From all that dwell below the skies
Let the Creator's praise arise;
Let the Redeemer's name be sung
Through every land, by every tongue.
Eternal are thy mercies, Lord;
Eternal truth attends thy word;
Thy praise shall sound from shore to shore,
Till suns shall rise and set no more.
[Isaac Watts, 1718]
One or more of these sentences to be read by the minister:
O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together; for with him is the fountain of life, and in his light shall we see light. [Psalms xxxiv. 3; xxxvi. 9.]
The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. [John iv. 23, 24.]
Surely the Lord is in this place. This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. [Genesis xxviii. 16, 17.]
Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? [Micah vi. 6, 8.]
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. [Matthew vii. 21.]
Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. [James i. 25.]
Choose ye this day whom ye will serve; but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. The Lord our God will we serve and his voice will we obey. [Joshua xxiv, 15, 24.]
Exhortation by the minister:
With reverence and gratitude we adore the Eternal Goodness which makes our lives so rich and fruitful. Let us lift up our hearts unto the Lord, and bless his holy name; and may our praises and our prayers help to make our whole life an offering pure and acceptable in his sight.
Let us pray.
To be said by minister and people together:
O Thou, whose never-failing providence ordereth all things, both in heaven and on earth: we praise thee, we glorify thee, we give thanks unto thee for all thou art to us, and all, thou doest for us, day by day. For reason and conscience, for nurture and guidance, and for all the gifts of nature and of grace; for thy forbearance and long-suffering, and thy tender mercies which never fail; for all good things received, and for thy promise, and our hope of good in time to come; for these and all other mercies, known or unknown, remembered or forgotten, we will give thanks unto thee now and evermore. Amen.
To be said by minister and people alternately:
O God, the source of all being and all joy:
Let thy blessings be upon us, and fill us with thy love.
From all jealousy and envy, from all unkindness, from offence given or taken, from unrighteous anger and an impatient spirit, from a hard and unforgiving temper, and from evil-speaking,
O Lord, deliver us.
From an unquiet and discontented spirit, from despondency and gloom,
O Lord, deliver us.
From fears and misgivings, from doubts of thy boundless love, and from forgetfulness of thy tender mercies,
O Lord, deliver us.
Inspire in us, we pray thee, that spirit which suffereth long and is kind; which envieth not, vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up; which doth not behave itself unseemly, and seeketh not its own;
Grant us to be filled with the fulness of thy Spirit.
Quicken in us that charity which is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; which beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things; the charity which never faileth.
That so by thy grace we may establish good will upon the earth.
O thou who art the God and Father of us all, who hast breathed thine own spirit into thy children and made us to be at one with each other as members of thy household: enable us, we pray thee, to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Amid diversities of knowledge and of faith, may we be one in spirit, in brotherly affection and in devotion to thy holy will. Deliver us from all blindness and prejudice, and whatsoever else would turn our hearts from one another. By the charity of our temper and thoughts, may we show forth the power of the gospel of love, and live in unity with all our brethren, as followers of the Prince of Peace. Amen.
To be said by minister and people together:
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, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Lord be with you.
And with thy Spirit.
O Lord, show thy mercy upon us.
And grant us thy salvation.
O God, make clean out hearts within us.
And take not thy Holy Spirit from us.
The minister to read one or more of the following:
O God, grant unto us that we be not unwise, but filled with the knowledge of thy will; not slothful, but diligent in thy work; that we run not as uncertainly, nor fight thy battles as those that beat the air. Whatsoever our hand findeth to do, may we do it with our might: that when thou shalt call thy labourers to receive their reward, we shall have so run that we may obtain; have so fought the good fight as to receive the crown of eternal life. Amen.
We thank thee, O God, for the endless renewing of life. Thou that art never weary of setting us free from the bonds wherewith we have bound ourselves, make us to walk in this new day without fear or any kind of bondage. Open our eyes to receive new light; open our ears to hear the voices that are calling to us to make the world new by the power of love. Fit us for the task that is ours, and endue us with the spirit of that heavenly kingdom which is to come upon the earth where all shall be brothers and men shall be the people of God. Amen.
