Month: November 2013
Morning Prayer: Psalm 119:96-106; Jeremiah 31:33-34; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:3 ~ wholesome teaching
Morning Prayer
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening sentence
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.
You will find the Lord your God, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Morning readings
Psalm 119:96-106 NLT:
Even perfection has its limits, but your commands have no limit.
Oh, how I love your instructions! I think about them all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are my constant guide. Yes, I have more insight than my teachers, for I am always thinking of your laws. I am even wiser than my elders, for I have kept your commandments. I have refused to walk on any evil path, so that I may remain obedient to your word. I haven’t turned away from your regulations, for you have taught me well.
How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey. Your commandments give me understanding; no wonder I hate every false way of life. Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. I’ve promised it once, and I’ll promise it again: I will obey your righteous regulations.
Jeremiah 31:33-34 NLT:
“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the Lord. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”
2 Timothy 3:14-4:3 NLT:
But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom: Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.
For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.
Reflection/Prayer:
Simchat Torah, the Rejoicing of the Law, is not a biblically prescribed feast, but occurs immediately after Succot.
The Scrolls of the Law are taken out of the Holy Ark and carried in men’s arms. Father’s dance with their children, and women throw sweets on them. According to tradition, the synagogue must be encircled seven times or more. The festival is celebrated on the day on which the reading of the Torah is completed and begun again from Genesis. The Torah is read in an annual cycle, so the Jewish community created a festival of joy on a day that could have been only a day of tedious re-rolling of the community’s scrolls from the end to the beginning. We might also ask, is it not a great cause for rejoicing to complete a reading of the Scriptures by the community and to have the opportunity to begin reading again!
Daniel Juster in his study Jewish Roots asks whether the early Messianic Jews would have had an ark:
I believe they did. We historically know that they read the Torah (ie Genesis to Deuteronomy). In the first century Torahs were kept in an ark! Did they keep the New Testament Scriptures in the Ark? We do not know. However, we do know that ancient eastern churches that stem back to the Syrian church have ark-like structures in which they keep the Scriptures.
This song ‘Maoz Tzur’ is a traditional one sung after the candles are lit:
Rock of Ages, let our song
praise Thy saving power:
Thou, amidst the raging foes
wast our shelt’ring tower.
Furious they assailed us
but Thine arm availed us,
and Thy word broke their sword
when our own streength failed us.
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: The Morning Prayer readings are from the Daily Office of the Northumbrian Community as available online here… and in the book form, Celtic Daily Prayer available on Amazon.com.
The website and prayer book are rich in prayer resources and I commend them to you. For our purpose here, I will limit my selections to the Morning Prayer resources.
31st Sunday in Ordinary Time: Psalm 145:1-2, 8-11, 13-14 ; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2 ; Luke 19:1-10 ~ saved to serve
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Hoy Spirit. Amen
Opening sentence: The Spirit of God lives in us, inspiring and guarding. In the Spirit, we worship our creator and entrust ourselves to the Lord’s loving care.
As we prepare to approach God’s throne of grace, we call to mind our sins: (pause). Amen.
Lord Jesus, you came to gather the nations into the peace of God’s kingdom … You come in word and sacrament to strengthen us in holiness … You will come in glory with salvation for your people: Lord, have mercy.
A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 145:1-2, 8-11, 13-14 (NLT)
I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever and ever. I will praise you every day; yes, I will praise you forever.
The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation. All of your works will thank you, Lord, and your faithful followers will praise you. They will speak of the glory of your kingdom; they will give examples of your power.
For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule throughout all generations. The Lord always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does. The Lord helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads.
A Reading from the Pastoral Letters: 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2 (NLT)
So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us.
A Reading from the Gospels: Luke 19:1-10 (NLT)
Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.
When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”
Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.
Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”
Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
Intercessions:
God of mercy and compassion – You welcome all who seek You… hear my prayers on behalf of Your people:
+ For all Church leaders, and all baptized believers: that together we will continually grow closer to You and reflect Your love, mercy and grace…. Lord, hear my prayer.
+ For all nations: that they will respect the splendor of God’s creation and care for the world’s resources and its people…. Lord, hear my prayer.
+ For all politicians and Government Officials: that they follow the example of Zacchaeus and be open to accept responsibility for the wrongs they have done and be ready to make amends for them…. Lord, hear my prayer.
