Spring Forest Morning Prayers
Week 17 – June 23-29, 2024
Sunday
Table as a Rule of Life
Today is a sacred day for rest and renewal of the body, mind, and spirit.
God, we praise you on this Sabbath day of rest,
Where we are invited to worship you and take a seat at your table,
alongside all your beloved.
Let us be still and take in your goodness on this new day.
Daily Prayer for a Rule of Life
May our lives be a prayer;
May God work through our prayers;
May our work be an answer;
To God’s will working through us.
May we rest in God’s love;
May God’s rest feed our souls;
May our table be open;
May we welcome friends and foes.
May the poor be our neighbors;
May our neighbors be blessed.
Amen
Lectionary Readings: Sunday, June 23, 2024: Proper 7 (12) 1 Sam 17 (1a, 4-11, 19-23) 32-49; Ps 9:9-20;
Monday
Table as a Rule of Life
O God, you are our place of quiet retreat,
And we wait for your Word to renew us.
Psalm 119:114 (MSG, adapted)
Silence
May we stand in awe before you at the dawn of this new day,
and as we start the week ahead.
Psalm 119:120a (MSG, adapted)
Prayers of Gratitude
Sovereign God, all our praise is because of you,
For happy are those who abide in your love.
You are our savior and our deliverer,
And you seek to fill us with hope in all circumstances.
We thank you for this glorious day that you have made,
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
The Lord’s Prayer
A Reading
Acts 27:13-38
Reflect upon the ways God has provided for you amid the storms of life.
Intercessions
Gracious God, as we join our hearts in prayer,
Fill us with faith to believe that you always hear and answer.
Give us strength today and every day, and bring to us and those we love
healing and restoration for our bodies, minds, souls, and spirits.
Hear now the desires and prayers of our hearts…
Sending Forth Prayer
May our lives be a prayer;
May God work through our prayers;
May our work be an answer;
To God’s will working through us.
May we rest in God’s love;
May God’s rest feed our souls;
May our table be open;
May we welcome friends and foes.
May the poor be our neighbors;
May our neighbors be blessed.
Amen
Lectionary Readings: Psalm 119:113-128; 1 Samuel 18:6-30; Acts 27:13-38; Psalm 65; Exodus 7:14-24;
Tuesday
Table as a Rule of Life
Let us come with joy-filled hearts as we gather as sacred friends,
For all our welcome here, just as Christ welcomes all to his table of grace.
Silence
Be still and aware of God’s presence within and all around us.
Prayers of Gratitude
We give you thanks. O Lord, for the gift of today,
another day to shine your light into the world.
Your goodness and mercy know no end,
And we give thanks for the ways you use us to bless the lives of others.
It is with gratitude and in humility that we praise you for your wondrous works in our lives…
The Lord’s Prayer
A Reading
Acts 27:39-44
Reflect upon the ways God is calling you to faithfully lead others in your current life circumstances.
Intercessions
Gracious God, we come to you in prayer this day, with much on our hearts and minds.
Give us faith to believe that you will provide for all our needs and can heal all our wounds.
For those who are sick, make them well;
For those who are broken; make them whole again;
For those who are downcast,
encourage their inner spirit to arise in the power of Christ’s name.
Lord, we lift up these and other prayers to you in believing prayer…
Sending Forth Prayer
May our lives be a prayer;
May God work through our prayers;
May our work be an answer;
To God’s will working through us.
May we rest in God’s love;
May God’s rest feed our souls;
May our table be open;
May we welcome friends and foes.
May the poor be our neighbors;
May our neighbors be blessed.
Amen
Lectionary Readings: Psalm 119:113-128; 1 Samuel 19:1-7; Acts 27:39-44; Psalm 65; Exodus 9:13-35
Wednesday
Table as a Rule of Life
Happy are we who are invited to join you in the altar of our hearts,
And in sacred spaces like this where your mercy and grace abound.
Psalm 119:4 (adapted)
Silence
Be still and know that God is as close as the air we breathe.
Prayers of Gratitude
We lift our hearts in praise,
For your presence is always with us.
All our praise is because of your goodness and blessings
In our lives and in all of creation.
How good it is to join together
Celebrating all that you are and all that we have been created to be.
Hear, O Lord, the praises rising up within us this day…
The Lord’s Prayer
A Reading
Mark 6:45-52
Reflect upon times you have experienced Jesus calming the storms in your life.
Intercessions
Loving God, you protect us and watch over us,
desiring for us to be fully alive in Christ
Through the Spirit that flows within us.
Strengthen us this day and provide healing and wholeness in our lives,
empowering us to be instruments of healing and encouragement for others.
