27 November, 2020
Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. Psalm 25:8–9
O God, you created the universe out of a void, out of nothingness. You gave it form and shape and being. With the utterance of your word, you brought forth, out of the darkness, your great, healing light and filled the earth with your magnificent creatures, with man, made in your image, of upright form, in whom you breathed your spirit. All the heavens and earth ceaselessly speak and sing about your wondrous deeds.
Your love, steadfastness, righteousness, are glorified, for when man proved unfaithful and lost your grace because of his unforgivable transgression against his own creator, you humbled yourself and descended upon the earth to deliver him and uphold him. The sinners were the objects of your mercy and compassion, and your mission, the redemption of man. You reconciled mankind unto you, for you are the sole proprietor and hence, the redeemer, in order to restore them to their heavenly home as benificiaries, as originally ordained by you, in perfect amity with their maker, by the sacrifice on the cross.
It is no less true than wonderful that through the atonement, we receive your grace by our faith and not by our merit. Lord our God in your compassion you conform sinners to your own image, by teaching the humble your ways, thus by your goodness reclaiming sinful men. We are assured that you will renew the hearts of transgressors and guide them into the way of holiness. Let those who desire to be delivered from sin take comfort that God himself condescends to humbly draw sinners into the path of truth.
With the counseling of the holy spirit of truth, we wait, receive, and lift our souls, learning to change and integrating ourselves into the image in which we have been created, the likeness of our Father God, who has dominance over all, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen