17 September 2015

Collects

Prayers developed from the daily readings 

Thursday 17 September 2015 

Morning Prayer

Psalm 40

The psalmist tells the whole congregation of how God delivered him from desolation and being stuck. He sings a new song of praise telling of God’s innumerable deeds.

God listens even when no sacrifice is offered. God wants us to fulfil the Law and do God’s will.

The psalmist asks for more aid: past sins assail him and people want to take his life, to hurt and ridicule him. He prays for those who do God’s will and repeats the request for deliverance.

1 Kings 11: 26 – 43

Jeroboam an Ephraimite who is in charge of all the forced labourers under Solomon, turns against the king. Jeroboam meets the prophet Ahijah on the road in open country. Ahijah wears new garments that he tears in twelve pieces and gives ten to Jeroboam. Ahijah says that since Solomon has been unfaithful to God his kingdom will be lost. His son Rehoboam will have just one tribe. This will not occur until after Solomon’s death.

Ahijah tells Jeroboam that God says if Jeroboam keeps his commandments and follows faithfully God will support and uphold him as he did David. The one tribe in Jerusalem will be the remnant of David’s line. God will punish the descendants of David, but not forever.

Solomon hears the prophecy and seeks to kill Jeroboam. Jeroboam flees to Egypt to King Shishak.

Matthew 5: 27 – 42

Jesus sets up a new way of thinking about right action. First, desires of the heart are part of sin as are the small actions we take, where we look or what we do with our hands. Stopping the progress of sin even if it means losing a part of who we are is worth it. We are not to cause those who are less powerful than us to sin by our actions, nor cause even further sin in others who we may not know.

Jesus requires us to be people of integrity – for our word to be binding. We do not vacillate.

And we are not to retaliate blow for blow but if someone hurts us we then change position so that assault is repeated, deliberate and not reaction but an obvious, deliberate abuse of power.

If someone sues – usually because we have done something wrong – give more compensation than requested.

If a person in authority who has coercive power to make us do something to a limit and orders us to do it then we obey and then offer to go beyond the limit. The outcome is they have to acknowledge us as equals. If they take the “extra mile” it is clearly outside their limits and an abuse of power.

Give to those who beg and don’t refuse people who borrow from you.

Collect for Morning Prayer

Breaking the chains of sin
St Saviour's Anglican Church Gladstone Qld
L Osburn

Wonderful and amazing God you deliver us and save us. Help us hear and appreciate that our enemy is not each other but sin. Help us each day to love you with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength and to love each other so much that we will risk ourselves and forego our interests to help others become aware of their power to choose to sin or not to sin, so that your grace and your peace begins to come through like new shoots in spring through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Thursday 17 September 2015

Evening Prayer

Psalms 42 and 43

The psalmist longs for God. In deep distress his soul thirsts for God. He recalls the times in the past he has been part of the celebrations. He is in the depths of despair, oppressed by an enemy. The psalmist tells his soul to hope in God for a time of praise will come – God is our help.

Again ungodly people oppress the psalmist. God’s light and truth are requested. They will lead us back to worship, to joy and praise. The psalmist tells his soul to hope in God. A time of praise will come – God is our help.

Job 19: 1 – 22

Job rails against his friends who do not understand and blame him - the victim. He says that even if it I true that he has erred, that is between him and God. The friends are not the judges. Not only is he suffering but also society punishes him more through avoidance and ostracism. He asks why then do his friends pursue him with their judgements as if they are God? Isn’t what is happening enough?

Ephesians 3: 1 – 13

Paul is in prison because of his ministry to reveal the mystery that people of all nations are now heirs of the promise through Jesus Christ. This is Paul’s ministry and he does not want the people of Ephesus to lose heart because he is imprisoned, instead to be bold and confident in their faith.

Collect for Evening Prayer

Black Swan
Mandurah WA L Osburn

God of grace and mercy, you know the dreadful suffering being experienced in the word today. Give all of us the strength and courage to be compassionate, to hope, to never lose heart and to know that you have already sacrificed your Son for us so that we may be bold and confident in our faith and know in our souls that a time of praise will come through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, and the power of your Holy Spirit in our hearts. Amen.

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