The Prayer of the Day:
Thanks be to you, Lord Jesus Christ, most merciful redeemer, for the countless blessings and benefits you give. May we know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day praising you, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen
Worship Insight:
All the baptized have a calling in God’s world. God calls not just pastors and deacons but also the youngest child, like Samuel. The story of the calling of Nathanael plays with the idea of place. Nathanael initially dismisses Jesus because he comes from Nazareth. But where we come from isn’t important; it’s where – or rather whom – we come to. Jesus refers to Jacob, who had a vision in a place he called “the house of God, and …the gate of heaven.” Jesus says he himself is the place where Nathanael will meet God.
