Tag: christ jesus

Morning Prayer: Psalm 39:2; Isaiah 61:1-3; John 20:1-6 ~ beauty for ashes

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 39:2 NLT:

But as I stood there in silence — not even speaking of good things — the turmoil within me grew worse.

Johanna Ruth Dobschiner Holocaust Survivor
Johanna Ruth Dobschiner
Holocaust Survivor
click on photo for YouTube interview

Isaiah 61:1-3 NLT:

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.

To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

John 20:1-6 NLT:

Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there…

Reflection/Prayer:

As a young Dutch-Jewish refugee Johanna-Ruth Dobschiner found an illustrated children’s Bible in the home she was evacuated to, and re-read the familiar stories of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and Pharoah, Joshua, Saul, David, Solomon, Haman, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Malachi…

Almost unconsciouly I entered a part of history previously unknown to me, yet strangely familiar. It still delt with the people of Israel but new characters had entered the scene, names I had never been taught, names which had never been mentioned at home or in school lessons. Scenes which took place in Synagogue and Temple, according to this Bible, registered a blank when searching my memory. Yet all the stories were so obviously Jewish… One person outshone all others in these stories – a prophet born in Israel. As the weeks and months passed by, His life became part of mine. The readings about Him and the incidents concerning Him became more important to me than anything else in my own environment. I found I could tolerate my isolation without frustration, always longing for the next opportunity to learn more about Him for He had become my hero.

Then the cross:

While still reading of His agonies, in myself I wished for Him to show the power that was His, and free Himself from that cross. I knew He would do it, and as I read on I waited eagerly for the moment when this would be described… Instead, ‘It is finished.’ I had lost the one I loved dearly, although I had never met Him, except within the pages of this book. Now all was lost to me.

According to the custom of my people I mourned for Him seven days. My thoughts were wholly centered on my loss and a deep sense of depression settled upon me. I was weepy, edgy, moody and unhappy. True, I had suffered disappointment, but why not act as an adult and read the remaining pages of the book?

The first day of the week, and Mary finds His grave empty, the body stolen. What next! Having fought back her tears for so long, Mary now gave way to her grief. She felt as I had done during these past ten days, and again I joined her in her sorrow.

… and then continued reading…

J.R Dobschiner, Selected to Live

Beauty for ashes
A garment of praise for my heaviness
Beauty for ashes
Take this heart of stone and make it Yours, Yours

I delight myself in the Richest of Fare 
Trading all that I’ve had for all that is better
A garment of praise for my heaviness
You are the greatest taste
You’re the richest of fare

(Psalm 63, Isaiah 61)

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 107:43; Deuteronomy 33:3; John15:15b-16 ~ best friends 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 107:43 NLT:

Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 33:3 NLT:

Indeed, he loves his people; all his holy ones are in his hands. They follow in his steps and accept his teaching.

Friend of GodJohn15:15b-16 NLT:

Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.

Reflection/Prayer:

Rabbinic disciples were people who were attached to a particular person and who then themselves decided to follow and accept the teachings of that person. To become a disciple was entirely up to the individual: they chose to follow a rabbi and accept his teachings until they felt able to leave and establish independent status as teachers themselves. Jesus was different. He chose his disciples.
Keith Whitehead, Emmaus Community

When Jesus disputed with other teachers he often argued from the rabbinical principle. ‘From the minor case to the major’, or as Arthur Burt would say, ‘the greater includes the lesser’. So if circumcision could be performed on the Sabbath to make a minor member of the body whole before God, then miraculous power could be used on the Sabbath to make a whole body whole. Or if the commandment said to not commit adultery, the greater which included this would say ‘not even in your heart’. The greater includes the lesser, but the small things mattered, too.

I have a friend you can go to with
your small problems.
My friend’s name is
GOD.
Dave Berg

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 68:1, 3; Esther 3:1-6; Luke 1:51-55 ~ let God arise

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 68:1, 3 NLT:

Rise up, O God, and scatter your enemies. Let those who hate God run for their lives.

