Morning Prayer: Psalm 30:1-5; Job 2:7-13; John 11:32-40 ~ mourning

Morning Prayer

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

Opening sentence

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.

You will find the Lord your God, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Morning readings

Psalm 30:1-5 NLT:

I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me. O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health. You brought me up from the grave, O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death.

Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.

Job 2:7-13 NLT:

A bereaved Israeli mourning ahead of Israel’s Memorial Day at the grave of a fallen soldier at Tel Aviv’s Kiryat Shaul military cemetery, April 14, 2013. (Gideon Markowicz/Flash 90) Read more: http://www.jta.org/2013/04/15/news-opinion/israel-middle-east/israel-observes-memorial-day-with-siren-ceremonies#ixzz2lVoyAFcJ
A bereaved Israeli mourning ahead of Israel’s Memorial Day at the grave of a fallen soldier at Tel Aviv’s Kiryat Shaul military cemetery, April 14, 2013. (Gideon Markowicz/Flash 90)

So Satan left the Lord’s presence, and he struck Job with terrible boils from head to foot.

Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.”

But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.

When three of Job’s friends heard of the tragedy he had suffered, they got together and traveled from their homes to comfort and console him. Their names were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. When they saw Job from a distance, they scarcely recognized him. Wailing loudly, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air over their heads to show their grief. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.

John 11:32-40 NLT:

When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. “Where have you put him?” he asked them.

They told him, “Lord, come and see.” Then Jesus wept. The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”

Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them.

But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”

Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?”

Reflection/Prayer:

Jewish custom was to mourn for the dead three full days and nights known as ‘days of weeping’ which were followed by four ‘days of lamentation’ thus making seven days. One rabbinical notion suggested that for tree days the person’s spirit wandered about the sepulchre; hoping to re-enter the body, but when corruption set in the spirit left. For this reason loud lamentations began on the fourth day. When the seven-day mourning period was over, and the visitors had left, the mourner returned to a quiet period of less intense mourning for 30 days, then 11 months to progressively come out of mourning. Close relatives make a practice of saying ‘the Kaddish’ often in the eleven months – a prayer of praise to God and longing for His Kingdom. It’s wording is parallel to that of the Lord’s prayer and is often used at other times as well.

Glorified and sanctified be the Great name of God in the world which He created according to His will. May He establish His Kingdom during your days and during the days of the whole house of Israel at a near time speedily and soon. Say, Amen.

May His Great name be praised for ever, glorified and exalted, extolled and honoured, and praised and magnified be the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, whose glory transcends, yea is beyond all blessing and praise and consolation which is uttered in the world. Say, Amen.

May there be great peace from heaven upon us and upon all Israel. Say Amen.

May He who makes peace from the heavens grant peace upon us and upon all Israel. Say, Amen.

David Kossoff in his book A Small Town is a World tells of Rabbi Mark sitting by the death-bed of his friend old Mendel. Mendel sensed the Rabbi’s grief and made jokes. But then when his breathing grew shallow he asked the Rabbi for one last wish, his voice by now rather faint. ‘Anything, old friend,’ said Rabbi Mark, bending forward to hear the last words. ‘When it’s all over,’ said Mendel, ‘and it’s time to lift me into my coffin, promise not to hold me under my arms… I’m ticklish.’

A prayer upon waking:

The soul You gave me is pure, my Lord: You gave it life and You preserve it within me, and at the end, when the time comes, You will take it away, only to give it back to me one day. But as long as that soul is in me it will worship You, O Lord my God, the God of my fathers, from whom one day the dead will receive back their souls.

One Jew exclaimed to his friend:

‘You should live to be 120 years and a couple of months.’
‘Why a couple of months?’
‘So you shouldn’t die suddenly.’

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: The Morning Prayer readings are from the Daily Office of the Northumbrian Community as available online here… and in the book form, Celtic Daily Prayer available on Amazon.com.

The website and prayer book are rich in prayer resources and I commend them to you. For our purpose here, I will limit my selections to the Morning Prayer resources.

