Morning Prayer: 16 July – Psalm 125:3-5; Numbers 17:1-11; John 21:15-17 ~ on strengthening the godly

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.

Pilgrimage

Psalm 125:3-5 NLT

The wicked will not rule the land of the godly, for then the godly might be tempted to do wrong.

O Lord, do good to those who are good, whose hearts are in tune with you. But banish those who turn to crooked ways, O Lord. Take them away with those who do evil.

May Israel have peace!

Numbers 17:1-11 NLT

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the people of Israel to bring you twelve wooden staffs, one from each leader of Israel’s ancestral tribes, and inscribe each leader’s name on his staff. Inscribe Aaron’s name on the staff of the tribe of Levi, for there must be one staff for the leader of each ancestral tribe. Place these staffs in the Tabernacle in front of the Ark containing the tablets of the Covenant, where I meet with you. Buds will sprout on the staff belonging to the man I choose. Then I will finally put an end to the people’s murmuring and complaining against you.”

So Moses gave the instructions to the people of Israel, and each of the twelve tribal leaders, including Aaron, brought Moses a staff. Moses placed the staffs in the Lord’s presence in the Tabernacle of the Covenant. When he went into the Tabernacle of the Covenant the next day, he found that Aaron’s staff, representing the tribe of Levi, had sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds!

When Moses brought all the staffs out from the Lord’s presence, he showed them to the people. Each man claimed his own staff. And the Lord said to Moses: “Place Aaron’s staff permanently before the Ark of the Covenant to serve as a warning to rebels. This should put an end to their complaints against me and prevent any further deaths.” So Moses did as the Lord commanded him.

John 21:15-17 NLT

After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”

“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.

Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”

“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.

A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.”

Reflections

GLASTONBURY

Glastonbury is a place of legend and pilgrimage. Its Christian history is very early, Joseph of Arimathea is said to have visited there, and given witness to Christ.

Other legends say that Patrick and Brigid came there, either of which is possible. Its connections with Arthur and Merlin have fascinated Christians and occultists alike, and today it is a place of deep spiritual conflict.

Pray for the believers in this town, because as the song says: ‘It’s hard to dance with the Devil on your back.’

Pray that their love of Christ will grow ever stronger.
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The most important thing in my life
is that I chose to follow Jesus.
No-one makes me.
I chose to.
I have chosen to follow Him
because He loves me
and love makes all the difference.
(Ann Kiemel)
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The ancient Glastonbury carol says:

The bells of Paradise, I heard them ring.
And I love my Lord Jesus above everything.

Aidan Readings – Aidan of Lindisfarne
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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 July. 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: 15 July – Psalm 125:2; Genesis 28:16-17; Ephesians 3:16-19 ~ I’m surrounded

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.

Pilgrimage

Psalm 125:2 NLT

Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, both now and forever.

Genesis 28:16-17 NLT

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” But he was also afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!”

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Ephesians 3:16-19 NLT

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Reflections

THE HOUSE WITH GOLDEN WINDOWS

This is a story of a young boy who lived with his parents in a cottage on a hillside, overlooking a wide valley. His greatest joy was to sit on the doorstep on summer evenings, and gaze across the valley to a house miles away on the opposite hillside, for, just as the sun was sinking in the west, the windows of that house would burst into flame, shining dazzling with golden light. How perfectly happy the people must be who live there, he thought! One day he packed sandwiches and set off to find the house with the golden windows, but it was farther off than he expected, and it was already towards sunset as he climbed steeply uphill. To his disappointment the house was a plain cottage after all, and the windows ordinary windows. The good people there offered him supper, and made up a bed in the kitchen, for it was too late for him to return. That night, in his dream, he asked directions of a girl about his age. ‘The house with the golden windows? Yes, I’ve seen it.’ And she pointed. He woke to the early song of the birds. Drawing the curtain aside he looked out. There far across the valley, was his own house – and, wonder of wonders, its windows flashed with gold in the brightness of the morning sun.
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And the end of all our exploring
will be to arrive where we started
and know the place for the first time.
(T. S. Eliot)

Aidan Readings – Aidan of Lindisfarne
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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: 14 July – Psalm 125:1; Genesis 37:19; 1 Corinthians 11:1 ~ on dreaming dreams

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.

Pilgrimage

Psalm 125:1 NLT

Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever.

Genesis 37:19 NLT

“Here comes the dreamer!” they said.

1 Corinthians 11:1 NLT

And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.

Reflections

ASSISI

He was born in the small town of Assisi in the year 1182. Even today, as you walk through the Umbrian countryside, the peace of St Francis seeps into your soul and you begin to believe that perfect joy is possible. When the light of the Spirit was dying out all over the world, this man, this little man, this one man re-kindled the flame. He was only 45 years old when he died, but he left behind a Dream to dream and a Journey to challenge every man. (Murray Bodo)
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In Assisi the past is not history, but the life of Francis is now, just as Christ is now. And because Francis holds Christ’s hand and so do we: there is no time gap. (Norma Wise)
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I dreamt I saw a procession of saints, holy men and bishops in their fine robes and rich clothes. Behind them walked many poor people. And the poor had their eyes on the ground, searching it to be certain they could see the footprints of Jesus there and step in them. At the very back of the line was a little man, not very handsome and dressed in rags, but his head was held back, for his eyes were on heaven all the time. Poor fool. Poor, poor fool.
From the play Poor Fool, by the Northumberland Theatre Company
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There have been thousands of footsteps around Assisi, but through them all the footsteps of Francis seem freshly there, unaltered, calling out for us to walk in them, and learn. (Brenda Grace)

Aidan Readings – Aidan of Lindisfarne
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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: 12 July – Psalm 124:1-5; Isaiah 35:3-4; Revelation 5:11-12 ~ on the indescribable

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.

San Giovanni evangelista a Patmos Jacopo Vignali, 17th century — San Giovanni evangelista a Patmos
Jacopo Vignali, 17th century

Pilgrimage

Psalm 124:1-5 NLT

What if the Lord had not been on our side? Let all Israel repeat: What if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us?

They would have swallowed us alive in their burning anger. The waters would have engulfed us; a torrent would have overwhelmed us. Yes, the raging waters of their fury would have overwhelmed our very lives.

Isaiah 35:3-4 NLT

With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, encourage those who have weak knees. Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.”

Revelation 5:11-12 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.”
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Reflections

PATMOS

‘Your task is a simple one, walk with Me, show mw to those who have seen Me, and to those who have been near, but are afraid,’ says the Lord.

And as he spoke he no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them.
(From The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis)
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John, at the end of his Gospel, says, ‘I suppose the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.’

Then, once again, he was chosen to describe the indescribable: not just what he had felt and touched, but what he had seen in a vision.

Liz Bell shares with us some of her memories of a visit to Patmos where John the Apostle was exiled, and where he received his Revelation:

Worship in the cave itself – this small cave some 2,000 years ago gave shelter to the beloved disciple of Jesus. Patmos – God’s love just drenched the place like the ‘thousand stars’. We walked two or three miles in the pitch dark down a rocky track with our candles, singing for joy and hearts burning with love.

On our final day we went looking for the Holy Well where God had provided the spring:

All men from all lands, kneel before you go, Bend down low, lost son, sad daughter, bend down and drink; I am the water of the well.

Aidan Readings – Aidan of Lindisfarne
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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: 11 July – Psalm 123:2-4; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 2:1-11 ~ on adoration

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.

Pilgrimage

Psalm 123:2-4 NLT

Adoration of the Magi Andrea Mantegna Italian, about 1495 - 1505 J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, CA — Adoration of the Magi
Andrea Mantegna
Italian, about 1495 – 1505
J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, CA

We keep looking to the Lord our God for his mercy, just as servants keep their eyes on their master, as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy, for we have had our fill of contempt. We have had more than our fill of the scoffing of the proud and the contempt of the arrogant.

Isaiah 7:14 NLT

All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).

Matthew 2:1-11 NLT

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”

Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Reflections

HADDINGTON

The annual pilgrimage to Haddington in Scotland is quite an occasion. Time for ecumenical liturgy, for buses and sandwiches and quiet excitement. Then suddenly the moment as you look at the scene of Mary holding up her child and the royal visitors kneeling before Him: the wonder of it all, He came right down to me!
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In the white falling snow the pilgrim travels on, his face towards the sun. Beyond the open road he travels on past the lamp shining windows and faces in the fire before the midnight hour, for Christmas time has come around again… (Chris Simpson)
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Say, shall we yield Him, in cosly devotion, odours of Edom and offerings divine? Gems of the mountain and pearls of the ocean, myrrh from the forest or gold from the mine?

Vainly we offer each ample oblation, vainly with gifts would His favour secure; richer by far is the heart’s adoration, dearer to God are the prayers of the poor. (R. Huber)
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T.S. Eliot in his ‘Journey of the Magi’ writes as if he were one of the pilgrims who came from so far away. To us their significance lies in the moment of arrival, their kneeling, their gifts and adoration. For them, there is also a problem, for they return where they came from, but changed, no longer at ease as they were before.

Aidan Readings – Aidan of Lindisfarne
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