Last Sunday, May 10th, my daughter and I had the privilege of attending Evensong at Westminster Abbey in London, England. It was a beautiful service, and I will be sharing portions of it in this, and future Sunday Reflections.
The Officiant lead us in the reflective, penitent prayer:
"Almighty and most merciful Father; we have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against Thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou them, O God, which confess their faults. Restore thou them that are penitent; according to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for His sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of Thy holy Name. Amen."
How wonderful to know: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9
It was good to worship in the House of the Lord so far from home. I'm thankful our Lord isn't restricted to explicit sanctuaries, denominations, or geographic locations. He promises "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:20
May God bless your week!
That's a great all-purpose prayer for anyplace and anytime, I'd say! How wonderful you actually got to worship there! Makes it even more meaningful than just taking a tour--and a nice reminder that it's a house of worship!
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