Tag: Holy Spirit

Morning Prayer: 19 Dec – Luke 1:5-25 ~ speechless

Sixth Day Before Christmas

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

Opening sentences:

The Lord is close at hand: come let us worship him.

O Root of Jesse’s stem, sign of God’s love for all his people: come to save us without delay!

Show us your saving mercy, Lord, and give us your saving help.

A Reading from the Gospels: Luke 1:5-25 (NLT)

Annuncio dell'angelo a San Zaccaria.
Annuncio dell’angelo a San Zaccaria.

When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.

One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.

While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”

Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”

Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”

"Annuncio dell'angelo a San Zaccaria." Cappella tornabuoni frescoes in Florence. Domenico Ghirlandaio (ca. 1485)
“Annuncio dell’angelo a San Zaccaria.”
Cappella tornabuoni frescoes in Florence.
Domenico Ghirlandaio (ca. 1485)

Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.

When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home. Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.”
__________

Vigilate, nescitis enim quando dominus domus veniat, sero, an media nocte, an gallicantu, an mane.
Vigilate ergo, ne cum venerit repente, inveniat vos dormientes.
Quod autem dico vobis, omnibus dico: vigilate.

Watch ye therefore (for you know not when the lord of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock crowing, or in the morning):
Watch therefore, lest coming on a sudden, he find you sleeping.
And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch.
__________

Canticle

Show us your saving mercy, Lord, and give us your saving help.

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.

Teach me, dear Lord, to number my days; that I may apply my heart unto wisdom. Oh, satisfy me early with Thy mercy, that I may rejoice and be glad all of my days.

Blessing:

May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.

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

Morning Prayer: 18 Dec – Matthew 1:18-25 ~ the birth of Jesus

Seventh Day Before Christmas

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

Opening sentences:

The Lord is close at hand: come let us worship him.

O Leader of the House of Israel, giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai: come to rescue us with your mighty power!

I look to you, Lord, for help: come and save me, Lord, for I seek refuge in you.

A Reading from the Gospels: Matthew 1:18-25 (NLT)

Angel Appears to Joseph in a Dream Gaetano Gandolfi, c. 1790
Angel Appears to Joseph in a Dream
Gaetano Gandolfi, c. 1790

This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

__________

__________

Canticle

I look to you, Lord, for help: come and save me, Lord, for I seek refuge in you.

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.

Teach me, dear Lord, to number my days; that I may apply my heart unto wisdom. Oh, satisfy me early with Thy mercy, that I may rejoice and be glad all of my days.

Blessing:

May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.

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

Morning Prayer: 12 Dec – Luke 1:39-47 ~ my soul rejoices

Friday of the Second Week of Advent

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

Opening sentences:

Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.

Let the beauty of the Lord be upon us.

Lord, open my lips; and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

A Reading from the Gospels: Luke 1:39-47 (NLT)

maryandelizabeth2

A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!

Canticle

Teach me, dear Lord, to number my days; that I may apply my heart unto wisdom. Oh, satisfy me early with Thy mercy, that I may rejoice and be glad all of my days.

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.

And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon me; and establish Thou the work of my hands.

Blessing:

May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.

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

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)
__________


__________

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.

Morning Prayer: 04 Oct – Revelation 11:7-14 ~ witness vindication

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 11:7-14 (ESV) – to be read aloud

The Prophets and the Beast for the abyss. The Bamberg Apocalypse (Bamberg State Library, Msc.Bibl.140) is an 11th-century richly illuminated manuscript containing the Book of Revelation and a Gospel Lectionary.
The Prophets and the Beast for the abyss.
The Bamberg Apocalypse (Bamberg State Library, Msc.Bibl.140) is an 11th-century richly illuminated manuscript containing the Book of Revelation and a Gospel Lectionary.

And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth.

But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.

And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.

Reflection

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

Interlude: The two witnesses (11:3-14)

Martyrdom at the hands of the beast: (11:7-10)

When the witnesses have finished their task, they fall prey to the wrath of the beast…. a familiar concept in Jewish-Christian thought (Daniel 7; Mark 13:14; Matt 24:15; Luke 21:20)…. Here is a fundamental clue to the understanding of biblical prophecy: eschatological events are foreshadowed in historical events.

The beast is a central figure in the Revelation…. In this passage, the beast represents both every hostile evil power that oppresses and persecutes God’s people, but primarily the eschatological figure at the end of the age. (Ladd, p.156)

Ladd: Here Jerusalem is not mentioned as an empty theoretical metaphor. In some way or another the earthly, geographical Jerusalem will have its place in the history of the last days. (Ladd, p.157)

Morris: The great city is every city and no city. It is civilized man in organized community. (Morris, p.146)

Mounce: The city illustrates the response of paganism to righteousness…. Sodom refers to the depths of moral degradation… and Egypt is a symbol of oppression and slavery. The great city in which the martyred church lies dead is the world under the wicked and oppressive sway of Antichrist. (Mounce, p.221)

The world has always shown hostility to the message of God – a truth that ought to give some concern to the contemporary church existing for the most part rather comfortably in a world of increasing wickedness. (Mounce, p.222)

Witness vindication: (11:11-12)

 Ladd: The conversion of Israel is to be accomplished by a miracle of resurrection… reminiscent of the revival of Israel in Ezek 37:10…. The resurrection of the martyrs is a public event designed to bring “great fear… on those who saw them.”  (Ladd, p.159)

Mounce: The resurrection of the church is a sure indication that God possesses the ultimate authority over life and death…. The triumph of the witnesses is no secret rapture; it is openly visible to all (Matt 24:27; 1 Thess 4:17). (Mounce, p.223)

Morris:

‘Why does the Church of Jesus Christ today sit so easy to her surroundings? Why do Christian people live such comfortable and such undisturbed lives in this evil and disturbed world? Surely it is because we are not true to the Word of God?’ (Torrence)

(Morris, p.146)

Repentance: (11:13)

Ladd: The result of the resurrection and ascension of the two martyrs and of the following earthquake was the conversion of the rest of the city. This appears to be a symbolic way of describing the final conversion of the Jewish people as a whole.

Because of these mighty acts of God in the end time, the Jewish people will repent of their sins and give glory to the true God. Previously they have not glorified God; they had crucified his Messiah and rejected his prophets. But now they repent of their disobedience and glorify God. (Ladd, p.159-60)

Morris: The survivors not only gave way to fear, they also gave glory to the God of heaven. This is a new note, for John has not hitherto spoken of sinners as being other than hardened by the judgements of God. But these happenings are so striking and so clearly from God that even sinful men could not forbear from ascribing glory to him. (Morris, p.147-8)

__________


__________

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.