Sabbath Keeping
“Want to know happiness? Listen to the Lord speak and accept His words
of encouragement.” —Thomas
á Kempis
Opening Prayer
O God, the King of glory, you have
exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in
heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen
us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting.
Amen. (BCP 226)
John 17:9-19
My prayer is not for the world, but
for those you have given me, because they belong to you. And all of them, since
they are mine, belong to you; and you have given them back to me, so they are
my glory! Now I am departing the world; I am leaving them behind and coming to
you. Holy Father, keep them and care for them—all those you have given me—so
that they will be united just as we are. During my time here, I have kept them
safe. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for
destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.
“And now I am coming to you. I have told them many things while I was with them so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They are not part of this world any more than I am. Make them pure and holy by teaching them your words of truth. As you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself entirely to you so they also might be entirely yours.
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