Israel: Obama’s “historic mistake” – nuclear Iran

Premier said to have rebuked Obama over Iran nuclear deal

by JPOST.COM STAFF, jpost.com / November 25th 2013 1:21 PM

image
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama.Photo: JASON REED / REUTERS

A lawmaker from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud faction told an Israeli television station on Monday that the premier rebuked US President Barack Obama over the interim agreement agreed upon by the Western powers and Iran on Sunday.

“The prime minister made it clear to the most powerful man on earth that if he intends to stay the most powerful man on earth, it’s important to make a change in American policy because the practical result of his current policy is liable to lead him to the same failure that the Americans absorbed in North Korea and Pakistan, and Iran could be next in line,” Likud Beytenu MK Tzachi Hanegbi told the Knesset Channel.
_______________________

Netanyahu said that he agreed with US President Barack Obama to send the Israeli delegation to the US when the two leaders spoke about the interim Iran deal on Sunday. 

“I spoke last night with President Obama. We agreed that in the coming days an Israeli team led by the national security adviser, Yossi Cohen, will go out to discuss with the United States the permanent accord with Iran,” the prime minister said.

“This accord must bring about one outcome: the dismantling of Iran’s military nuclear capability,” he said

Netanyahu added that the interim deal reached with Iran was bad but it would have been worse without Israel’s diplomatic efforts.

 
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Obama called Netanyahu on Sunday from Air Force One to discuss the interim agreement struck between world powers and Iran over its controversial nuclear program.

In the call, Obama told Netanyahu that the P5+1 — the US, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China and Germany — would use the next several months to forge a “lasting, peaceful and comprehensive” solution to the slow-motion nuclear crisis causing consternation throughout the Middle East.

“The president told the Prime Minister that he wants the United States and Israel to begin consultations immediately regarding our efforts to negotiate a comprehensive solution,” the White House said in a readout of the call.

“The President underscored that the United States will remain firm in our commitment to Israel, which has good reason to be skeptical about Iran’s intentions.”

While the White House said both leaders expressed their mutual desire to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, it did not acknowledge any disagreement voiced in the phone call.

Netanyahu on Sunday called the deal, hailed by the US, a “historic mistake” that would make the region more dangerous tomorrow than it was before.

After a hard series of negotiations, Iran agreed late Saturday night to pause much of its nuclear program, including construction on its heavy-water plutonium reactor in Arak and the installation of advanced centrifuges made to efficiently enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels. Iran also agreed to allow unfettered access to its nuclear sites and to dilute stockpiles of uranium already thoroughly enriched.

In exchange, the Islamic will attain relief from financial sanctions from the international community valued at up to $7 billion.

Michael Wilner contributed to this report.

Morning Prayer: Psalm 116:3-4; Ecclesiastes 12:14; Luke 21:21 ~ fall of Zion

Morning Prayer

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

Opening sentence

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.

You will find the Lord your God, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Morning readings

Psalm 116:3-4 NLT:

Death wrapped its ropes around me; the terrors of the grave overtook me. I saw only trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Please, Lord, save me!”

Ecclesiastes 12:14 NLT:

God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.

Al Khazneh or The Treasury at Petra Petra, El Deir, Jordan
Al Khazneh or The Treasury at Petra
Petra, El Deir, Jordan

Luke 21:21 NLT:

Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. Those in Jerusalem must get out, and those out in the country should not return to the city.

Reflection/Prayer:

In AD 70 before the fall of Jerusalem there were several divisions within Judaism – Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes were the most prominent sects. Nazarene Jews (Jewish believers in Jesus) were another section of the Jewish community. But when the Roman armies approached Jerusalem to quell Israel’s rebellion, these Nazarenes fled the city, taking up residence in Petra. They thereby avoided terrible destruction and slaughter by the Roman army. The rest of the Jews distrusted them thereafter and assumed there was treachery afoot. Why did they flee? In Luke 21 and Matthew 24 Jesus predicted that Jerusalem would be surrounded by enemies. His followers were commanded, whenever they saw this beginning to occur, to ‘flee to the mountains’. They were not traitors; they were simply following their Yeshua’s teaching.

