Month: February 2017

Morning Prayer: Sat, 11 Feb – Psalm 37:34; Proverbs 19:20-21; Matthew 10:40-42 ~ welcomed as gifts of God

Saturday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

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

Opening Sentence

Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship,
for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord.
__________

Reading: Psalm 37:34 (NLT)

Put your hope in the Lord. Travel steadily along his path. He will honor you by giving you the land. You will see the wicked destroyed.
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Reading: Proverbs 19:20-21 (NLT)

Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life.

You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.
__________

cup-of-cold-water

Reading: Matthew 10:40-42 (NLT)

“Anyone who receives you receives me, and anyone who receives me receives the Father who sent me. If you receive a prophet as one who speaks for God, you will be given the same reward as a prophet. And if you receive righteous people because of their righteousness, you will be given a reward like theirs. And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.”
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Prayer:

Heavenly Father, give us the eyes of Jesus to see our neighbors and the strangers we meet as Your gifts to us. Teach us what it means to welcome them as we would welcome You. Forgive us our fears, our selfishness, our silence, our indifference towards the strangers who come to our communities. Teach us to love and care for them the way you do. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever. Amen
__________

“God I Look to You” – Jenn Johnson


__________

Blessing

You are the light of the world;
let your good deeds shine out for all to see,
so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

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

Morning Prayer: Fri, 10 Feb – Psalm 86:11-12; Deuteronomy 5:32-33; John 12:12-15 ~ a humble heart

Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

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

Opening Sentence

Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship,
for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord.
__________

Reading: Psalm 86:11-12 (NLT)

Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you. With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever.
__________

Reading: Deuteronomy 5:32-33 (NLT)

So Moses told the people, “You must be careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God, following his instructions in every detail. Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy.”
__________

Reading: John 12:12-15 (NLT)

the-entry-into-jerusalem-gioto

The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him.

They shouted, “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel!”

Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said: “Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem. Look, your King is coming, riding on a donkey’s colt.”
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Litany of Humility: adapted – Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val (1865-1930), Secretary of State for Pope Saint Pius X

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being honored …
From the desire of being praised …
From the desire of being preferred to others…
From the desire of being consulted …
From the desire of being approved …

From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of suffering rebukes …
From the fear of being forgotten …
From the fear of being ridiculed …
From the fear of being wronged …
From the fear of being suspected …

That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I …
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease …
That others may be chosen and I set aside …
That others may be praised and I unnoticed …
That others may be preferred to me in everything…

Grant that others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should. Through Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever. Amen.
__________

“Humble King” – Brenton Brown


__________

Blessing

You are the light of the world;
let your good deeds shine out for all to see,
so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

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

Morning Prayer: Thu, 09 Feb – Psalm 67:1-2; Proverbs 4:23-27; 1 Peter 5:5-7 ~ look straight ahead

Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

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

Opening Sentence

Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship,
for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord.
__________

Reading: Psalm 67:1-2 (NLT)

May God be merciful and bless us. May his face smile with favor on us.

May your ways be known throughout the earth, your saving power among people everywhere.
__________

Reading: Proverbs 4:23-27 (NLT)

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech.

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Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.
__________

Reading: 1 Peter 5:5-7 (NLT)

In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
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Prayer:

Merciful God: look with favor upon us today and bless us. Keep our eyes focused on Jesus, as He marks out a straight, safe path for us to follow. Protect us from the wiles and deceit of the evil one, through the power of Your indwelling Spirit. Display Your saving power in us and among people everywhere, that Your ways be known throughout the earth. Through Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever. Amen.
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“Psalm 67” – St Andrew’s Episcopal Church, St Andrews


__________

Blessing

You are the light of the world;
let your good deeds shine out for all to see,
so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

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

Tipping is a reflection of our faith.

Peanut Gallery: “Christians are bad tippers.” That’s the reputation we have among waitstaff who work the Sunday lunch shift. John Ellis explains the problem in his article: Why are Christians Bad Tippers? | PJ Media

waitress

“Of all people, Christians should be the most generous with their resources, including the resource of money, above and beyond owed wages. Through faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Christians have been given new life, adopted into the family of God, and will one day enjoy all of God’s blessings throughout all eternity. Being stingy when eating out reveals a heart that has yet to grasp the immeasurable grace that is being poured into the Christian’s life.”

Read full article here: via Why Are Christians Bad Tippers?