4 August 2015
Collects
Prayers
developed from the daily readings
Tuesday 4 August 2015
Morning
Prayer
Psalm 80
This psalm is a prayer for deliverance from national
enemies. It compares Israel to a vine. It asks for God’s hand to be on the one
at God’s right hand, to give us life, to restore us and to save us.
2 Samuel 14: 25 – 15: 6
Absalom, David’s son, re-establishes his household and
has a daughter he calls Tamar. He sends messages to Joab asking him to visit.
There is no response. He knows Joab has a field adjacent to one of his. He
instructs his servants to burn Joab’s crop. Joab visits to ask the reason for
the arson. Absalom asks Joab to interceded with King David so that he may come
back into his presence otherwise. If he is guilty let David kill him and if not
why is he still being excluded?
Joab tells David who summons Absalom. Absalom falls on
his face before David. David welcomes him with a kiss.
Absalom sets up a small militia and rides a chariot.
He intercepts people coming to King David to hear their disputes. He tells them
their case is just but David has no one to hear the case. If Absalom were the
king, he claims, things would be different. In this way Absalom starts a
campaign to usurp David.
John 11: 17 – 37
Jesus arrives at Martha and Mary’s home in the
aftermath of Lazarus’s death. Martha greets him and declares her faith that
Jesus could have healed him and that Lazarus will rise again on the last day.
Jesus proclaims that he is the resurrection and the life. She declares her firm
belief that he is the Messiah.
Martha goes to Mary who comes out to meet Jesus. The
Jews, who are mourning with her, follow her. Mary kneels at Jesus’s feet and
also declares that he could have healed Lazarus. Jesus weeps.
The crowd says that if Jesus could give a blind man
sight he could have healed Lazarus.
Collect for
Morning Prayer
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| Grass in the desert Broken Hill 2004 L Osburn |
Tuesday 4 August 2015
Evening
Prayer
Psalm 81
The psalm begins with praise and thanksgiving. It
moves on to remembering the gifts of God and how God saved and delivered the
people. Finally there is a lament that the people’s hearts are hard, that they
are not listening and until they do they will be besieged. God wants to feed us
with fine things. The choice is left open.
Baruch 1: 15 – 2: 18
There is a deep lament for Israel’s sin and lack of
obedience. Everyone is culpable. The community repents for not following God’s
statutes. They pray for deliverance. They are few and scattered among other
nations. Even someone bowed down can worship and praise God but the dead can
only be silent. They ask God to listen to their prayer.
Romans 7: 13 – 25
Paul talks about the Law saying that it is spiritual
and that all people may be willing to do what is right but we cannot – we are
in fact slaves to sin – no matter how hard we try. If we do things that we do
not want to do, it is sin doing it. So, delight in the Law – it keeps us aware
of our sins. Who will rescue us from this state? God will, through Jesus Christ
our Lord.
Collect for
Evening Prayer
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| Memorial to Miners Broken Hill 2003 L Osburn |
Loving God,
saviour full of grace; soften our hearts today. Allow us to feel the pain and
deep sadness that comes with true repentance. Open our ears to listen to you and
gain your true freedom and deliverance so that we may sing your praise and tell
of your glory all the days of our lives through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.
Amen.
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