Amazingly, this date, Tisha B’av, was exactly that of the destruction of the first Temple; now 656 years later the second Temple was destroyed (and in 1492 it was on this day the decree of Expulsion of Jews from Spain took effect). This date is still marked by mourning customs

Now some people argue that, with the birth of modern Israel, mourning for the fall of Zion has become an anachronism.

But the Jewish national memory is long. It is not likely that the given date of the capture of Jerusalem and the ruin of two temples will be forgotten.

In the twelfth century the Crusades set out to free the Holy Land from Arab-Islamic control. The cry went out that it was inconsistent to seek to rid the Holy Land of infidels when there were infidel Jews within the midst of the lands of Europe. Hence Crusaders held their crosses high as they pillaged and destroyed Jewish lives and property throughout Europe on the way to the Holy Land. Many were burned alive or tortured. Bad theology easily kills – as surely as obedience to the words of Jesus brought life to the Nazarenes at Petra. There is a tendency to read Scripture in such a way that we assume all the negative words to Israel are still addressed to Israel, and that anything nice to say will be transferred to the ‘church’.

We may validly receive from Scripture a subjective answer or a word with real prophetic significance to us. What we cannot do is disregard its original intention. (‘Upper and Nether Springs’ speaks about Northumberland for us, but we are not saying that was the author’s original intention, only that God has quickened such an understanding of these passages in addition to their own factual meaning.)

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: The Morning Prayer readings are from the Daily Office of the Northumbrian Community as available online here… and in the book form, Celtic Daily Prayer available on Amazon.com.

The website and prayer book are rich in prayer resources and I commend them to you. For our purpose here, I will limit my selections to the Morning Prayer resources.

Morning Prayer: Psalm 19:1-6; Judges 21:16-25; 1 Corinthians 7:9-12 ~ married forever

Morning Prayer

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

Opening sentence

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.

You will find the Lord your God, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Morning readings

Psalm 19:1-6 NLT:

The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.

God has made a home in the heavens for the sun. It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding. It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race. The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat.

A chuppah at the Sixth & I Synagogue in Washington D.C.
A chuppah at the Sixth & I Synagogue in Washington D.C.

Judges 21:16-25 NLT:

So the elders of the assembly asked, “How can we find wives for the few who remain, since the women of the tribe of Benjamin are dead? There must be heirs for the survivors so that an entire tribe of Israel is not wiped out. But we cannot give them our own daughters in marriage because we have sworn with a solemn oath that anyone who does this will fall under God’s curse.”

Then they thought of the annual festival of the Lord held in Shiloh, south of Lebonah and north of Bethel, along the east side of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem. They told the men of Benjamin who still needed wives, “Go and hide in the vineyards. When you see the young women of Shiloh come out for their dances, rush out from the vineyards, and each of you can take one of them home to the land of Benjamin to be your wife! And when their fathers and brothers come to us in protest, we will tell them, ‘Please be sympathetic. Let them have your daughters, for we didn’t find wives for all of them when we destroyed Jabesh-gilead. And you are not guilty of breaking the vow since you did not actually give your daughters to them in marriage.’”

So the men of Benjamin did as they were told. Each man caught one of the women as she danced in the celebration and carried her off to be his wife. They returned to their own land, and they rebuilt their towns and lived in them.

Then the people of Israel departed by tribes and families, and they returned to their own homes.

In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

1 Corinthians 7:9-12 NLT:

But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust.

But for those who are married, I have a command that comes not from me, but from the Lord. A wife must not leave her husband. But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else be reconciled to him. And the husband must not leave his wife.

Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord. If a Christian man has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her.

Reflection/Prayer:

The last chapters of the book of Judges can ve summed up in the final verse: they did what seemed to be right in their own eyes. It is a pantomime of neglect, abuse, reprisals, massacre, hasty oaths and back-pedalling.

The 600 Benjamite men were given 400 virgins from Jabesh Gilead – the only survivors respectively from both areas, but that left 200 Benjamites still needing wives, and all the other Israelites had sworn not to give their own daughters to a Benjamite.

