Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity

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FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
Sunday, September 29, 2019

Readings:
Lesson: 2 Kings 2:1-15
Psalm: 86
Epistle: Galatians 5:25–6:10
Gospel: Matt. 6:22-34

ADORATION
Almighty God, I praise You because You hear my prayers, and You answer me when I need Your help. I am devoted to You, for You alone are my God, and there is none like You. I serve and trust You, for You protect and save me. You give me happiness when I give myself to You. You are good and forgiving, compassionate and merciful, full of unfailing love. You are great, and You perform great and wonderful deeds. You teach me Your ways, so that I may walk in Your truth. You grant me purity of heart, so that I may faithfully honor You. I praise You with all my heart, and I give glory to Your holy Name. You love me so much that You have sent Your Son to rescue me from the sting of death.

CONFESSION
Father, Elisha asked to inherit a double share of Elijah’s spirit before his ascension and become his successor. I confess that all too often I ask for spiritual gifts without understanding what I am really asking for. I do not know fully whether my prayers are centered on You or on ego. I ask and hope to become a worthy successor of my faith tradition without knowing if I am ready to pick up the cloak of authority. As Your prophets from Bethel and Jericho accompanied Elisha, I confess my need, and often my reluctance, to be in the company of those who serve You, to seek spiritual direction from those who have traveled farther along the Way, and to learn wisdom from their spirit.

THANKSGIVING
Holy Spirit, I thank You for making me alive in You and for leading me in every part of my life. I thank You that You are ridding me of pride, anger, envy and anything else that does not accord with Your ways. And when I stray from those ways, You gently and humbly provide the way back. You carry my burdens, allowing me to bear the burdens of others if and when I can. You remind me that there is more to life than just the satisfaction of my own ego, for that leads only to emptiness, decay and death. A harvest of everlasting life and blessedness awaits me if I am rooted in You. I thank You for giving me the strength to continue to do good, so that I may harvest what I plant in You.

SUPPLICATION
Lord Jesus Christ, I pray for You to open my eyes and fill my body with Your divine light so that I may not serve two masters, but rather serve You alone who are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Increase my faith, so that I may not let daily worries rob me of the inner peace that You offer moment to moment. Help me to look at and learn from Your Creation, in which You generously feed Your birds and clothe Your lilies. Remind me to cast my care on You because You care for me. You hold me in high value, and so You provide for all my essential needs. Dominate my thoughts, and direct my heart to seek Your Kingdom and Your righteousness, knowing that every good gift flows from above.

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