Morning Prayer: 2 Feb – Heb 2:14-18; Lk 2:22-32 ~ became like us to save us

The Presentation of the Lord

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

Opening sentence and Prayer:

Look, I am going to send my messenger to prepare a way before me. And the Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple; and the angel of the covenant whom you are longing for, yes, he is coming, says the Lord of Hosts. (Malachi 3:1)
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Almighty, ever-living God, on this day Your Only-Begotten Son was presented in the Temple, in flesh and blood like ours. Purify us in mind and heart that we may meet You in Your glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

A Reading from the Letters: Hebrews 2:14-18 (NLT)

"Kissing The Face of God" Morgan Weistling — “Kissing The Face of God”
Morgan Weistling

Because God’s children are human beings — made of flesh and blood — the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.
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A light of revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel. (Luke 2:32)
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A Reading from the Gospels: Luke 2:22-32 (NLT)

Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord.” So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord — “either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,

“Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!”
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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 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 the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Morning Prayer: 30 August – Psalm 102:13-22; Amos 9:14-15; Revelation 12:17 ~ on warfare

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.

Psalm 102:13-22

You will arise and have mercy on Jerusalem — and now is the time to pity her, now is the time you promised to help. For your people love every stone in her walls and cherish even the dust in her streets. Then the nations will tremble before the Lord. The kings of the earth will tremble before his glory. For the Lord will rebuild Jerusalem. He will appear in his glory. He will listen to the prayers of the destitute. He will not reject their pleas.

Let this be recorded for future generations, so that a people not yet born will praise the Lord. Tell them the Lord looked down from his heavenly sanctuary. He looked down to earth from heaven to hear the groans of the prisoners, to release those condemned to die. And so the Lord’s fame will be celebrated in Zion, his praises in Jerusalem, when multitudes gather together and kingdoms come to worship the Lord.

Amos 9:14-15

I will bring my exiled people of Israel back from distant lands, and they will rebuild their ruined cities and live in them again. They will plant vineyards and gardens; they will eat their crops and drink their wine. I will firmly plant them there in their own land. They will never again be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God.

Revelation 12:17

And the dragon was angry at the woman and declared war against the rest of her children — all who keep God’s commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus.

Reflection

IONA

COLUMBA’S PROPHECY
‘Vast throngs I see in realms far, far away –
with stubborn pride they challenge Christ’s appeal:
and thou, dear home,
though plunged in long decay,
shalt rise anew thine ancient fires to feel,
leading the last long war with holy zeal!
But oh! let none thy blessing dare to claim
who shirk the law of strife! Messiah’s heel
must feel the serpent’s bruise,
strong through Christ’s name
by vigil, fast, and prayer,
the serpent’s pride to tame.’
His utt’rance ceased,
but still his eye looked on
as if in distant skies his mind could read
the mysteries of the future.

R. M. Benson
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Farewell, then to Iona. In old days, when they said goodbye in the Gaelic, they said something lovely, but so charged with meaning. When husband parted from wife, mother from child, lover from her who was ‘half his sight’, they remembered that days might be dreary, friends few, and life hard. But they looked into each other’s eyes, and the words always came – ‘The blessing of God go with you, and the blessing of Columba.’

G. E. Troup
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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.) Our Scripture readings and reflections will be taken from the Aidan Daily Readings (Celtic Daily Prayer) during the month of August. 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: 22 August – Psalm 51:18; Haggai 1:2-5; Matthew 17:24-27 – on rebuilding

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.

Psalm 51:18

Look with favor on Zion and help her; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

Huts were erected on the east side of the Abbey © Iona Community, from Outside the Safe Place: An oral history of the early years of the Iona Community. — Huts were erected on the east side of the Abbey
© Iona Community, from Outside the Safe Place: An oral history of the early years of the Iona Community.

Haggai 1:2-5

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: The people are saying, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.’”

Then the Lord sent this message through the prophet Haggai: “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins? This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you!”

Matthew 17:24-27

On their arrival in Capernaum, the collectors of the Temple tax came to Peter and asked him, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the Temple tax?”

“Yes, he does,” Peter replied. Then he went into the house.

But before he had a chance to speak, Jesus asked him, “What do you think, Peter? Do kings tax their own people or the people they have conquered?”

“They tax the people they have conquered,” Peter replied.

“Well, then,” Jesus said, “the citizens are free! However, we don’t want to offend them, so go down to the lake and throw in a line. Open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a large silver coin. Take it and pay the tax for both of us.”

Reflection

IONA

In 561 Columba arrived on Iona with his twelve; in 1938 MacLeod arrived with another band of twelve, half craftsmen without jobs, half students for the ministry. They built a wooden shed to live in by the fallen monastery and began the work of re-building.

