12 December 2015
Collects
Prayers
developed from the daily readings
Saturday 12
December 2015
Morning
Prayer
Psalms
99 and 100
This
psalm uses the theme God is king. God is a just ruler and steadfastly supports
those who follow the commandments. God responds to wrongdoing. It is right to
tremble at great greatness and awesomeness of God.
Sing
praise and thanks to God. We are God’s people. God made us. The Lord’s love and
mercy endures forever. The Lord is good.
Isaiah
48: 1 – 13
Isaiah
reveals God’s perception of the stubbornness of people. God has revealed what
will occur and then those things happened. The revelations make it clear it was
God’s doing and not caused by idols of wood or metal. New things are going to
be revealed that humans cannot guess. Human have been tried and refined and
there is more to come. This is the everlasting one, the creator of the
universe. When God summons, the universe responds.
Mark 8:
27 – 9: 1
On the
way to Philippi Jesus asks the disciples who people say he is then asks them
who the disciples think he is. Peter answers that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus
begins to tell them what is about to happen: the elders and priests will reject
him, he will be put to death, and he will rise again after three days. Peter
takes him aside and tells him not to say these things. Jesus identifies
temptation coming through Peter and rebukes Satan. He tells Peter that his
perception is not God’s but from a human point of view. Jesus calls the
disciples and the crowd closer and says we need to put aside our human points
of view: to deny our selves. We are to take up Christ’s cross and follow Him.
Those who want to save their lives will lose it. Those who jettison their life
for Christ and for the gospel will save it. Gaining the whole world is nothing
if we lose our souls. If we are ashamed of Christ and Christ’s words in our
communities then we are like adulterers – loving other things than God – then
Jesus will be ashamed of us at the final judgement.
Jesus
says that some of the disciples will see the kingdom of God come with power
before they die.
Collect for
Morning Prayer
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Towards the olive grove New Norcia Benedictine Community WA L Osburn |
Saturday 5
12 19 26 December 2015
Evening
Prayer
Psalm
103
“Bless
the Lord, O my soul and all that is in me bless his
holy name” (v.1). The psalm recounts the
gifts of God to us as individuals: forgiveness, healing, and redemption,
crowning us with steadfast love and satisfying us with good things. God’s history
of justice and mercy and compassion are listed. Humans are temporary and frail.
God is eternal and mighty. “Bless the Lord, O my soul” (V.22).
Isaiah
10: 12 - 32
Isaiah
reveals that once the Lord’s purpose for Jerusalem is complete the Assyrian
king will be humbled – as any implement cannot independently act on the person
who wielded it, so the King has no power against God. Assyrian domination will
fade. A remnant of the faithful will return to Jerusalem and oppression will
cease.
In
the meantime, Isaiah indicates the route the Assyrian invasion will take.
Revelation 14: 13 - 20
Those who die in the Lord are
blessed and will rest peacefully.
John sees a human form on a cloud
with a gold crown and sickle. On the
command of an angel from the temple the one with the sickle harvests the earth.
A second angel comes with another sickle and a third angel of fire instructs
the harvesting of grapes. The grapes are thrown into a winepress, called the
winepress of God’s wrath, where they are crushed and blood flows.
Collect for
Evening Prayer
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The old telegraph station Eucla WA LOsburn |
Holy Lord full of wonders you forgive,
end oppression and bring those who die in you to peace. In this world of
struggle and cares, wars and troubles help each of us die to ourselves and our
own desires humbly acknowledging that we all are your instruments and so return
to you in faithfulness, praising you and sharing your compassion and love through Jesus Christ your Son our
Lord, and the power of your Holy Spirit in our hearts. Amen.
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