Saturday Mid-Day Prayer for the Season of Lent
from Daily Prayer for All Seasons
Renew and strengthen us, eternal God,
as we prepare for resurrection.
Prayer
Merciful God, your strength and courage pour forth to sustain the witness of your faithful people: Awaken in us the humility to serve wherever creation is broken and needy, that we may follow in the way of our brother, Jesus, die as he did to all that separates us from you, and be raised, as he was, to new life. Amen.
Praise
A Song of the Wilderness (Isaiah 35:1-4)
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, *
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
It shall blossom abundantly, *
and rejoice with joy and singing.
They shall see the glory of the Lord, *
the majesty of our God.
Strengthen the weary hands, *
and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to the anxious, “Be strong, do not fear! *
Here is your God, coming with judgment to save you.”
Scripture
John 7:1-13
After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He did not wish to go about in Judea because the Jews were looking for an opportunity to kill him. Now the Jewish festival of Booths was near. So his brothers said to him, ‘Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing; for no one who wants to be widely known acts in secret. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.’ (For not even his brothers believed in him.) Jesus said to them, ‘My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify against it that its works are evil. Go to the festival yourselves. I am not going to this festival, for my time has not yet fully come.’ After saying this, he remained in Galilee.
But after his brothers had gone to the festival, then he also went, not publicly but as it were in secret. The Jews were looking for him at the festival and saying, ‘Where is he?’ And there was considerable complaining about him among the crowds. While some were saying, ‘He is a good man’, others were saying, ‘No, he is deceiving the crowd.’ Yet no one would speak openly about him for fear of the Jews.
Meditation
Prayers
God of hope, help us who struggle in our daily work.
When we lose our purpose,
renew our hope in you.
When we bow to hatred,
renew our trust in you.
When we despair of bliss,
renew our joy in you.
When we take offense at others,
renew our life in you.
When we compromise our values,
renew our faith in you.
When we cherish regrets,
renew our freedom in you.
When we surrender to despair,
renew our hope in you.
As we accept your renewing love,
we offer our prayers to you:
Intercessions
Almighty God, we entrust all who have been affected by the outbreak of COVID-19, all who will be affected, all who care for them, and all who are dear to us to your never-failing care and love, for this life and for the life to come, knowing that you are already doing for all of us more than we could ever imagine or pray for; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hold us, and all people, in your loving care,
and may we be hope for others.
Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
Prayer
God of hope, from you come every blessing and all peace:
Show us that, in the midst of our struggles, you are with us.
Give us the abundance of your grace
that we may do the work you give us to do
and that we may be for the world a sign of your presence;
through Christ, the Way and the Truth. Amen.
Going Out
Renew and strengthen us, eternal God,
as we prepare for resurrection.
We hold the prayers of the world in our hearts this Lenten season:
Virtual Chapel of St. Phoebe 