13 July 2014

Collects

Prayers developed from the daily readings 

Sunday 13 July 2014 

Morning Prayer

Psalm 19

The sky in silence, every day and every night shows us that God is magnificent. God’s commandments are magnificent. They are right, they delight the heart, they are simple, they are more precious than gold. And the commandments warn us – but can we ever truly detect all our own faults? David asks for help so that he does not commit presumptuous sins*. He finishes with:

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord my rock and my redeemer.”

Matthew 12: 33 – 42

Jesus is speaking about the Pharisees. He says that we can tell a good tree from a bad tree by the fruit it has. We need to choose. We cannot say we are good if bad things come from us.

Some of the Pharisees and scribes ask for a sign from Jesus – there are strict rules for verifying a prophet. Jesus calls them an adulterous generation meaning that they are focusing not on God but something else – in this case the rules. The rule-book is their idol.

He goes on to say the only sign they will have is the sign of Jonah – that like Jonah he will be buried three days and unlike Nineveh that believed Jonah, they will still not believe. Unlike the Queen of Sheba who came to visit Solomon and hear his wisdom, they will not recognise or listen to the greater wisdom of God through Jesus with them now.

Collect for Morning Prayer

Early Morning
Armadale 2014 L Osburn

Dear Lord, you know us and love us. We live in your great and glorious creation. We move through it and play out our lives here often not noticing that everything around us speaks of you and your greatness. If we are so blind to that, how much more blind are we to the things we are doing wrong: the thoughts and actions that turn us from you and keep us from loving each other? We ask you to guide the words of our mouths, the meditations of our hearts and our actions so that we become your good people through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.

Sunday 13 July 2014

Evening Prayer

Genesis 26: 1 – 6 and 23 - 25

There is a famine in the land and God tells Isaac not to go to Egypt but to stay in Gerar. He goes to Beer-sheeba, builds a well and pitches his tent there.

Psalm 65

This is a glorious hymn of praise to God who forgives us, saves us, satisfies our souls and creates the world and everything in it. In particular it gives praise the food we receive at harvest time.

Romans 9: 15 – 26

Paul explains God’s grace – God’s right to choose people to be the way they are for God’s purpose to be shown in them. Paul gives the example of Pharaoh. That man was raised into that position and his heart was hardened against Israel to show God’s power.

Paul compares God to a potter who has the right to make what is made in the shape the potter wants it and to destroy those thing made that were planned for destruction from the start or which do not do what they are built to do.

Paul ends with other scripture that says God will choose people to be his people and to be called the children of the living God from anywhere.

Collect for Evening Prayer

Fragile glass balls reflecting the garden
Mandurah 2014 L Osburn

Gracious and loving God we thank you for all creation and for all people. We thank you that you have created us with great diversity. Guide is through this coming week to work with faith and courage in your world, and with the people we meet, so that we show by our words and actions that we are your children through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

*Presumptious sins are:

When we do know better;

When we deliberately plan to do it or keep nurturing the thought about doing it, or have built up a habit of a particular sin;

Sinning to show total disregard for God;

Thinking that we are immune from a particular type of sin because we are strong or “able to manage it”. This is risky.

And, “I’ll repent tomorrow…” presumes a tomorrow.

From
 Rev. C. H. Spurgeon 1857