First Day Morning- Worship

O Lord,

We commune with thee every day,

but week days are worldly days,

and secular concerns reduce heavenly impressions.

We bless thee therefore for the day sacred to our souls

when we can wait upon thee and be refreshed;

We thank thee for the institutions of religion

by use of which we draw near to thee and thou to us;

We rejoice in another Lord's Day

when we call off our minds from the cares of the world

and attend upon thee without distraction;

Let our retirement be devout,

our conversations edifying,

our reading pious,

our hearing profitable,

the our souls may be quickened and elevated.

We are going to the house of prayer,

pour upon us the spirit of grace and supplication;

We are going to the house of praise,

awaken in us every grateful and cheerful emotion;

We are going to the house of instruction,

give testimony to the Word preached,

and glorify it in the hearts of all who hear;

may it enlighten the ignorant,

awaken the careless, reclaim the wandering,

establish the weak, comfort the feeble-minded,

make ready a people for their Lord.

Be a sanctuary to all who cannot come,

Forget not those who never come,

And do thou bestow upon us

benevolence towards our dependents,

forgiveness towards our enemies,

peaceableness towards our neighbors,

openness towards our fellow-Christians.

from Valley of Vision, ed. by Arthur Bennett

(photo credit to bpbpBrianPetersen at Flickr)