Thursday 9 July 2015

10 July 2015

Collects

Prayers developed from the daily readings 


Friday 10 July 2015 
Morning Prayer   

Psalm 25

This psalm is a plea for protection from personal enemies. The psalmist asks for guidance and forgiveness and to be taught God’s way and truth. God is asked to guard our lives, deliver us, allow us to have refuge and for our integrity and righteousness preserve us.

1 Samuel 29: 1 – 30: 6

The Philistine army camps at Aphek and Saul’s army camps at Jezreel. The lords of the Philistine army watch their force pass by and note David’s Hebrew group at the back. They object to his presence in the battle. Achish defends saying that David has been loyal and there is no fault in him. The Lords insist that David and his men be send back to Ziklag. For them David’s presence is too unsettling.

Achish asks David most respectfully to return home and reinforces that he trusts him. David and his men set out early the next morning.

On arriving in Ziklag they find the town has been raided and razed. Their wives, sons and daughters have been taken captive including David’s wives Ahinoam and Abigail. The remaining townsfolk are angry and threaten to stone David because of this calamity.

John 4: 27 – 42

Jesus is at the well with the Samaritan woman. The disciples return. The woman goes to the city tells people, invites them to come and see Jesus and to make up their own minds.

Meanwhile, the disciples try to get Jesus to eat. He talks about how he is fed by doing God’s work and seeing the harvest beginning. He tells the disciples they are about to benefit from the harvesting done by others.

Many Samaritans come from the city. They believe the woman’s testimony and asked Jesus to stay. Then they say that their belief is confirmed by what they heard from Jesus themselves, saying, “this is truly the saviour of the world” (v 42).

Collect for Morning Prayer


Learning the Ropes: Sailor Training
Busselton WA 2014 L Osburn
Wonderful and all-knowing God you protect, save and deliver us. Help us to put aside our own plans and be taught your way and truth whether that is an unplanned withdrawal from a program or campaign we are involved in or recognising that someone else, totally untrained, an outsider, a person who culturally may be de-valued and / or one of “the enemy” is the one who has done the ministry and sown the seeds for the disciples to harvest. By this teaching and discipline we learn to be obedient to you and to give you thanks for truly being the saviour of the world through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.

Friday 10 July 2015
Evening Prayer

Psalm 27

“The Lord is my light and salvation: whom shall I fear?”  The psalmist seeks God’s face, God’s teaching and God’s level path and ends with, “Wait for the Lord: be strong and let your heart take courage: wait for the Lord.”

Micah 4: 8 – 5: 5a

Micah says that Jerusalem will eventually be restored but in the meantime there is no counsellor and no king. They will all go into the open country. Many nations will come and cause humiliation and destruction. Eventually those same nations will provide resources to the Lord.

Right now there is a siege on Jerusalem and the rulers of Israel are being struck on the cheek with a rod. In future the ruler will come from Bethlehem in Ephrathah. Until that time comes Israel will be captive. This king will feed the flock in the strength, majesty and the name of the Lord God. They shall live secure and he will be the one who brings peace.

Galatians 4: 8 – 20

Paul is concerned that the Galatians have started observing old festivals that belong to the elemental spirits or traditional Jewish rubrics they followed before they were Christian. For Paul, this is “backsliding” and he worries that he has wasted his time with them. He recalls that when he first came he was unwell but they welcomed him and treated him like a holy messenger. Now he feels devalued because he is telling them the truth and they are rejecting it.

Others, who want them to comply with the Mosaic Law, be converted to Judaism and be celebrated, are courting them. Paul wants then to be celebrated already. He feels like he has to start again with them, he wants to be with them so that he can be gentler – but he is away and his message has to come by letter.


Collect for Evening Prayer

Beautiful Black Swan
Mandurah Estuary WA 2014 L Osburn
Merciful and generous God we give you thanks and praise. The world waited and you provided your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord king and saviour. We are no longer captives. We are valued in your sight. We are forgiven loved and free. May our whole lives praise you and bring you the glory through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord and Saviour. Amen.


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