But let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God’s presence. Let them be filled with joy.

Esther 3:1-6 NLT:

Some time later King Xerxes promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite over all the other nobles, making him the most powerful official in the empire. All the king’s officials would bow down before Haman to show him respect whenever he passed by, for so the king had commanded. But Mordecai refused to bow down or show him respect.

Purim in Meah Shearim
Purim in Meah Shearim

Then the palace officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you disobeying the king’s command?” They spoke to him day after day, but still he refused to comply with the order. So they spoke to Haman about this to see if he would tolerate Mordecai’s conduct, since Mordecai had told them he was a Jew.

When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage. He had learned of Mordecai’s nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes.

Luke 1:51-55 NLT:

“His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful. For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.”

Reflection/Prayer:

Purim, which commemorates the deliverance of the Jews from the hands of Haman through Esther the queen and her uncle Mordecai, is a feast of reversals. It reminds us that eventually the Evil One’s machinations will be tolerated no longer and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well.

Purim is the nearest thing Judaism has to a carnival. The Talmud gives leave to a worshipper to drink on this day until he cannot tell the difference between ‘Blessed be Modecai’ and ‘Cursed be Haman’. To the credit of many otherwise non-observant Jews, they often do their best to comply. In Israel a public street festival not unlike Mardi Gras has sprung up, with the name As’lo Yoda, the Talmud word for ‘until he cannot tell the difference’.

The day before Purim is the Fast of Esther, a sunrise-to-sundown abstention. At sundown the synagogues fill up. The marked difference between this and all other occasions of the Jewish year is the number of children on hand. Purim is the children’s night in the house of the Lord. It always has been, and the children sense their rights and exercise them.

They carry flags and nosiemakers, the traditional whirling rattles called ‘groggers’, which can make a staggering racket. After the evening prayers the reading of the Book of Esther begins, solemnly enough, with the customary blessing over a scroll and the chanting of the opening verses in a special musical mode heard only on this holiday. The Reader chants through the first and second chapters and comes at last to the long awaited sentence.

‘After these things, the king raised to power Haman the Agagite’ – but nobody hears the last two words. The name ‘Haman’ triggers off stamping, pounding, and a hurricane of groggers. The Reader waits patiently. The din dies. He chants on, and soon strikes another ‘Haman’. Bedlam breaks loose again. This continues, and since Haman is now a chief figure in the story, the noisy outbursts come pretty frequently. The children, far from getting tired or bored, warm up to the work. They do it with sure mob instinct; poised silence during the reading, with explosions on each ‘Haman’. Passages occur where Haman’s name crops up in very short space. The children’s assaults come like pistol shots. The Reader’s patience wears thin and finally breaks. It is impossible to read with so many interuptions.

He gestures angrily at the children through the grogger storm and shoots a glance of appeal to the rabbi. This, of course, is what the children have been waiting for…. Thereafter to the end it is a merciless battle between the Reader and the children. He tries to slur over the thick falling ‘Haman’s, they rip him every time with raucous salvos. He stumbles on to the final verse, exhausted, beaten, furious, and all is disordered hilarity in the synagogue. It is perhaps not fair to make the Reader stand in for Haman on this evening, but that is approximately what happens.

Herman Wouk, This is my God

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 17:10, 14-15; Deuteronomy 15:7-11; 1 Corinthians 13:3 ~ give generously

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 17:10, 14-15 NLT:

They are without pity. Listen to their boasting!

By the power of your hand, O Lord, destroy those who look to this world for their reward. But satisfy the hunger of your treasured ones. May their children have plenty, leaving an inheritance for their descendants. Because I am righteous, I will see you. When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied.