MacLeod recounts that the group needed money with which to get its project started. ‘I wrote to the richest man I knew. He replied that I should go see a psychiatrist at once. Then I asked – me a pacifist, mind you – Sir John Lithgow, a builder of warships at his Govan shipyard. He was interested, but asked if I would give up my pacifisn if he gave me the £5,000. I said “Not on your life.” “Then,” he said, “I will give you your £5,000.” Materials were hard to obtain: ‘The war was on and the government commandeered all timber. But a ship coming from Canada struck a storm and jettisoned its cargo of lumber in the Atlantic. The timber floated 80 miles, finally landed on Mull, opposite Iona – and all the right length! It roofs the Iona library today.’

James H. Forest
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Canticle:

Blessing

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

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Morning Prayer: 21 August – Psalm 48:1-3, 12-14; Isaiah 61:4; 2 Peter 3:8-9 – on God’s patience

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.

Psalm 48:1-3, 12-14

How great is the Lord, how deserving of praise, in the city of our God, which sits on his holy mountain! It is high and magnificent; the whole earth rejoices to see it! Mount Zion, the holy mountain, is the city of the great King! God himself is in Jerusalem’s towers, revealing himself as its defender.
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Go, inspect the city of Jerusalem. Walk around and count the many towers. Take note of the fortified walls, and tour all the citadels, that you may describe them to future generations. For that is what God is like. He is our God forever and ever, and he will guide us until we die.

Isaiah 61:4

Iona Abbey, founded by St Columba in 563 AD

They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities destroyed long ago. They will revive them, though they have been deserted for many generations.

2 Peter 3:8-9

But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

Reflection

IONA

The woodwork on the buildings of the small village gathered near the pier is so weathered that it makes them look as timeless as seagulls. At a monkish distance to the north, amid wide fields grazed by the islands sheep, the monastery looks as it must have looked when the Benedictines finished the premises 700 years ago: the plain square tower of St Mary’s Cathedral and the austere rectangular masses of the adjoining buildings are all of enduring grey stone with deep-cut windows under steep slated roofs. So solid does the monastery appear that it is hard to picture the ruined state it was in for four centuries after the Scottish Parliament outlawed the monastic life in 1561. Had the Act of Suppression come two years later it would have been a full thousand years since the first monks landed on Iona and began spreading the Christian faith in Scotland.
James H. Forest,
Sojourners magazine, May 1980)
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The Celtic monks, knowing the same restlessness and provocation which issues from the Almighty, depicted the Holy Spirit both as a dove and a wild goose. But where in our contemporary devotions are there glimpses that God, in the twentienth century, can be expected to surprise, contradict, upset or rile us in order that the kingdom may come?
John L. Bell & Graham A. Maule
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… and I say a prayer,
that the Wild Goose will come to me.
Iona, ‘Here I stand’
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Canticle:

Blessing

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

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20th Ordinary Sunday: Isaiah 56:1, 6-7; Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 7; Romans 11:13-15, 29-32; Matthew 15:21-28 ~ “May all the nations praise you, O God.”

20TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

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

Opening prayer:

Everyone who calls on God’s name is welcome in God’s house.

God of the nations, all are invited to Your table and in Your family no one is a stranger. Satisfy the hunger of those who gather today in prayer, and mercifully extend to all the peoples on earth the joy of salvation and faith.

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.
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A Reading from the Old testament: Isaiah 56:1, 6-7 (NLT)

This is what the Lord says:

Church of All Nations Jerusalem — Church of All Nations
Jerusalem

“Be just and fair to all. Do what is right and good, for I am coming soon to rescue you and to display my righteousness among you.
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“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.
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A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 7 (NLT)

May your ways be known throughout the earth, your saving power among people everywhere. May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you.
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May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you.
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Then the earth will yield its harvests, and God, our God, will richly bless us.
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Yes, God will bless us, and people all over the world will fear him.
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A Reading from the Letters: Romans 11:13-15, 29-32 (NLT)

I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this, for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them. For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead!
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For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God’s mercy. For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.
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A Reading from the Gospels: Matthew 15:21-28 (NLT)

Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.”

But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.”

Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep — the people of Israel.”

But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!”

Jesus responded, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”

She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.”

“Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed.
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Intercessions:

God shed Your light on us and hear our prayers:

+ That people of every nation, race, colour and religion may be united in working for justice and peace….
Lord, hear us.

+ That those who follow Christ may never forget that all are welcome on God’s holy mountain….
Lord, hear us.

+ That all who suffer, in mind, body or spirit, may experience Christ’s healing power….
Lord, hear us.

+ That refugees from the chaos of war and the mayhem of evil may find protection, solace and rest for body and soul….
Lord, hear us.

+ That in our daily lives, we may show love to the people from other countries who live in our midst….
Lord, hear us.

+ That all who are preparing to return to school , both teachers and students, may find happiness in their endeavors and a deep faith to guide them….
Lord, hear us.

+ That those whose faith is known to God alone may come at the end of their lives to God’s holy mountain….
Lord, hear us.

+ For our brothers and sisters who have died and for those who grieve their loss – that all may be united in their heavenly home….
Lord, hear us.

Gracious God, all the nations find their help in You: teach us to trust in Your love as You grant our petitions, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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

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