Sunrise…sunset: the bookends of the each day. How we start and end each day is an important part of our daily liturgy.
At the beginning of most days, my husband and I pray this prayer together:
Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father,
You have brought us in safety to this new day.
Preserve us with your mighty power,
That we may not fall into sin,
Nor be overcome by adversity.
And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose,
In Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen
And most evenings, we pray this prayer:
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
Creator of the changes of day and night,
Giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent,
Bestowing upon us occasions of song in the evening.
As you have protected us in the day that is past,
So be with us in the coming night.
Keep us from every sin, every evil and every fear.
For you are our light and salvation, and the strength of our life.
To you be glory for endless ages. Amen.
I commend these beautiful prayers to you. We’ve been praying thusly for the last 15+ years of our lives, training up our children in them as well. My husband discovered these prayers in an old Book of Common Prayer, and in all these years, they have never seemed rote, tired, or boring. Sometimes we even get our hymnals out and sing together, so that the words “bestowing upon us occasions of song in the evening,” are put to good and true use.
The Lord bless and keep you all.
I’ll probably delete this in the morning.
Lynniebeemuseoday 