27 October 2014

Collects

Prayers developed from the daily readings 

Monday 27 October 2014 

Morning Prayer

Psalm 140

This psalm is an appeal to be delivered from personal enemies – from violent people and those who stir things up, those who speak ill, are arrogant and make evil plots. The psalmist is confident in God’s care.

Nehemiah 2: 9 – 20

Nehemiah brings King Darius’ letter to the governors beyond the river. None are pleased about aid to Israel. Nehemiah makes a secret inspection of the city walls during the night. He informs the people he intends to rebuild the wall; they commit to the work. The governors and others hear ridicule the enterprise and accuse Nehemiah of rebelling against the king. Nehemiah replies that God will give the Israelites success. The Israelites are God’s servants, and the officials have no claim or historic right in Jerusalem.

Matthew 18: 1 – 14

“Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Jesus says that unless we change and become like children we will not even enter heaven. When we humble ourselves like children we become great and when we welcome a child of God we welcome Christ. So if we cause someone who believes in Christ to stumble, woe to the person who causes the stumble. Jesus takes this further, since we are believers, and says if some part of us causes us, as children of God, to stumble we would be better off without it – even if it is a body part.

He goes on to say we are not to despise those who believe in Christ since their angels continually look at the face of God. And God, knowing like a shepherd that one sheep from the flock is missing will search for that missing one and bring it home rejoicing. It is not God’s will that one child of God will be lost.

Collect for Morning Prayer

Three little ones
Wagga Wagga NSW 2014 L Osburn

Great God shepherd of your children, you keep us from evil, save us from harm, seek us out when we are lost and give us the words to say when challenged. Help us today to gently check what we do and say and how we care for each other so that we support and strengthen your children’s love for you and our gratitude for your great and eternal blessings through Jesus Christ Your Son our Lord. Amen.

Monday 27 October 2014

Evening Prayer

Psalms 141 and 142

Both psalms are pleas to be delivered from personal enemies. The first includes a willingness to be justly corrected by the righteous. The psalmist asks to be assisted to not engage in retaliation of the evil so that the enemies realise the psalmist was not only correct but also gentle. In the second psalm things have not gone well for the psalmist and the pleas for deliverance demonstrate faithfulness.

Daniel 6: 14 – 28

The King distressed, wants to save Daniel but the conspirators use the law against the King – the King cannot change his own edict. The King gives the order for Daniel to be put in the lions’ den and prays aloud that Daniel’s God delivers him.

The den is sealed with a stone and the king’s personal seal. The King returns to the palace fasts and cannot sleep all night. At dawn the King hurries to the den. As he comes close to the den he calls out to Daniel who answers “O King live forever” and tells how God shut the lion’s mouths since Daniel was blameless before God and before the King. The King lets Daniel out and there is no mark on him since he trusts God.

The king has the conspirators and their families fed to the lions. The king writes a decree throughout his dominion that the God of Daniel is the living God, enduring forever whose dominion has no end.

2 Peter 1: 1 – 11

The letter begins with a blessing that grace and peace be ours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. God has given us everything we need so that we can escape the corruption of our own wants and may be participants in divine nature.

Simeon Peter provides a scaffold for our loves. Our faith is supported by goodness, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, mutual affection and love. It builds from love up.

If these things are present in our lives and building in our communities we will be effective and fruitful in the knowledge of Christ. If they are absent we are near sighted and blind and forgetful of the cleansing of our sins. We are therefore encouraged to confirm our call and our election so that we will not stumble and we can enter Christ’s kingdom.

Collect for Evening Prayer

Jan and Graham's tomatoes
Armadale WA 2014 L Osburn

Holy and mysterious God you free us from sin and deliver us from harm. You also equip us with the essentials to live lives to your praise and glory. In little ways every day strengthen our love, mutual affection, godliness, endurance, self-control, knowledge, goodness and faith so that we not only answer your call and embrace our election but also are effective and fruitful through Jesus Christ and your Holy Spirit. Amen.