7 November 2014

Collects

Prayers developed from the daily readings 

Friday 7 November 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.”

Nehemiah 13: 1 – 14

Nehemiah visits Ataxerxes and in his absence Eliahib converts a storeroom in the court of the temple, the house of God, into a room for Tobiah – one of the people who opposed Nehemiah’s reconstruction of the wall and the city. When Nehemiah returns and finds this he is angry, gives orders for the room to be cleared and the vessels of the temple restored. He also discovers that the Levites had not received their portions and so had gone back to their fields so they could feed their families.

Nehemiah gathers the officials and investigates why the house of the Lord had been forsaken. He sets up new supervisors for the tithing. Nehemiah in his prayers asks God to remember his service to God and God’s house.

Matthew 22: 1 – 14

Jesus tells the parable of the wedding banquet. The kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king  who arranges a wedding banquet for his son and invites the honoured guests. They will not come. He sends slaves with the menu to invite them again but they treat it like a joke, go about their lives or mistreat and / or kill the slaves. The king enraged sends troops and destroys the cities of the murderers.

The king tells the slaves to go into the streets and invite anyone – the wedding feast is ready. The slaves gather anyone good or bad so the hall is full. But he notices one person without wedding clothes (these are provided by the host). He asks how did that person get in without proper attire, has him bound and thrown into outer darkness. Jesus ends with “For many are called but few are chosen”.

Collect for Morning Prayer

"Getting all out swans in a row"
Black Swans Mandurah Estuary WA 2014 L Osburn

Magnificent and glorious God all creation reminds us of your kingship. You have given us your commandments and your Son so that all of us are called to you and all of us can know your precious laws. Help us to take stock today, to examine our lives and our hearts. Help us identify and clear out the idols we have in your holy spaces: the parts of your word we treat lightly. Help us reflect and sort out our personal administration, to repent and come to you clothed in your merciful forgiveness so that we may be fed by you, nurtured, enlivened and live our days to your praise and glory through Jesus Christ Your Son our Lord. Amen.

Friday 7 November 2014

Evening Prayer

Psalm 119: 1 – 16

This portion of the psalm celebrates those who know and follow the laws of God. The psalmist asks to be taught and to be assisted to follow these laws.

Daniel 11: 29 – 45

The angel’s telling of what is to come continues including the profaning of the temple and Jerusalem. There is a prediction of the faithful fighting back and ultimately the wise falling. But the invading king will eventually fail and pass even if he takes more territory than in fact he did. He will honour the god of fortresses and will march to his doom.

Revelation 2: 12 – 17

John’s third letter is to the church in Pergamum. They live in a place of hostility but are faithful and did not deny their faith even when one of them was killed. But there are some in the community who eat food previously sacrificed to other gods and are sexually immoral in the name of religion. They are told to repent, or suffer the consequences of the law – a two-edged sword. Those who conquer sin will be fed and have victory and joy.

Collect for Evening Prayer

Night Lights of Perth WA 2014
L Osburn (hand held)

Holy Lord you see your faithful people in hostile zones: conflict zones where the fortresses and power are worshipped and party zones where lures and festivals to other gods complete for attention. You see people dying for their faith and you have compassion. Help us to keep your laws, continue to teach your ways and do what we can by prayer and support to help your faithful people stand firm knowing that there will be and end to this ordeal and the faithful will be fed and experience your victory and your joy 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