Morning Prayer: 12 September – Romans 12:3-8 ~ an honest evaluation

Reading through Romans

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

Opening sentence

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.
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A reading from Romans: Romans 12:3-8 (NLT)

Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
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Reflection: Romans 12:3-8 (John Stott, The Message of Romans: God’s Good News for the World)

The will of God for changed relationships: (Romans 12: 1– 15: 13)

Now all believers, irrespective of their ethnic origin, are brothers and sisters in the one international family of God, and so all have precisely the same vocation to be the holy, committed, humble, loving and conscientious people of God…. God’s grace, far from encouraging or condoning sin, is the spring and foundation of righteous conduct.

(Romans 12:3–8) Our relationship to ourselves: thinking soberly about our gifts

Our renewed mind, which is capable of discerning and approving God’s will, must also be active in evaluating ourselves, our identity and our gifts. For we need to know who we are, and to have an accurate, balanced and above all sober self-image. A renewed mind is a humble mind like Christ’s.
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Crucifix of St. Catherine of Siena Church in Portage, MI. — Crucifix of St. Catherine of Siena Church
in Portage, MI.

In thinking about ourselves we must avoid both too high an estimate of ourselves and (Paul might have added) too low an estimate. Instead, and positively, we are to develop a sober judgment. How? First by reference to our faith, and secondly by reference to our gifts.

God’s gospel: saving faith in Christ crucified…. Only this gospel of the cross, indeed only ‘Christ himself in whom God’s judgment and mercy are revealed’, can enable us to measure ourselves soberly.
God’s gifts: we are dependent on one another, and the one-anotherness of the Christian fellowship is enhanced by the diversity of our gifts. The recognition that God is the giver of the gifts is indispensable if we are to ‘form a sober estimate’ (REB) of ourselves.

Just as God’s grace had made Paul an apostle (3), so his grace bestows different gifts on other members of Christ’s body. Paul proceeds to give his readers a sample of seven gifts, which he urges them to exercise conscientiously for the common good. He divides them into two categories, which might be called ‘speaking gifts’ (prophesying, teaching and encouraging) and ‘service gifts’ (serving, contributing, leading and showing mercy).
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“By God’s Grace”

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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

Morning Prayer: 11 September – Romans 12:1-2 ~ give your bodies to God

Reading through Romans

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

Opening sentence

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.
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A reading from Romans: Romans 12:1-2 (NLT)

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice — the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

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Reflection: Romans 12:1-2 (John Stott, The Message of Romans: God’s Good News for the World)

The will of God for changed relationships: (Romans 12: 1– 15: 13)

(Romans 12:1-2) Our relationship to God: consecrated bodies and renewed minds

What is this living sacrifice, this rational, spiritual worship? It is not to be offered in the temple courts or in the church building, but rather in home life and in the market-place. It is the presentation of our bodies to God.

Paul is clear that the presentation of our bodies is our spiritual act of worship…. No worship is pleasing to God which is purely inward, abstract and mystical; it must express itself in concrete acts of service performed by our bodies.
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Paul issues the summons to the people of God not to be conformed to the prevailing culture, but rather to be transformed. Both verbs are present passive imperatives and denote the continuing attitudes which we are to retain. We must go on refusing to conform to the world’s ways and go on letting ourselves be transformed according to God’s will. J. B. Phillip’s paraphrase catches the alternative: ‘Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God remold your minds from within.’

We human beings seem to be imitative by nature. We need a model to copy, and ultimately there are only two. There is this world, literally ‘this age’, which is passing away, and there is God’s will, which is good, pleasing and perfect…. These two value systems (this world and God’s will) are incompatible, even in direct collision with one another.

Whether we are thinking about the purpose of life or the meaning of life, about how to measure greatness or how to respond to evil, about ambition, sex, honesty, money, community, religion or anything else, the two sets of standards diverge so completely that there is no possibility of compromise.

Here then are the stages of Christian moral transformation: first our mind is renewed by the Word and Spirit of God; then we are able to discern and desire the will of God; and then we are increasingly transformed by it.
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“Living Sacrifice”

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Canticle

Blessing

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

Morning Prayer: 10 September – Isaiah 52:7-10; Romans 10:13-17 ~ a manifesto of evangelism

Reading through Romans

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

Opening sentence

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.
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A reading from Isaiah: Isaiah 52:7-10 (NLT)

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!

The watchmen shout and sing with joy, for before their very eyes they see the Lord returning to Jerusalem. Let the ruins of Jerusalem break into joyful song, for the Lord has comforted his people. He has redeemed Jerusalem.

The Lord has demonstrated his holy power before the eyes of all the nations. All the ends of the earth will see the victory of our God.

A reading from Romans: Romans 10:13-17 (NLT)

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?

That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”

But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “ Lord , who has believed our message?” So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.
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Reflection: A Manifesto of Evangelism (John Stott, The Message of Romans: God’s Good News for the World)

A summary of Paul’s teaching on evangelism:

‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’ (Romans 10: 15).

1. The need for evangelism: evangelism is necessary because until people hear and receive the gospel they are lost.

2. The scope of evangelism: the whole human race must be given the chance to hear the gospel.

3. The incentive to evangelism: evangelism arises from the love and the longing of the heart.

4. The nature of evangelism: evangelism is sharing with others the good news of Christ crucified and risen.

5. The logic of evangelism: evangelism demands the sending out of evangelists, so that people may call on Christ for salvation.

