Saturday 8 November 2014

9 November 2014

Collects

Prayers developed from the daily readings 


Sunday 9 November 2014 
Morning Prayer

Psalm 96

Sing praise to the Lord! Ascribe to God the glory of creation. Let everything, the heavens, the trees, everything sing and praise God.

1 Thessalonians 4: 1 – 8

Paul urges the Thessalonians to live in ways that please God. There is to be no exploitation of anyone, especially sexually. In holiness and honour our bodies are to be controlled. God did not call us to impurity but to holiness and who ever rejects this, isn’t rejecting human authority but the authority of the one who gave us the Holy Spirit.

Collect for Morning Prayer

Pre-dawn Lake Mulwala NSW
2014 L Osburn

Great Creator and protector of all you love. Give us the grace, courage and power to love you in holiness and purity. Help us to love others in ways that honour you and them, so that you and the people who are called by your name are shown to be for freedom from all oppression and liberation from exploitation through Jesus Christ our saviour and your Holy Spirit in our hearts, Amen.



Sunday 9 November 2014
Evening Prayer

Judges 2: 7 – 19

Joshua son of Nun and the people who came through the desert, who are faithful to God in the Promised Land, die. Subsequent generations do not know or follow the Law and instead worship other gods and idols. God does not support their ventures. God sends judges who appeal to God and so the people are rescued from those who oppress or persecute them. But as soon as the judge dies the people stubbornly revert to worshipping Baals and other gods.

Psalm 63

As a drought-ravaged land seeks water so our souls seek God. God’s love is better than life. God’s love is like a rich feast. Meditating on God causes our souls to sing.

The psalm ends with a plea for personal security.

Matthew 24: 21 - 35

This section is about the ordeals to come – great suffering which will be cut short else everyone would perish. We are warned to avoid false prophets. The coming of Christ will be obvious it won’t be a person in the wilderness or someone in a city room. There will be cosmic signs and people on earth will mourn.

We are to learn from fig trees. As soon as the branch has shoots and puts out leaves we know summer comes. When we see the warning signs we are to know Christ is near.

Collect for Evening Prayer

Gulls at sunset
Streaky Bay SA 2014 L Osburn
Holy Lord you have given us everything including your Son yet we often seek another slice of your great inheritance. You know our hearts yearn for you. Give us the patience to wait out the ordeals to come, to not seek personal prosperity, a quick fix or a prophet with an answer. Keep our hearts and ears and minds open to you and to your presence here and now and faithfully to look to the time when you come in glory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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