Clear, O Lord, our inner vision, that we may see through the false shows of life, and be kept calm and true by thy great realities. Waken us from the dreams of the earthly mind in its forgetfulness of thee. Reveal to the young what it is to live this great life of opportunity; and fill them with the pure and undefiled religion. And in the hearts of elders let not the fires die nor their work linger, till they are overtaken by the lengthening shadows of their appointed time. Though we know nothing of the morrow, may we be faithful today; gladly accepting the humblest task that awaits for us by thy will and shines with the holy light of thine approval. Amen.
O God, the protector of all who put their trust in thee: we pray for the good estate of this our beloved land, that it may please thee to preserve to us the blessings of an equal and impartial freedom, unite in mutual understanding men of alien race and faith; revive in all hearts a spirit of devotion to the public good, that strife and tumult may be appeased and justice and truth be exalted. Enable us all thy people faithfully to discharge the duties of our different spheres, that so the kingdom of brotherhood and peace may be hastened upon the earth and thy will be done even as now it is done in heaven. Amen.
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts: heaven and earth are full of thy glory. Glory be to Thee, O Lord most high. Amen.
One or more of these sentences to be read by the minister:
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name. [Psalm ciii. 1.]
O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever. [Psalm cxxxvi. 1.]
Know ye that the Lord he is God; it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people,, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise. [Psalm c. 3, 4.]
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shalt be opened. [Matthew vii. 7, 8.]
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. [1 John i. 8, 9.]
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. [Psalm cxxxix. 23, 24.]
The Lord is nigh unto all that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. [Psalm cxiv. 18.]
Exhortation by the rninister:
in the holy quiet of this hour, let us draw nigh to him who heareth prayer; and let us remember that he listeneth more to our hearts than to our words. Let each of us bring an offering of penitence, if not of purity: of love, if not of holiness: of teachableness, if not of wisdom; of devout obedience for the time to come, if not the fruits of welldoing in the time that is past. And may we obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Let us pray.
To be said by minister and people together:
O God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: we are heartily sorry for the sins which we have at any time committed, in thought or affection, in word or deed. We pray thee to look graciously upon us and forgive us. Help us to lay aside every weight and the sins which so easily beset us. We offer thee our whole being, our bodies and souls, to be thy temple for ever. Take, O Lord, into thy hands, and let nothing henceforward, either in life or death, separate us from thee any more. Amen.
To be said by minister and people alternately:
Almighty and most merciful God, toward whose everlasting blessedness we ascend by the strong desire of the soul, and by patient continuance in well-doing; lead us by thine inspiration to seek our true life with thee, and earnestly to strive to enter thy heavenly kingdom.
Send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead us.
Set us free from the bondage of self-will, and passion, and ungodly desire, that sin may not have dominion over us; but that with a willing mind we may serve thee, the Lord of heaven and earth.
Sanctify and renew us in the spirit of our minds.
From unrighteous anger and an impatient temper; from an uncharitable judgment and readiness to believe evil; from inordinate cares and needless anxieties; from complaints against thee and from rebellion against thy holy will:
O Lord, deliver us.
Give us a wise and understanding heart, a fervent and faithful spirit, a love of holy things, and a longing for whatsoever is good and pure.
Lord, fix our hearts on thee.
Grant that we faint not, but though our outward man perish, may our inward man he renewed day by day.
Help us to live and walk in thy Spirit.
Protect and bless our friends and kindred, and so fill us with gentleness and kindness that we may dwell in our homes with a perfect heart, and have joy in each other which passeth not away.
Hear us and bless us as we pray.
Assist us in all our doings with thy gracious favour and further us with thy continual help; that in all our works, begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify thy holy name.
Lord, our trust is in Thee. Amen.
To be said by minister and people together:
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, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Lord be with you.
And with thy Spirit.
O Lord, show thy mercy upon us.
And grant us thy salvation.
O God, make clean out hearts within us.
And take not thy Holy Spirit from us.
The minister to read one or more of the following:
Almighty God, who hast bidden us seek that we may find, and who pourest out on all who desire it the spirit of thy grace: deliver us when we draw near to thee from coldness of heart and wandering of mind, that with steadfast thoughts and kindled affections we may worship thee in spirit and in truth. Amen.
