Our God,
Heaven and earth cannot contain you. You live in light, and are light, and from you all light comes. Yet no one can approach you and even the mighty cherubim veil themselves from your radiance. Yet somehow you have made us, human flesh, your temple. Having purified us by the blood of the sacrifice of your holy servant Jesus, you have made your home with us as triune God, Father, Son, and Spirit, and you dwell within our inner being. You speak to our spirit, illuminate our minds, and you strengthen our acts.
Please give words to those who speak about you to their friends and neighbors. Inasmuch as your praise is in our hearts, help it to be in our mouths as well. It can be hard to speak about you conversationally with those who don’t already acknowledge you. But you made our voice and we really do want to draw others into our thankfulness and our delight in the great things you do for us. Even more, we want those we know to come to know you. So as you help us to speak, remove the veil from their minds that the light of the glorious gospel of Christ might shine into them.
Other congregations in our city are gathered this morning in the name of Jesus. They are bringing you their worship , making disciples, preparing your people for service, and speaking the gospel to the world. We want to especially remember before you Don Mills Baptist Church and their pastor William Lee, and Thistletown Baptist Church and their pastor, Hassan Bell. Please strengthen, in these men, a love of the truth, not a love for abstractions, but a personal love for you who are the truth. Give them a love for the individuals you have placed under their care. May they shepherd like you shepherd: bringing correction in good measure so as not to overwhelm and bringing encouragement and teaching in good measure to encourage perseverance. May the people love each other. Keep fights from getting a hold in those congregations. Let the people be filled with the joy of simple humble service for each other in your name.
Help us to live faithfully in those seasons of life when things seem normal and ordinary. Sometimes our lives seem overwhelmed with difficulty and sometimes they seem overflowing with blessings. But help us to use the times of quiet in between to deepen our devotion. Keep us from drifting, from getting cold, that we would not be unfaithful. Help us to enjoy the sweetness of your love in our calm, daily, normal life of walking with our God.
You loved us before we loved you. You did not ignore us when we ignored your commands. When we ran from you, you ran toward us. You bought our reconciliation with the blood of your son. You have taught us what it is to love and we have come to love you. Help us to remain always in your love. Help us to imitate you by reconciling with others as you have reconciled with us.
We are gathered here this morning to bring you pleasure with our worship and with our service and we ask that you would indeed be pleased. Please strengthen the hearts and minds of each one to serve with the strength that you provide that all might be built up. I especially want to ask that you would encourage those who serve in the nursery since they can’t be with us here, that you would especially encourage them. May each word that is spoken here be honoring to you.