God, our God, the only God, we approach you as your people who delight that you have shone yourself so that we know you:
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who took on our mortal flesh to reveal his glory; that he might bring us out of darkness and into his own glorious light.
May your light shine into our hearts and into our world. We ask for your guidance in the many things going on in our lives, we stumble in the dark, and need your righteousness, love, and wisdom to guide us, and we lift some of these up to you now….
We also ask that you bring people walking in darkness to know the light of Christ. May we as a church get the privilege of seeing at least 12 new believers baptized this year, as your gospel brings more and more people and nations to rejoice. As you bring Edmond and Oklahoma City more and more into the light of your Kingdom. We lift up to you now some that we want you to regenerate and bring to salvation. …
There is much going on in the world that brings us fear.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.
Would you now bring justice and peace to our country and to the world: we lift up to you especially, the impeachment preceding, that justice may be done, whatever justice is; we lift up to you Brexit, that wisdom may be had, and other world events, we lift up to your our friends in Australia as they face continuing wild fires, and other things…
We thank you Lord that while Christians may have a myriad of opinions leading to different political parties and different denominations, we have one Lord, Jesus Christ. It is into His name we have been baptized, not Trump’s, not Warren, nor anyone else, but Jesus. So we ask that you would help restore civility to our society, most of all in your church, so that even where there are denominations Presbyterians would love Baptists who would love Pentecostals who would love Methodists and so on, so that the world would see us as One church in Christ and our witness would be strengthened.
Restore civility in how our country would talk to each other about politics: between Democrats and Republicans and other political divides. And may Christians especially, always share their opinions and beliefs, even where true Christians disagree in secondary matters, like mere politics, speak to each other and to the world in a way that does not reflect poorly upon our gospel witness. And in speaking that way, would you make us fishers of men, spreading the light of your glorious grace into the world right here in Oklahoma City and Edmond and Oklahoma.
Where we have failed:
Search us, O God, and know our hearts!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
To this I add my "Amen".
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