these difficult times we are in. Discover how God is active in our lives. Catch glimpses of God’s care and providence for us. And then, to be grateful each day for little ways God blesses us.

In Christ,
Pastor Harkness

THE GOSPEL CANTICLE

Refrain:

In the tender compassion of our God the Dawn from on high shall break upon us.

Blessed are you, Lord, the God of Israel,
you have come to your people and set them free.
You have raised up for us a mighty Savior,
born of the house of your servant David. Refrain

Through your holy prophets, you promised of old
to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us;
you promised to show mercy to our forebears
and to remember your holy covenant. Refrain

This was the oath you swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship you without fear,
holy and righteous before you, all the days of our life. Refrain

And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way,
to give God's people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins. Refrain

In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace. Refrain

PRAYERS

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.

Let us pray,
Mighty God of mercy, we thank you for the resurrection dawn, bringing the glory of our risen Lord who makes every day new.
Especially we thank you—
for the sustaining goodness of your creation . . .
for the new creation in Christ and all gifts of healing and forgiveness . . .
for the gifts of relationship with others . . .
for the communion of faith in your church . . .

Merciful God of might, renew this weary world, heal the hurts of all your children, and bring about your peace for all in Christ Jesus, the living Lord.
Especially we pray—
for those who govern nations of the world especially our president and governors . . .
for the people of our country, for the restoration of peace, and for justice . . .
for the people in countries ravaged by strife or warfare . . .
for all who work for peace and international harmony . . .
for all who strive to save the earth from carelessness and destruction . . .
for the church of Jesus Christ in every land . . .

Almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us in safety to this new day. Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin nor be overcome in adversity. In all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

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 trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us;
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

Let us bless the Lord
Thanks be to God.

BENEDICTION

Almighty God, the Father,  ☩  the Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless and preserve us. Amen

HYMN
The Glory of These Forty Days

Words vary slightly from our hymnal and there is an additional verse. 

1. The glory of these forty days
we celebrate with songs of praise;
for Christ, through whom all things were made,
himself has fasted and has prayed.

2. Alone and fasting Moses saw
the loving God who gave the law;
and to Elijah, fasting, came
the steeds and chariots of flame.

3. So Daniel trained his mystic sight,
delivered from the lions' might;
and John, the Bridegroom's friend, became
the herald of Messiah's name.

4. Then grant, O God, that we may, too,
return in fast and prayer to you.
Our spirits strengthen with your grace,
and give us joy to see your face.

Text: Latin hymn, 11th cent.; tr. Maurice F. Bell, 1862-1947, alt.

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