Invitation — Psalm 135:13
"Your name, Lord, endures forever, your renown, Lord, through all generations."
Quiet
Bible Song — Psalm 57:1-3, 5
Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me,
for in you I take refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until the disaster has passed.
I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who vindicates me.
He sends from heaven and saves me,
rebuking those who hotly pursue me —
God sends forth his love and his faithfulness...
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.
Bible Reading — Exodus 33:12-23
Moses said to the Lord, "You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name and you have found favor with me.' If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people."
The Lord replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?"
And the Lord said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name."
Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory."
And the Lord said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."
Then the Lord said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."
Quiet
Dwelling
Read again slowly ... find a word or phrase that catches your eye or moves your heart ... slowly repeat it ... pray your thoughts, desires, needs, and feelings from your meditation ... enjoy the presence of your Lord and Savior.
Free Prayer
- for deep gratitude for the cross of Jesus Christ
- for those living in poverty and suffering injustice
- for those who are lonely, and those who support them
Prayer — BC 8
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, keep me from dissecting your dynamic life into stale abstractions or lifeless schemas. Instead, give me a faith that's bigger than my intellectual grasp so I may know your name, take up your invitation to enjoy your presence, and enter your community of love. Amen.
Blessing — 2 Thess. 2:16-17
"May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word."