Instead they turned a blind eye, and let the Benjamites hide nearby when the young girls came out to dance through the vineyards at harvest-time. We read of no complaints: their families were satisfied, the couples returned to larger portions of land, and were never able to be divorced. However hastily, some of the couples at least had chance to decide for themselves who’d be carried off by whom. Today ‘Tu B’Av’ is celebrated as the Festival of Love.

At a Jewish wedding ceremony the marrying couple exchange vows under a very special canopy known as a ‘hupah’. The rods at the four corners are either able to stand on the ground or are held by the groom’s attendants. The top of the canopy is his own prayer tallit (a fringed shawl). The symbolism is that he is taking the bride under his roof and she is becoming part of his house.

A song shall be heard in the cities of Judah
and in the streets of Jerusalem
a song of joy, a cry of gladness
a song of the Bridegroom,
a song of the Bride.
Jeremiah 33:10-11

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: The Morning Prayer readings are from the Daily Office of the Northumbrian Community as available online here… and in the book form, Celtic Daily Prayer available on Amazon.com.

The website and prayer book are rich in prayer resources and I commend them to you. For our purpose here, I will limit my selections to the Morning Prayer resources.

Christ the King: Psalm 22:1-5; 2 Samuel 5:1-3; Colossians 1:12-20; Luke 23:35-43 ~ Christus Victor

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

Opening sentence: The Spirit of God lives in us, inspiring and guarding. In the Spirit, we worship our creator and entrust ourselves to the Lord’s loving care.

As we prepare to approach God’s throne of grace, we call to mind our sins:   (pause).   Amen.

Lord Jesus, you came to gather the nations into the peace of God’s kingdom … You come in word and sacrament to strengthen us in holiness … You will come in glory with salvation for your people: Lord, have mercy.

A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 22:1-5 (NLT)

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief.

Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them. They cried out to you and were saved. They trusted in you and were never disgraced.

A Reading from the Old Testament: 2 Samuel 5:1-3 (NLT)

Then all the tribes of Israel went to David at Hebron and told him, “We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, when Saul was our king, you were the one who really led the forces of Israel. And the Lord told you, ‘You will be the shepherd of my people Israel. You will be Israel’s leader.’”

So there at Hebron, King David made a covenant before the Lord with all the elders of Israel. And they anointed him king of Israel.

Christ the King (Polish: Pomnik Chrystusa Króla)is a statue of Jesus Christ in Świebodzin, Poland in the western Poland, completed on 6 November 2010.
Christ the King (Polish: Pomnik Chrystusa Króla) is a statue of Jesus Christ in Świebodzin, Poland in the western Poland, completed on 6 November 2010.

A Reading from the Pastoral Letters: Colossians 1:11-20 (NLT)

We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

A Reading from the Gospels: Luke 23:35-43 (NLT)

The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” A sign was fastened above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”

One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”

But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Intercessions:

King Jesus – You have defeated the powers of sin, death and evil. You alone are the One who Saves. Hear my prayers:

+ For bishops, priests, pastors, deacons and all who minister in Your name in every tribe and nation – wisdom and sound judgement as they lead Your church. (pause) Lord, have mercy.

+ For the leaders of the nations and all in authority, and for mercy, justice, and peace among all peoples – especially in the Middle East. (pause) Lord, have mercy.

+ For all those in danger and need: the sick and the suffering, prisoners, captives, and their families, the hungry, homeless, and oppressed – especially those who are persecuted for their faith. (pause) Lord, have mercy.

+ For abundant fruits of the earth, and for their distribution with thankful hearts and a spirit of generosity to those in need – especially those suffering devastation and loss through natural disasters. (pause) Lord have mercy.

+ For my city and those who live in it, and for my family, friends, and those I love. (pause) Lord, have mercy. 

+ For those who rest in Christ and for all the dead, born and unborn, and those who mourn their loss. (pause) Lord, have mercy.

+ For deliverance from all affliction, strife, and need – may Your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. (pause) Lord, have mercy.

God of the ages, who reconciles all things to Yourself in Christ, hear the prayers I offer this day and remember me in your kingdom; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

Hymn: “King Jesus” – Jeremy Camp

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