Acts

O Lord, we come not simply because it says “prayer of illumination” in the bulletin and this is how sermons start, we come because we need Your help. And so we pray, come, Holy Spirit, come, heavenly dove, with all Your quickening powers, kindle a flame of sacred love in these cold hearts of ours….

Our gracious heavenly Father, we ask now for Your blessing as we come to Your Word, that I might decrease and Christ would increase, that You would give us ears to hear that we might listen attentively and learn, and that by Your grace we would be changed and transformed as Your disciples. We pray…

Let’s ask for the Lord’s help. O Lord, grant now that we may hear Your Word, know Your will, and walk in Your way. Give us light where we have darkness, hope where we have none, rid us of the confusion, the apathy, the stubborn sin that would choke out the fruitfulness of Your Word….

Blessed be your name, O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. You chose us in Christ, have promised to make us holy in Christ, predestined us for adoption in Christ, we have redemption in Christ, forgiveness of our trespasses…

Let’s pray. O Father, we trust that these words we have just sung are not just words, but reflect and express the attitude of our hearts, so we pray again that you would prepare our hearts, O God, help us to receive. We do have hard and stony ground in our hearts. We are easily…