Wednesday Morning
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening (A Collect for Grace – Wednesday)
O Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us safely to the beginning of this day: Defend us by your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin nor run into any danger; and that guided by your Spirit, we may do what is righteous in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Morning Reading – Matthew 2:16-23 (NLT)
Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance. Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
“A cry was heard in Ramah—weeping and great mourning. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted, for they are dead.”
The Return to Nazareth
When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. “Get up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.”
So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel with Jesus and his mother. But when he learned that the new ruler of Judea was Herod’s son Archelaus, he was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee. So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets had said: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
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Morning Reflection:
The Slaughter of the Innocents
Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him.
He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem
who were two years old and under,
based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance.
– Matthew 2:16 –
What prompts a person to do such a thing, even a despot like Herod? What prompts anyone to commit such an evil act – to kill children? Spiritual blindness? Fear? Paranoia? Deceit? Cruelty? Anger? Anxiety All of these were certainly true of Herod, but what of those who kill children today?
“We must not be surprised when we hear of murders, of killings, of war, of hatred.
If a mother can kill her own child, what is left but for us to kill each other?”
– Mother Teresa
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Morning Prayer
Almighty God, out of the mouths of children you manifest your truth, and by the death of the Holy Innocents at the hands of evil tyrants you show your strength in our weakness: We ask you to mortify all that is evil within us, and so strengthen us by your grace, that we may glorify your holy Name by the innocence of our lives and the constancy of our faith even unto death; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who died for us and now lives with you and the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen.
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Heilarion Alfeyev. Christmas Oratorio 24: Rachel’s lament – Sung by Khibla Gerzvama.
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Closing:
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and 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
The Peanut Gallery 