Gospel Reading: John 20:19-23
As the Father sent me, so I send you. Receive the Holy Spirit.
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Words of Wisdom:
Man has two great spiritual needs. One is for forgiveness. God answered that at Calvary. The other is for goodness. God answered that at Pentecost.
--Billy Graham
Prayer:
Dear Lord God Almighty. We know that You are Jesus, and that You died for us. Give us Your Holy Spirit, to live in us forever, and thus bless us with eternal life. Let Your Holy Spirit Testify through us and speak the Truth through us. Let Your Holy Spirit Love through us, a perfect unselfish Holy Love; so that we lay down all worldly ambitions, give up our wills, and do Your Holy Will. Take our thoughts away from making money, or finding business opportunities. Take our desire away from seeking worldly wealth or fame. Take our eyes away from looking on vain worldly appearances, which deceive and mislead us. Keep our thoughts on doing Your Holy will, not on seeking worldly material things, or vain worldly status.
Let Your Holy Spirit give us our one desire and one purpose to do Your Holy Will. If You desire us to walk paths of poverty, then so be it. If You desire us to lose everything, that we think is important or valuable, then so be it. If You desire us to sacrifice everything we have and our lives, then so be it. If You desire us to endure pain and seasons of harsh conditions, then so be it. If You desire us to live or die, then so be it. Let Your Holy Will be done in our lives. For, even our lives are not our own, we owe everything to You.
Keep us from looking in the mirror and admiring our own beauty, which is not beauty at all. Let the True Beauty that is in us be Your Holy Spirit of Truth and Grace. Keep us from pride and love of self, which is our enemy. Bless us with absolute, total, unselfish Love which is only possible through Your Holy Spirit.
We give You our lives. Do with us as You Will. Make our lives useful to Your Service. The only ambition we have is to humbly, and honestly do Your Will. We want to lift up Your Name Jesus, not our names. We want to make known the power of Your Holy Spirit, Jesus. We want You to claim us for Yourself, and use us according to Your Divine purpose. And no matter the job or task that You assign to us, we will be contented, and full of Joy, to do Your Holy Will, Jesus.
Let Your Holy Spirit, Jesus, live in us forever, and give us Purpose, Hope, and Peace and Joy, and Eternal Life. For without You, we perish. In Your Holy Spirit, Jesus, we pray! Amen.