Deuteronomy 15:7-11 NLT:

OCCWallpaper01
Click on picture to link to Operation Christmas Child

“But if there are any poor Israelites in your towns when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them. Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need. Do not be mean-spirited and refuse someone a loan because the year for canceling debts is close at hand. If you refuse to make the loan and the needy person cries out to the Lord, you will be considered guilty of sin. Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need.

1 Corinthians 13:3 NLT:

If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

Reflection/Prayer:

Stooping to help somebody. This position is called Mitzvah, a good deed. This they say, nudges God, right to the Book of Golden Deeds. And God writes down the Mitzvah in diamond-studded letters ten feet high.

In the twelfth century Moses Maimonides devised eight ways to nudge God for a Mitzvah while performing charity. Each one higher than the other.

  • The highest degree is to make the man who needs charity self-supporting.
  • The next highest degree is where the one that gives and the one that receives are not aware of each other.
  • The third Inferior degree is where the recipient knows the giver, but the giver does not know the recipient.
  • A lesser Mitzvah is when the poor man knows to whom he is indebted, but the giver does not know to whom he has given.
  • The fifth degree is where the giver puts alms into the hands of the poor without being asked.
  • The sixth degree is where he puts money into the hands of the poor after being asked.
  • The seventh degree is where he gives less than he should, but does so cheerfully.
  • The eighth degree is where he gives resentfully.

But there’s a catch to all these Mitzvahs. It’s best illustrated by an old story about a Rabbi, who was so addicted to golf that he even snuck off on the High Holy Day to play. That day he made a hole in one. As he danced with exultation, there was a rumble of thunder and a clap of lightning, and God’s voice boomed down on him. ‘So who are you going to tell?’ That’s the catch when you earn a Mitzvah. ‘So who are you going to tell? If you do, you’ll lose it.

The question is, what have you done for someone today, that you didn’t have to do… and whom didn’t you tell?’

Dave Berg, My Friend GOD

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 111:9; 109:13; Exodus 3:13-15; Luke 1:47-64 ~ what’s in a name?

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 111:9; 109:13 NLT:

He has paid a full ransom for his people. He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever. What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has!

May all his offspring die. May his family name be blotted out in a single generation.

Exodus 3:13-15 NLT:

Power in His Name Church Flyer and CD Template

But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?”

God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.

This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations.

Luke 1:47-64 NLT:

“How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me.

He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him. His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful. For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.”

Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.

When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son. And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her.

When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father. But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!”

“What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one in all your family by that name.” So they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him. He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.” Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.

Reflection/Prayer:

The Jews would not willingly tread upon the smallest piece of paper in their way, but took it up, for possibly, said they, the name of God may be upon it. Though there was a little superstition in this, yet truly there is nothing but good religion in it, if we apply it to man. Trample not on any; there may be some work of grace there, that thou knowest not of. The name of God may be written upon that soul thou treadest on: it may be a soul that Christ thought so much of as to give His precious blood for it; therefore, despise it not. (Samuel Taylor Coleridge)

The letters JHWH are a jumble of Hebrew consonants, and a better translation than Jehovah is ‘The Lord’. The name of God is so aweful, so unpronounceable, that is has never been used by any of his creatures. Indeed, it is said that if, inadvertently, the great and terrible name of God should be spoken, the universe would explode. (Madeleine L’Engle)

The Scriptures recognize how important a name is; it denotes someone in particular, and affirms that they have significance.

The God who created and formed you says this, Do not be afraid for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name. You are mine.
Isaiah 43:1

One of the strongest curses, ever framed is that someone’s name be cut off, remembered no more. Madeleine L’Engle writes:

… we live in a world which would reduce us to our social security numbers, Area codes, zip codes, credit card codes, all take precedence over our names. Our signatures already mean so little that it wouldn’t be a surprise if, by the year 2000, we, like prisoners, are known only by our numbers. But that is not how it was meant to be.

Survivors of the concentration camps still have numbers branded on their bodies; they bear the mark of a system that needed to dehumanize them.

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.