Morning Prayer: 18 Sept – Revelation 6:12-17 ~ expect cosmic catastrophe

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 6:12-17 (ESV) – to be read aloud

When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

6th Seal: A Global Earthquake (The Trinity Apocalypse) c.1260AD

Reflection

Overview: The opening of the sixth seal answers the martyr’s question, “How long?” The answer is not given in terms of “when,” but conveys the certainty that their deaths will be vindicated. Great cosmic disturbances will come to pass and secular society, responsible for the lives of believers, will come to understand that God has already set into motion that chain of events by which his wrath will be fully carried out. (Mounce, p.150)

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN SEALS

The Sixth Seal (6:12-17)

There is a profound theology underlying this language of cosmic catastrophe at the end of the age. It illustrates the transcendence of God and the dependence of his creation upon its creator…. It is the Bible’s picturesque way of describing the divine judgement falling on the world…. However, the language is not merely poetical or symbolic of spiritual realities but describes a real cosmic catastrophe whose character we cannot conceive. Out of the ruins of judgement will emerge a new redeemed order which John calls new heavens and a new earth (Rev.21:1)….

Those who experienced this catastrophe recognized it as the end of the world… and hid themselves (Isa 2:19)…. The expression “the day of the Lord” is an inclusive term, which can encompass the entire period that will end this age and inaugurate the age to come. It will be a day of judgement for the wicked – a day of wrath – but a day of redemption for the righteous…. The cosmic catastrophe convinces men that the day has come and the Lord is about to appear.

The sixth seal brings us to the threshold of the end; and then John stands back, as it were, to tell the story of the end in greater detail. The breaking of the seventh seal opens the book and begins the story of the events of the end time; this is the substance of the remainder of the Revelation. (Ladd, p.107-109)
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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 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: 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: 17 Sept – Revelation 6:9-11 ~ the martyrs’ cry

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 6:9-11 (ESV) – to be read aloud

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

Reflection

Overview: The opening of the fifth seal reveals an altar in heaven under which are the souls of the faithful martyrs. If the first four seals portrayed the troubled times of the approaching consummation, the fifth supplies an interpretation of Christian martyrdom. The martyrs ask the crucial question, “How long…?” The clear answer is that it will get worse before it gets better. (Mounce, p.146)

"The Martyrdom of St Andrew" Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1675-82) Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain. — “The Martyrdom of St Andrew”
Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1675-82)
Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain.

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN SEALS

The Fifth Seal (6:9-11)

The souls of martyrs are seen under the altar as though they had been sacrificed upon the altar and their blood poured out at its base. Christian thought often employs the language of sacrificial death (II Tim 4:6; Phil 2:17). Thus Christian martyrs are viewed as sacrifices offered to God. In fact, they were slain on earth and their blood wet the ground; but in Christian faith, the sacrifice was really made in heaven where their souls were offered at the heavenly altar. (Ladd, p.103)

When Jesus taught that a man to be his disciple must deny himself and take up his cross… he was not speaking of self-denial or the bearing of heavy burdens; he was speaking of willingness to suffer martyrdom. The cross is nothing else than an instrument of death. Every disciple of Jesus is in essence a martyr; and John has in view all believers who have so suffered. (Ladd, p.104)

The souls of these martyrs which rest under the altar lift a cry for vindication…. They pray that the divine vindication on wicked men who have slain the righteous, which is certain because God is the holy and true one, may also be speedy…. The souls of the martyrs are seen as still resting beneath the altar; they have not yet entered into the enjoyment of the full presence of God. The martyrs must rest a little longer until the consummation of their blessedness; but in the meantime, they are in a state of rest. (Ladd, p.106)
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On the Martyrdom of St Andrew (Wikipedia)