Bend your ear toward us and hear the prayers of our hearts today…
Sending Forth Prayer
May our lives be a prayer;
May God work through our prayers;
May our work be an answer;
To God’s will working through us.
May we rest in God’s love;
May God’s rest feed our souls;
May our table be open;
May we welcome friends and foes.
May the poor be our neighbors;
May our neighbors be blessed.
Amen
Lectionary Readings: Psalm 119:113-128; 1 Samuel 19:8-17; Mark 6:45-52 ; Psalm 65; Joshua 10:1-14
Thursday
Table as a Rule of Life
“We pray to God—our life a prayer— and wait for what he’ll say and do.Our lives on the line before God, our Lord, waiting and watching till morning, waiting and watching till morning.”
Psalm 130:5-6 (MSG)
Silence
Be still and wait upon the Lord.
Prayers of Gratitude
O Lord our God, we lift our hearts in praise,
For your Word reminds us that you are always with us waiting for us
To bend our hearts towards you.
O Lord our God, we lift our hearts in praise,
For the ways you gather us together in community and around your table of grace.
O Lord our God, we lift our hearts in praise!
The Lord’s Prayer
Reading
2 Corinthians 7:2-16
Reflect upon the ways your words or actions have grieved God and others.
Intercessions
“Out of the depths we cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear our voices!Let your ears be attentive to the voices of our supplications!
If you, O Lord, should keep track of sin, Lord, who could stand? But there is only forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered.
O people of God, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. It is he who will redeem us from all our wrongdoings.”
(Psalm 130:1-4, 7-8; adapted)
Now Lord, hear the prayers on our hearts this day…
Sending Forth Prayer
May our lives be a prayer;
May God work through our prayers;
May our work be an answer;
To God’s will working through us.
May we rest in God’s love;
May God’s rest feed our souls;
May our table be open;
May we welcome friends and foes.
May the poor be our neighbors;
May our neighbors be blessed.
Amen
Lectionary Readings: Psalm 130; 1 Samuel 19:18-24; 2 Corinthians 7:2-16;Psalm 30; Lamentations 1:16-
Friday
Table as a Rule of Life
This is the day that the Lord has made.
Silence
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Prayers of Gratitude
“You have turned our mourning into dancing; you have taken off all that binds us and clothed us with joy.Our souls praise you and cannot be silent. O Lord our God, we will give thanks to you forever.”
Psalm 30:11-12, adapted
The Lord’s Prayer
A Reading
2 Corinthians 8:1-7
Reflect upon the graces of God placed within you.
Intercessions
“To you, O Lord, we cry out, and make our requests known.
‘What profit is there in our demise, if we go down to the darkest depths?Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to us! O Lord, be our deliverer!’”
(Psalm 30:8-10, adapted)
Merciful, healing, forgiving God, hear the prayers on our hearts this day…
Sending Forth Prayer
May our lives be a prayer;
May God work through our prayers;
May our work be an answer;
To God’s will working through us.
May we rest in God’s love;
May God’s rest feed our souls;
May our table be open;
May we welcome friends and foes.
May the poor be our neighbors;
May our neighbors be blessed.
Amen
Lectionary Readings: Psalm 130; 1 Samuel 20:1-25; 2 Corinthians 8:1-7; Psalm 30; Lamentations 2:1-12
Saturday
Table as a Rule of Life
Holy Spirit, you beckon us to spend this time with you.
Let us quiet our hearts and be attentive to your promptings within.
Silence
Let us be still and know that you are God.
Prayers of Gratitude
Merciful God, you have journeyed alongside us throughout our week,
Seeking to guide our every step and attend to all our needs.
We give you thanks for your goodness, mercy, and provision experienced in every situation.
You are so good to us, ever inviting us to join you at your table where your grace abounds.
Hallelujah! Praise be to God.
The Lord’s Prayer
A Reading
Luke 4:31-37
Reflect upon the goodness of the Spirit of God within you.
Intercessions
As this past week ends and we prepare for the week ahead,
Lord, enable us to place each situation and care into your most capable hands.
Let us trust in the ways you will order our days
So we can bring the most glory to your name.
And for all of the prayers on our hearts this day, we humbly lift them up to you…
Sending Forth Prayer
May our lives be a prayer;
May God work through our prayers;
May our work be an answer;
To God’s will working through us.
May we rest in God’s love;
May God’s rest feed our souls;
May our table be open;
May we welcome friends and foes.
May the poor be our neighbors;
May our neighbors be blessed.
Amen
Lectionary Readings: Psalm 130; 1 Samuel 20:27-42; Luke 4:31-37 ; Psalm 30; Lamentations 2:18-22
Peace be with you.