O God, our light in darkness, our strength in weakness, and our eternal home, be unto us merciful, long suffering, and patient: that we who are slow of growth may hope to come at last to thy likeness; and, being upheld by thee, may go from strength to strength, until, having safely passed through the joy and duty of this earthly life, we come, in the fulness of thy mercy, into the land of thine eternal peace. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, who art the author of every good and perfect gift: send down upon all ministers of the gospel, and upon all congregations committed to their charge, the needful spirit of thy grace; and that they may truly please thee pour upon them the continual dew of thy blessing. Grant this, O heavenly Father, for thine infinite mercy's sake, Amen.
O Lord, our heavenly Father, who dost behold all the dwellers upon earth: most heartily we beseech thee to behold with thy favour the President and Congress of the United States and so replenish them with the grace of thy holy spirit that they may incline to thy will, and walk in thy way. Endue them plenteously with heavenly gifts, that they may be enabled to promote the national prosperity and to secure the peace, liberty, and safety of the United States, throughout all generations. Amen.
O God, the Creator and Preserver of all mankind: we pray thee for all sorts and conditions of men, that thou wouldst be pleased to make thy ways known unto them, thy saving health unto all nations. We commend to thy fatherly goodness all those who are any ways afflicted or distressed in mind, body, or estate; that it may please thee to comfort and relieve them according to their several necessities, giving them patience under their sufferings, and a happy issue out of all their afflictions. Amen.
O Thou who hast compassed all the pathway of our lives: we thank thee that thy providence abides through every change. Thou dost cheer the loneliest lot with the comfort of thy presence, and we bless thee for thine unfailing care. Into thine own eternity thou hast called us, and set in the midst of purposes we cannot measure; but we would thank thee for the good we know, and pray that thou wilt teach us patience till thou send more light. Waken our hearts to gratitude, O God, for mercies which have flowed upon us, day by day, in joy and sorrow, in health and sickness, in labour and repose. Give us grace to serve thee with our whole lives, that all manner of daikness and evil may be driven from our hearts, and that we may walk with joy in the way of thy commandment to love thee with our whole heart, and our neighbour as ourselves. Amen.
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts: heaven and earth are full of thy glory. Glory be to Thee, O Lord most high. Amen.
One or more of these sentences to be read by the minister:
There is one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you alL [Ephesians iv. 6.]
The hour cometh. and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship Him, God is spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit, and in truth. [John iv. 23, 24.]
Know ye not, that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you? [1 Corinthians iii. 16.]
Foras many as are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God. [Romans viii. 14.]
Behold what manner of Love the Father hath be-stowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. [1 John iii. 1.]
The path of the just is as the shining Light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. [Proverbs iv, 18.]
Come walk in his way with songs of joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee. Isaiah xxvi. 3.
Exhortation by the minister:
God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men's hands as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life and breath and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth; and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he be not far from every one of us; for in him we live and move and have our being.
Let us pray.
To be said by minister and people together:
O Thou unseen, yet ever near our souls: anew we ask, with common needs and sympathies, thy help and blessing in our lives. Be with us now, as we remember before thee our struggles and our failures. Lord, we confess our unworthiness, and ask of thee more strength for duty, and a deeper faith. Take us into the fellowship of all pure hearts that cry to thee; teach us our kin with all who have conquered in difficulty, and loved even through their pain; and so make our worship fruitful in toil and trust. Amen.
To be said by minister and people alternately:
O Thou eternal and everlasting One, who hast chosen for thy temple the souls of them that are righteous: grant to us, we pray thee, a quick and tender conscience, that we fail not to heed every suggestion of thine indwelling spirit.
Lift us into thy light and truth.
Reveal to us the beauty of thy perfect will, the gladness of thy service, the power of thy presence in our hearts, that so without fear we may follow whithersoever thou doest Lead.
Be thou, O Lord, our guide and help for evermore.
Calm the turbulence of our passions, quiet the throbbings of our hopes and fears, repress the waywardness of our wills, and direct the motions of our affections.
