Morning Prayer: Psalm 17:10, 14-15; Deuteronomy 15:7-11; 1 Corinthians 13:3 ~ give generously

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 17:10, 14-15 NLT:

They are without pity. Listen to their boasting!

By the power of your hand, O Lord, destroy those who look to this world for their reward. But satisfy the hunger of your treasured ones. May their children have plenty, leaving an inheritance for their descendants. Because I am righteous, I will see you. When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied.

Deuteronomy 15:7-11 NLT:

OCCWallpaper01 — Click on picture to link to Operation Christmas Child

“But if there are any poor Israelites in your towns when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them. Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need. Do not be mean-spirited and refuse someone a loan because the year for canceling debts is close at hand. If you refuse to make the loan and the needy person cries out to the Lord, you will be considered guilty of sin. Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need.

1 Corinthians 13:3 NLT:

If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

Reflection/Prayer:

Stooping to help somebody. This position is called Mitzvah, a good deed. This they say, nudges God, right to the Book of Golden Deeds. And God writes down the Mitzvah in diamond-studded letters ten feet high.

In the twelfth century Moses Maimonides devised eight ways to nudge God for a Mitzvah while performing charity. Each one higher than the other.

The highest degree is to make the man who needs charity self-supporting.

The next highest degree is where the one that gives and the one that receives are not aware of each other.

The third Inferior degree is where the recipient knows the giver, but the giver does not know the recipient.

A lesser Mitzvah is when the poor man knows to whom he is indebted, but the giver does not know to whom he has given.

The fifth degree is where the giver puts alms into the hands of the poor without being asked.

The sixth degree is where he puts money into the hands of the poor after being asked.

The seventh degree is where he gives less than he should, but does so cheerfully.

The eighth degree is where he gives resentfully.

But there’s a catch to all these Mitzvahs. It’s best illustrated by an old story about a Rabbi, who was so addicted to golf that he even snuck off on the High Holy Day to play. That day he made a hole in one. As he danced with exultation, there was a rumble of thunder and a clap of lightning, and God’s voice boomed down on him. ‘So who are you going to tell?’ That’s the catch when you earn a Mitzvah. ‘So who are you going to tell? If you do, you’ll lose it.

The question is, what have you done for someone today, that you didn’t have to do… and whom didn’t you tell?’

Dave Berg, My Friend GOD

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
_____________________________________

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 111:9; 109:13; Exodus 3:13-15; Luke 1:47-64 ~ what’s in a name?

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 111:9; 109:13 NLT:

He has paid a full ransom for his people. He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever. What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has!

May all his offspring die. May his family name be blotted out in a single generation.

Exodus 3:13-15 NLT:

But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?”

God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.

This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations.

Luke 1:47-64 NLT:

“How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me.

He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him. His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful. For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.”

Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.

When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son. And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her.

When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father. But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!”

“What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one in all your family by that name.” So they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him. He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.” Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.

Reflection/Prayer:

The Jews would not willingly tread upon the smallest piece of paper in their way, but took it up, for possibly, said they, the name of God may be upon it. Though there was a little superstition in this, yet truly there is nothing but good religion in it, if we apply it to man. Trample not on any; there may be some work of grace there, that thou knowest not of. The name of God may be written upon that soul thou treadest on: it may be a soul that Christ thought so much of as to give His precious blood for it; therefore, despise it not. (Samuel Taylor Coleridge)

The letters JHWH are a jumble of Hebrew consonants, and a better translation than Jehovah is ‘The Lord’. The name of God is so aweful, so unpronounceable, that is has never been used by any of his creatures. Indeed, it is said that if, inadvertently, the great and terrible name of God should be spoken, the universe would explode. (Madeleine L’Engle)

The Scriptures recognize how important a name is; it denotes someone in particular, and affirms that they have significance.

The God who created and formed you says this, Do not be afraid for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name. You are mine.
Isaiah 43:1

One of the strongest curses, ever framed is that someone’s name be cut off, remembered no more. Madeleine L’Engle writes:

… we live in a world which would reduce us to our social security numbers, Area codes, zip codes, credit card codes, all take precedence over our names. Our signatures already mean so little that it wouldn’t be a surprise if, by the year 2000, we, like prisoners, are known only by our numbers. But that is not how it was meant to be.

Survivors of the concentration camps still have numbers branded on their bodies; they bear the mark of a system that needed to dehumanize them.

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.

Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing

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

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 42:7; Jonah 1:17-2:2; Matthew 12:38-41 ~ resurrection

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 42:7 NLT:

I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.

Icon of Jonah and the Whale
Juliet Venter Metal Prints

Jonah 1:17-2:2 NLT:

Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. He said,

“I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me!”

Matthew 12:38-41 NLT:

One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority.”

But Jesus replied, “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.

“The people of Nineveh will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here—but you refuse to repent.”

Reflection/Prayer:

‘Jonah was in the belly of a fish.’

