Tag: Book of Revelation

Morning Prayer: 03 Oct – Revelation 11:4-6 ~ witness power and protection

Morning Prayer

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

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

I arise today, through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to secure me: against snares of devils,
against temptations of vices, against inclinations of nature,
against everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and anear, alone and in a crowd.

Revelation 11:4-6 (ESV) – to be read aloud

Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 4:6
Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 4:6

These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire.

Reflection

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

Interlude: The two witnesses (11:3-14)

Summary: God sends two witnesses to Jerusalem to testify against the nations, but the beast kills them and all the people rejoice at this martyrdom. After three and a half days, they are revived and caught up to heaven. Then a great earthquake destroys a tenth of the city, seven thousand people are killed, but the rest give glory to the God of heaven. (Ladd, p.149)

Witness power: (11:4-6)

Witness background: Zachariah’s prophecy.

And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’” (Zechariah 4:1-7)

By using these two metaphors John is emphasizing a truth concerning the church that has always been true but is especially appropriate in times of persecution – that the power and authority for effective witness lie in the Spirit of God. (Mounce, p.218)

Witness protection: (11:4-6)

The witnesses have a privileged position. They can prevent rain… they can turn waters into blood… and they can strike the earth with every kind of plague….

John may very well have in mind here that the faithful performance of the church’s duty is itself one of the ways the judgements of God are set motion against an evil world. His imagery here expresses the truth that God’s servants in the new [covenant] have as great resources as did Moses and Elijah in the old. (Morris, p.145)

No one can harm the two witnesses so long as their mission is incomplete…. Any effort to destroy the two prophets leads to self-destruction…. Similar to Elijah and Jeremiah, these two prophets bring destruction upon their enemies by the words they utter. (Ladd, p.155)
__________


__________

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: In September, we will begin reading through the Book of Revelation (ESV). Our purpose will be devotional, i.e. to discover the word of blessing that God has for us in these troubled times… to find hope and help for our daily lives.

This will not be a Bible Study per se: we will not attempt to unravel the “mysteries” of Revelation… that is far beyond our abilities and is not our interest here. However, so as not to get too far afield, we will rely on three study resources: primary – A Commentary on the Revelation of John (George Elton Ladd); supplemental Revelation (Leon Morris) and  The Book of Revelation (Robert H. Mounce).

The general format for Morning Prayer is adapted from the Northumbrian Community‘s Daily Office, as found in Celtic Daily Prayer (see online resources here.) On Sundays, we’ll return to the USCCB readings (see online resources here) and various liturgical resources in order to reflect the Church’s worship and concerns throughout the world. Photo illustrations and music videos, available online, are included as they illustrate or illuminate the readings. I will try to give credit and link to sources as best I can.

Morning Prayer: 02 Oct – Revelation 11:3-14 ~ two witnesses

Morning Prayer

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

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

I arise today, through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to secure me: against snares of devils,
against temptations of vices, against inclinations of nature,
against everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and anear, alone and in a crowd.

Revelation 11:3-14 (ESV) – to be read aloud

“And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

wpid-two-witnesses.jpeg
Two Witnesses of Revelation 11

These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire.

And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth.

But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.

And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.

Reflection

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

Interlude: The two witnesses (11:3-14)

Summary: God sends two witnesses to Jerusalem to testify against the nations, but the beast kills them and all the people rejoice at this martyrdom. After three and a half days, they are revived and caught up to heaven. Then a great earthquake destroys a tenth of the city, seven thousand people are killed, but the rest give glory to the God of heaven. (Ladd, p.149)

Who are the two witnesses? Since they are not specifically identified, the answer lies in the reader’s interpretation of Apocalyptic language.

+ Ladd: John conceived of these two witnesses as two actual historical eschatological personages who will be sent to Israel to bring about her conversion…. They may represent the witness of the church to Israel throughout the age, which witness will be consummated in the appearance of two prophets in the time of the end. The flexibility of apocalyptic symbolism must allow for such possibilities. (Ladd, p.154)

+ Mounce: There is little doubt that the witnesses were modeled after Moses and Elijah…. However, rather than identify them as two individuals, it is more likely they symbolize the witnessing church in the last tumultuous days before the end of the age. (Mounce, p.216-7)

+ Morris: The identity of the two witnesses is not completely clear…. The context seems to demand something directly associated with the church, and in view of verse 7 perhaps we should think particularly of the martyrs…. They are prophesying doom and their attitude accordingly is sad and penitent. A comfortable, easy-minded church has no power to stir the world either to salvation or to opposition. (Morris, p.143-4)
__________


__________

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: In September, we will begin reading through the Book of Revelation (ESV). Our purpose will be devotional, i.e. to discover the word of blessing that God has for us in these troubled times… to find hope and help for our daily lives.

This will not be a Bible Study per se: we will not attempt to unravel the “mysteries” of Revelation… that is far beyond our abilities and is not our interest here. However, so as not to get too far afield, we will rely on three study resources: primary – A Commentary on the Revelation of John (George Elton Ladd); supplemental Revelation (Leon Morris) and  The Book of Revelation (Robert H. Mounce).

The general format for Morning Prayer is adapted from the Northumbrian Community‘s Daily Office, as found in Celtic Daily Prayer (see online resources here.) On Sundays, we’ll return to the USCCB readings (see online resources here) and various liturgical resources in order to reflect the Church’s worship and concerns throughout the world. Photo illustrations and music videos, available online, are included as they illustrate or illuminate the readings. I will try to give credit and link to sources as best I can.

Morning Prayer: 01 Oct – Revelation 11:1-2 ~ the remnant or the church

Morning Prayer

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

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

I arise today, through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to secure me: against snares of devils,
against temptations of vices, against inclinations of nature,
against everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and anear, alone and in a crowd.

Revelation 11:1-2 (ESV) – to be read aloud

Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.

Reflection

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

Interlude: Measuring the temple (11:1-2)

This is a photo of a scale model of the Temple on the Temple Mount in Herodian Jerusalem, 1st century CE. (Israel Museum in Jerusalem).
This is a photo of a scale model of the Temple on the Temple Mount in Herodian Jerusalem, 1st century CE, as viewed from the Mount of Olives. (Israel Museum in Jerusalem).

Overview of Chap 11: John goes on to speak of the tremendous opposition faced by the people of God throughout the centuries and especially in the last days. He tells of two witnesses who bear unflinching testimony to the word of God and of the terrible figure of the antichrist, who however, is not able to overcome God’s people in the end. (Morris, p.140)

Interpretation: Chapter 11 has been subject to a variety of divergent interpretations depending upon how the language of verses 1 and 2 are understood, i.e. literally, highly symbolically, or something in between. Mounce’s comment is helpful on this matter:

That the language of prophecy is highly figurative has nothing to do with the reality of the events predicted. Symbolism is not a denial of historicity but a figurative method of communicating reality. Apocalyptic language has as one of its basic characteristics the cryptic and symbolic use of words and phrases. (Mounce, p.212)

At this point in our reading of Revelation, our sources (Ladd, Morris, and Mounce) diverge in their understanding of Chapter 11. And, it is beyond our abilities to resolve their differences. Therefore, it seems best to present a brief summary of each of their conclusions and let the reader decide for him/herself which makes better sense.
_____

The faithful remnant of Israel: Ladd understands the reference as a prophecy of the preservation and ultimate salvation of the Jewish people, citing Paul’s conclusion in Romans 11:26 that “all Israel shall be saved” and Jesus’ lament and predictions in Matt 23:39 and Luke 21:24.

When in contrast to the city as a whole, the temple proper and its worshippers are preserved, the contrast seems to be between the Jewish people as a whole and a remnant who are true worshipers of God. (Ladd, p.150-2)

_____

The witnessing church: Morris takes vs 1-13 symbolically, i.e. John is saying that the spiritual temple, the church, will be preserved, though it will be subjected to physical oppression as the Gentiles trample it.

It is better to think of the great city as man in organized community and opposed to God. It is another name for this world as a worldly system…. What John is doing then is outlining the function of the witnessing church. Its lot will be hard, but its eventual triumph is sure. This is a heartening message for his troubled readers. (Morris, p.141)

_____

The people of God: Mounce views this passage as representing the church from two different perspectives, i.e. during the difficult period lying immediately ahead the people of God will be kept safe from demonic assault although they will suffer at the hands of the unbelieving world.

For John, the temple was… “the Christian community who worship God”… the church, the people of God…. God will give spiritual sanctuary to the faithful believers against the demonic assault of the Antichrist…. The protection of believers was not security against physical suffering and death but against spiritual danger…. The distinction between the sanctuary and the outer court is a way of pointing out the limitations placed upon pagan hostility. It may physically decimate the witnessing church, but it cannot touch its real source of life. (Mounce, p.212-5)

__________


__________

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: In September, we will begin reading through the Book of Revelation (ESV). Our purpose will be devotional, i.e. to discover the word of blessing that God has for us in these troubled times… to find hope and help for our daily lives.

This will not be a Bible Study per se: we will not attempt to unravel the “mysteries” of Revelation… that is far beyond our abilities and is not our interest here. However, so as not to get too far afield, we will rely on three study resources: primary – A Commentary on the Revelation of John (George Elton Ladd); supplemental Revelation (Leon Morris) and  The Book of Revelation (Robert H. Mounce).

The general format for Morning Prayer is adapted from the Northumbrian Community‘s Daily Office, as found in Celtic Daily Prayer (see online resources here.) On Sundays, we’ll return to the USCCB readings (see online resources here) and various liturgical resources in order to reflect the Church’s worship and concerns throughout the world. Photo illustrations and music videos, available online, are included as they illustrate or illuminate the readings. I will try to give credit and link to sources as best I can.

Morning Prayer: 30 Sept – Revelation 10:8-11 ~ sweet and bitter

Morning Prayer

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

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

I arise today, through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to secure me: against snares of devils,
against temptations of vices, against inclinations of nature,
against everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and anear, alone and in a crowd.

Revelation 10:8-11 (ESV) – to be read aloud

Bible in Latin (1150-1200) Source : Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des manuscrits, Latin 16744 Description : Capucins. Provenance : bnf.fr Date de mise en ligne : 25/10/2012
Latin Bible (1150-1200)
Source : Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des manuscrits, Latin 16744
Description : Capucins.
Provenance : bnf.fr
Date de mise en ligne : 25/10/2012

Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”

So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

Reflection

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

Interlude: The little scroll (10:8-11)

Overview: The effect of the interlude is to set off the seventh visitation as particularly important. We are all keyed up for the climax but it does not come. This is not simply a literary device, but part of life. We cannot predict how God’s judgements will work out. They take unexpected courses. There are delays which give opportunity for repentance.

Up until now, John has dealt with the fate of sinners during the days leading up to the climax. Now he turns to the church during that time. It has duties to perform and troubles to undergo. John warns it. (Morris, p.133)

Assimilation of the message: The symbol of eating the scroll is a natural one suggesting the complete assimilation of the prophetic message…. The word of God – the message of both salvation and judgement – must be ingested and personally assimilated by the prophet, as it must be by every servant of God who proclaims his word (see Ezek 3:3; Jer 15:16). (Ladd, p.146)

Sweet and bitter: The sweetness and bitterness refer to the two-fold reaction of the prophet as he digests his message and understands it. It is a sweet thing to be close to God, to be the recipient of his word. This is true of all believers…. But as John digested his message and pondered its implications, it became bitter in his stomach.

Here is an important truth for all who proclaim the word of God. The full counsel of God contains a word of judgement as well as mercy, and the messenger of the gospel must be faithful to both aspects of his message. But the man who knows the love of God and the compassion of Christ can never take delight in preaching the wrath of God or find satisfaction of spirit in proclaiming divine judgements. He must always do this with a broken heart, with a bitter spirit, following the example of his Lord who wept over those upon whom God’s judgement was to fall. (Ladd, p.147)

The entire civilized world: John’s prophecy relates to many peoples and nations. It is the final act in the great drama of God’s creative and redemptive activity. The meaning of history comes into sharp focus at the end point in time. John’s mission is to lay bare the forces of the supernatural world that are at work behind the activities of people and nations. His prophecy is the culmination of all previous prophecies in that it leads on to the final destruction of evil and the inauguration of the eternal state. (Mounce, p.211)
__________


__________

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: In September, we will begin reading through the Book of Revelation (ESV). Our purpose will be devotional, i.e. to discover the word of blessing that God has for us in these troubled times… to find hope and help for our daily lives.

This will not be a Bible Study per se: we will not attempt to unravel the “mysteries” of Revelation… that is far beyond our abilities and is not our interest here. However, so as not to get too far afield, we will rely on three study resources: primary – A Commentary on the Revelation of John (George Elton Ladd); supplemental Revelation (Leon Morris) and  The Book of Revelation (Robert H. Mounce).

