Tag: The Lord supports the humble

Morning Prayer: Sat, 03 Dec – Psalm 147:1-6; Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26; Matthew 9:35-10:1, 5-8 ~ blessed and sent

Saturday in the First Week of Advent

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

Opening Sentence – (In the preparation days of Celtic Advent)

+ We have waited long for You. Deep has been our darkness.
+ We long for You to shine right here among us where we are.
+ We will not fear the shadows that surround us if only You will come among us!
+ We wait the sound of a cry in the night, the joy that follows pain, the coming of hope.
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Reading: Psalm 147:1-6 (NLT)

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Praise the Lord! How good to sing praises to our God! How delightful and how fitting!

The Lord is rebuilding Jerusalem and bringing the exiles back to Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. He counts the stars and calls them all by name. How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension! The Lord supports the humble, but he brings the wicked down into the dust.
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Reading: Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26 (NLT)

O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. He will be gracious if you ask for help. He will surely respond to the sound of your cries. Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.
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Then the Lord will bless you with rain at planting time. There will be wonderful harvests and plenty of pastureland for your livestock. The oxen and donkeys that till the ground will eat good grain, its chaff blown away by the wind. In that day, when your enemies are slaughtered and the towers fall, there will be streams of water flowing down every mountain and hill. The moon will be as bright as the sun, and the sun will be seven times brighter—like the light of seven days in one! So it will be when the Lord begins to heal his people and cure the wounds he gave them.
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Reading: Matthew 9:35-10:1, 5-8 (NLT)

The Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles. Russian, 14th century, Moscow Museum
The Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles. Russian, 14th century, Moscow Museum

Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”

Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness.
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Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: “Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, but only to the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep. Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!
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Prayer:

Great is the Lord our God:

+ He heals the broken hearted
+ He supports the humble
+ He answers our cries for help
+ He guides us along the path of right living

God has blessed us; and now,
He sends us out with His authority:

+ To reap the harvest of lost souls You have prepared
+ To announce the Good News of His Kingdom
+ To cast out evil spirits and heal the sick
+ To bless others as we have been blessed

Gracious God: Go before us into the fields of harvest, and fill us with Your compassion that we may be effective Kingdom workers. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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Psalm 147:1-11 – Scottish Psalter 1650 (ACapella) – Jason Coghill

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Blessing

Make your heart ready for the King of Glory to come in. Pray: come dwell among us and be my peace today.

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

5th Sunday of Ordinary Time: Jb 7:1-4, 6-7; Ps 147:1-6; 1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23; Mk 1:29-39 ~ healer of the brokenhearted

Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Christ took away our infirmities and bore our diseases. (Matthew 8:17)

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

Opening prayer:

Out of Your power and compassion, O God, You sent Your Son into our afflicted world to proclaim the day of salvation. Heal the brokenhearted, bind up our wounds. Bring us health of body and spirit and raise us to new life in Your service. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.
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A Reading from the Old testament: Job 7:1-4, 6-7 (NLT)

tears_of_sadness1

“Is not all human life a struggle? Our lives are like that of a hired hand, like a worker who longs for the shade, like a servant waiting to be paid. I, too, have been assigned months of futility, long and weary nights of misery. Lying in bed, I think, ‘When will it be morning?’ But the night drags on, and I toss till dawn.
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“My days fly faster than a weaver’s shuttle. They end without hope. O God, remember that my life is but a breath, and I will never again feel happiness.
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A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 147:1-6;(NLT)

Praise the Lord! How good to sing praises to our God! How delightful and how fitting!

The Lord is rebuilding Jerusalem and bringing the exiles back to Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. He counts the stars and calls them all by name.

How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension! The Lord supports the humble, but he brings the wicked down into the dust.
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A Reading from the Letters: 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23 (NLT)

Jeremiah weeping Rembrandt, 1630 Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Jeremiah weeping
Rembrandt, 1630
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Yet preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn’t preach the Good News!

If I were doing this on my own initiative, I would deserve payment. But I have no choice, for God has given me this sacred trust. What then is my pay? It is the opportunity to preach the Good News without charging anyone. That’s why I never demand my rights when I preach the Good News.

Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ.
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When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.
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A Reading from the Gospels: Mark 1:29-39(NLT)

Christ Healing the Mother of Simon Peter’s Wife John Bridges, 1839 Birmingham Museum of Art, AL
Christ Healing the Mother of Simon Peter’s Wife
John Bridges, 1839
Birmingham Museum of Art, AL

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. The whole town gathered at the door to watch. So Jesus healed many people who were sick with various diseases, and he cast out many demons. But because the demons knew who he was, he did not allow them to speak.

Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. Later Simon and the others went out to find him. When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.”

But Jesus replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came.” So he traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons.
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Intercessions:

Great and mighty God – hear our prayers:

+ For those spread the Gospel – that Your Spirit may support them when they feel weary…. Lord, hear us.
+ For prisoners, especially the young – that they may be able to rebuild their lives with dignity…. Lord, hear us.
+ For brokenhearted people – that the mender of souls may bring them healing…. Lord, hear us.
+ For all the sick — at home, in hospitals or in nursing homes — that we may visit them often and pray for them always…. Lord, hear us.
+ For those who suffer from depression – that in moments of despair they may know Your love and support…. Lord, hear us.
+ For mothers-in-law and fathers-in-law – that family relationships may always be marked by sensitivity and tolerance…. Lord, hear us.
+ For those who passed beyond this life – that Your caring love, O God, may abide with them in eternity…. Lord, hear us.

Almighty God, we praise You, for You heal the brokenhearted: graciously hear our prayers and grant us the grace we need to abide in You, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Benediction:

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)

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