Tag: Born Again

Monday of 2nd Week of Easter, 24 Apr – John 3:1-8 ~ come Holy Spirit

Monday of the Second Week of Easter

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

Opening Prayer

Lord God, heavenly Father, you are not far away from me, for in you I live and move and exist, and you live in me through your Holy Spirit.

Be indeed with me, Lord, send me your Holy Spirit of truth and through him deepen my understanding of the life and message of your Son, that I may accept the full truth and live by it consistently.

I ask you this through Christ my Lord.
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Reading:John 3:1-8 (NLT)

There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
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Reflection & Prayer:

Come Holy Spirit – I need your life-changing power; I declare that Jesus is Lord, that He is risen from the dead.

+ Make me an entirely new person; give me new life in Christ Jesus my Lord.
+ Overcome all opposition to your transforming power, both within me and around me.
+ Change how I look at the world around me, how I respond to my friends and foes alike.
+ Give me wisdom and understanding, that I may both hear and obey your Word.
+ Fill me with the wonder of a new-born infant, where every day is an exciting new adventure.

Come Holy Spirit – fall afresh on me. Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me. Through my Lord Jesus Christ, who lives in unity with you and the Father, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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“Come Holy Spirit” – Israel and the New Breed


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Concluding Prayer

I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart. – Psalm 34:1-2 (NLT)
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Morning Prayer: 14 Apr – Acts 4:32-37; John 3:7-15 ~ united in heart and mind

Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter

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

Opening prayer:

Almighty God, give Your people the grace to proclaim the power of Jesus, our Risen Lord. We have received the first fruits of His grace: prepare us for the full revelation of His gifts. Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.
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A Reading from Acts: Acts 4:32-37 (NLT)

noneedyperson

All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.

For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles.
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The Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. (John 3:14-15)
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A Reading from the Gospels: John 3:7-15 (NLT)

holy_spirit

So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

“How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.

Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.
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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 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 the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Morning Prayer: 13 Apr – Acts 4:23-31; John 3:1-8 ~ you must be born again

Monday of the Second Week of Easter

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

Opening sentence and prayer:

My soul is yearning for You, my God, like a deer that seeks running streams. Alleluia.
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Almighty, ever-living God, we confidently call You Father as well as Lord. Renew Your Spirit in our hearts: make us ever more perfectly Your children, so that we may enter upon the inheritance You have promised us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
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A Reading from Acts: Acts 4:23-31 (NLT)

As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them — you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying,

‘Why were the nations so angry? Why did they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah.’

filled with the Holy Spirit

“In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will. And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.
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If then you were raise with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. (Colossians 3:1)
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A Reading from the Gospels: John 3:1-8 (NLT)

born-again

There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
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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 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 the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Morning Prayer, 17 Jan – John 3:1-8; 1 Peter 1:3-5 ~ born again

Morning Prayer

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

Opening sentence – Aidan of Lindisfarne (?-651)

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil and grant us peace in our day.

In Your mercy, Lord, keep us free from sin, and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Let Your Kingdom come, Lord, in me.

Morning readings

Nicodemus Crijn Hendricksz. Volmarijn (circa 1601–1645)
Nicodemus
Crijn Hendricksz. Volmarijn (circa 1601–1645)

John 3:1-8 ESV:

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
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1 Peter 1:3-5 ESV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Reflections / Prayer:

Born Again

Jesus explains being born from above in terms of being born of water and the Spirit.

What is needed is a new heart and a new life; that is, the Spirit must give birth to spirit. Only those alive in the realm of the spirit by the Spirit will be able to recognize and enter that realm.

This begetting is an act of sovereign gracious love initiated by God.

(The IVP New Testament Commentary Series)

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Living Hope

The main object of [1 Peter] is to raise us above the world, in order that we may be prepared and encouraged to sustain the spiritual contests of our warfare.

Supernatural life is a gift, because we are born the children of wrath; for had we been born to the hope of life according to the flesh, there would have been no necessity of being begotten again by God. Therefore Peter teaches us, that we who are by nature destined to eternal death, are restored to life by God’s mercy. And this is, as it were, our second creation.

Calvin’s Commentaries

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St Anthony of Egypt icon, mid 16th century
St Anthony of Egypt
icon, mid 16th century

St Anthony of Egypt (251-356) – the founder of monasticism (read more)

“Let it be your supreme and common purpose not to grow weary in the work you have begun, and in time of trial and affliction not to lose courage…. Rather, we should daily begin anew…. For man’s whole life is short when measured against the time to come, so short, in fact, that it is as nothing in comparison with eternity…. Therefore, my children, let us persevere….”

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

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Peanut Gallery: A brief word of explanation – 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.) The Scripture readings are primarily from the Gospel of John, with the intent to complete the reading by Easter. Other Scriptures which illuminate the Gospel of John will be included along the way.

Reflections from various saints will be included as their memorial days occur during the calendar year.

On Sundays, I’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.

4th Sunday of Lent: 2 Corinthians 5.16-21 (NLT) – Come back to God!

Reading: 2 Corinthians 5.16-21 (NLT)

So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

OXYGEN VOLUME 13And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Prayer: Lord Jesus – Make us your ambassadors here and now… people who speak your Word of mercy and grace – “Come back to God!” Holy Spirit – Bring to our mind, at this moment, the people we know who need to be made right with God… (name them). Heavenly Father – we plead for them. Make them new creations in Jesus Christ – body, mind, soul, and spirit. Make this Easter the day that they know, without a doubt, they have been born again. I ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hymn: “Born Again” – Third Day (YouTube)

Today I found myself / After searching all these years / And the man that I saw, he wasn’t at all who I thought he’d be / I was lost when you found me here / And I was broken beyond repair / Then you came along and you sang your song over me

It feels like I’m born again / It feels like I’m living / For the very first time / For the very first time / In my life

Make a promise to me now / Reassure my heart somehow / That the love that I feel is so much more real than anything / I’ve a feeling in my soul / And I pray that I’m not wrong / That the life I have now, it is only the beginning

It feels like I’m born again / It feels like I’m living / For the very first time / For the very first time / It feels like I’m breathing / It feels like I’m moving / For the very first time / For the very first time

I wasn’t looking for something that was more / Than what I had yesterday / Then you came to me and you gave to me / Life and a love that I’ve never known / That I’ve never felt before

It feels like I’m born again / It feels like I’m living / For the very first time / I’m living for the first time / It feels like I’m breathing / It feels like I’m moving / For the very first time / I’m living for the first time / In my life