The general format for Morning Prayer is adapted from the Northumbrian Community‘s Daily Office, as found in Celtic Daily Prayer (see online resources here.) On Sundays, we’ll return to the USCCB readings (see online resources here) and various liturgical resources in order to reflect the Church’s worship and concerns throughout the world. Photo illustrations and music videos, available online, are included as they illustrate or illuminate the readings. I will try to give credit and link to sources as best I can.

Morning Prayer: 29 Sept – Revelation 10:1-7 ~ no more delay

Morning Prayer

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

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

I arise today, through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to secure me: against snares of devils,
against temptations of vices, against inclinations of nature,
against everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and anear, alone and in a crowd.

Revelation 10:1-7 (ESV) – to be read aloud

Angel of the Revelation William Blake (ca. 1803-5) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Angel of the Revelation
William Blake (ca. 1803-5)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.”

And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

Reflection

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

Interlude: The Mighty Angel (10:1-7)

Overview: In the first of two visions that make up the interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpet John encounters a mighty angel coming down out of heaven…. In this vision (Chapter 10) the scene shifts from heaven to earth and John himself becomes involved in the vision. The dramatic appearance of the resplendent angel would provide encouragement for the church about to enter a final period of hostility from the unbelieving world. (Mounce, p.200-1)

The mighty angel: John views the angel as he descends from heaven to earth. Coming directly from the presence of God, he arrives on a mission of crucial significance for the persecuted church…. The visual impact is that of an enormous and resplendent angel descending from heaven and standing astride both sea and land. This dramatic appearance of an authoritative figure from heaven stands in marked contrast to the immediately preceding tableau of humanity’s idolatry and immorality…. The voice is commensurate with his gigantic size… and forebodes the coming peril of divine retribution. (Mounce, p.201-3)

The seven thunders: Human nature being what it is there has been a good deal of speculation as to what the thunders said…. However, it is better to think of the thunders as conveying a revelation to John (clearly he understood them), but which he was not to pass on to others…. It is timely to be reminded that there are some parts of the counsel of God which people like John can know but are beyond ordinary people like ourselves. A further value in our knowledge that the thunders are sealed is that it is a warning against the kind of date-fixing that has characterized some schemes of prophecy based on this book. On John’s own showing we do not have all the information. God has kept some things back from us. Let us not proceed as though all has been revealed. (Morris, p.135-6)

No more delay: Apocalyptic thought has always been concerned with the question, How long until the end? The mighty angel’s answer is, “There will be no more delay!” Now nothing stands in the way of the final dramatic period of human history. From this point forward God will not intervene to give the human race further opportunity to repent. Restraint is to be removed, and the Antichrist is to be revealed (cf. 2 Thess 2:3ff). The forces of God and Satan will meet in final confrontation…. The appointed delay is over, and the period of the end is irrevocably set into motion. (Mounce, p.205-6)

The One who lives forever and ever: Soon many believers in the Asian churches will be called upon to sacrifice their lives out of faithfulness to Christ. Only a God who lives beyond the threat of death can promise them life after the sword has taken its toll. God is not only eternal; he is creator of heaven, earth, and sea, and everything therein…. All of which underscores his power to accomplish what he set out to do…. The One who brought all things into being can carry them through in fulfillment to his redemptive purpose. The end of history, as was the beginning, is under the sovereign control of God. (Mounce, p.206)
__________


__________

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: In September, we will begin reading through the Book of Revelation (ESV). Our purpose will be devotional, i.e. to discover the word of blessing that God has for us in these troubled times… to find hope and help for our daily lives.

This will not be a Bible Study per se: we will not attempt to unravel the “mysteries” of Revelation… that is far beyond our abilities and is not our interest here. However, so as not to get too far afield, we will rely on three study resources: primary – A Commentary on the Revelation of John (George Elton Ladd); supplemental Revelation (Leon Morris) and  The Book of Revelation (Robert H. Mounce).

The general format for Morning Prayer is adapted from the Northumbrian Community‘s Daily Office, as found in Celtic Daily Prayer (see online resources here.) On Sundays, we’ll return to the USCCB readings (see online resources here) and various liturgical resources in order to reflect the Church’s worship and concerns throughout the world. Photo illustrations and music videos, available online, are included as they illustrate or illuminate the readings. I will try to give credit and link to sources as best I can.