15 January 2015
Collects
Prayers
developed from the daily readings
Thursday 15
January 2015
Morning
Prayer
Psalm 37: 1 – 17
There are people who do evil and prosper. Their
presence is a challenge to us to choose faith, to do good things, to stay calm,
to not get angry or envious of their wealth. Stay with the Lord and be patient.
It is their story and God’s job to deal with if they continue to reject God.
Genesis 3: 1 – 19
The
serpent, through craftiness converses with the woman about God’s instructions
on eating. The woman says that eating the fruit of the tree in the middle of
the garden will bring death. The serpent challenges her thinking – surely God
wouldn’t cause you to die – but instead your eyes will be open, you will get
wisdom, you will be like God. She looks, eats the fruit, and gives it to the
man who eats then both become aware of their separateness and nakedness and
hide from God. When God confronts them they blame each other. The punishment is
that the serpent will become an enemy and either be crushed or will injure and
demobilise the children of the woman. Childbearing becomes hard and unlike in
the perfect garden the man will rule the woman. The man will also struggle,
sweat and toil and at the end return to dust.
John 7:
1 – 13
Jesus
stays away from Judea due to the threats on his life. His brothers however,
encourage him to go to the feast of the Tabernacles so that others can see what
he can do and as he is a public figure he can’t continue to go about in secret.
Jesus says this is not his time to enter Judea publicly. The brothers go.
Later, Jesus follows in secret and he hears what the people are whispering
about him – too afraid of those in power to speak aloud.
Collect for
Morning Prayer
Cannon - King Georges Sound Albany WA 2014 L Osburn |
Thursday 15
January 2015
Evening
Prayer
Psalm 37: 18 – 41
This portion of the psalm continues with examples of
God’s retribution for the wicked and protection and salvation for the faithful
and the meek.
Jeremiah 3: (1 – 5) 6 – 23
In this section Israel and Judah’s unfaithfulness by
chasing idols and other gods is compared to an unfaithful divorced woman who
has had other husbands and now her original husband would take her back.
Jeremiah uses this to help the people understand the situation. The people are
encouraged to repent and to return the God. The correct people’s reply is to
admit their sin and waste of sacrifices: to admit their disgrace.
Colossians 2: 1 – 7
Paul
wants us to be encouraged and united in love, to have assured understanding and
the knowledge of God’s mystery: Christ. As we have received Christ we are to
continue to live our lives, rooted, established and grounded in Christ and to
give thanks.
Collect for
Evening Prayer
Getting back on track Albany WA 2014 L Osburn |
Merciful and
loving God, you want our lives to be grounded in Christ and full of thanks and
praise. Help us see the times today where we noticed we were off track and came
back to you. Help us rejoice in those precious moments of reconciliation so
that we keep accepting your invitation and keep returning sooner and sooner through
Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
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