Tag: Thursday after Ash Wednesday

Morning Prayer: Thu, 02 Mar – Psalm 12; Matthew 24:45 ~ at your service

Thursday after Ash Wednesday

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

Opening Sentences

Our Lord is a seasonal God; He comes, He departs. His faithfulness never changes, but His seasons do! There are seasons when the tree is green, there are seasons when it is dry, and seasons, when for the life of us, the thing looks dead. It is only through seasons that true growth may come.
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Reading: Psalm 12 (NLT)

Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing! The faithful have vanished from the earth! Neighbors lie to each other, speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts. May the Lord cut off their flattering lips and silence their boastful tongues.

They say, “We will lie to our hearts’ content. Our lips are our own—who can stop us?”

The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do.”

The Lord’s promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over. Therefore, Lord, we know you will protect the oppressed, preserving them forever from this lying generation, even though the wicked strut about, and evil is praised throughout the land.
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Reading: Matthew 24:45 (NLT)

concierge_595

A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.
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Prayer:

Heavenly Father: in this Lenten season, walk with me through the wilderness of deceit, violence and injustice extant in our world.

+ Show me where you are already at work in the midst of it all; and give me the humility and courage to join you in that work.

+ Show me where I fit into your scheme of things; and use my gifts and abilities to lift the burden of the poor and helpless.

Heavenly Father: I place myself in your service – fill me with faith and common sense that I may serve you responsibly. Through Jesus Christ, your Son and my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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“Make Me A Servant” – Maranatha Singers


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Blessing

“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” – Revelation 1:5b-6

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

Morning Prayer: 11 February – Luke 9:22-25 ~ turn from your selfish ways

Thursday after Ash Wednesday

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

Opening Sentence

Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. (Isaiah 55:6)

Morning Reading: Luke 9:22-25 (NLT)

cross with blood

“The Son of Man must suffer many terrible things,” he said. “He will be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.”

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?

Morning Prayer

Praise to you, Lord God: your loving kindness is revealed in Jesus Christ. Remember, Lord, that I am your child.

+ Lead me more deeply into life with Christ – that I may freely give up my life for his sake.
+ Turn me away from my selfish inclinations – that I may seek the furtherance of his Kingdom before all else.
+ Forgive the harm that I have done – that I may follow him in the path of justice and truth.
+ Fill me with your loving-kindness – that I may face rejection and even suffering without fear.

Lord, be the beginning and end of everything I do and say. Prompt my actions with your grace, and complete them with your all-powerful help. Through my Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

“If My People Called By My Name” – Garry Mulgrew

Closing Sentence

Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously. (Isaiah 55:7)

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

Morning Prayer: 19 Feb – Dt 30:15-20; Lk 9:22-25 ~ choose life / follow me

Thursday after Ash Wednesday

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

Opening sentence and prayer:

If anyone wishes to be a follower of mine, he must deny himself; he must take up his cross and come with me, says the Lord.
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Lord, be the beginning and end of everything I do and say today. Prompt my actions with Your grace, and complete them with Your all-powerful help. Through my Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
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A Reading from the Old Testamet: Deuteronomy 30:15-20 (NLT)

The Church in Auvers-sur-Oise Vincent van Gogh, May 31, 1890 Musée d'Orsay, Paris
The Church in Auvers-sur-Oise
Vincent van Gogh, May 31, 1890
Musée d’Orsay, Paris

“Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.

“But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
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Repent, says the Lord; the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 4:17)
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A Reading from the Gospels: Luke 9:22-25 (NLT)

“The Son of Man must suffer many terrible things,” he said. “He will be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.”

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?
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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 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 the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen