08/23/2026
MORNING PRAYER
AUGUST 23, 2026
THE TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Grace to you, and peace, in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
PRELUDE “Fill-a Me Up” – This is one of my favorites from our playlist.
https://youtu.be/ynv_b1xZuqg
OPENING PRAYER
In a time of bitterness and pain,
God raised up Moses, and changed the lives of a people.
From the shadow of death,
God raised up Jesus, and changed the lives of all people.
In every time, and in every place,
God raises up witnesses, people whose lives are changed forever.
HYMN “Morning Has Broken” - #469 in the hymnal
https://youtu.be/Oa-mWuBY-is
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Romans 12:1-8, Matthew 16:13-20
MEDITATION
I’ve had the pleasure and the blessing of hearing Tom Long preach on several occasions and attending seminars that he presented. I hope today’s offering is a pleasure and a blessing to you as well.
https://day1.org/weekly-broadcast/5f34275e6615fb298800007a/tom-long-between-a-rock-and-a-stumbling-block
PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING AND INTERCESSION
O God, glorious and faithful,
we come to you in awe of your power and might.
We are as soft clay in your hands,
fearful of what you might shape us to be,
yet delighting in knowing that we are the work of your hands.
We rejoice that you ask us to bring you our prayers,
and so we come with our petitions and intercessions,
confident that you will hear in wisdom and respond in love.
God of peace and truth,
in Jesus Christ you called disciples
and prayed for them to be joined in faith.
We pray for the church that you called to be the Body of Christ.
Keep us faithful to its mission of proclaiming the gospel
by the words of our mouths and the deeds of our bodies.
Save us from mistrust, contention
and all evil that would divide us.
Strengthen the faithful,
arouse the careless, and restore the penitent.
Grant us all things necessary for our common life,
and bring us all to be of one heart and mind,
united in obedience to you.
Creator God,
when you breathed life into Adam
you gave him work to do in caring for your garden.
Your Son Jesus Christ dignified our labor
by sharing our toil.
Be with your people where they work;
make those who carry on the industries and commerce of this land
responsive to your will;
and to all of us,
give pride in what we do,
and a just return for our labor.
God of diversity,
teach us tolerance and adaptability
that we may live comfortably
with the disables, the exceptional,
the brilliant, the dull, the bored,
and all who are misplaced, misunderstood, and misinterpreted.
Give help to those who are charged
with finding ways for us to live together in community.
We give thanks for tasks that exercise our abilities,
tools that help us work,
counselors who understand us,
and teachers who guide and direct us.
God of love,
surround the sick the troubled, the bereaved,
the lonely, the misunderstood, the abandoned.
Bring healing and relief from pain to broken bodies.
Grant peace and confidence to troubled minds.
Give strength to feeble limbs.
Fill hearts that are empty and desolate.
May your love be embodied in the caregivers,
both professional and amateur,
and in those who minister with phone calls,
cards, flowers, a gentle touch, and a smile.
God of the ages,
you call the church to keep watch in the world
and to discern the signs of the times.
Grant us the wisdom which your Spirit bestows,
that with courage we may proclaim your prophetic word,
and the complete the work you have set before us,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father . . .
HYMN “The Church’s One Foundation” - #442 in the hymnal
https://youtu.be/2ECY2IIeRg8
BENEDICTION
May God, who comes to us in the things of this world,
bless your eyes and be in your seeing.
May Christ, who looks upon you with deepest love,
bless your eyes and widen your gaze.
May the Spirit, who perceives what is and what may yet be,
bless your eyes and sharpen your vision.
May the Sacred Three
bless your eyes and cause you to see.
And the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you, today and forever. Amen.
POSTLUDE “I’m Gonna Walk with You”
https://youtu.be/rM9u9y5OHuw
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