+ For those who have wealth and power: that they will place themselves at the service of those in need…. Lord, hear my prayer.
+ For retired servants of Christ: that they may continue to enjoy Your grace and mercy on their life’s journey…. Lord, hear my prayer.
+ For those working for peace: that God will inspire them and that all members of the military and aid agencies may soon return home to their loved ones…. Lord, hear my prayer.
+ For those who are seriously ill, hospitalized, or homebound… and their caregivers…. Lord, hear my prayer.
+ For the recently deceased, and for all who mourn their loss.… Lord, hear my prayer.
God of life, You free me from fear and stir up my heart to hope in You. Help me to live life in a manner worthy of Your calling. I ask this through Christ my Lord. AMEN.
Spiritual Song: “Before the Throne of God Above”
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Morning Prayer: Psalm 98:6-7; Micah 7:19; 1 Corinthians 15:50-54 ~ gone, gone, gone, gone
Morning Prayer
In the the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening sentence
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.
You will find the Lord your God, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Morning readings
Psalm 98:6-7 NLT:
With trumpets and the sound of the ram’s horn. Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King!
Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the earth and all living things join in.
Micah 7:19 NLT:
Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!
1 Corinthians 15:50-54 NLT:
What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.
But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:
“Death is swallowed up in victory….”
Reflection/Prayer:
Rosh Hashanah is the name of the Jewish new year festival, and on the first day of the new year a ceremony called ‘Tashlich’ takes near a source of water. The ceremony originated in Germany in the fourteenth century in a non-Jewish custom – fish were fed with bread crumbs as a sign of cleansing from sins. Now the prayer used is one which is based on the prophet Micah’s words: ‘and cast all thy sins into the depths of the sea.’
Corrie ten Boom, whose family loved and protected the Jews during the Nazi occupation of Holland, has said:
When God forgives our sins, He separates them as far from us as the east is from the west, buries them in the bottom of the deepest sea, and puts up a sign for the Devil, saying, NO FISHING!
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: The Morning Prayer readings are from the Daily Office of the Northumbrian Community as available online here… and in the book form, Celtic Daily Prayer available on Amazon.com.
The website and prayer book are rich in prayer resources and I commend them to you. For our purpose here, I will limit my selections to the Morning Prayer resources.
Morning Prayer: Psalm 39:13; Deuteronomy 7:6; Acts 22:11-16 ~ why the Jews?
Morning Prayer:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening sentence
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.
You will find the Lord your God, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Morning readings
Psalm 39:13 NLT:
Leave me alone so I can smile again before I am gone and exist no more.
Deuteronomy 7:6 NLT:
For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.
Acts 22:11-16 NLT:
“I was blinded by the intense light and had to be led by the hand to Damascus by my companions. A man named Ananias lived there. He was a godly man, deeply devoted to the law, and well regarded by all the Jews of Damascus. He came and stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ And that very moment I could see him!
“Then he told me, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and hear him speak. For you are to be his witness, telling everyone what you have seen and heard. What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.’”
Reflection/Prayer:
An unknown poet once wrote:
How odd
of God
to choose
the Jews!
This month we will be looking at the life and calling, tradition and history of God’s very own chosen people, and seeing what we can learn.
When Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof is warned by the constable of the coming pogrom that will be a new wave of trouble for the Jewish community he turns to heaven, and says: ‘Dear God, did You have to send me news like that? It’s true we are the Chosen People. But once in a while can’t You choose someone else?’
Dave Berg (of Mad magazine) asks:
Chosen for what? Chosen to lead in the Path of Righteousness? Maybe. Chosen to be a Light to the World? Maybe. Chosen to bear witness to my Friend, Whose name is God? Maybe. Or Chosen to take all the blame from all the blame throwers for everything that goes wrong in the world… the old story tells of a wise man talking to his bigoted acquaintance and he says, ‘You’re right, all the trouble in this world is caused by the Jews – and the bicycle riders!’
The bigot asked, ‘Why the bicycle riders? ‘
The wise man says, ‘Why the Jews?’
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: The Morning Prayer readings are from the Daily Office of the Northumbrian Community as available online here… and in the book form, Celtic Daily Prayer available on Amazon.com.
The website and prayer book are rich in prayer resources and I commend them to you. For our purpose here, I will limit my selections to the Morning Prayer resources.
The Peanut Gallery 