Strengthen us to bear our trials patiently and to glorify Thee through our daily life.
We pray thee to bless and comfort the aged, to give strength unto such as are bearing the burden and heat of the day, and to preserve all whom we love from the dangers of this present life.
Prepare them, O Lord, by thy grace for life eternal.
Sanctify us by thy quickening presence, that no ignorance or sin may pervert us, and deepen in our minds such a sense of thy goodness that we may ever devote ourselves to thy service in word and deed, and praising thee both. with our lips and our lives may go onward, through thy mercy, to the joy of life everlasting. Amen.
To be said by minister and people together:
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 for ever and ever. Amen.
The Lord be with thee.
And with thy Spirit.
O Lord, show thy mercy upon us.
And grant us thy salvation.
O God, make clean our hearts within us,
And take not thy Holy Spirit from us.
The minister to read one or more of the following:
O God, who puttest into our hearts such deep desires that we cannot be at peace until we rest in thee: mercifully grant that the longing of our souls may not go unsatisfied because of any unrighteousness of Life that may separate us from thee. Open our mixids to the counsels of eternal wisdom; breathe into our souls the peace which passeth understanding. Let our hunger and thirst be for righteousness, that we maybe filled with the bread of heaven. O Lord, give us grace to seek first thy kingdom; and we know that thou wilt add unto us all things needful. Amen.
Most merciful God, who never failest them that trust in thee: give us grace in all difficulties and distresses to rest in the assurance of thy wisdom and thy love. Thou wilt keep him, O Lord, in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee. Suffer us not to be oppressed with the cares of this life, but grant that, having done our part in all honesty and diligence, we may cheerfully commit ourselves to thy providence, casting all our cares on thee, and being strengthened to say, even in our darkest hour, Father, not our will, but thine, be done. Amen.
Thou who art the Providence of the World, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift: let thy blessing now rest upon us as a people. Enable every race which thou hast drawn hither by thy guiding spirit to dedicate its noblest gifts to the common good. Grant us wisdom to make the homes of our land abodes of comfort; grant us knowledge to lead all children in the right way. Inspire us with a new sense of sympathy for those who are in sorrow, need, or any other adversity, and for those who are worn with excessive toil. Hasten the day when the sense of kinship shall be firm and strong. Increase in us the manifold gifts of thy spirit, that through thy counsel and might we may do those works which glorify thee and gladden and uplift human lives, So. as co-workers with thee, shall we help to establish good will upon the earth, and to bring thy kingdom to every heart. Amen.
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts: heaven and earth are full of thy glory. Glory be to Thee, O Lord most high. Amen.
One or more of these sentences to be read by the minister:
Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. [Isaiah xi, 3.]
They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and notbe weary; they shall walk, and not faint. [Isaiah xi. 31.]
Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. [Psalm xxiv. 3, 4, 5.]
Thoughts of peace, saith the Lord, do I think toward you; ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken to you; ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. [Jeremiah xxix. 11, 12, 13.]
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God? The temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. [1 Corinthians iii, 16, 17.]
Exhortation by the minister:
God, in whom we live and move and have our being, never leaves us day or night. But the very nearness and custom of his presence hide him from our infirm and shameful power, and the good that is in us droops and fades. To clear such blindness away and recover the pure wisdom of a Christian mind, we are called to this day of remembrance and this house of prayer. Entering here, therefore, we cross the threshold of eternal things, and commune with the Father who seeth in secret. Let us shake off the dust of transitory care, and every disguise that can come between us and God; and remembering whose disciples we strive to be, come to the simplicity, though it should be also to the sorrows of the Christ.
Let us pray.
To be said by minister and people together:
O God, before whose face the generations rise and pass away: age after age the living seek thee, and find that of thy faithfulness there is no end. Our fathers in their pillgrimage walked by thy guidance, and rested on thy compassion; still to their children be thou the cloud by day, the fire by night. Where but in thee have we a covert from the storm or shadow from the heat of life? In our manifold temptations, thou alone knowest and art ever nigh; in sorrow, thy pity revives the fainting soul; in our prosperity and ease, it is thy spirit only that can wean us from our pride, and keep us low. O thou sole source of peace and righteousness, take now the veill from every heart, and join us in one communion with thy prophets and saints who have trusted in thee, and were not ashamed. Not of our worthiness, but of thy tender mercy, hear our prayer. Amen.
