Morning Prayer: 23 Sept – Revelation 8:2-5 ~ the prayers of the saints

Morning Prayer

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

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

I arise today, through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to secure me: against snares of devils,
against temptations of vices, against inclinations of nature,
against everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and anear, alone and in a crowd.

Revelation 8:2-5 (ESV) – to be read aloud

Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

Reflection

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

Preparation (8:2-5)

Jewish writings speak of the seven angels who stand before God…. To these angels are now given seven trumpets… often associated with the end-time in apocalyptic writings (e.g. Mt 24:31).

Before the angels blow their trumpets the prayers of the saints are offered. This is not an unrelated parenthesis. John means us to see that the prayers of God’s people are supremely important. Even the cataclysmic judgements which follow are held up till these prayers have been offered. Indeed in a sense it is these prayers that set the judgements in motion.

The new angel… combines much incense with the prayers of the saints… symbolizing the unity of the worship of heaven and earth…. The golden altar before the throne stresses the importance and value of the prayers of the saints…. They went up from the angel’s hand is probably a way of saying that heaven and earth are at one in this matter. Prayer is not the lonely venture that it so often feels. There is heavenly assistance and our prayers do reach God… there is something sacrificial in true prayer.

The fire came from the very altar on which the prayers of the saints have been offered. This surely means that the prayers of God’s people play a necessary part in ushering in the judgements of God.

What are the real master-powers behind the world and what are the deeper secrets of our destiny? Here is the astonishing answer: the prayer of the saints and the fire of God. That means that more potent, more powerful than all the dark and mighty powers let loose in the world, more powerful than anything else, is the prayer set ablaze by the fire of God and cast upon the earth. (Torrance)

(Morris, p.116-119)
__________

__________

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: In September, we will begin reading through the Book of Revelation (ESV). Our purpose will be devotional, i.e. to discover the word of blessing that God has for us in these troubled times… to find hope and help for our daily lives.

This will not be a Bible Study per se: we will not attempt to unravel the “mysteries” of Revelation… that is far beyond our abilities and is not our interest here. However, so as not to get too far afield, we will rely on three study resources: primary – A Commentary on the Revelation of John (George Elton Ladd); supplemental Revelation (Leon Morris) and The Book of Revelation (Robert H. Mounce).

The general format for Morning Prayer is adapted from the Northumbrian Community‘s Daily Office, as found in Celtic Daily Prayer (see online resources here.) On Sundays, we’ll return to the USCCB readings (see online resources here) and various liturgical resources in order to reflect the Church’s worship and concerns throughout the world. Photo illustrations and music videos, available online, are included as they illustrate or illuminate the readings. I will try to give credit and link to sources as best I can.

Morning Prayer: 22 Sept – Revelation 8:1 ~ silence

Morning Prayer

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

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Revelation 8:1 (ESV) – to be read aloud

When the Lamb broke the seventh seal on the scroll, there was silence throughout heaven for about half an hour.

Reflection

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN SEALS

Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, “The Silence in Heaven”, from Die Bibel in Bildern (“The Bible in Pictures”, 1852-1860)

The Seventh Seal (8:1)

When the seventh seal is opened, a great hush settles over the worshiping hosts of heaven… a dramatic pause… a breathless silence as all await the judgements of the scroll now unsealed…. We are reminded of the prophetic injunction, “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him” (Habakkuk 2:20). Apparently the angelic activity of vv 2-5 takes place during this interval of silence. Trumpets are given to the seven angels before the throne. An angel standing over the altar mingles incense with the prayers of the saints, and taking fire from the golden altar fills his censor and casts it upon the earth. The intensity of the scene is heightened incredibly by the complete absence of any sound. (Mounce, p.170-171)
_____

The best suggestion is that the silence represents an attitude of trembling suspense on the part of the heavenly hosts in view of the judgements of God which are about to fall upon the world. It is the silence of dreadful anticipation of the events that are about to ensue, now that the time of the end has come. (Ladd, p.122-123)
__________

__________

Canticle

Blessing

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

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Isaiah 55:6-9; Psalm 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18; Philippians 1:20-24, 27; Matthew 20:1-16 ~ the generosity of God

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

Opening prayer:

God’s ways are not our ways. God’s love and generosity are beyond our understanding. We acknowledge all God has done for us, and ask for the grace to grow into God’s likeness.
_____

God most high, Your ways are not our ways, for Your kindness is lavished equally upon all. Teach us to welcome Your mercy toward others, even as we hope to receive mercy ourselves. 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.
__________

__________

A Reading from the Old testament: Isaiah 55:6-9 (NLT)

Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. 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.

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
__________

A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18 (NLT)

I will praise you every day; yes, I will praise you forever. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.
_____

The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation.
_____

The Lord is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness. The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth.
__________

__________

A Reading from the Letters: Philippians 1:20-24, 27 (NLT)

For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.
_____

Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.
__________

A Reading from the Gospels: Matthew 20:1-16 (NLT)

Migrant farm worker Victor Diaz receives a check for back pay from farmer Ray Brands.

“For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work.

“At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o’clock he did the same thing.

“At five o’clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’

“They replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’

“The landowner told them, ‘Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.’