6. The result of evangelism: evangelism brings such blessings to those who believe, that it arouses the envy of others.

7. The hope for evangelism: evangelism has hope of success only if it rests on the election of God.

8. The goal of evangelism: evangelism introduces converts into the people of God, and so brings glory to God .
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The ultimate goal of evangelism is the glory of God. The gospel displays his power, proclaims his name, makes known the riches of his glory, and reveals his mercy. There is no room for boasting; only for humble, grateful, wondering adoration. To him be the glory for ever! Amen.
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“Who will go for me?”

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Canticle

Blessing

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

Morning Prayer: 09 September – Romans 11:33-36 ~ our place is on our faces

Reading through Romans

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

Opening sentence

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.
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A reading from Romans: Romans 11:33-36 (NLT)

Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!

For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back?

For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.
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Reflection: Romans 11:33-36 (John Stott, The Message of Romans: God’s Good News for the World)

The plan of God for Jews and Gentiles: (Romans 9–11)

The dominant theme [of these three chapters] is Jewish unbelief, together with the problems which it raised…. Each chapter handles a different aspect of God’s relation to Israel, past, present and future:

Israel’s fall (9: 1– 33): God’s purpose of election
Israel’s fault (10: 1– 21): God’s dismay over her disobedience
Israel’s future (11: 1– 32): God’s long-term design
Doxology (11: 33– 36): God’s wisdom and generosity

Doxology: God’s wisdom and generosity (11:33–36)

For eleven chapters Paul has been giving his comprehensive account of the gospel…. Before he goes on to outline its practical implications, he falls down before God and worships (33– 36)…. It is of great importance to note from Romans 1– 11 that theology (our belief about God) and doxology (our worship of God) should never be separated.

On the one hand, there can be no doxology without theology. It is not possible to worship an unknown god. All true worship is a response to the self-revelation of God in Christ and Scripture, and arises from our reflection on who he is and what he has done. It was the tremendous truths of Romans 1– 11 which provoked Paul’s outburst of praise. The worship of God is evoked, informed and inspired by the vision of God. Worship without theology is bound to degenerate into idolatry. Hence the indispensable place of Scripture in both public worship and private devotion. It is the Word of God which calls forth the worship of God.

On the other hand, there should be no theology without doxology. There is something fundamentally flawed about a purely academic interest in God. God is not an appropriate object for cool, critical, detached, scientific observation and evaluation. No, the true knowledge of God will always lead us to worship, as it did Paul. Our place is on our faces before him in adoration.
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Romans 11:33-36 ~ “Oh, The Depth Of The Riches”

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Canticle

Blessing

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

Morning Prayer: 08 September – Romans 11:25-32 ~ mercy on everyone

Reading through Romans

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

Opening sentence

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.
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A reading from Romans: Romans 11:25-32 (NLT)

“The One Who Showed Mercy.”
Christopher Koelle (2007)

I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say,

“The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness. And this is my covenant with them, that I will take away their sins.”

Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God’s mercy. For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.
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Reflection: Romans 11:25-32 (John Stott, The Message of Romans: God’s Good News for the World)

The plan of God for Jews and Gentiles: (Romans 9–11)

Israel’s fall (9: 1– 33): God’s purpose of election
Israel’s fault (10: 1– 21): God’s dismay over her disobedience
Israel’s future (11: 1– 32): God’s long-term design
Doxology (11: 33– 36): God’s wisdom and generosity

Israel’s future: God’s long-term design (11:1–32)

The future prospect (11:11-32)

Israel… has not stumbled so as to fall beyond recovery, but rather to rise, and in that rise both to experience, and to cause Gentiles to experience, greater blessings than would have been the case if they had not fallen in the first place.

The divine mystery (25-32)

Paul has already warned against [Gentile] boasting (18) and arrogance (20), and now against conceit… for he knows that ignorance is the cause of conceit. It is when we have false or fantasy images of ourselves that we grow proud. Conversely, knowledge is conducive to humility, for humility is honesty, not hypocrisy. The complete antidote to pride is truth.

What Paul specially wants them to know is this mystery… this is Christ himself, ‘in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’. But in particular it is the good news that in Christ Gentiles are now equal beneficiaries with the Jews of the promises of God and equal members of his family.

In this passage in Romans, the mystery… consists of three consecutive truths.

First: Israel has experienced a hardening in part… [which] takes the form of spiritual insensitivity.

Second: While Israel remains hardened, and continues to reject Christ, the gospel will be preached throughout the world, and more and more Gentiles will hear and respond to it.

Third: And so all Israel will be saved… The ‘salvation’ of Israel for which Paul has prayed (10: 1), to which he will lead his own people by arousing their envy (11: 14), which has also come to the Gentiles (11: 11; cf. 1: 16), and which one day ‘all Israel’ will experience (11: 26), is salvation from sin through faith in Christ. It is not a national salvation, for nothing is said about either a political entity or a return to the land. Nor is there any hint of a special way of salvation for the Jews which dispenses with faith in Christ.
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“Oh the mercy of God”