To be said by minister and people alternately:
Almighty and everlasting God, in communion with thy saints in all ages, with patriarchs and prophets, apostles and martyrs, with our beloved dead who have fallen asleep in thy peace: we, who are still striving to do and bear thy blessed will on earth, adore thee, and offer thee our praises and supplications.
Hear our prayers, O Lord, we beseech thee.
We ask of thee that wisdom which is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
Give us, we pray thee, wisdom from above.
Help us to walk with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.
So may we fulfil the law of love.
Enable us, by thy grace, to dedicate ourselves anew to the work which thou layest on conscience and heart.
In all we do, be thou, O Lord, our strength and help.
Lead us by thy chosen paths, through the perils of this mortal life, to our eternal home in thy heavenly kingdom.
Mercifully grant our prayers, O Lord.
Now unto the God of grace: for the might of his spirit and the love of Christ:
Be glory in the Church throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
To be said by minister and people together:
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, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Lord be with thee.
And with thy Spirit.
O Lord, show thy mercy upon us.
And grant us thy salvation.
O God, make clean our hearts within us.
And take not thy Holy Spirit from us.
The minister to read one or more of the following:
Eternal God, who dost commit to us the swift and solemn trust of life: waken us now, we pray thee, to the claims of thy holy will: lay to rest, by the persuasion of thy spirit the resistance of our passion, indolence and fear. Consecrate with thy presence the way our feet must go; and the humblest work will shine, and the roughest places be made plain. Lift us above unrighteous anger and mistrust into faith and hope and charity, by a simple and steadfast reliance on thy sure will, that so we may be modest in our time of wealth, patient under disappointment, ready for danger, serene in death and confident of everlasting life. Amen.
Almighty Lord, of whose righteous will all things are, and were created; who liftest the islands out of the deep, and preparest not in vain the habitable world: thou hast gathered our people into a great nation, and sent them to sow beside all waters and multiply sure dwellings on the earth. Deepen the root of our life in everlasting righteousness. Make us equal to our high trusts, reverent in the use of freedom, just in the exercise of power, generous in the protection of weakness. With all thy blessings bless thy servant the President of the United States. Fill his heart with loyalty to thee. To our legislators and counsellors give insight and faithfulness, that our laws may clearly speak the right, and our judges purely interpret it. Let it be known among us flow thou hatest robbery for burnt-offering; that the gains of industry may be upright, and the use of wealth considerate. May wisdom and knowledge be the stability of our times and our deepest trust be in thee, the Lord of nations and the King of kings. Amen.
O God, who didst appoint thy church to be witness of divine things in all the world: revive the purity and deepen the power of its testimony: and through the din of earthly interests and the storm of human passions, let it make the still small voice of thy spirit inly felt. Nearer and nearer may thy kingdom come from age to age; meeting the face of the young as a rising dawn, and brightening the song of the old, “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace.” Already let its light abash our guilty negligence, and touch with hope each secret sorrow of the earth. By thy cleansing spirit make this world a fitting forecourt to that sanctuary not made with hands, where our life is hid with Christ in God. Amen.
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts: heaven and earth are full of thy glory. Glory be to Thee, O Lord most high. Amen.
One or more of these sentences to be read by the minister:
O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever. [Psalm cxxxvi. 1.]
Come, and let us return unto the Lord; and we shall live in his sight. Let us know, let us follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is as sure as the morning; and he will come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth. [Hosea vi. 1, 2.]
It is of the Lordts loving-kindnesses that we are not cast down, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is his faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. [Lamentations iii. 22, 23, 24.]
The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, long suffering and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works. [Psalm cxlv. 8, 9.]
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. [Psalm xxxvii. 7.]
Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavens. [Lamentations iii. 40, 41.]
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men; and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his people; and God himself shall be with them, and be their God, [Revelation xxi, 3.]
Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. [Matthew v. 8.]