“That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage. When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’

“He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’

“So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”
__________

__________

Intercessions:

Gracious God, You are close to all who call – hear our prayer:

+ For all who follow Christ – that they may rejoice in Your boundless generosity….
Lord, hear us.
+ For our Christian communities – that all may be welcome, especially those experiencing crisis and change…
Lord, hear us.
+ For workers and those who employ others – that the rights and responsibilities of all may be respected….
Lord, hear us.
+ For those who cannot find work – that their needs may not be forgotten….
Lord, hear us.
+ For family members who have moved away to pursue employment opportunities – that God may keep them in his care….
Lord, hear us.
+ For all who are sick, particularly those near death – that they may experience comfort on the journey to their Father’s house….
Lord, hear us.
+ For those who have gone before us in faith – that Your mercy and generosity may assure them of a place in the Kingdom….
Lord, hear us.

God of kindness and compassion, You are close to all who call upon You: hear our prayer, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
__________

__________

Benediction:

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

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

Morning Prayer: 20 Sept – Revelation 7:9-17 ~ Bliss of the Redeemed

Morning Prayer

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

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Revelation 7:9-17 (ESV) – to be read aloud

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

“Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.

For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Reflection

Holy Trinity Orthodox Christian Church (Serbian Orthodox Patriarchate) in Butte Montana.

Orthodox Church buildings today are full of icons, but the very architecture and layout of the buildings are themselves icons of the Church. In the ornamentation of the church, the various iconographical scenes and figures are not arranged by chance, but according to a definite theological scheme, so that the whole edifice forms one great image of the Kingdom of God.

The Orthodox faithful can feel the building open up to a time without end. They are surrounded by the images of Christ, the angels, and the saints, and are reminded of the invisible presence of the whole community of heaven at the Liturgy. Each local congregation, in their church building, can see that their Liturgy on earth is one and the same with the great Liturgy of heaven.

The building should help the faithful lay aside their earthly cares, as the Liturgy is celebrated, so that they, like the cherubim, may welcome the King of all .

Overview:

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN SEALS

Interlude: Bliss of the Redeemed in Heaven (7:9-17)

The church is pictured a second time from an entirely different perspective… after the tribulation is over, saved in the Kingdom of God…. No longer on earth, they crowd the throne room of heaven wearing victors’ robes and bearing the emblem of festive joy. The new vision anticipates a glorious day yet future when those who are to pass through the final persecution will enter the blessedness of the eternal state.

The innumerable multitude includes far more than the 144,000 of the previous vision. All the faithful of every age are there. Some have been called upon to give their lives as martyrs. All have been prepared to pay the price of fidelity…. They stand before God in the righteousness of Christ. God blesses them with protection and freedom from want. The Lamb leads them to springs of joy, and the tears of earth’s sorrows are wiped away by God himself.

The purpose of the vision is to grant a glimpse of eternal blessedness to those about to enter the world’s darkest hour. For a brief period John is priviledged to look beyond this age to the hour of ultimate triumph…. Without a doubt it is one of the most exalted portrayals of the heavenly state to be found anywhere in Scripture. There are no less than three paeans of praise, and lyric prose of vv 15-17 is charged with a spiritual excitement that has caused the faithful of all ages to yearn for that final redemption. (Mounce, p.160-162)
__________

__________

Canticle

Blessing

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

Morning Prayer: 19 Sept – Revelation 7:1-8 ~ security for God’s servants

Morning Prayer

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

Opening sentences

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Revelation 7:1-8 (ESV) – to be read aloud

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.

Angels Holding the Four Winds / The Sealing of the 144,000, Revelation 7:1-8 Ottheinrich Bible (1530-1532) Bavarian State Library, Germany — Angels Holding the Four Winds / The Sealing of the 144,000, Revelation 7:1-8
Ottheinrich Bible (1530-1532)
Bavarian State Library, Munich

Reflection

Overview: Chapter 7 (consisting of two visions) serves as a dramatic interlude that delays for a brief moment the disclosure of that which is to take place when the seventh and final seal is removed from the scroll of destiny…. The position taken here is that in both visions the church is in view, but from different vantage points. Prior to the trumpet judgements the last generation of believers is sealed so as to be saved from the destruction coming upon the earth and to be brought safely into the heavenly kingdom. The second vision is anticipatory of the eternal blessedness of all believers when in the presence of God they realize the rewards of faithful endurance. The visions contrast the security and blessedness that await the faithful with the panic of a pagan world fleeing from judgement. (Mounce, p.154)

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN SEALS

Interlude: Security of God’s Servants (7:1-8)

In apocalyptic thought the forces of nature are often pictured as under the charge of angels…. In this passage, the four winds are understood as destructive agents of God…. Another angel enters the vision… calling to the four restraining angels to hold back destruction until the servants of God are sealed…. It’s purpose is to designate God’s ownership and insure protection for the believers in the coming judgements.

The servants of God are not a select group singled out from among the rest to receive the seal of God. They are the full number of faithful believers alive when the event takes place.

The number 144,000 is symbolic… emphasizing completeness. Their being sealed does not protect them from physical death but insures entrance into the heavenly kingdom. It indicates that they will remain faithful in the coming persecution… the period of final testing. (Mounce, p.155-160)
__________

__________

Canticle

Blessing

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

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: