26 August 2015
Collects
Prayers
developed from the daily readings
Wednesday 26 August 2015
Morning
Prayer
Psalm Psalms 137: 1 – 6 (7 – 9) and 138
The song of the exiles... “By the river of Babylon”.
The psalmist feels the pain and anguish of the destruction of Jerusalem and
worries about forgetting yet finding it impossible to sing.
The second psalm is a song of praise and deliverance
and ends with the psalmist faithfully claiming, “the Lord will fulfil his
purpose for me” (v.8).
1 Kings 1: 1 – 31
King David is old and his eldest remaining son
Adonijah has decided that he is the successor as David has named no one and has
never challenged any of Adonijah’s actions. There is a spilt in the priests and
leadership about Adonijah.
Nathan the prophet, goes to Bathsheba and tells her to
go to David, tell him about Adonijah’s celebrations and sacrifices as the new
king and to remind David that he had said Solomon would be his successor. She
does so adding that if Adonijah is King she and Solomon will be counted as
offenders – they were not invited to the celebrations. She leaves.
Nathan goes to the King and independently reports the
actions of Adonijah. Nathan lists the priests who similarly are not invited to
Adonijah’s celebrations and asks King David why he did not tell them all that
he had named a successor.
David summons Bathsheba and swears to God that Solomon
shall be his successor. Bathsheba bows to the ground praying for David’s long
life.
Acts 21: 27 – 39
Paul goes to the temple. Jews from Asia who know of
him misrepresent what he teaches and claim that he has brought Greeks into the
temple. The crowd riots, the temple’s doors are closed, the tribune hears and
sends in the troops. The crowd makes no sense in their accusations so the soldiers
remove Paul and to do so they have to carry him. At the barracks they establish
that he is not an Egyptian who formed a group of assassins. Paul tells them his
identity and asks to speak to the crowd.
Collect for
Morning Prayer
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| Between a rock and a hard place At the Pinnacles, Broken Hill NSW L Osburn |
Wednesday 26 August 2015
Evening
Prayer
Psalm 139
The psalmist loves, reveres and understands the
majesty and ever-presence of God. He wants to distance himself from anyone and
anything that is opposed to God – to actively step away. He appeals to God to
examine him, test him and lead him in the right way.
Job 3
Job curses the day he was born. He questions the purpose
of his life and wishes for the suffering to end. Given what he has been through
he may have been better off dying at birth or being still born. If he were dead
he would be in great company with those at rest and in peace. He asks, “Why is
light given to one in misery, and life to the bitter in soul” (v.20) and to
those who will rejoice in the idea of dying? He says he is in pain, and is
living with his biggest fear.
Romans 15: 14– 21
Paul writes that he has confidence
in the Romans and that he has written to them boldly in places just to remind
them of some points of belief and practice. He wants their worship to be
acceptable to God. Paul talks of what Christ has accomplished through him in
word, deed, power of signs and wonders. His mission has been to those who have
never heard of Christ and fulfils a prophecy of Isaiah. This has delayed him
visiting Rome.
Collect for
Evening Prayer
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| Desert creek Near the Pinnacles, Broken Hill NSW L Osburn |
Holy Lord,
you know the conditions of our lives and care about us. You know what pain and
suffering is. May our prayers, thoughts and actions always be acceptable to you
so that our lives reflect your love and grace through Jesus Christ your Son our
Lord and Saviour. Amen.
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