Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity

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TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
Sunday, November 10, 2019

Readings:
Lesson: Daniel 4:19-37
Psalm: 115
Epistle: Ephesians 6:10-20
Gospel: John 4:46-54

ADORATION
Almighty God, I give glory to Your Name because of Your love and faithfulness. You are unlike the false idols which I am guilty of making. You alone are enduring truth—not silver or gold, not what I build with my hands, not even what I experience with my own five senses. None of that can help and defend me in the end if I do not have Your blessing, if You are not mindful of me. Therefore I put my trust in You, I worship You as the Maker of heaven and earth, and I bless Your holy Name. You increase me more and more in Your knowledge, You cultivate the virtues I try to produce from within, and You entrust me with a heart that must never be dead to Your praise nor silent with Your blessings.

CONFESSION
Father, through Your prophet Daniel, You humbled King Nebuchadnezzar so that he would recognize Your absolute sovereignty over all things. I confess that I often stand tall with pride, allowing my head to get lost in clouds of illusion and grandeur, and ignoring Your creation which lies below. I forget that I live in a part of human society where my dwelling is not among wild animals, nor do I have to eat from the ground or bathe in the rain. I acknowledge my need to atone for my failings by trusting in Your righteousness, and to make amends for my wrongdoing by showing compassion to others. Only You can restore me to the glory and prosperity of Your Kingdom.

THANKSGIVING
Holy Spirit, I thank You for the strength You give me through Your grace. You secure me with the belt of Your truth, and You embrace me with the breastplate of righteousness. On my feet You place the shoes of firmness and readiness to proclaim Your good news of peace to everyone. You arm me with the shield of faith, the trust by which I dispel all doubts, knowing You want only my good. You crown my head with the helmet of salvation, which is the dignity You give me as a human being by desiring to make me a person of integrity. And in my hand You place the sword of Your Word, which reminds me daily of Your Presence. I thank You for clothing me in Your love and Your righteousness.

SUPPLICATION
Lord Jesus Christ, You healed the official’s son as the second sign of Your power and love. Help me to believe and trust, even when I do not see signs and wonders, for I always have near me the words You have spoken. I pray You also to heal me of the fever of life, those strong passions and emotions which cause me to act out in delirium, rather than to be still and know that You are God, and to be aware of the life You truly have planned for me. Grant also that, just as the official believed along with his whole house, so too I may be an example and encouragement for others to come to trust in a Higher Power, whatever that may mean to them, and thereby experience Your healing love.

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