1 April 2014

Collects

Prayers developed from the daily readings 

Tuesday 1 April 2014

Morning Prayer

Psalm 74

This psalm is one of community lament.  Enemies have come and destroyed the city, the temple and everything that gives identity to the people. An appeal is made to God using stories of creation and provision for the people. The enemy ridicules and the soul of the people is at risk of being destroyed. The psalmist asks to Lord to rise up for the people’s sake.

Jeremiah 36: 20 – 32

The scroll with all Jeremiah’s prophecies is left in the king’s secretary’s chambers while the secretary and officials go to King Jehoiakim and report. The king orders the scroll be brought to him and read. As the lines are read he has them cut from the scroll and thrown into the fire. The writing perturbs neither the King nor the people close to him. Jehoiakim orders that Jeremiah and Baruch be seized.  Jeremiah, in hiding meanwhile instructs Baruch to rewrite the scroll and prophesies a humiliating death for Jehoiakim and the end of his dynasty.

Luke 18: 15 – 30

Jesus allows the infants to be brought to him to be touched and blessed. Infants, those who have earned nothing and feely receive. Then the wealthy young ruler comes running to kneel at Jesus’ feet. He has worked to earn a place in the kingdom but cannot let go of serving his wealth acquisition and management: his need to earn a future. Only God will be able to “get him into the kingdom”. Then the disciples worry because they too have given up everything, they too are trying to earn their place in the kingdom. Jesus tells them they, who leave everything behind for the sake of the kingdom will get back more now and in the life to come than they can imagine.

Collect for Morning Prayer

Hollow Inside a Giant Red Tingle (Eucalypt)
Walpole WA 2014 L Osburn

 God of power and relationship you show us time and again that we can lose everything, our possessions, the symbols of our identity and the things we labour diligently to produce and yet you are with us, sheltering us and loving us. Help us this day to remember that you love us because we are. Help us to bring our lives to you gently and to accept your loving grace today through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Tuesday 1 April 2014

Evening Prayer

Psalms 75 and 76

The first psalm begins with praise and moves to God as judge, putting down the boastful wicked and lifting up the righteous.

In second psalm God is portrayed as a mighty warrior who protects the poor and oppressed against foes, even armies of nations. Kneeling in thanks and praise to God is the only role for human wrath.

Exodus 2

Moses is born and at three months is placed in a pitch-covered basket in the reeds by the Nile. Pharaoh’s daughter comes and finds the basket. Moses’s sister offers to arrange a nurse for the baby and the Pharaoh’s daughter pays wages for the nurse. When Moses is older he goes to live with Pharaoh’s daughter and she calls him her son.

As an adult Moses kills and Egyptian who is beating a Hebrew. He tries to mediate in a fight between two Hebrews and they challenge him since he killed the Egyptian. Pharaoh finds out about the killing and Moses flees to Midian. In Midian he defends the right of the seven daughters of the priest to draw water from the well for their flocks. Moses is invited to the priest’s house and eventually marries a daughter Zipporah and has a son, Gershom. After some time the Pharaoh dies. God is watching and remembering the Hebrews.

Hebrews 12: 12 – 24

The writer compares being Christians to being people in a race who are tired and lame. We need to care for each other, and to stick with the prize at the end of the race and not give it up for a short-term need – like Esau gave up his birth right for a bowl of food. To what are we racing? Is it to Mt Sinai and the Old Testament or to Mt Zion, the New Testament and saving grace of Christ? In the old, our sins require constant sacrifice. In the new Jesus has washed them away and is the perpetual sacrifice. We can choose our path.

Collect for Evening Prayer

On the road WA 2014
L Osburn

Magnificent God, for whom nothing is impossible we thank you for the your Son our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. We thank you for this day and we ask for the strength and focus to keep in this race, no matter how often we stumble so that we may through your grace and mercy come into your glorious presence in confidence and love through Jesus Christ our redeemer. Amen.