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 3:14-22 (ESV) – to be read aloud
“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.
“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.
“‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
“‘The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
Reflection
THE FIRST VISION – THE SEVEN LETTERS
To the church in Laodicea
Summary: The church in Laodicea posed a special problem. Their self-confidence had blinded them to the fact that they were “poor and naked.” Assurance that they had it all together had resulted in lukewarmness that made Christ want to spit them out of his mouth. They were counseled to buy from him spiritual wealth, the white robes of righteousness and clear vision into spiritual matters. He stands at the heart’s door of each believer and knocks, requesting permission to enter and share the blessings and joy of personal fellowship. Christ promises to each overcomer the privilege of sitting with him on his throne. (Mounce, p.106)
Christ: The titles of Christ… stress his faithfulness, his reliability and his trustworthiness. These stand in sharp contrast with the unfaithfulness of the Christians in Laodicea…. Christ is the “source and origin” of creation… for Christ is eternal. (Morris, p.81; Ladd, p.65)
The problem in Laodicea: Laodicea was on of the richest commercial centers in the world, so that we have here a picture of the church in an affluent society….. Their coolness was a denial of all that Christ stands for. (Morris, p.80, 82) Church members were simply indifferent, nominal, complacent…. However, the church is not entirely beyond hope of recovery. The strong language – spew you out of my mouth – is designed to rouse the church from her spiritual indifference. (Ladd, p.65)
The remedy in Christ: The deficiency – “poor, blind, and naked” – has a threefold remedy in Christ: (1) real spiritual wealth, (2) real spiritual sight, and (3) real spiritual honor (purity and sincerity). In spite of their sad plight, Christ does not love them any less than the others. His attitude toward the church was not punitive but disciplinary and corrective. (Ladd, p.67)
The call to repentance: A decisive (zealous) act of repentance is required in order to restore the Laodiceans relationship with Christ. Christ summons the members of a lifeless, complacent church to spiritual life. Even though the church is in a sad and deplorable state, Christ still stands at the door of the heart of each individual seeking admission…. Like any new convert, the Laodiceans must respond to the appeal of Christ and open the life to his coming. (Ladd, p.67)
The reward in Christ: The response of Christ to the opened door is that he enters and joins in table fellowship…. The shared meal was a symbol of affection, of confidence, of intimacy… it was a promise of the most intimate fellowship possible…. The promise of sitting with Christ on his throne… looks forward to the ultimate victory of the saints…. The important fact is that Christ is already enthroned. His messianic reign… has already begun, even though it is visible only to the eye of faith. (Ladd, p.68)
Here is a message for every church which faces persecution: the assurance that their evil plight is only temporary; that even though human experience may seem to contradict it, Christ is already enthroned as Lord and King; and that his kingly rule will soon put all his enemies under his feet…. The promise in each of the seven letters to the conqueror is addressed to all disciples of Christ, with the expectation that all faithful disciples will overcome. (Ladd, p.69)
Prayer
Risen and exalted Christ, our Lord and King – Come into our hearts today, renew us and remake us in Your image so that we are pleasing to You. Forgive us our complacency and self-satisfaction and create in us a holy unrest with our affluent, Western lifestyles. Thank you for not giving up on us.
Holy Spirit – Give us spiritual eyes to see our poverty… our nakedness… our blindness. Gently lead us into the Truth about our own condition and that of the world around us. Give us broken hearts – even the heart of Christ – for the broken lives, the broken people and the broken churches around us. Give us a spirit of grace and truth as we offer them hospitality and invite them to enter into a new relationship with You.
Heavenly Father – You made us to walk with You: to know You, to love You, to serve You. You are the Ruler of heaven and earth. Fill us with a proper sense of awe and wonder as we humble ourselves before You. We would be faithful and true to You – the one and only God – Father, Son and Spirit. 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 