Daily Reading for September 27
Lord, we often fold our hands in prayer,
when we should really jump for joy
because you come to us as rescuer, as Savior,
cleaning up the mess we make of our lives,
putting together what we pull apart.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord.
Rejoice, my spirit, in God my Savior.
We pray for the Church.
You have called us to have a part in its life
and, despite our failures, you have not cast us off.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord.
Rejoice, my spirit, in God my Savior.
We know that much of the Church’s life
and witness looks silly and weak in the eyes of the world at large,
but you still use its foolishness to shame worldly wisdom
and its weakness to witness against the abuse of power.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord.
Rejoice, my spirit, in God my Savior.
We pray for those who cry desperately for salvation,
for tyranny to be overthrown, for the despised to be given dignity,
for the poor to receive a proper share of the earth’s resources.
You are the source of hope and the inspiration to action.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord.
Rejoice, my spirit, in God my Savior.
We bring you particular needs….
With confidence we share these with you
for you are the God who lives among us.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord.
Rejoice, my spirit, in God my Savior.
We pray for our families….
Your human life brought both pain and joy to your earthly relatives.
Help us also to know you in both the joys and the pains of family life.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord.
Rejoice, my spirit, in God my Savior.
We remember those who have died….
Through our sorrow and sense of loss
we are glad for the promise that there shall be an end to death,
and to mourning and crying and pain;
for the old order has passed away.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord.
Rejoice, my spirit, in God my Savior. Amen.
From The Daily Office Revised, in The Wideness of God’s Mercy: Litanies to Enlarge Our Prayer, revised edition, compiled and adapted by Jeffery W. Rowthorn. Copyright © 2007. Used by permission of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY. www.churchpublishing.org