St Andrew the Apostle
Russian Icon

Andrew is said to have been martyred by crucifixion at the city of Patras in Achaea, on the northern coast of the Peloponnese. Early texts, such as the Acts of Andrew known to Gregory of Tours, describe Andrew as bound, not nailed, to a Latin cross of the kind on which Jesus is said to have been crucified; yet a tradition developed that Andrew had been crucified on a cross of the form called Crux decussata (X-shaped cross), now commonly known as a “Saint Andrew’s Cross” — supposedly at his own request, as he deemed himself unworthy to be crucified on the same type of cross as Jesus had been. “The familiar iconography of his martyrdom, showing the apostle bound to an X-shaped cross, does not seem to have been standardized before the later Middle Ages,” Judith Calvert concluded after re-examining the materials studied by Louis Réau.
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Canticle

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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Morning Prayer: 16 Sept – Revelation 6:3-8 ~ expect troubles

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 6:3-8 (ESV) – to be read aloud

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse from the Ottheinrich-Bibel (ca.1530-1532) illustrated by Matthias Gerung, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek — The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
from the Ottheinrich-Bibel (ca.1530-1532) illustrated by Matthias Gerung, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek

When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!”

When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.

Reflection

Overview: The significance of the second, third, and fourth horsemen is not in doubt. The second is war, the third is scarcity, the fourth is death in the form of pestilence and violence. (Ladd, p.97)

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN SEALS

The Second Seal (6:3-4)

The red horse and rider is a symbol of warfare and bloodshed…. The great Pax Romana gave to the Mediterranean world several centuries of peace which the western world has never since experienced. However, it was a peace based on force, and the might of Rome was everywhere represented by the presence of her legions. In principle, warfare and conquest were the dominant policy and will remain so until the return of the Lord. (Ladd, p.100)

The Third Seal (6:5-6)

The black horse and rider carrying a set of scales represents scarcity…. The black horse represents a condition of dire want, but not of acute famine conditions. This is a situation which belongs… to the beginning of the great woes. (Ladd, p.101)

The Fourth Seal (6:7-8)

The pale horse represents death from famine, pestilence, and wild beasts…. Death by the sword differs from the plague of the second horseman, war, in that it can include all kinds of violent deaths by the sword, such as murder, as well as war…. The inclusion of famine… suggests that this plague… while similar to scarcity… is more intense. However, it is still of limited scope, for this rider is given power only over a fourth of the earth. (Ladd, p.101)
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Mid toil and tribulation, and tumult of her war, she waits the consummation of peace forevermore: till with the vision glorious her longing eyes are blest, and the great church victorious shall be the church at rest.
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Canticle

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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Morning Prayer: 15 Sept – Revelation 6:1-2 ~ expect victories

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.

Zechariah 6:1-8 (ESV)

Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains. And the mountains were mountains of bronze. The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses, the third white horses, and the fourth chariot dappled horses — all of them strong. Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” And the angel answered and said to me, “These are going out to the four winds of heaven, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth….” When the strong horses came out, they were impatient to go and patrol the earth. And he said, “Go, patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth.”

Mark 13:5-!0 (ESV)

And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

“But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.”

Revelation 6:1-2 (ESV) – to be read aloud

Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.

Reflection

THE SECOND VISION – THE SEVEN SEALS

Overview: The dramatic portrayals of God’s righteous judgement is now under way…. However, the content of the scroll with its description of the final judgement begins with Chapter 8, and the sounding of the seven trumpets. On the other hand, as each seal is removed we are introduced to a series of preliminary judgements representing forces throughout history by means of which the redemptive and judicial purposes of God are being carried out prior to the end.

"The Four Horses of the Apocalypse" Painting by American artist Sharlene Lindskog-Osorio. — “The Four Horses of the Apocalypse”
Painting by American artist Sharlene Lindskog-Osorio.

The imagery of “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” comes from Zechariah’s vision where they are sent out to “patrol the earth.” However, the subject matter of John’s vision corresponds to Jesus’ prophecy of the signs of “the age to come” in the Synoptic Gospels…. By combining earthquakes and the cosmic disturbances, the seven woes of Luke are included in the six seals of Revelation. In Jewish thought the “age to come” would be preceded by a period of unprecedented woe. “These are but the beginning of the birth pains… but the end is not yet.” Mark 13:7-8 (Mounce, p.138-139)

The First Seal (6:1-2)

The identity of the first horse with its rider is widely disputed…. Most interpreters insist that, since the other three are evil powers of destruction and death by which God executes His judgement, the white horse must be similar in kind – e.g. conquest in general, while the red horse is war in particular.

