19 September 2014

Collects

Prayers developed from the daily readings 

Friday 19 September 2014 

Morning Prayer

Psalm 45

This is an ode to a king’s wedding full of praise and descriptions of beauty, strength and wealth.

Habakkuk 3: 8 – 19

Habakkuk describes God coming with the people from Sinai. This is poetic. It seems to say was this great action wrath against the rivers, against the land? And Habakkuk will wait patiently for this same anger to be experienced by those who attack God’s people. He goes on to say that though all the crops fail and all the herds disappear he will rejoice in God, exult God and feel the exuberance that comes from loving God.

Matthew 5: 43 – 6: 4

Jesus teaches that we should love our neighbour and love our enemy. Greet them. Pray for them. Pattern our behaviours and attitudes on God since we are God’s children.

And be humble about practicing our faith and giving alms. Do it quietly not for praise and acknowledgement from our communities.

Collect for Morning Prayer

Joyful Snail
Mandurah WA 2014 L Osburn

Great God and almighty ruler, you bring us salvation and joy and exuberance. Your energy is infinite. Infuse us with your spirit of joy and love so that we find it easy to love and pray for our enemies. Open our hearts to you so that we prove we are your children through Jesus Christ who died for us. Amen.

Friday 19 September 2014

Evening Prayer

Psalms 46 and 47

God is our strength and refuge and we are to be in awe of him: to be still and know that God is God.

The second psalm is a joyous song of praise beginning with clapping our hands. Our God is awesome ruler of everything, shielding us. God is to be exalted.

2 Maccabees 6: 1 – 17

The cultural genocide continues under the Greeks. The temple is renamed for Zeus. The atrocities and violence continues against all the Jews and especially the faithful. But the writer urges us not to be depressed by such calamities but to see it as a blessing. God waits to punish the other nations when they have reached the zenith of their sin. God never withdraws mercy from God’s people. God might discipline with calamities: God never forsakes us.

Ephesians 3: 14 – 21

Paul prays that the Holy Spirit through God’s abundance may strengthen the Ephesians. He prays that through faith Christ dwells in their hearts and that they have their foundations and nourishment from love. He prays they have the capacity to grasp the depth and breadth and height of Christ’s love and be filled with God’s fullness. Finally he praises God who does far more than we can ask or imagine. To God be the glory. Amen.

Collect for Evening Prayer

Black Swan
Mandurah WA 2014 L Osburn

God of wonder, God of light in our darkest moments you love us still. Shine the light of your love and mercy into the troubles we live through. So infuse us with your love and presence that we may open our hearts, even in silence, and sing to your praise and glory through Jesus Christ our Lord and your Holy Spirit in our hearts. Amen.