4 November 2014

Collects

Prayers developed from the daily readings 

Tuesday 4 November 2014 

Morning Prayer

Psalms 11 and 12

The psalmist disputes the claim one should run from enemies. The psalmist will stand firm. He says that if the foundation collapses, then all are powerless. The psalmist trusts in the Lord – the firm foundation.

The psalmist laments the lack of faithful people. People make promises and are unreliable. The poor and the needy suffer as a result but, the Lord is faithful forever and pure. The Lord guards and protects us.

Nehemiah 9: 6 – 25

Ezra recounts the greatness of God and tells the people the story from creation to the coming of the people to prosperity in the Promised Land. He tells how stiff-necked the people were, and how God was steadfast even when they worshipped idols and committed presumptuous sins*.

Matthew 21: 14 – 22

Jesus in the temple cures all who come to him. The children cry out “Hosanna to the Son of David”. The chief priests and scribes become angry and ask, “Do you hear what they are saying?” Jesus replies using scripture that out of the mouths of babes and infants praise has been prepared. 

He goes to Bethany for the night and in the morning is hungry, sees a fig tree that has no fruit and curses it where upon it withers and dies. The disciples are amazed and he says, that if they have faith and do not doubt they could tell a mountain to move to the sea and it will be done.

Collect for Morning Prayer

Iron Knob near Whyalla  SA  2014 L Osburn
(major iron ore mine)

Loving and constant God, you are our firm foundation. With you we can stand secure against the enemy. You provision us with scripture as support beams so that we may have faith sufficient to act for the poor and needy, to be loyal to you and to bear fruit. Open our hearts and minds to these your gracious gifts so that we by faith in you, move the molehills before us and create a harvest fit to praise your glory now and forever through Jesus Christ Your Son our Lord. Amen.

Tuesday 4 November 2014

Evening Prayer

Psalms 13 and 14

These psalms are laments for personal deliverance from enemies, from harm and from a cynical age. The psalmist remains faithful proclaiming God’s deliverance of Israel and care for the poor.

Daniel 10: 1 – 17

Daniel has been fasting for three weeks. He sees a vision of Gabriel and though other people around him do not see they feel afraid of something and flee. This section is about the effect of the angel and the compassion shown so that Daniel is able to cease shaking, feeling faint and panic breathing.

Revelation 1: 9 – 20

John tells how he on Patmos as an exile for his beliefs, hears a voice. He turns and sees a vision of seven lampstands, Christ holding seven stars in his right hand and with a two-edged sword coming from his mouth. The stars are the seven angels of the churches, the lampstands are the seven churches and the sword is the word of God. John is instructed to write down what he sees now and in the vision to come.

Collect for Evening Prayer

Brilliance shining through
Rutherglen Vic 2014 L Osburn

Holy and splendid God we have in scripture records of great visions given to your humble servants Daniel and John. Help us take inspiration from those encounters with you and with the holy so that we are strengthened to persist in this time of struggle and cynicism, remain faithful, proclaim your salvation and care for those in poverty, need, sickness or any other adversity through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

*Presumptious sins are:

1.     When we do know better

2.     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

3.     Sinning to show total disregard for God

4.     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