Exhortation by the minister:
The heavenly Father, in whose presence we now stand, is always more ready to hear than we to pray; nor does anything hide him from us but the veil of our impure and earthly mind. And since the preparations of even the willing heart are not without him, let us inwardly pray for the grace of a humble and contrite spirit, that for a little while we may rise above the haste and press of life, and commune with him in spirit and in truth.
Let us pray.
To be said by minister and people together:
Infinite and gracious Father, giver of all good, to know whom even but in part is to lay hold upon thine eternal life, grant unto us, thy children, peace, joy, and courage which come to those whose lives are lived in the spirit of the Master of men, and centered and rooted in the thought of thee. Fix in us each noble hope, each worthy purpose; free our minds from needless fears and cares; confirm our faith in thine Eternal Righteousness that so, as worthy disciples of him whose example we would follow, we may go forward striving to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. Amen.
To be said by minister and people alternately:
O God, our true life, in whom and by whom all things live, who by thy spirit dost command us to seek thee, and art ever ready to be found: to know thee is iife, to serve thee is freedom, to praise thee is the joy and happiness of the soul.
We praise, and bless thee, and give thanks for thy great glory.
For seasons of bounty and of beauty, for nights of quiet sleep, for days of health, for the glory of earth, and its ministry to our need,
We bless thy names O Lord.
For all the generations before us who through effort and pain have wrought so that we might be heirs of liberty and truth and peace,
We thank thee, our father, and pray that we may enter into this heritage.
For opportunities used and unused, for victories over besetting sins, for the gladness and courage abiding with loyalty.
We praise thee, O God.
For the discipline that enriches, for the burden that strengthens, for the failure that is true success, and for the sorrow that enlarges the heart.
For these also we rejoice and give thee thanks.
For the soul and its powers, for the impulse to share, to serve, and to save.
We give thee thanks, O Lord.
Keep us, we pray thee, in thy love; and in and through the quickening of our spirits make us worthy of sonship with thee.
And to thee be the honour and glory, world without end. Amen.
To be said by minister and people together:
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, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Lord be with you.
And with thy Spirit.
O Lord, show thy mercy upon us.
And grant us thy salvation.
O God, make clean our hearts within us.
And take not thy Holy Spirit from us.
The minister to read one or more of the following:
O Lord our God, who turnest into morning the shadows of night, grant that we may be children of the light and of the day. Let the sun of thy righteousness shine in our hearts. Enlighten our minds, animate our consciences, and purify our affections. We give ourselves to thee this day. So rule and govern us by thy spirit, that faithless distrust and all evil thoughts may be driven from our minds; that we may walk with joy in the light of thy countenance and in the way of thy salvation. Amen.
O Thou, who hast neither dawn nor evening, yet sendest us the alternate mercies of the darkness and the day: as thou liftest the curtain of night from our abodes, take also the veil from all our hearts. Rise with thy morning upon our souls; quicken all our labour and our prayer; and, though all else decline, let the noontide of thy grace and peace remain. May we walk, while it is yet day, in the steps of him who diligently did thy will. And unto thee, whose we are and whom we serve, will we render praise now and for evermore. Amen.
O Thou, who by thy spirit art continually calling us to be sons of God and who hast set one before us that he might be as the first-born of many brethren, help us, we pray thee, to renounce all vain and evil ways, that so we may be like him in faith and love and heavenly communion, and finally attain, through thy grace, unto the measure of the stature of that fulness which thou desirest in all thy children. Amen.
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we pray thee to look with favour upon thy worshipping people now before thee. We commend to thee our homes and our country. Defend our liberties and uphold our free institutions. If it be thy will, deliver us from violence within and from strife without; save us from warfare and pestilence; and bless our people with peaceful industries and with happy homes. We pray thee to bless thy servant, the President of the United States. Plenteously endue him with wisdom from above and abundantly enrich him with thy heavenly grace. For all who are in authority, we pray that, as they rule by thy favour, so they may serve in thy fear. So, by thy grace, may we be that happy nation whose God is the Lord. Amen.
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts: heaven and earth are full of thy glory. Glory be to Thee, O Lord most high. Amen.
Via Adrian Worsfold
Pluralist - Liberal and Thoughtful