Morning Prayer: Psalm 119:137-140; 2 Kings 10:16-17; Matthew 23:1-13 ~ consuming fire

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 119:137-140 NLT:

O Lord, you are righteous, and your regulations are fair. Your laws are perfect and completely trustworthy. I am overwhelmed with indignation, for my enemies have disregarded your words. Your promises have been thoroughly tested; that is why I love them so much.

2 Kings 10:16-17 NLT:

Then Jehu said, “Now come with me, and see how devoted I am to the Lord.” So Jehonadab rode along with him.

When Jehu arrived in Samaria, he killed everyone who was left there from Ahab’s family, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.

John Calvin Seal Bob Clyatt Sculpture — John Calvin Seal
Bob Clyatt Sculpture

Matthew 23:1-13 NLT:

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.

“Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’

“Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters. And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father. And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either….”

Reflection/Prayer:

Often in the past, Lord, I have come to Thee with heavy heart and burdened life. And Thou hast answered my prayers and graciously lifted the burden from me. Yet with a strange perversion, I still refuse to leave my burdens with Thee. Always I gather them up – those heavy bundles of fears and anxieties – and shoulder them again. (Peter Marshall)

Some of the strongest words You speak, Lord, are those condemning

people who put heavy loads on the backs of others,
people who delight in seeing others weighed down by their guilt and failure,
people whose eyelids judge even their friends.

Your house should be built of living stones, not sinking ones. Jesus, the prophecies about You said that the zeal for Your house consumed You. May that zeal consume us, too. Help us to destroy everything that gets in your way, but to do so with a pure heart.

My soul is dry dust,
choking worldly ambition.
My soul is wet earth,
bearing rich fruits of grace.
My soul is a flame of fire,
blazing with passionate love.
(From The Black Book of Carmarthen)

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 119:136; Isaiah 5:1-4; Luke 13:34; 19:41 ~ weeping with God

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 119:136 NLT:

Rivers of tears gush from my eyes because people disobey your instructions.

Isaiah 5:1-4 NLT:

Now I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard:

My beloved had a vineyard on a rich and fertile hill. He plowed the land, cleared its stones, and planted it with the best vines. In the middle he built a watchtower and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks. Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes, but the grapes that grew were bitter.

Now, you people of Jerusalem and Judah, you judge between me and my vineyard. What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not already done? When I expected sweet grapes, why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?

Luke 13:34; 19:41 NLT:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me….”

But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep.

Reflection/Prayer:

Centuries ago, Demonax the Cynic said this:

Probably all laws are useless;
for good men do not need laws at all
and bad men are made no better by them.

We can see he has a point – up to a point! But the writer of the psalms says, ‘Streams of tears flow from my eyes because Your law is not obeyed.’ For this to be our response we need to have compassion for those who do not take heed of God’s law. For this to be our response we need to be touched with the sorrow of God’s heart, and long to comfort Him. For this to be our response we need to believe that the law of God is good, and just, and given to care for and tend the people He loves.

Does it move us to tears that the law of God is abandoned, ignored, or even scorned? Does it move us to action when we realize that most people have little concept of what the laws of God are? Is our heart under Kingdom rule? or do we have divided loyalties, as if we were citizens of two kingdoms, obeying whichever rule of conduct happens to suit us at the time?

‘What more could I have done for you than I have done?’ says the Lord, ‘for I loved you!’

And Jesus wept.

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.

Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing

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

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 119:133-135; Isaiah 58:6-10; Romans 6:16-18 ~ end slavery

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 119:133-135 NLT:

Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by evil. Ransom me from the oppression of evil people; then I can obey your commandments. Look upon me with love; teach me your decrees.

Isaiah 58:6-10 NLT:

“No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

“Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. Then when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.

“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression. Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors! Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.”

Romans 6:16-18 NLT:

Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.

Reflection/Prayer:

‘Be sure your sins will find you out,’ the proverb says. But listen to Hugh Redwood‘s comment on that:

Much better it would be, no doubt,
if Sin could always find us out.
This is the question: Why does Sin
so very often find us in?

Lord, order my steps in Your word. Don’t let any iniquity have dominion over me; let no sin rule over me. Shine your face on me, Your servant.

Lord, be Lord of all of me. I want You to be the Master, not my independence, my wrong actions and attachments, my wrong attitudes. None of these should master me.

Do now for me what I cannot do for myself. Break the habit patterns, reverse the direction of my negative thoughts, lift from me once again all anxieties and apprehensions. (Peter Marshall)

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.

Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing

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

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 119:129-132; Habakkuk 2:14; John 7:37-39 ~ show me your glory

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 119:129-132 NLT:

Your laws are wonderful. No wonder I obey them! The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand. I pant with expectation, longing for your commands. Come and show me your mercy, as you do for all who love your name.

Jesus Christ detail from Deesis mosaic, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul — Jesus Christ
detail from Deesis mosaic (c 537)
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul

Habakkuk 2:14 NLT:

For as the waters fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of the Lord.

John 7:37-39 NLT:

On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)

Reflection/Prayer:

Jesus stood up and said, ‘Whovever is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink, and drink, and drink.’

O Lord, Your word enters and lets in the light. It gives understanding to the simple.

Open-mouthed and longing we come to You. To whom else shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have believed, some of us recklessly, some of us hesitantly, but we have believed, and have come to know that You are the only one who can satisfy our thirst.

I am an emptiness for Thee to fill;
my soul a cavern for Thy sea.
(George MacDonald)

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.

Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing

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

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 119:121-128; 1 Kings 3:12-13; Matthew 22:15-22 ~ a wise and understanding heart

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 119:121-128 NLT:

Don’t leave me to the mercy of my enemies, for I have done what is just and right. Please guarantee a blessing for me. Don’t let the arrogant oppress me!

My eyes strain to see your rescue, to see the truth of your promise fulfilled. I am your servant; deal with me in unfailing love, and teach me your decrees. Give discernment to me, your servant; then I will understand your laws.

Lord, it is time for you to act, for these evil people have violated your instructions. Truly, I love your commands more than gold, even the finest gold. Each of your commandments is right. That is why I hate every false way.

“King Solomon”
Russian icon from first quarter of 18th cen.
Iconostasis of Kizhi monastery, Russia

1 Kings 3:12-13 NLT:

I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life!

Matthew 22:15-22 NLT:

Then the Pharisees met together to plot how to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested. They sent some of their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to meet with him. “Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest you are. You teach the way of God truthfully. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” he said. “Why are you trying to trap me? Here, show me the coin used for the tax.” When they handed him a Roman coin, he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

“Well, then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”

His reply amazed them, and they went away.

Reflection/Prayer:

O Lord, teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Time is short, and no one of us knows how little time he has left. May we be found using wisely our time, our talents, and our strength. (Peter Marshall)

Help us to know judgement and justice, Lord. When Your judgements come, then stand by me, and teach me Your statutes so I can understand what justice really is.

Lord, You know I am Your servant, so give me understanding. Protect me from deception. Give me wisdom. When people try to trick me or confuse me with their questions and clever arguments, help me to see their heart. Help me to know when to say nothing. Help me to know when to answer what they are saying. Help me to know when it is an unspoken question that I should be answering.

Teach me to recognize the moments when You wait to intervene, so I can say, ‘It is time – You work now, Lord!’

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.

Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing

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

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.

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