Morning Prayer
+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening sentences
God, come to my assistance. Lord, make haste to help me.
One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.
Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Revelation 2:1-7 (ESV) – to be read aloud
site of the proceedings of
the Council of Ephesus in 431.
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.
“‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’”
Reflection
THE FIRST VISION – THE SEVEN LETTERS
To the Church in Ephesus
“Ephesus was the foremost city in Asia and home of the most important church in the province…. Ephesus was also the home of all kinds of superstitions and practices and was famous throughout the world for the magical arts (see Acts 19:19). It was founded by Aquila and Priscilla… firmly established by Paul’s preaching and teaching… and carried on later by Timothy and John. In the first years of the second century, Ignatius wrote the Ephesians a letter which praises them for their unity and blameless Christian conduct and for living in harmonious love.” (Ladd, p.37)
“I know your works…”
“The good works of the Ephesians consisted in their firm opposition to false teachers who had arisen in Ephesus and their steadfast refusal to be led away by their teachings…. Many itinerant preachers and teachers arose in the early church who claimed to be the mouthpiece of the Holy Spirit and to speak for God…. The church in Ephesus demonstrated the ability to distinguish between true and false teachers… and refused to tolerate the latter.” (Ladd, p.38-39)
“But I have this against you…”
“However, their struggle with false teachers… had had serious effects… and had led them to abandon the love they had at first. Here was a failure which undermined the very foundation of the Christian life…. Doctrinal purity and loyalty can never be a substitute for love.” (Ladd, p.39)
Remember, repent, return
“Christ calls them to come back in three steps: remember – look back to a time of greater intimacy with God; repent – make a break with evil; return – to what you did at first…. A church can continue only for so long on a loveless course… before it will cease to exist as a church.” (Morris, p.61)
“To the one who conquers…”
“The Christian life is an unrelenting warfare against the powers of evil…. The victory is analogous to the victory won by Christ himself, even though it involved his death on the cross…. The very martyrdom of the saints was their victory, for they had conquered every satanic effort to turn their loyalty and devotion away from Christ and had remained true…. Love and loyalty to Christ will conquer fear of suffering and death.” (Ladd, p.41)
Prayer
Blessed be our Lord Jesus Christ: He hears the prayers of His children and holds the church in His hand – Lord, hear us.
+ Thank You for speaking to us through the prophets and apostles – that we might know You and love You with all our hearts…
+ Thank You for sending us Your Spirit, the Spirit of Truth – that we might discern truth from falsehood and remain true to Your Word…
+ Forgive us our battle-scarred, hardened hearts – that we might not become like the enemies of Truth…
+ Forgive us for being so focused on judgement for our enemies – that we no longer pray for their conversion…
+ Teach us how to love our enemies – that we might overcome evil with good…
+ Give us Your strength in our weakness – that we might have the courage to face our troubles and tribulations…
+ Direct our thoughts, our words, our actions today – that we may know, and do, your will…
+ Make wisdom our guide – that we might ever walk in newness of life…
I ask this for Your Name’s sake. Amen.
__________
__________
Canticle
Christ, as a light – illumine and guide me.
Christ, as a shield – overshadow me.
Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me – on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me – on my left and my right.
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you.
May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm.
May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you.
May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
_____________________________________
Peanut Gallery: In September, we will begin reading through the Book of Revelation (ESV). Our purpose will be devotional, i.e. to discover the word of blessing that God has for us in these troubled times… to find hope and help for our daily lives.
This will not be a Bible Study per se: we will not attempt to unravel the “mysteries” of Revelation… that is far beyond our abilities and is not our interest here. However, so as not to get too far afield, we will rely on three study resources: primary – A Commentary on the Revelation of John (George Elton Ladd); supplemental Revelation (Leon Morris) and The Book of Revelation (Robert H. Mounce).
The general format for Morning Prayer is adapted from the Northumbrian Community‘s Daily Office, as found in Celtic Daily Prayer (see online resources here.) On Sundays, we’ll return to the USCCB readings (see online resources here) and various liturgical resources in order to reflect the Church’s worship and concerns throughout the world. Photo illustrations and music videos, available online, are included as they illustrate or illuminate the readings. I will try to give credit and link to sources as best I can.
The Peanut Gallery 