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 2:12-17 (ESV) – to be read aloud
“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.
“‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
“‘But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.
“‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’”
Reflection
THE FIRST VISION – THE SEVEN LETTERS
To the Church in Pergamum
Pergamum was a center of worship for four of the most important pagan cults of the day – Zeus, Athene, Dionysos, and Asklepios, the god of healing, which attracted people from all over the world. Pergamum has been described as ‘the Lourdes of the ancient world.’ And, even more important for the Christians who lived there, it was the principle center of Caesar-worship in this part of the world. (Morris, p.65)
“the sharp two-edged sword…”
In the context of life in a provincial capital where the pro-consul was granted “the right of the sword”, the power to execute at will, the sovereign Christ with the two-edged sword would remind the threatened congregation that the ultimate power over life and death belongs to God. (Mounce, p.79)
“where Satan’s throne is…”
Pergamum was a stronghold of both pagan religion and emporer worship and provided an unusually difficult environment for a Christian church…. We should remember that most of the converts in Pergamum had come from paganism, and undoubtedly the social and religious pressure to abandon Christ and to turn back to their pagan worship was severe. (Ladd, p.46)
“Yet you hold fast…”
The Greek word here for ‘witness’ is martys, which later came to bear the connotation of martyr…. By standing faithful to the point of death and suffering martyrdom, the Christian bore his most effective witness to his Lord. (Ladd, p.47)
The phrase ‘where Satan lives’ stresses the significance of the activity of the evil one. Persecution does not take place simply at the behest of wicked people. (Morris, p.66)
“a few things against you…”
Balaam is a prototype of those who promote compromise with paganism in idolatry and immorality…. The Pergamum Christians had allowed pagan morals to influence them…. They were guilty of allowing within their number some who held to the teaching of Balaam…. However, the entire church is summoned to repent for a sin of which only a few were actually guilty…. The sin of the Pergamum church was tolerance and laxity. (Ladd, p. 49)
“Repent… I will come…”
Evil must not be countenanced…. The alternative to repentance is to have Christ fight against them…. The word Christ speaks will either be a comfort and a strength, or else it destroys us. (Morris, p.67)
“To the one who conquers…”
John uses the idea of manna metaphorically to indicate admission to the messianic feast… hidden now in the presence of God but destined to be revealed in the messianic age…. The white stone is a symbol of admission… and a new name (the name of Christ? / new name given to the holder?) means certainty of entrance to the messianic banquet. (Ladd, p.49)
Prayer
Almighty God, Ruler and Righteous Judge, You know the truth about the church and all mankind. You know the truth about us. Lord, hear our prayer –
+ That Your people may faithfully bear witness to Christ, regardless of the hardships or circumstances we may face….
Lord, hear us.
+ That Your people may remain faithful to the Truth of the Gospel and strive to live godly lives in the midst of pagan, even demonic, cultures….
Lord, hear us.
+ That Your church may uphold the high standards of biblical morality – especially concerning marriage, family, and human sexuality….
Lord, hear us.
+ That Your people may be delivered from laxity and tolerance toward the mores of pagan cultures that erode holiness and righteousness….
Lord, hear us.
+ That Your church may exercise godly discipline among its members in a manner that leads to repentance, reconciliation and restoration….
Lord, hear us.
Holy God, show us the areas where we have allowed sin to take root in our lives. Forgive us and make us clean. We want to be holy. Show us how to walk in the truth. We ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen
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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
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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 