Morning Prayer: Wed, 14 Sep – Psalm 49:1-3; Isaiah 58:6; Matthew 25:37-40 ~ “Help Me”

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

Opening Sentence

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.

Reading: Psalm 49:1-3 (NLT)

Listen to this, all you people! Pay attention, everyone in the world! High and low, rich and poor—listen! For my words are wise, and my thoughts are filled with insight.

Reading: Isaiah 58:6 (NLT)

“No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people….”

Reading: Matthew 25:37-40 (NLT)

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”

Prayer

Then I heard a voice in heaven saying, ‘Whom shall I send? and who will go for us? Then said I, ‘Here I am; send me.’

+ I will go, Lord, if You lead me: I will hold Your people in my hand.
+ If I open my eyes to the world around me, if I open my heart to the people that surround me, than I feel pain and brokenness, I see suffering and injustice.
+ Use me, Lord, as an instrument of Your mercy to lift the burden of those who are struggling in life. May I serve them just as eagerly as I would serve You.
+ Lord, see what evil the prince of this world is devising. Let the wind of Your Spirit blow and reverse the works of darkness: and Your fire will cover the earth.

Deliver us, Lord from every evil and grant us peace in our day. In Your mercy, Lord, keep us free from sin, and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Let Your Kingdom come, Lord, in me. Amen.

“The Least Of These” – Karl Kohlhase

Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Jesus 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 for Friday, 2nd Week in Advent: Isaiah 48:17-19; Psalm 1:1-6; Matthew 11:16-19 ~ their delight

Morning Prayer

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

Opening sentence

Before the dawning day / Let sin’s dark deeds be gone, The old man all be put away, The new man all put on.

All glory to the Son, Who comes to set us free, With Father, Spirit, ever One, Through all eternity.

Morning readings

Isaiah 48:17-19 NLT

This is what the Lord says — your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:

“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow. Oh, that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea. Your descendants would have been like the sands along the seashore — too many to count! There would have been no need for your destruction, or for cutting off your family name.”

A solitaire tree covered with snow stands on a field in Sieversdorf, Germany, under a blue winter sky in bright sunlight on 30 December 2010.

Psalm 1:1-6 NLT

Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.

But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

Matthew 11:16-19 NLT:

“To what can I compare this generation? It is like children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends,

‘We played wedding songs, and you didn’t dance, so we played funeral songs, and you didn’t mourn.’

For John didn’t spend his time eating and drinking, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by its results.”

Reflection/Prayer:

Lord Jesus – Quiet my anxious spirit… create within me a fortress of peace where I can find my rest and refreshment in You. Fill me with a love for Your Word and a willingness to live it out – daily, hourly, minute-by-minute – during the hustle and bustle of the season. May my obedience bear good fruit… in my life, but even more importantly in the lives of those I meet today. Make me a Christmas gift, for Your name’s sake. Amen.

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 Morning Prayer readings are from the USCCB Daily Readings and the format 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.

Morning Reading: Luke 9:28-36 NLT – listen to him

Reading: Luke 9:28-36 NLT

About eight days later Jesus took Peter, John, and James up on a mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly, two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared and began talking with Jesus. They were glorious to see. And they were speaking about his exodus from this world, which was about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem.

Mosaic of the Transfiguration, in the apse above that altar at St. Catherine’s Monastery on Mt. Sinai, c. 550. Kurt Weitzman, Jan 1964 National Geographic: “…hanging like a veil.”

Peter and the others had fallen asleep. When they woke up, they saw Jesus’ glory and the two men standing with him.

As Moses and Elijah were starting to leave, Peter, not even knowing what he was saying, blurted out, “Master, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But even as he was saying this, a cloud overshadowed them, and terror gripped them as the cloud covered them.

Then a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him.” When the voice finished, Jesus was there alone. They didn’t tell anyone at that time what they had seen.

Prayer: Lord Jesus – Open my eyes to see your glory… not just in the big things, but also in the little – even ordinary – things of life. Open my ears to hear you… to really listen when you speak to me. And give me the courage and will to live out your Kingdom purpose for my life… today and always. Amen.

Spiritual Song: “Show Me Your Glory” – Third Day (YouTube)