Tag: Sabbath rest

Second Sunday after Pentecost – 03 Jun – Mark 2:23-28 ~ a Sabbath day of rest

Second Sunday after Pentecost

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

Opening Prayer

Gracious God, Maker of Heaven and Earth – May this Sabbath day be about you. Quiet my heart, give rest to my soul, and refocus my spirit—for true renewal comes only from you. Holy Spirit please help me to be intentional with my time and worship, and encourage me to find rest in you alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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“Gadol Adonai” – Sarah Liberman (Lev Tahor • A Pure Heart)


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Deuteronomy 5:12-14 (NLT)

“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God….”
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Gospel Reading: Mark 2:23-28 (NLT)

One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples began breaking off heads of grain to eat. But the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look, why are they breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?”

Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He went into the house of God (during the days when Abiathar was high priest) and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. He also gave some to his companions.”

Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”
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Prayers of Intercession:

Heavenly Father – Grant us rest for our souls; and display your loving-kindness to all whose needs we bring before you. Lord, hear our prayers –

+ That your presence may dwell within all who put their faith and trust in your Son, Jesus Christ….
+ That our faith and trust in your Son, Jesus Christ, might continue to grow stronger….
+ That all believers may be refreshed and renewed through the Bread of Life and the Cup of Salvation….
+ That all believers may be guided along the path of Life by your Word and Spirit in every decision made….
+ That all believers who suffer because of their faith may be delivered from evil and sustained by your grace….
+ That all who are destitute because of war and violence may receive comfort and rest for their souls….
+ That all who are burdened by responsibility and worry may receive relief and rest for their souls…
+ That all who have gone before us in faith may be raised to eternal life and rest forever in your presence….

Heavenly Father: you sent your Son to share our burdens and our hopes, to be our life and strength: hear our prayers and grant us the rest for our souls that we so desperately need – we ask through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
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“The Lord Bless You And Keep You”


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Blessing

May the Lord bless and protect you;
May he show you mercy and loving-kindness.
May the Lord be good to you and give you peace;
Through his Son, Jesus Christ
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Morning Prayer: Psalm 45:1; Leviticus 26:2-4; Romans 8:26 ~ pray in the spirit

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.

prayer in the spiritRomans 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.

Morning Prayer: Psalm 104:19-23; Isaiah 45:3-7; Mark 1:21-32 ~ seasons of rest

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

rest Van Gough
rest
Vincent van Gough (1880)

Psalm 104:19-23 NLT:

You made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to set. You send the darkness, and it becomes night, when all the forest animals prowl about. Then the young lions roar for their prey, stalking the food provided by God. At dawn they slink back into their dens to rest. Then people go off to their work, where they labor until evening.

Isaiah 45:3-7 NLT:

And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness — secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name. “And why have I called you for this work? Why did I call you by name when you did not know me? It is for the sake of Jacob my servant, Israel my chosen one. I am the Lord; there is no other God. I have equipped you for battle, though you don’t even know me, so all the world from east to west will know there is no other God. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I create the light and make the darkness. I send good times and bad times. I, the Lord, am the one who does these things.

Mark 1:21-32 NLT:

Jesus and his companions went to the town of Capernaum. When the Sabbath day came, he went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority—quite unlike the teachers of religious law. Suddenly, a man in the synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit began shouting, “Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” Jesus cut him short. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered. At that, the evil spirit screamed, threw the man into a convulsion, and then came out of him. Amazement gripped the audience, and they began to discuss what had happened. “What sort of new teaching is this?” they asked excitedly. “It has such authority! Even evil spirits obey his orders!” The news about Jesus spread quickly throughout the entire region of Galilee. After Jesus left the synagogue with James and John, they went to Simon and Andrew’s home. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a high fever. They told Jesus about her right away. So he went to her bedside, took her by the hand, and helped her sit up. Then the fever left her, and she prepared a meal for them. That evening after sunset, many sick and demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus.

Reflection/Prayer:

Evening comes when You call, and all nature listens to You because You hold it all And now You hold me. (Annie Herring and Matthew Ward)

Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe! At Your word night falls. In Your wisdom You open heaven’s gates. You control the elements and rotate the seasons. You set the stars in the vault of heaven. You created night and day. You cause the light to fade when darkness comes and the darkness to melt away in the light of a new day. O ever-living and eternal God, You always watch over us, Your creatures. Blessed are You, O Lord, at whose word night falls. (From The Talmud)

In the name of the Lord Jesus, and of the Spirit of healing balm, In the name of the Father of Israel, I lay me down to rest. (From Carmina Gadelica)

The rest of the seventh day is a memorial of creation, but also is a sign of the covenant between God’s people and Himself. If a King were to ratify a treaty or agreement this would bear a sign, usually an image of the gods he owed allegiance to, but Israel was commanded not to make any such image – instead the sabbath itself would be the sign, and a representation of His nature. Only Israel had a seven-day cycle of the weeks. We do not sense today how unique Israel truly was, for the seven-day week has since become the practice of the world. (Adapted from Jewish Roots)

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.