Many people will say: ‘That is impossible, that is a fable.’ But God, who can make fishes 100 feet long, says that it is possible. (Can you make a fish one inch long?) And God can do an even greater miracle: Christ says that as Jonah was three days and nights in the stomach of a fish, so He would be three days and nights in the heart of the earth, in the grave, and then rise from the dead. Jonah says inside the fish: ‘Salvation is of the Lord!’ Salvation in Hebrew, is Yeshua, or Jeshua; that is the Hebrew name for Jesus…

Professor Samuel Schultz argues that there is no room for the idea of a harsh vindictive God of justice in the Old Testament to be contrasted with a God of love and mercy in the New. Love and mercy are always offered before judgement is rendered. Yeshua’s warnings concerning judgement in the New Testament are as severe as anything in the Old, even if we argue that the highest personal revelation of God’s love is seen in Jeshua!

Incidently, the April 4th, 1896 Literary Digest gave a story of a Mediterranean whale that demolished a harpoon boat.

Two men were lost…. One was found alive in the whale belly a day and a half after it was killed. James Bartley lived with no after effects except his skin was tanned by the gastric juices.

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.

Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing

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

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 46:1-11; 1 Kings 17:9-16; John 10:1-27 ~ the good shepherd

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 46:1-11 NLT:

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!

A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High. God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed. From the very break of day, God will protect it. The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble! God’s voice thunders, and the earth melts! The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.

Come, see the glorious works of the Lord: See how he brings destruction upon the world. He causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear; he burns the shields with fire.

“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.

1 Kings 17:9-16 NLT:

“Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.”

So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, “Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?” As she was going to get it, he called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.”

But she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.”

But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!”

So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.

The golden Menorah Jerusalem — The golden Menorah
Jerusalem

John 10:1-27 NLT:

“I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”

Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.

“The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”

When he said these things, the people were again divided in their opinions about him. Some said, “He’s demon possessed and out of his mind. Why listen to a man like that?” Others said, “This doesn’t sound like a man possessed by a demon! Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon’s Colonnade. The people surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

Reflection/Prayer:

The Feast of Dedication mentioned in John’s Gospel is more commonly known as Hanukkah, and usually occurs close to Christmas-time. It recalls the days of the Maccabees who led the Jewish people in revolt against their Syrio-Greek oppressors during the inter-testamental period. The accounts of these events will be found in the Apocrypha, or in editions of the Scriptures which include deuter-canonical texts.

Jesus’ words are about being a good, true shepherd, and are intended as a contrast to the evil shepherd who had compromised their religious practices with those of pagan Greek culture.

The candlestick used during the eight days of Hunukkah has eight stems, lit by an extra candle called the shammas. It recalls how, when the Temple was re-dedicated after the victory of the Maccabees and the Menorah was lit, they found only enough oil to keep it alit for one day (and this original Menorah was supplied by oil). Only the prescribed oil could be used and it took eight days before it could be prepared. Miraculously the one day’s supply was enough for eight days.

The lighted Hunukiah in Jewish households of today should be placed in a window so everyone can see it. An additional candle is lit on each day of the festival.

This song ‘Maoz Tzur’ is a traditional one sung after the candles are lit:

Rock of Ages, let our song
praise Thy saving power;
Thou, amidst the raging foes
wast our shelt’ring tower.
Furious they assailed us
but Thine arm availed us,
and Thy word broke their sword
when our own strength failed us.

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.

Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing

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

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 9:1; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Matthew 22:35-38 ~ love God

Morning Prayer

In the 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 9:1 NLT:

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 NLT:

“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates….”

Matthew 22:35-38 NLT:

One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment….”

Reflection/Prayer:

A mezzuzah (Hebrew for ‘doorpost’) is a cylinder of metal or wood put aslant on the right-hand doorppost of the house. Inside is a rolled fragment of parchment on which is a summary of the Deuteronomy command: ‘Remember God and love him with your all.’

Anyone going in or out is obliged to remember it and may stretch out their hand towards it, and kiss the hand. In such a house the whole course of life ought to be subject to the authority of God’s word.

A tale is told of a Gentile buying a house from a Jew, and noticing the mezzuah, asking its significance. ‘This is a mezzuzah,’ the Jew explained. ‘Inside the case you see is a scroll on which are written the most sacred and holy words of the Jewish law.’

When the transaction was completed, the purchaser of the house was interested to see if the mezzuzah would be taken with the outgoing family. But no, the mezzuzah stayed, and every day he saw it on his way in or out, until finally his curiosity would hold no longer. With a small screwdriver he removed the case, opened the tiny parchments with trembling fingers, and read:

‘HELP! I am being held prisoner in a mezzuzah factory.’

To spiritualize the story mecilessly – we too are prisoners, faced day to day with the question, ‘Do you seek HIM with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength?’

Amen. Make us Your captives, Lord, for only then can we be free.

Hear O Israel The LORD our God
The LORD is One [and His Name is One]
And you shall love the LORD your God
With all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your resources

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.

Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing

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

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.

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