Monday Morning

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

Opening –  A Collect for the Renewal of Life (Monday)

O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness during the day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Morning Reading – Matthew 21:28-46 (NLT)

Parable of the Two Sons

“But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway. Then the father told the other son, ‘You go,’ and he said, ‘Yes, sir, I will.’ But he didn’t go.

“Which of the two obeyed his father?”

They replied, “The first.”

Then Jesus explained his meaning: “I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do. For John the Baptist came and showed you the right way to live, but you didn’t believe him, while tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to believe him and repent of your sins.

Parable of the Evil Farmers

“Now listen to another story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. At the time of the grape harvest, he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. So the landowner sent a larger group of his servants to collect for him, but the results were the same.

“Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’

“But when the tenant farmers saw his son coming, they said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Come on, let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ So they grabbed him, dragged him out of the vineyard, and murdered him.

“When the owner of the vineyard returns,” Jesus asked, “what do you think he will do to those farmers?”

The religious leaders replied, “He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest.”

Then Jesus asked them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures?

‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.’

I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit. Anyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.”

When the leading priests and Pharisees heard this parable, they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowds, who considered Jesus to be a prophet.
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Morning Reflection:

Christ the Cornerstone

‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.’
– Psalm 118:22-23 –

I don’t think I’ve ever thought of Jesus as a dangerous person. But in today’s allusion to the “cornerstone” (foundation of a building), or “capstone” (top of a building), rejection of Jesus has serious consequences – they stumble over him and are broken, or are crushed when he falls on them.

As in the illustrative stories Jesus told –

• listeners still have time to repent and believe – they may have said “No” to Jesus earlier, but it’s not too late to change their minds.
• societal status is of no benefit in his Kingdom – outcasts who repent and believe are welcome, while the in crowd who reject Jesus are banned.

In both cases the issue is our willingness to submit to Jesus’ authority – over all things,especially over our daily lives as Kingdom people.

Questions for consideration:

• When you think of Jesus’ authority over your life, what comes to mind? Please explain.
• How is Jesus’ authority a comfort / a challenge to you? Please explain.
• When you think of people who have rejected Jesus’ authority, who comes to mind? Please explain.
• If rejection of Jesus leaves one broken or crushed, how then should we pray – for ourselves / for others? Please explain.

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Morning Prayer: For Christ to be the Cornerstone of our lives –

Lord Jesus, we want you to be  the Cornerstone of our lives, now and always.
+ We have professed our faith in you, and we want to make you first in our lives.
+ Strengthen us by the power of your Word and Spirit to live lives that honor and bless you.
+ We welcome your presence into every aspect of our lives- our thoughts, our decisions, our actions.
+ Thank you for seeking and saving us; we love you because you first loved us. It’s all too wonderful.
Lord Jesus, we pray that we would become living stones that glorify your name. Amen.

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“Cornerstone “ – Hillsong Worship

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Closing:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and 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