Morning Prayer: 30 Sept – Revelation 10:8-11 ~ sweet and bitter

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

I arise today, through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to secure me: against snares of devils,
against temptations of vices, against inclinations of nature,
against everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and anear, alone and in a crowd.

Revelation 10:8-11 (ESV) – to be read aloud

Bible in Latin (1150-1200) Source : Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des manuscrits, Latin 16744 Description : Capucins. Provenance : bnf.fr Date de mise en ligne : 25/10/2012 — Latin Bible (1150-1200)
Source : Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des manuscrits, Latin 16744
Description : Capucins.
Provenance : bnf.fr
Date de mise en ligne : 25/10/2012

Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”

So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

Reflection

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

Interlude: The little scroll (10:8-11)

Overview: The effect of the interlude is to set off the seventh visitation as particularly important. We are all keyed up for the climax but it does not come. This is not simply a literary device, but part of life. We cannot predict how God’s judgements will work out. They take unexpected courses. There are delays which give opportunity for repentance.

Up until now, John has dealt with the fate of sinners during the days leading up to the climax. Now he turns to the church during that time. It has duties to perform and troubles to undergo. John warns it. (Morris, p.133)

Assimilation of the message: The symbol of eating the scroll is a natural one suggesting the complete assimilation of the prophetic message…. The word of God – the message of both salvation and judgement – must be ingested and personally assimilated by the prophet, as it must be by every servant of God who proclaims his word (see Ezek 3:3; Jer 15:16). (Ladd, p.146)

Sweet and bitter: The sweetness and bitterness refer to the two-fold reaction of the prophet as he digests his message and understands it. It is a sweet thing to be close to God, to be the recipient of his word. This is true of all believers…. But as John digested his message and pondered its implications, it became bitter in his stomach.

Here is an important truth for all who proclaim the word of God. The full counsel of God contains a word of judgement as well as mercy, and the messenger of the gospel must be faithful to both aspects of his message. But the man who knows the love of God and the compassion of Christ can never take delight in preaching the wrath of God or find satisfaction of spirit in proclaiming divine judgements. He must always do this with a broken heart, with a bitter spirit, following the example of his Lord who wept over those upon whom God’s judgement was to fall. (Ladd, p.147)

The entire civilized world: John’s prophecy relates to many peoples and nations. It is the final act in the great drama of God’s creative and redemptive activity. The meaning of history comes into sharp focus at the end point in time. John’s mission is to lay bare the forces of the supernatural world that are at work behind the activities of people and nations. His prophecy is the culmination of all previous prophecies in that it leads on to the final destruction of evil and the inauguration of the eternal state. (Mounce, p.211)
__________

__________

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.

Morning Prayer: 29 Sept – Revelation 10:1-7 ~ no more delay

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Revelation 10:1-7 (ESV) – to be read aloud

Angel of the Revelation William Blake (ca. 1803-5) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York — Angel of the Revelation
William Blake (ca. 1803-5)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.”

And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

Reflection

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

Interlude: The Mighty Angel (10:1-7)

Overview: In the first of two visions that make up the interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpet John encounters a mighty angel coming down out of heaven…. In this vision (Chapter 10) the scene shifts from heaven to earth and John himself becomes involved in the vision. The dramatic appearance of the resplendent angel would provide encouragement for the church about to enter a final period of hostility from the unbelieving world. (Mounce, p.200-1)

The mighty angel: John views the angel as he descends from heaven to earth. Coming directly from the presence of God, he arrives on a mission of crucial significance for the persecuted church…. The visual impact is that of an enormous and resplendent angel descending from heaven and standing astride both sea and land. This dramatic appearance of an authoritative figure from heaven stands in marked contrast to the immediately preceding tableau of humanity’s idolatry and immorality…. The voice is commensurate with his gigantic size… and forebodes the coming peril of divine retribution. (Mounce, p.201-3)

The seven thunders: Human nature being what it is there has been a good deal of speculation as to what the thunders said…. However, it is better to think of the thunders as conveying a revelation to John (clearly he understood them), but which he was not to pass on to others…. It is timely to be reminded that there are some parts of the counsel of God which people like John can know but are beyond ordinary people like ourselves. A further value in our knowledge that the thunders are sealed is that it is a warning against the kind of date-fixing that has characterized some schemes of prophecy based on this book. On John’s own showing we do not have all the information. God has kept some things back from us. Let us not proceed as though all has been revealed. (Morris, p.135-6)

