Be Thou My Vision: 7 Days of Liturgy for Daily WorshipSample

Call to Worship

Hear God call you to worship through his word:

We give thanks to you, O God;

we give thanks, for your name is near.

We recount your wondrous deeds.

Psalm 75:1

Adoration

Pray this praise to God:

We bless you for your preservation of us during the past night; and we desire to acknowledge again our dependence upon you, and our unfeigned obligations toward you. We thank you for having poured down upon us so many blessings of this life; we thank you for our health and strength; for our food and dress; and for all the comforts and conveniences which we enjoy. But, above all, we praise you for the inestimable privilege of being born in a land of religious light and knowledge. For these, and for all your various and great mercies, we would render unto you a grateful heart; and we would endeavor to show our gratitude, not with our lips only, but with our lives; by giving up ourselves to your service, and by walking before you, in holiness and righteousness, all our days on earth. Amen.

Henry Thornton

Reading of the Law

Hear God’s law as his will for your life:

Our Lord Jesus said,

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,

for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,

for they shall receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:3–10

Confession of Sin

Confess your sins to God:

O Lord, you have mercy upon all—take away from me my sins, and mercifully kindle in me the fire of your Holy Spirit. Take away from me the heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh, a heart to love and adore you, a heart to delight in you, to follow and to enjoy you, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

Ambrose

Assurance of Pardon

Receive these words of comfort from God:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

Athanasian Creed, Part 1

Confess what you believe about the Christian faith:

Whoever desires to be saved should above all hold to the catholic faith. Anyone who does not keep it whole and unbroken will doubtless perish eternally. Now this is the catholic faith:

that we worship one God in Trinity and the Trinity in unity, neither confounding their persons nor dividing the essence.

For the person of the Father is a distinct person,

the person of the Son is another,

and that of the Holy Spirit still another.

But the divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one,

the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.

Such as the Father is, such is the Son and such is the Holy Spirit.

The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, the Holy Spirit is uncreated.

The Father is immeasurable, the Son is immeasurable,

the Holy Spirit is immeasurable.

The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, the Holy Spirit is eternal.

And yet there are not three eternal beings; there is but one eternal being.

So too there are not three uncreated or immeasurable beings;

there is but one uncreated and immeasurable being.

Similarly, the Father is almighty, the Son is almighty, the Holy Spirit is almighty.

Yet there are not three almighty beings; there is but one almighty being.

Thus, the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God.

Yet there are not three gods; there is but one God.

Thus, the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord.

Yet there are not three lords; there is but one Lord.

Just as Christian truth compels us to confess each person individually as both God and Lord,

so catholic religion forbids us to say that there are three gods or lords.

Praise

Say or sing this praise to God:

Glory be to the Father

and to the Son

and to the Holy Spirit:

As it was in the beginning,

is now and ever shall be,

world without end. Amen.

Gloria Patri

Prayer for Illumination

As you read his word, ask God to enlighten your mind and heart:

O, make your Word a swift Word,

passing from the ear to the heart,

from the heart to the lip and conversation;

that, as the rain returns not empty, so neither may your Word,

but accomplish that for which it is given. Amen.

George Herbert

Scripture Reading

Read a portion of God’s word:

Genesis 3, Matthew 3, Ezra 3, Acts 3

Prayer of Intercession

As you make your requests to God, pray this prayer:

Let your mighty hand and outstretched arm, O Lord, still be our defense;

your mercy and loving kindness in Jesus Christ your dear Son, our salvation;

your true and holy Word, our instruction;

your grace and Holy Spirit, our comfort and consolation unto the end,

and in the end. Amen.

John Bradford

Further Petition

• Personal
• Church
• World

Lord’s Prayer

In closing, pray the words that Jesus taught us to pray:

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name;

your kingdom come;

your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

For yours is the kingdom, and the power,

and the glory, forever. Amen.