Morning Prayer: Psalm 49:1-3; Isaiah 58:6; Matthew 25:37-40 ~ break every yoke

Morning Prayer: 

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

Declaration of faith

To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God. Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.

Morning readings

Syrian refugees number two million
Syrian refugees number two million

Psalm 49:1-3 ESV    Hear this, all peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together! My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.

Isaiah 58:6 ESV    “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?”

Matthew 25:37-40 ESV  Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Prayer:Almighty eternal God, source of all compassion, the promise of your mercy and saving help fills our hearts with hope.

Hear the cries of the people of Syria; bring healing to those suffering from the violence, and comfort to those mourning the dead. Empower and encourage Syria’s neighbors in their care and welcome for refugees. Convert the hearts of those who have taken up arms, and strengthen the resolve of those committed to peace.

O God of hope and Father of mercy, your Holy Spirit inspires us to look beyond ourselves and our own needs. Inspire leaders to choose peace over violence and to seek reconciliation with enemies. Inspire the Church around the world with compassion for the people of Syria, and fill us with hope for a future of peace built on justice for all. We ask this through Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace and Light of the World, who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

Spiritual Song: “Break Every Chain”Jesus Culture

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 113:3; 2 Kings 2:11-14; 2 Timothy 4:7-8 ~ reward

Morning Prayer: 

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

Declaration of faith

To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God. Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.

Morning readings

Psalm 113:3 ESV    From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!

chariots of fire2 Kings 2:11-14 ESV    And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more.

Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. And he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.

2 Timothy 4:7-8 ESV    I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

Prayer    Gracious God, look on your faithful servants, whom you created in your image, and claimed as your own through baptism. Comfort and strengthen them with the promise of life eternal, made sure in the death and resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. May they finish well… all to your glory. Amen

Spiritual Song: “Chariots of Fire” – Main Theme – Vangelis

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 48:1-3; Haggai 1:13-14; Hebrews 11:4-5 ~ pleasing God

Morning Prayer: 

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

Declaration of faith

To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God. Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.

Morning readings

Edmonton's River Valley  Edmonton, ALBERTA
Edmonton’s River Valley
Edmonton, ALBERTA

Psalm 48:1-3 ESV    Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress.

Haggai 1:13-14 ESV    Then Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke to the people with the Lord’s message, “I am with you, declares the Lord.” And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God….

Hebrews 11:4-5 ESV    By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God.

Prayer/Reflection    (excerpts from Isaiah 30)

“What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,” says the Lord. “You make plans that are contrary to mine. You make alliances not directed by my Spirit, thus piling up your sins. For without consulting me, you have gone down to Egypt for help. You have put your trust in Pharaoh’s protection. You have tried to hide in his shade. But by trusting Pharaoh, you will be humiliated, and by depending on him, you will be disgraced.”

“Because you despise what I tell you and trust instead in oppression and lies, calamity will come upon you suddenly — like a bulging wall that bursts and falls. In an instant it will collapse and come crashing down.”

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength.”

So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.

Hymn: “There’s a Quiet Understanding”Tedd Smith (1973)

There’s a quiet understanding when we’re gathered in the Spirit; it’s a promise that he gives us, when we gather in his name. There’s a love we feel in Jesus, there’s a manna that he feeds us; it’s a promise that he gives us, when we gather in his name.

And we know when we’re together, sharing love and understanding, that our brothers and our sisters feel the oneness that he brings. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Jesus, for the way you love and feed us, for the many ways you lead us, thank you, thank you, Lord.

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 141:2-4, 8; Amos 3:3; 1 Corinthians 13:12 ~ mirror dimly

Morning Prayer: 

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

911 cross framedDeclaration of faith

To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God. Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.

Morning readings

Psalm 141:2-4, 8 ESV     Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies!

But my eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!

Amos 3:3 ESV   “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?”

1 Corinthians 13:12 ESV   For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

Prayer

We hold before You, O Lord:

  • those for whom life is very difficult; those who have decisions to make, and who honestly do not know what is the right thing to do.

We hold before You, O Lord:

  • those who have difficult tasks to do and to face, and who fear they may fail in them; those who have difficult temptations to face, and who know only too well that they may fail to them, if they try to meet them alone.

We hold before You, O Lord:

  • those who know they can be their own worst enemies.

We hold before You, O Lord:

  • those who have difficult people to work with; those who have to suffer unjust treatment, unfair criticism, unappreciated work.

We hold before You, O Lord:

  • those who are sad because someone they loved has died; and any who are disappointed in something for which they have hoped very much. (William Barclay)

Hymn: “O Lord Hear My Prayer”Taize

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 Readings: Psalm 116:15; 2 Kings 13:14, 20-21; Acts 6:15 ESV ~ facing death

Morning Prayer ~ Celtic Daily Prayer

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

Opening sentences

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.

Declaration of faith

To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God. Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.

Morning readings

Angel bright

Psalm 116:15 ESV    Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

2 Kings 13:14, 20-21 ESV Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, crying, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!”

So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. And as a man was being buried, behold, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha, and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.

Acts 6:15 ESV And gazing at [Stephen], all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Prayer ~ Lord, so strange to us this doorway labelled death! – a door of darkness still closed to protect us from the brilliance of eternal life; a final obstacle to the fullness of Your presence. Give courage, Lord, for this uncharted journey, peacefulness at parting from all that must be left behind, and an inner vision of invitation for all that is better that awaits. Soon enough, we must place our footsteps in those of Christ Himself. Amen.

Hymn: “Now the Day Is Over” – Sabine Baring-Gould (1865)

Now the day is over, Night is drawing nigh, Shadows of the evening / Steal across the sky.

Jesus, give the weary / Calm and sweet repose; With Thy tenderest blessing / May our eyelids close.

Comfort every sufferer / Watching late in pain; Those who plan some evil / From their sins restrain.

Through the long night-watches, May Thine angels spread / Their white wings above me, Watching round my bed.

When the morning wakens, Then may I arise / Pure, and fresh, and sinless / In Thy holy eyes.

Glory to the Father, Glory to the Son, And to Thee, blest Spirit, Whilst all ages run.

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: Selected readings 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 am limiting my selections to the Morning Prayer resources.