11 January 2015

Collects

Prayers developed from the daily readings 

Sunday 11 January 2015

Morning Prayer

Psalm 111

Praises God for great deeds, honour, majesty, enduring righteousness and mercy. God has sent us redemption. Respecting God is the beginning of wisdom.

Romans 6: 1 - 11

Paul reminds us that through baptism in Christ we need to consider ourselves dead to sin and therefore not a slave to sin anymore. We are alive in Christ and walking in newness of life. He charges us to sin no more and walk in newness of life gained for us by Christ’s death and resurrection.

Collect for Morning Prayer

3 Baby Rabbits
Harrietville Vic 2015 L Osburn

God of wondrous love, you are honour, majesty, righteousness and mercy. We praise you and thank you for the gift of Jesus, his life death and resurrection. Put a spring in our step today, lighten our hearts, raise our joy in knowing we are free from sin, alive in Christ and are made new for you through Jesus Christ our saviour and your Holy Spirit in our hearts, Amen.

Sunday 11 January 2015

Evening Prayer

Ezekiel 47: 1 – 12

In Ezekiel’s vision the messenger shows him streams of water coming up from below the temple and flowing out in 3 directions. Where the water grows it heals and restores. Crops and trees flourish.

Psalm 2

A rhetorical psalm asking why some people think they can break the bond between God and his anointed one (messiah). The psalmist thinks it is laughable. God is all-powerful and the anointed one is his begotten son. God’s power could be used to punish and correct. Let humans be warned to respect God. Those that take refuge in the Lord will be happy.

John 1: 19 – 34

John the Baptist clearly reveals to the priests and Levites that he is neither the Messiah nor a reincarnated prophet of old. He is the voice crying in the wilderness to get people prepared for the Messiah. John baptises with water. The Messiah will baptise with the Holy Spirit.

The next day John sees Jesus approaching and sees the Spirit come down from heaven like a dove and remain on him. From this John knows that Jesus is the Messiah – the Son of God.

Collect for Evening Prayer

Flight
Mandurah Estuary WA 2015 L Osburn

Holy Lord, you make our joy complete by giving us your Son the source of living water, the redeemer, and bringer of your Holy Spirit. Open our hearts to your embrace and to deep reverence so that we too properly acknowledge Christ and are filled and fuelled by your Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.