"Glory Be to God on High" - 11 September 2016

Glory be to God on high: And on earth peace, good will toward men. We praise you, we bless you, we worship you, we glorify you, we give thanks to you, for your great glory. O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty. O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ; O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takes away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us. You that take away the sin of the world, receive our prayer. You that sit at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us. For you only are holy; you only are the Lord. You only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost, are most high in the glory of God the Father.

O God, heavenly Father, by your Son Jesus Christ you have promised to all those who seek your kingdom and your righteousness to care for their necessities; look on those who are strapped by disease, ailments, depression, mental or physical afflictions; those straining under their weight, and those striving to keep their heads above water; …..raise them up from their misery and misfortune, granting them unlooked for strength and hope, that they may spend the rest of their lives serving, glorifying and enjoying you, now, always and for ever.

Give steadying strength, stabilizing aid, resilient love, long-lasting commitment, unwavering godliness and sound doctrine to your church here and throughout the world; especially in Yemen; Zambia; and Zimbabwe. Through the prayers and work of your Church, may your open-handed help and guidance be shown to all; sojourners and wayfarers find shelter; those blown about by the violence and predation of our world find sanctuary; the lonely and deserted find warmth; and the broken, bruised and battered find respite.

We pray for those deceived and defrauded by heretics and hucksters, that you would grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth so that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil (2 Timothy 2.25-26)…. We also pray for those who have never embraced your Son Jesus Christ, trusting in him for their salvation and repenting of their sins; along with those who have once made a good confession and since then have made shipwreck of their faith…..shine the light of your mercy and grace into their hearts and heads, and bring them to new life in Christ.

High King of Heaven, who is never caught unawares, even though the actions of humankind often grieve you; many today are rightly remembering the horror of that fateful day 15 years ago, when terrorists viciously hijacked 4 planes to slaughter thousands of Americans; and then the subsequent years of tears, bloodshed and destruction that ensued from it. We still sorrow over the evil of it all. We sincerely implore you to grant our country safety from all enemies foreign and domestic, and may this be an important day of reflection in which many in our land turn to you. Thank you for the numerous times further assaults have been nipped in the bud; and thank you for those agents and investigators who have been vigilant and valiant.

Father, pour out your merciful kindness on all nations, that order, stability, and tranquility may be established for the good of all people, and for the sake of your Church. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen