4 November 2015
Collects
Prayers
developed from the daily readings
Wednesday 4
November 2015
Morning
Prayer
Psalms 11 and 12
The psalmist disputes the
claim one should run from enemies. The psalmist will stand firm. He says that
if the foundation collapses, then all are powerless. The psalmist trusts in the
Lord – the firm foundation.
The psalmist laments the
lack of faithful people. People make promises and are unreliable. The poor and
the needy suffer as a result but, the Lord is faithful forever and pure. The
Lord guards and protects us.
2 Kings 13: 14 – 25
This section tells of the
saviour given to Israel in the time of King Joash. King Joash goes to Elisha
weeping. Elisha is sick and about to die. Elisha tells Joash to draw a bow and
Elisha covers his hands: the arrow flies east. King Joash will win the battle
against Hazael in Aphek.
Elisha tells him to take
the quiver and hit the arrows on the ground. King Joash does this three times. Elisha
becomes angry saying Joash should have done it 5 or 6 times representing how
many times they will go against Aram and win. Now they will win only three
times.
Elisha dies and is buried.
A marauding band approaches and they hurriedly throw another man’s body on top
of Elisha. As soon as the man touches Elisha he stands and lives.
King Hazael and his son
King Ben-hadad raid continually but God protects Israel according to his
promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. King Joash defeats King Hazael’s son three
times to recover towns taken by Aram.
Matthew
21: 23 – 32
When
Jesus is teaching in the temple the chief priests and elders question him on
his authority. He asks them first about the authority of John the Baptist. They
cannot answer – they see a catch. Equally Jesus will not answer because their
question is a trap. He tells a parable. A man instructs his sons to do a task.
The first refuses then changes his mind and does it. The seconds promises to do
it but does not. Jesus asks which son does the will of the father? They answer:
the first son.
Jesus
explains the tax collectors and sinners who repented because they believed John
are like the first son, doing the father’s will. But the priests and elders who
don’t believe John, who didn’t change their minds, will not see the Kingdom of
God.
Collect for
Morning Prayer
Sturt Desert Pea Broken Hill L Osburn |
Wednesday 4
November 2015
Evening
Prayer
Psalms 13 and 14
These psalms are laments
for personal deliverance from enemies, from harm and from a cynical age. The
psalmist remains faithful proclaiming God’s deliverance of Israel and care for
the poor.
Esther 6
On the night before the
second banquet with Queen Esther and Haman the King cannot sleep. He asks for
the book of annals to be read to him. He is reminded that Mordechai warned the
King of the assassination plot by the eunuchs. The King asks, what honour was
given to Mordechai for this? The answer is, “Nothing”. In the morning Haman is in the courtyard and the King asks him what should be done for a person the
King wants to honour? Haman thinks the King is talking about him. He suggests
royal robes, one of the King’s horses and one of the King’s crowns. Let the
person be adorned and ride through the city. The King so orders and Haman is required
to adorn Mordechai and lead him through the city.
Haman goes home and tells
his wife and his friends. They say that if Mordechai is a Jew, Haman will not
prevail but will fall before him. Haman is summoned to Queen Esther’s banquet.
Revelation 2: 1 – 7
John is to write to the Ephesians.
The letter acknowledges their faith, due diligence in testing apostles and
finding the false ones, their enduring patience and bearing up for the sake of
Jesus. They are however weary. They have abandoned the love they first had and
stopped doing the good works they first did. They need to repent or stop being
a church. To their credit they have not been caught up in defiling themselves.
They are, if they have ears, to listen to what the Spirit is saying to the
churches.
Collect for
Evening Prayer
Beauty and strength in old corrugated iron Broken Hill L Osburn |
Loving and merciful God you deliver us from all sorts
of undermining pressures – enemies, cynicism, compassion fatigue and weariness.
Remind us of all your gifts now and in the future so that we may acknowledge
your due recognition of us and be rekindled and re-energised to care for the
poor, care for the needy and care for each other as you would have us do through
Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, and the power of your Holy Spirit in our
hearts. Amen.
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