Invitation — Daniel 2:20
"Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his."
Quiet
Bible Song — Psalm 149
Praise the Lord.
Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise in the assembly of his faithful people.
Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
let the people of Zion be glad in their King.
Let them praise his name with dancing
and make music to him with timbrel and harp.
For the Lord takes delight in his people;
he crowns the humble with victory.
Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor
and sing for joy on their beds.
May the praise of God be in their mouths
and a double-edged sword in their hands,
to inflict vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,
to bind their kings with fetters,
their nobles with shackles of iron,
to carry out the sentence written against them —
this is the glory of all his faithful people.
Praise the Lord.
Bible Reading — Hebrews 4:1-2, 9-11
Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed...
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.
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 the eyes to see God in all things, every creature a word or book from God
- for God's care and comfort in natural disasters and a creation that groans
- for our commitment to reduce, reuse, and recycle
Prayer — HC 103
Lord of the Sabbath, I can faithfully observe a day of rest and yet miss its point. Your rest is the goal of life; it's what you intended for all of creation — to know you and enjoy all your goodness. Thank you for the gospel invitation to catch my breath, to stop all my striving and enjoy everything accomplished for me in Jesus. In his name I pray, amen.
Blessing — Philippians 1:9-10
May your love "abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ."