Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 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.

You will find the Lord your God, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Morning readings

Psalm 45:1 NLT:

Beautiful words stir my heart. I will recite a lovely poem about the king, for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet.

Leviticus 26:2-4 NLT:

You must keep my Sabbath days of rest and show reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord. “If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you the seasonal rains. The land will then yield its crops, and the trees of the field will produce their fruit.

Romans 8:26 NLT:

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

Reflection/Prayer:

There is a story told about a Jewish farmer who, through carelessness, did not get home before sunset one Sabbath and was forced to spend the day in the field, waiting for sunset the next day before being able to return home.

Upon his return home he was met bt a rather perturbed rabbi who chided him for his carelessness. Finally the rabbi asked him: ‘What did you do out there all day in the field? Did you at least pray?’

The farmer answered: ‘Rabbi, I am not a clever man. I don’t know how to pray properly. What I did was simply to recite the alphabet all day and let God form the words for Himself.’

When we come to celebrate we bring the alphabet of our lives. If our hearts and minds are full of warmth, love, enthusiasm, song and dance, then these are the letters we bring. If they are full of tiredness, despair, blandness, pain and boredom, then those are our letters. Bring them. Spend them. Celebrate them. It is God’s task to make the words!

(Ronald Rolheiser)

You didn’t force me but my heart was burning / Deep inside You touched my very soul / You didn’t threaten and You did not scare me / My frozen heart just melted in Your love

But I’ve been worried thinking ’bout tomorrow / And I refuse to close my eyes / My joy of life has been turning into sorrow / But then You came and took me by surprise

That’s why I sing / That’s why I’m humming / I know what’s coming / And I have no fear / Coping with rain / Hoping for sunshine / I’m on the front line / That’s why I sing

Well I’ve been listening / And I’ve sure been watching / And I can see the writing on the wall / Though things are floating / And there’s deep confusion / You showed me something stable after all

So I’m giving all unknown tomorrows / And all uncertainty to You / For You’ve been sharing all my joy and sorrow / I’m trusting you-that’s all I need to do

That’s why I sing / That’s why I’m humming / I know what’s coming / And I have no fear / Coping with rain / Hoping for sunshine / I’m on the front line / That’s why I sing

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 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 will limit my selections to the Morning Prayer resources.