However, this interpretation does not do justice to the white garb of the rider and the white horse he rides… which suggest an association with Christ and the spiritual life… leading us back to the Olivet Discourse… and a time of preliminary troubles marked by evils in human society and in nature…. There is, however, in the preliminary period one positive note… “And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.” (Mark 13:10)

Sunday night was full of praise and worship in Pittsburgh. More than 1,500 people committed their lives to Christ over the weekend, and tens of thousands more watched the Festival through the live web stream. (August 17, 2014)

The course of the age is not to be one of unprecedented evil when God’s people are surrendered helplessly and passively into the hands of hostile powers. While the Kingdom of God will not be established until the return of the Son of Man, the age will be one of tension: tension between evils which characterize history and afflict particularly the followers of Jesus, and the active and aggressive proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom by those same disciples…. The rider is not Christ himself but symbolizes the proclamation of the gospel of Christ in all the world…. It will be preached effectively in all the world; and in spite of an evil and hostile environment characterized by human hatred, strife, and opposition, the gospel will make its way victoriously in all the world.

Here is a word of confidence, combined with a realistic note for the church in every age…. How can any people be devoted to a cause which they believe will experience only defeat…? We do not look for the coming of God’s Kingdom and the righting of the world’s evils short of the return of Christ; but we are, as modern bearers of the gospel of the kingdom, expectant of seeing victories won by the power of this gospel. (Ladd, p.97-100)
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Canticle

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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Exaltation of the Holy Cross: Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 78:1-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38; Philippians 2:6-11; John 3:13-17 ~ lift high the cross

Exaltation of the Holy Cross

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

Opening prayer:

Calvary Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem — Calvary
Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem

The Exaltation of the Cross is celebrated each year on 14 September, when in AD 335 a church marking the site of the crucifixion was first dedicated in Jerusalem.

Lifted up among us, O God, is Jesus the crucified: sign of your steadfast love and pledge of your will to save. To those who look upon the cross with faith grant healing of soul and life eternal. 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: Numbers 21:4-9 (NLT)

Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey, and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!”

So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take away the snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people.

Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!” So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!
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A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 78:1-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38 (NLT)

O my people, listen to my instructions. Open your ears to what I am saying, for I will speak to you in a parable. I will teach you hidden lessons from our past —
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When God began killing them, they finally sought him. They repented and took God seriously. Then they remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their redeemer.
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But all they gave him was lip service; they lied to him with their tongues. Their hearts were not loyal to him. They did not keep his covenant.
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Yet he was merciful and forgave their sins and did not destroy them all. Many times he held back his anger and did not unleash his fury!
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A Reading from the Letters: Philippians 2:6-11 (NLT)

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God, and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
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A Reading from the Gospels: John 3:13-17 (NLT)

No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
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Intercessions:

God of mercy and compassion – hear our prayer:

+ For the members of our churches — that we may glory in the cross, where our salvation was won….
Lord, hear us.
+ For all people of goodwill — that they may respect the cross, a symbol dear to Christians….
Lord, hear us.
+ For Christians suffering persecution, torture and death — that the one who died on the cross may encourage them….
Lord, hear us.
+ For the sick and all who are dangerously ill — that the cross of Christ may bring them comfort, healing and hope….
Lord, hear us.
+ For those whose lives have been lost through war, famine and disease — that Christ may liberate them from the chains of death….
Lord, hear us.
+ For those from our church families who have died – that they may be brought to eternal life by Christ’s victory on the cross….
Lord, hear us.

Compassionate God, You forgive Your people’s sins and spare them: hear the prayers we offer under the shadow of the cross, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Benediction:

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

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

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