Almighty, gracious, and loving God,
Today and everyday, fill us and enliven us with your Holy Spirit that we might rejoice in proclaiming the Gospel. Grant us joy in the truth that your Word of Good News is not just information, but the living power of the living God.
“The words which I have spoken to you are Spirit and they are life”.
Pour out your Spirit and settle our busy, restless, and distracted minds and hearts this morning. Make us vessels to receive your promise of a peace that is deeper and richer than anything we can imagine. Peace in Jesus Christ. Peace in the midst of our daily struggles. Peace that passes all understanding.
By the power of your Word, shatter the bondage of self in which we are chained. Create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit within us. Renew our hearts, Lord, so they might burn not with self interest but with love for our neighbors. Renew our hearts to bear the fruit of the Spirit, the good fruit that this world needs. For there is no law against joy, there is no law against kindness and gentleness, there is no law against faithfulness, there is no law against love.
As we go about our day, have us know and walk in the assurance that your Spirit hovers over us, gives us the very breath of life, and lives in us. To stir us, to correct us, to work through us, to comfort us, to teach us, to lead us. And ultimately, to turn us to Christ that we might be set free by His Word of forgiveness in order to recklessly pour out His forgiveness on the world.
All this we pray in the name of Jesus Christ,
AMEN.