Morning Prayer: 14 November – Psalm 8; 2 Peter 3:13-15 ~ waiting for what God promised

A Season of Thanksgiving

Morning Prayer

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

Opening sentence

Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
__________

Morning Reading: Psalm 8 NLT

O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens.

You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you.

Psa 8.3-6

When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers — the moon and the stars you set in place — what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?

Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority — the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents.

O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
__________

Morning Reading: 2 Peter 3:13-15 NLT

We are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.

And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.

And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved.
__________

Prayer:

Praise be to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: in Christ You have given us every spiritual blessing.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, may Christ be born today in the hearts of men. Father, may Your Spirit lead us forward out of solitude: may He lead us to open the eyes of the blind, to proclaim the Word of light, to reap together the harvest of life. Let our striving for Your kingdom not fall short through selfishness or fear: may the universe be alive with the Spirit, and our homes be the pledge of a world redeemed.

All-powerful, eternal God, splendour of true light and never-ending day: at this return of the morning hour, chase away the night of sin and fill our minds with the glory of Your coming. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
__________

“Come to me” – Bethel Loft Sessions

_________

Canticle

Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

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

Morning Prayer: 12 November – Psalm 147:1-11 ~ hope in God’s love

A Season of Thanksgiving

Morning Prayer

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

Opening sentence

Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
__________

Morning Reading: Psalm 147:1-11 NLT

Praise the Lord!

How good to sing praises to our God! How delightful and how fitting!

The Lord is rebuilding Jerusalem and bringing the exiles back to Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. He counts the stars and calls them all by name.

How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension! The Lord supports the humble, but he brings the wicked down into the dust.

Sing out your thanks to the Lord; sing praises to our God with a harp.

He covers the heavens with clouds, provides rain for the earth, and makes the grass grow in mountain pastures. He gives food to the wild animals and feeds the young ravens when they cry. He takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse or in human might.

No, the Lord’s delight is in those who fear him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love.
__________

Prayer:

Hallowed be Your name.

Heavenly Father: open our eyes that we may see You in the face of Your beloved Son. Christ greeted us with good news: may the world hear it through us, and find hope.

We praise and thank You, Lord of heaven and earth; You are the hope and joy of men in every age. May Christ’s coming transform the Church; and renew its youth and vigor in the service of men. We pray for Christians who suffer for their belief: sustain them in their hope.

Fill us with Your Spirit and strengthen our hearts with Your grace, that we might be willing to lay down our lives in Your service.

Hallowed be your name.
__________

“Psalm 147:1-11” – Scottish Psalter 1650 (A Capella)

_________

Canticle

Blessing

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

Morning Prayer: 10 November – Psalm 144:1-2a, 15b; Isaiah 55:1,3 ~ walk with me

A Season of Thanksgiving

Morning Prayer

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

Opening sentence

Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
__________

Morning Reading: Psalm 144:1-2a, 15b NLT

Psalm 144.1 Marine

Praise the Lord, who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle. He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my rescuer. He is my shield, and I take refuge in him.
_____

Joyful indeed are those whose God is the Lord.
__________

Morning Reading: Isaiah 55:1,3 NLT

“Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink — even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk — it’s all free!
_____

“Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life.
__________

Prayer:

Stay with us, Lord, on our journey.

Help us to realize that our troubles are slight and short-lived; they are as nothing compared with the joy we shall have when we reach our home with You. Come to the lonely, the unloved, those without friends; show them Your love, and help them to care for their brothers and sisters. Take away our pride, temper our anger: may we follow You in Your gentleness: may You make us humble of heart. Give us the fullness of Your Spirit, the Spirit of sonship: make our love for each other generous and sincere.

Stay with us, Lord, on our journey.
__________

“Walk With Me” – Kim Walker Smith/Jesus Culture

_________

Canticle

Blessing

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

Morning Prayer: 09 November – Psalm 66:16-20; Isaiah 56:6-8 ~ God listens

A Season of Thanksgiving

Morning Prayer

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

Opening sentence

Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
__________

Morning Reading: Psalm 66:16-20 NLT

Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me. For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke.

If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer.

Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me.
__________

Morning Reading: Isaiah 56:6-8 NLT

Church of all Nations Mount of Olives, Jerusalem — Church of all Nations
Mount of Olives, Jerusalem

“I will also bless the foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord, who serve him and love his name, who worship him and do not desecrate the Sabbath day of rest, and who hold fast to my covenant.

I will bring them to my holy mountain of Jerusalem and will fill them with joy in my house of prayer. I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices, because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations.

For the Sovereign Lord, who brings back the outcasts of Israel, says: I will bring others, too, besides my people Israel.”
__________

Prayer:

My house will be called a house of prayer.

Lord God, You have called Your people to become Your Church. Grant that all who gather in Your name may fear You, love You, and follow You in the way leading to life abundant and eternal – through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
__________

“House of Prayer” – Eddie James

May the fire on my altar never burn out.

_________

Canticle

Blessing

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

Morning Prayer: 07 November – Luke 23:46 ~ a spirit of abandonment

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

Opening sentence

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

Listen for the voice of the Lord and enter into His peace.
__________

Morning Reading: Luke 23:46 NLT

Christ Crucified (detail) Diego Velázquez, 1632 Museo del Prado, Madrid — Christ Crucified (detail)
Diego Velázquez, 1632
Museo del Prado, Madrid

Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.
__________

On Charles de Foucauld’s Prayer of Abandonment (Trevor Miller article excerpt)

To pray ‘whatever you do, I will thank you: I am ready for all, I accept all’ demands integrity and faith but it is important to understand that what we know as the ‘Prayer of Abandonment’ is not actually a prayer that Charles de Foucauld wrote for any eventual companions, or even one he prayed himself. Rather it is his reflection on the prayer of Jesus’ to his Father, written while he was a Cistercian monk in Syria, as he meditated on the Passion narratives in the Gospel… ‘it is the prayer of Jesus in his Passion; it is not our prayer.’

It is identifying with the Passion of Jesus, imagining what Jesus went through and the prayers, emotions and desires he expressed to his Father at this momentous time; it is following in his steps, standing in the prayer with him and all who call his Name….

We pray it with Jesus and each other because we want to grow in this spirit of abandonment uniting ourselves ‘in a place of complete surrender’ to His love and grace, mercy and forgiveness, as part of the mystery of faith…. To follow in his steps, is a representation of our surrender to Jesus as we continually say yes to Availability and Vulnerability.

It is particularly helpful to know that whatever our individual or collective circumstances or situation; whether good or bad or downright ugly; whatever twists and turns we may experience in an as yet unknown future, we’re holding on to the Lord of the Journey, moving united in Christ as Companions in Community. So what better prayer can we offer, alone and together, than to embrace the Spirit of Jesus within us and echo His words of faith:

Father,
I abandon myself into your hands;
do with me what you will.

Whatever you do, I will thank you:
I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me, as in all your creatures.
And I’ll ask nothing else, my Lord.

Into your hands I commend my spirit;
I give it to you
with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord,
and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into your hands,
with a trust beyond all measure,
Because you are my Father.

Northumbrian Community – “A Place of Complete Surrender” by Trevor Miller
__________

“Christ we do all adore Thee “