No more delay: Apocalyptic thought has always been concerned with the question, How long until the end? The mighty angel’s answer is, “There will be no more delay!” Now nothing stands in the way of the final dramatic period of human history. From this point forward God will not intervene to give the human race further opportunity to repent. Restraint is to be removed, and the Antichrist is to be revealed (cf. 2 Thess 2:3ff). The forces of God and Satan will meet in final confrontation…. The appointed delay is over, and the period of the end is irrevocably set into motion. (Mounce, p.205-6)

The One who lives forever and ever: Soon many believers in the Asian churches will be called upon to sacrifice their lives out of faithfulness to Christ. Only a God who lives beyond the threat of death can promise them life after the sword has taken its toll. God is not only eternal; he is creator of heaven, earth, and sea, and everything therein…. All of which underscores his power to accomplish what he set out to do…. The One who brought all things into being can carry them through in fulfillment to his redemptive purpose. The end of history, as was the beginning, is under the sovereign control of God. (Mounce, p.206)
__________

__________

Canticle

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
_____________________________________

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Ezekiel 18:25-28; Psalm 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14; Philippians 2:1-11; Matthew 21:28-32 ~ on humble obedience

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening prayer:

God’s love is displayed for us in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. We rejoice in this love, and celebrate the victory over sin and death won for us. Together, we praise God’s holy name.
_____

O God, You alone judge rightly and search the depths of the heart. Make us swift to do Your will and slow to judge our neighbour, that we may walk with those who follow the way of repentance and faith and so enter Your heavenly kingdom. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.
__________

__________

A Reading from the Old testament: Ezekiel 18:25-28 (NLT)

“Yet you say, ‘The Lord isn’t doing what’s right!’ Listen to me, O people of Israel. Am I the one not doing what’s right, or is it you? When righteous people turn from their righteous behavior and start doing sinful things, they will die for it. Yes, they will die because of their sinful deeds. And if wicked people turn from their wickedness, obey the law, and do what is just and right, they will save their lives. They will live because they thought it over and decided to turn from their sins. Such people will not die.”
__________

A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14 (NLT)

Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.
_____

The Lord is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray. He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way.
_____

The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.
_____

The Lord is a friend to those who fear him. He teaches them his covenant.
__________

__________

A Reading from the Letters: Philippians 2:1-11 (NLT)

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
__________

A Reading from the Gospels: Matthew 21:28-32 (NLT)

“But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway. Then the father told the other son, ‘You go,’ and he said, ‘Yes, sir, I will.’ But he didn’t go.

“Which of the two obeyed his father?”

They replied, “The first.”

Then Jesus explained his meaning: “I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do. For John the Baptist came and showed you the right way to live, but you didn’t believe him, while tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to believe him and repent of your sins.
__________

__________

Intercessions:

The Lord’s mercy never ends. Lord, hear our prayer:

+ For the leaders of Christian communities around the world – that they may live the message they preach….
Lord, hear us.
+ For Christians around the world – that we may answer God’s call to love our neighbors….
Lord, hear us.
+ For those living on the margins of society – that their needs may be remembered, even as we attend to our own….
Lord, hear us.
+ For people who feel they are beyond divine mercy – that they may know the Father’s warm embrace….
Lord, hear us.
+ For men, women, and children who are exploited – that justice and deliverance from evil may prevail….
Lord, hear us.
+ For all who suffer the ravages of war, especially in the Middle East – that the church may provide protection, provision, and comfort….
Lord, hear us.
+ For those who endure sickness in mind or body – that Your healing care may sustain them….
Lord, hear us.
+ For those among us who have recently died – that they may be raised to life through Jesus’ resurrection….
Lord, hear us.
+ For all those who weigh heavy on our hearts today – that they may know Your grace, mercy and peace….
Lord, hear us.

O God of endless goodness, Your love and mercy have no end: hear the prayers of Your people, we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen
__________

__________

Benediction:

Now may the God of peace — who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood — may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Morning Prayer: 27 Sept – Revelation 9:13-21 ~ point of no return?

