December 26, 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. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
CONFESSION OF SIN & PRAYER FOR GRACE
Merciful Father, I come into your presence with deep gratitude, for I am no longer under the law but under grace. Resting in that truth, I freely confess my brokenness and my weakness before you. Instead of worshipping you, I have put myself at the center of my life. Instead of honoring others, I have withheld words of blessing and spoken words of harm. Have mercy on me, for Jesus' sake. By your Holy Spirit, awaken in me today passionate worship, joyful obedience, and wholehearted love for others. Amen.
OT READING: Isaiah 32:1-8
THE LORD’S PRAYER
NT READING: Luke 2:15-21
PRAYER OF ADORATION:
Lord Jesus, I worship you, for you truly satisfy my deepest longings. As a child you were placed in a feeding trough; later, your body was broken for the life of the world; and even now I come to you hungry and find satisfaction. Thank you for the miracle of your Incarnation.
PSALM READING: Psalm 96
PRAYER OF CONSECRATION
O God: this Psalm is a wholehearted cry of celebration, and I pray that you would stir this same response in my heart today. Whatever pressure I feel, whatever anxious weight pulls my soul downward, whatever circumstance brings me to the end of myself, whatever failure haunts me, I will suspend those concerns and answer the invitation of this psalm. With believing people through the centuries, I affirm that glory is due to your name. I celebrate your strength, majesty, and beauty, and I eagerly look for the day of your return to set the world to rights. When I feel hindered in worship, I recall that praising you is my good. Awaken in me a new song today, for Jesus’ sake.
BENEDICTION
And now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and always, until the day of Christ's return.