Morning Readings: Psalm 116:15; 2 Kings 13:14, 20-21; Acts 6:15 ESV ~ facing death

Morning Prayer ~ Celtic Daily 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.

Declaration of faith

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

Morning readings

Psalm 116:15 ESV Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

2 Kings 13:14, 20-21 ESV Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, crying, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!”

So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. And as a man was being buried, behold, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha, and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.

Acts 6:15 ESV And gazing at [Stephen], all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Prayer ~ Lord, so strange to us this doorway labelled death! – a door of darkness still closed to protect us from the brilliance of eternal life; a final obstacle to the fullness of Your presence. Give courage, Lord, for this uncharted journey, peacefulness at parting from all that must be left behind, and an inner vision of invitation for all that is better that awaits. Soon enough, we must place our footsteps in those of Christ Himself. Amen.

Hymn: “Now the Day Is Over” – Sabine Baring-Gould (1865)

Now the day is over, Night is drawing nigh, Shadows of the evening / Steal across the sky.

Jesus, give the weary / Calm and sweet repose; With Thy tenderest blessing / May our eyelids close.

Comfort every sufferer / Watching late in pain; Those who plan some evil / From their sins restrain.

Through the long night-watches, May Thine angels spread / Their white wings above me, Watching round my bed.

When the morning wakens, Then may I arise / Pure, and fresh, and sinless / In Thy holy eyes.

Glory to the Father, Glory to the Son, And to Thee, blest Spirit, Whilst all ages run.

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: Selected readings from the Daily Office of the Northumbrian Community as available online here… and in the book form, Celtic Daily Prayer available on Amazon.com.

The website and prayer book are rich in prayer resources and I commend them to you. For our purpose here, I am limiting my selections to the Morning Prayer resources.

Morning Readings: Psalm 119:50; Isaiah 37:14-24,33-34; Matthew 21:22 ~ ask anything

Morning Prayer ~ Celtic Daily 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.

Declaration of faith

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

Morning readings

Psalm 119:50 ESV This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.

Isaiah 37:14-24,33-34 ESV Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord:

“OLord of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.”

Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, this is the word that theLord has spoken concerning him:

“‘She despises you, she scorns you — the virgin daughter of Zion; she wags her head behind you — the daughter of Jerusalem.

“‘Whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes to the heights? Against the Holy One of Israel! By your servants you have mocked the Lord, and you have said, With my many chariots I have gone up the heights of the mountains, to the far recesses of Lebanon, to cut down its tallest cedars, its choicest cypresses, to come to its remotest height, its most fruitful forest….

“Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares theLord.”

Matthew 21:22 ESV “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

Prayer ~ If Only I Love Jesus (M. Basilea Schlink)

I praise the wounds and the blood of the Lamb that heals the weakness of my body, I praise the wounds and the blood of the Lamb that heals the weakness of my soul, I praise the wounds and the blood of the Lamb that heals the weakness of my spirit!

Praise be to the blood of the Lamb in His forgiving power.
Praise be to the blood of the Lamb in His cleansing power.
Praise be to the blood of the Lamb in His saving power.
Praise be to the blood of the Lamb in His releasing power.
Praise be to the blood of the Lamb in His victorious power.
Praise be to the blood of the Lamb in His renewing power.
Praise be to the blood of the Lamb in His protecting power.

For whoever believes in the power of the blood of Jesus, nothing is impossible.

I praise the blood of the Lamb that covers all my sins so that they can no longer be seen, I praise the blood of the Lamb that cleanses me from all my sins and makes me white as snow, I praise the blood of the Lamb that has power to free me from all my bondages and chains of sin.
I praise the blood of the Lamb that is stronger than my own sin-infested blood and remoulds me into the image of God, I praise the blood of the Lamb that is victorious over all powers that seek to oppress me, over every power of the enemy.
I praise the blood of the Lamb that protects me from all the devious attacks of the enemy.
I praise the blood of the Lamb that prepares for me the bridal garment.
I praise the blood of the Lamb that makes all things new.

Hallelujah! Amen.

Hymn: “All I Have Is Christ” – Sovereign Grace

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ / Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

I once was lost in darkest night / Yet thought I knew the way / The sin that promised joy and life / Had led me to the grave / I had no hope that You would own / A rebel to Your will / And if You had not loved me first / I would refuse You still

But as I ran my hell-bound race / Indifferent to the cost / You looked upon my helpless state / And led me to the cross / And I beheld God’s love displayed / You suffered in my place / You bore the wrath reserved for me / Now all I know is grace

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ / Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone / And live so all might see / The strength to follow Your commands / Could never come from me / Oh Father, use my ransomed life / In any way You choose / And let my song forever be / My only boast is You

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ / Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

Blessing

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

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The website and prayer book are rich in prayer resources and I commend them to you. For our purpose here, I am limiting my selections to the Morning Prayer resources.

6th Sunday of Easter: Revelation 21.10-14, 22-27 NLT – new Jerusalem

Reading: Revelation 21.10-14, 22-27 NLT

So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone—like jasper as clear as crystal. The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates. There were three gates on each side—east, north, south, and west. The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty— but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Prayer: Lord Jesus – deliver me from evil and write my name in your Book of Life. For your name’s sake, I ask it. Amen.

Spiritual: “Twelve gates to the city / I bid you goodnight” – Robert Plant & Band of Joy

4th Sunday of Easter Reading: Revelation 7.9-17 (NLT) – clothed in white

Reading: Revelation 7.9-17 (NLT)

After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar:

“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”

And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. They sang,

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.”

Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.

“That is why they stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne will give them shelter. They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

Prayer: “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”

Wash me whiter than snow… cleanse me with the blood of the Lamb. And fill my heart, and mind, and soul with praise for Jesus – the Lamb of God – my Shepherd and my Lord.

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Scripture Song: “Salvation belongs to our God” – Petra

3rd Sunday of Easter: Revelation 5.11-14 (NLT) – worthy

Reading: Revelation 5.11-14 (NLT)

Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. And they sang in a mighty chorus:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered —
to receive power and riches
and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and blessing.”