November 21, 2020
OPENING PRAYER
Search me, O God, and know my heart; Test me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.
CONFESSION OF SIN & PRAYER FOR GRACE
Merciful God, I confess that I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done, and by what I have left undone. I have not loved you with my whole heart; I have not loved my neighbor as myself. In your mercy, forgive what I have been, help me amend what I am, and direct what I shall be, so that I may delight in your will and walk in your ways, for the glory of your holy name. Through Jesus Christ our Lord: Amen.
OT READING: Zephaniah 1:7-18
THE LORD’S PRAYER
NT READING: Hebrews 9:11-28
PRAYER OF ADORATION:
Christ Jesus, I adore you for securing an eternal redemption through your perfect sacrifice. You are the mediator of a new covenant. You have offered yourself once for all to put away sin by the sacrifice of yourself. Because you are eternal, my salvation is eternal! Thank you that you have purified my conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
PSALM READING: Psalm 123
PRAYER OF CONSECRATION
Lord, the words of this brief psalm are like a sigh. It’s a cry for mercy in the face of scorn and contempt. And just like your people of old faced contempt, so do your people today. The world increasingly rejects us, ridicules us, and finds your ways contemptible. So today, give me the courage to be bold and courageous in the face of hostility. Help me fear you more than I fear the rejection of those around me. Keep me humble, gracious, and winsome; but let me never depart from your word or compromise your truth for the sake of approval. Strengthen my faith, and help me bear the ridicule of others as my Savior did. I lift my eyes to you, crying out for your strength and care. Have mercy on me. Amen.
BENEDICTION
And now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship and communion of the Holy Spirit abide and remain with us, now and throughout our time on earth, until the day of His return: Amen.