Tag: good and evil

Reading, Reflection & Prayer: Tue, 18 July – 2 Kings 11-15 ~ good and evil, kings and kingdoms

Reading, Reflection & Prayer

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

Opening – (Northumbria Community)

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.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.

Reading: 2 Kings 11-15 (NLT) – click here

Reflection & Prayer

Lord God: you promised to bless your people so that through them all the nations of the world may be blessed – you would be their God, and they would be your people. And you gave them your life-giving commandments so that they might serve you and live full, rich lives. And you graciously extended your covenant promises to the church through faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
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Today’s reading is filled with the tragic rise and fall of the kings and kingdoms of Israel and Judah. It’s not all that different from the world news of the day – filled with evil, treachery, murder, war, conspiracy and the worship of false gods. Sadly, the history of the church is not all that different.

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Partial Obedience

2 Kings 12:2-3 (NLT) – All his life Joash did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight because Jehoiada the priest instructed him. Yet even so, he did not destroy the pagan shrines, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there.

+ Lord: forgive our  tepid response to your commandment – to love you with all our heart, mind and strength. We have become a people who try to fit you into our busy lives, instead of placing you first in our lives and then allowing everything else to fall into place. Truth be told, we have no idea what it would be like to seek first the kingdom of God, because we’ve never tried it.

+ Lord: have mercy on us, your church, and remember your covenant promises to us. Revive us again and restore us as a light to the nations.

Rough Justice

2 Kings 12:20-21 (NLT) – Joash’s officers plotted against him and assassinated him at Beth-millo on the road to Silla. The assassins were Jozacar son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer—both trusted advisers. Joash was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. Then his son Amaziah became the next king.

+ Lord: you are holy, and you call your people to live holy lives as well. Raise up prophets who will speak the truth to us – who will correct us when we’re wrong, and will teach us to do what’s right. And raise up priests who will bring us to Jesus to receive mercy and help in our time of trouble.

+ Lord: have mercy on us, your church, and remember your covenant promises to us. Chasten us and correct us that we may do what is right in your sight.

Promise-keeping God

2 Kings 13:22-23 (NLT) – King Hazael of Aram had oppressed Israel during the entire reign of King Jehoahaz. But the Lord was gracious and merciful to the people of Israel, and they were not totally destroyed. He pitied them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And to this day he still has not completely destroyed them or banished them from his presence.

+ Lord: when we confess our sins you are faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Here us now, Lord, as we pray….

+ Lord: have mercy on your church and remember your covenant promises to us. Have pity on us; extend your grace and mercy to us that we may amend our ways and put you first in our lives.

Flawed Saviors

2 Kings 14:26-27 (NLT) – For the Lord saw the bitter suffering of everyone in Israel, and that there was no one in Israel, slave or free, to help them. And because the Lord had not said he would blot out the name of Israel completely, he used Jeroboam II, the son of Jehoash, to save them.

+ Lord: you use flawed people inside the church and outside the church to restore order and justice that your people might live quiet, peaceful lives and bear witness to your love, mercy and grace. Raise up leaders with the authority to help your people, both Christians and Jews, especially those experiencing oppression and persecution for their faith.

+ Lord: have mercy on your people and remember your old and new covenant promises to us. Protect us and provide for us in this our time of trouble.

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“Remind Me Who I Am” – Jason Gray


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Blessing – (Northumbrian Community)

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

Morning Prayer: 27 June – Psalm 118:25-29; Isaiah 5:20-21; Luke 18:9-14 ~ on sin and humility

Morning 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.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.

Morning readings in June

DESERT FATHERS – The sayings of The Desert Fathers (c. 300 AD) speak for themselves. (For further reading: The Wisdom of the Desert by Thomas Merton.)

Psalm 118:25-29 NLT

Please, Lord, please save us. Please, Lord, please give us success. Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, shining upon us. Take the sacrifice and bind it with cords on the altar. You are my God, and I will praise you! You are my God, and I will exalt you!

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

pharisee-and-tax-collector

Isaiah 5:20-21 NLT

What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. What sorrow for those who are wise in their own eyes and think themselves so clever.

Luke 18:9-14 NLT

Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Reflections

Once two brothers were sitting with Abbot Poemen, and one praised the other brother saying: ‘He is a good brother, he hates evil.’

The old man asked: ‘What do you mean he hates evil?’

And the brother did not know what to reply. So he said: ‘Tell me, father, what is it to hate evil?’

The father said: ‘That man hates evil who hates his own sins, and looks upon every brother as a saint, and loves him as a saint.’

Aidan Readings – Aidan of Lindisfarne
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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

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Peanut Gallery: 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.) Having completed reading through the Gospel of John, our Scripture readings and reflections will be taken from the Aidan Daily Readings (Celtic Daily Prayer). We will continue with the Aidan readings through June. 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.