Morning Prayer: 06 Oct – Revelation 11:15-19 ~ the shouting has begun

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 11:15-19 (ESV) – to be read aloud

"Worship before the Throne of God" Bamberg Apocalypse (ca. 1000) Bamberg State Library, Germany — “Worship before the Throne of God”
Bamberg Apocalypse (ca. 1000)
Bamberg State Library, Germany

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying,

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”

And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying,

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”

Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

Reflection

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

The seventh trumpet (11:15-19)

Overview: When the seventh trumpet is blown, we might expect yet another plague but instead we hear voices in heaven declaring the eternal sovereignty of God and his Christ. The twenty-four elders join the celebration falling, before God in worship and praising him for having taken his great power and begun to reign. The time for rewarding his servants and pouring out his wrath on the destroyers of the earth has come. 11:15-19 is a summary of all that is yet to take place. The declaration of triumph by the heavenly hosts (v 15) and the anthem of praise by the worshiping elders (vv 17-18) introduce the great themes of the following chapters. There is a common saying, “It’s all over, bar the shouting,” and the only difference here is that the shout of victory has already begun. (Mounce, p.225)

The Kingdom of God: The establishment of the Kingdom of God on the earth is the central theme of the book of Revelation. This involves the wresting of authority from all hostile powers, including the godless nations of earth, and the exercise of all authority by the Lord and His Christ….

All authority and power belongs to God, but he in his sovereign wisdom has permitted satanic powers to exercise great authority in the world, and he has allowed godless nations to defy the divine sovereignty with apparent impunity. Now, at the consummation of his redemptive work, God, the eternal one, has wrested this authority from both demonic and human hosts and is about to enter upon his triumphant reign. (Ladd, p. 161-2)

The coming of God’s Kingdom will concern not only those living in the last day; it will concern also the entire human family when the dead will be raised and judgement held to determine who will enter God’s eternal Kingdom and who will be excluded. (Ladd, p.163)
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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 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.

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Psalm 146:7-10; Amos 6:1A, 4-7; 1 Timothy 6:11-16; Luke 16:19-31 ~ pursue godliness

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

Opening sentence: God of justice and mercy – as I approach Your throne of grace, I am reminded of my unworthiness and confess my sin before You…. Please forgive me.

You raise the dead to life in the Spirit… You bring pardon and peace to the sinner… You bring light to those in darkness… and You forgive all who cry out to You. Lord, have mercy.

A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 146:7-10 (NLT)

He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The Lord frees the prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. The Lord loves the godly. The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked. The Lord will reign forever. He will be your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations. Praise the Lord!

A Reading from the Prophet Amos: Amos 6:1a, 4-7 (NLT)

What sorrow awaits you who lounge in luxury in Jerusalem….

How terrible for you who sprawl on ivory beds and lounge on your couches, eating the meat of tender lambs from the flock and of choice calves fattened in the stall. You sing trivial songs to the sound of the harp and fancy yourselves to be great musicians like David. You drink wine by the bowlful and perfume yourselves with fragrant lotions.

You care nothing about the ruin of your nation. Therefore, you will be the first to be led away as captives. Suddenly, all your parties will end.

A Reading from Paul’s Letter to Timothy: 1 Timothy 6:11-16 (NLT)

But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses.

And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.

For at just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will. All honor and power to him forever! Amen.

A Reading from the Gospel of Luke: Luke 16:19-31 (NLT)

Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.

“Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.

“The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’

“But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’

“Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’

“But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’

“The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’

“But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Intercessions:

Lord God – You provide for all who are oppressed… the hungry… the prisoner… the blind… the distressed… the foreigner… and the widow and orphan. Gracious and meciful God – hear my prayer:

For the godly, all who strive to be disciples of Christ, that they may be filled with faith and love…. + Lord, hear my prayer.

For the oppressed and exploited of the earth, that they may receive their rightful justice…. + Lord, hear my prayer.

For those who see me as rich, that I may not be blind to their needs…. + Lord, hear my prayer.

For people in need in my community, that I may be a true friend…. + Lord, hear my prayer

For all who mourn the loss of loved ones, that they may be comforted…. + Lord, hear my prayer.

For all who have died, that they may be raised up at the last day…. + Lord, hear my prayer.

For my own needs and for those who have asked for my prayer…. + Lord, hear my prayer.

All of this I ask you, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hymn: “There is a Hope” – Stuart Townend

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

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Psalm 113:1-8; Amos 8:7; 1 Timothy 2:1-7; Luke 16:10-13 ~ cumulative faithfulness

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

Opening sentence: I am the salvation of the people, says the Lord. Should they cry to me in any distress, I will hear them, and I will be their Lord for ever. Amen.

A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 113:1-8 (NLT)

Praise the Lord! Yes, give praise, O servants of the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord! Blessed be the name of the Lord now and forever. Everywhere — from east to west — praise the name of the Lord. For the Lord is high above the nations; his glory is higher than the heavens. Who can be compared with the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high? He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth. He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, even the princes of his own people!

Reading Psalm 113 to the people of the Garbage Dump in Managua.

A Reading from the Prophet Amos: Amos 8:7 (NLT)

Now the Lord has sworn this oath by his own name, the Pride of Israel: “I will never forget the wicked things you have done!”

A Reading from Paul’s Letter to Timothy: 1 Timothy 2:1-7 (NLT)

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity — the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time. And I have been chosen as a preacher and apostle to teach the Gentiles this message about faith and truth. I’m not exaggerating — just telling the truth.

A Reading from the Gospel of Luke: Luke 16:10-13 (NLT)

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Intercessions: God, who heeds the cry of the poor… hear our prayers today. We pray…

For the ministry of service to people who are poor, homeless, hungry or in any other need…

For those who govern with honesty and justice, and for citizens… immigrants… and refugees…

For all who are victims of injustice… and those impoverished by war and neglect…

For all of us to put God, not wealth and possessions, at the center of our lives…

For all Americans serving our country…and for the loved ones who await their safe return…

For those who are seriously ill, hospitalized, or homebound…

For the ministry of healing with people who are broken in body… mind… or spirit…

For the recently deceased, and for all who mourn their loss…

All-powerful and ever-living God, the world is your footstool. Make us always worthy of your trust. This we ask you through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Micha’el Eliyahu Ben David

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

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