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Revelation 9:13-21 (ESV) – to be read aloud

Four Angels at the Euphrates (mattstone.blogs.com) — Four Angels at the Euphrates
(mattstone.blogs.com)

Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound.

The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Reflection

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

The Sixth Trumpet (9:13-21)

Overview: The intensity of the trumpet sequence continues to mount…. From plagues that affect land, sea, water and light to a swarm of demonic locusts released to torment unbelievers… the sixth trumpet-plague is even worse. Now demonic cavalry, two hundred million strong, come charging across the scene of history. From their lionlike heads come fire, smoke, and sulphur, and with their tails they inflict lethal damage. A third of the unbelieving world falls before their murderous assault. Those who remain do not repent of their idolatry and immoral lifestyle but continue their idolatrous worship of gods made by their own hands.

Nowhere will you find a more accurate picture of sinful humanity pressed to the extreme. One would think that the terrors of God’s wrath would bring rebels to their knees. Not so. Past the point of no return, they respond to greater punishment with increased rebellion. Such is sinful nature untouched and unmoved by the mercies of God. (Mounce, p.192-193)
_____

God sends his judgements upon the wicked, but his aim is not to hurt. There is a purpose of love behind the judgements. They are to make plain the seriousness and the ill desert of sin, they are to lead people to repent, to turn to God and be saved. But when they do nothing of the sort they should not think that they have triumphed over God. He is in supreme command. They may resist his will, but it is to their own hurt.

John was writing… for the Christian church. Believers must live in this world, not an imaginary world of their own choosing. John is making plain to a little group of persecuted believers that they must not expect to live in a world that understood them and welcomed their witness. No matter how severe the judgements of God, the world continues with its idolatries and manifold sins. Believers must not delude themselves. This world that John depicts, where sinful people resist God to the limit no matter how much they hurt themselves in the process, is the world believers must live in. There is no other.

But it is a world under judgement. (Morris, p.129)
__________

__________

Canticle

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
_____________________________________

Morning Prayer: 26 Sept – Revelation 9:1-12 ~ demonic pain and distress

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Revelation 9:1-12 (ESV) – to be read aloud

Greece, Chalkidiki, Mount Athos peninsula, World Heritage Site, Dionysiou monastery, Frescoes of the Book of Revelation or Apocalypse of Saint John (c 1550)

And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.

In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth; they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.

The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.

Reflection

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

The Fifth Trumpet (9:1-12)

Overview: The blowing of the fifth trumpet releases the first Woe – a horde of demonic locusts that emerges from the Abyss and spreads out over the land to torment everyone not marked with the seal of the living God. The pain and distress are so great that although people seek death they are unable to find it. (Mounce, p.184)

Background for this is a plague of actual locusts in Joel 2:4-10 which is to precede the coming of the day of the Lord…. In the Revelation, however, the locusts are symbolic of demonic hosts. (Ladd, p.129)

Description: The abyss is pictured as being kept under lock and key under the sovereignty of God…. The key is given to the angelic emissary who, having descended from heaven, releases the demonic hosts…. Their mission is to attack only those of mankind who have not been sealed by God…. The tribulation will be a time of the beginning of the wrath of God upon a rebellious society, a time of fearful persecution of the church… and a time of demonic activity…. However, the church will be sheltered by divine protection from demonic activity.

The appearance of the demonic hosts is terrifying… faces suggesting intelligence… teeth suggesting ferocity… breastplates suggesting their invincibility… tails inflicting torture… all of which indicating their destructive power. (Ladd, p.130-134)

Significance: When people fail to respond to God’s gracious invitation and set themselves in opposition to his purposes, then they become the prey of horrifying demonic forces. They suffer the consequences of their choice. They are not defeating God. His sovereignty is clear to John. God is not mocked. Even in the demonic horrors he works out his purpose. But people must accept the results of their choice. This is so now and it will be so in the last days….

God uses the evil results of our sins to call us to repentance…. The release of the demonic forces… is God’s chastening, and God’s chastening is not aimless. Rightly received it should lead to amendment. (Morris, p.123-124)

__________

Canticle

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
_____________________________________

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: