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 119:5-8 ESV:

“Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules. I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me!”

Nehemiah 8:8 ESV:

“They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.”

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ESV:

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

Reflection/Prayer:

The one with the gift of making things clear brings understanding and imparts life.

The rules are there for your protection and you know they make sense. People break rules, and are damaged in consequence. How we need to explain, to help others understand! People need the Lord. We can encourage them to find God and His ways in their life. What He has done for us He can do for them too.

We can be part of the process, fully given to the purpose of the Lord Christ.

An old Celtic song expresses it this way:

As You reach out to bless mankind, I feel Your embrace drawing me close. I rise with You, dear Jesus, and You rise with me.

Spiritual Song: “You’re the Word of God the Father” – Stuart Townend

You’re the Word of God the Father / From before the world began. Ev’ry star and ev’ry planet / Has been fashioned by Your hand. All creation holds together / By the power of Your voice. / Let the skies declare Your glory; Let the land and seas rejoice!

You’re the Author of creation; You’re the Lord of ev’ry man; And Your cry of love rings out across the lands.

Yet You left the gaze of angels, Came to seek and save the lost, And exchanged the joy of heaven / For the anguish of a cross. With a prayer You fed the hungry; With a word You stilled the sea; Yet how silently You suffered / That the guilty may go free!

With a shout You rose victorious, Wresting vict’ry from the grave, And ascended into heaven, Leading captives in Your way. Now You stand before the Father, Interceding for Your own; From each tribe and tongue and nation, You are leading sinners home!

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.