7 March 2015

Collects

Prayers developed from the daily readings 

Saturday 7 March 2015

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:

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord my rock and my redeemer.”

Genesis 45: 16 – 46: 7

Jacob tells Pharaoh the news and is instructed to give the whole family better land and more goods so that they do not have to bring much from home. When the sons return to Jacob and tell him that Joseph is alive he begins his journey to Egypt. He stops and worships at Beersheba where God talks to him in a dream. His family will prosper, God will be with them while they are in Egypt, God will be with his family when they come home and when he dies Joseph will be there to close his eyes.

Luke 14: 15 – 34

Jesus tells the parable of the rich man who planned a feast and invited guests who all have pressing things to do. He then invites anyone on the street, the poor the beggars and the travellers and those who were invited miss out. Jesus challenges people to put the health of their souls before family and other commitments and to be prepared to carry a heavy burden - to work at their soul’s health. He challenges then to think and plan the cost of discipleship.

Collect for Morning Prayer

Layers of the Paperbark
Mandurah Estuary 2014 L Osburn

Holy and almighty God, you invite us to be with you, to put the health of our souls first and you promise that you will bring us home. Help us put aside those activities and thoughts that stop us from coming to you and feeling the preciousness of your words and commands, so that all our words and meditations of our hearts show you and others that we are your disciples through Jesus Christ Your Son our Lord. Amen.

Saturday 7 March 2015

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.

Jeremiah 31: 27 – 40

Jeremiah revels God’s plan not only to restore the people of Israel and Judah, their animals, the city and expand its footprint. The new covenant is introduced. A covenant where the law is written in people’s hearts, people will automatically know the Lord, sins will be forgiven.

Hebrews 9: 23 – 10: 4

Christ’s sacrifice was not in an earthly temple but in heaven itself. His is the only necessary sacrifice for the sins of all. Unlike other sacrifices Christ’s erases all memory of sin.

Collect for Evening Prayer

Opening
Mandurah Estuary WA 2014 L Osburn

Oh God of the great gift, you have given us a new covenant through Jesus and your laws are written in the hearts of all who believe, so that we will automatically know you and be forgiven. Open our hearts now in quiet and joyful thanks and praise to you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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

Please leave a comment or feedback.