7 February 2016

Collects

Prayers developed from the daily readings 

Sunday 7 February 2016 

Morning Prayer 

Psalm 97

This psalm celebrates God using the theme of God as sovereign. God guards the lives of those who are faithful and delivers them from the wicked. Let everyone who is faithful rejoice and praise God.

Hebrews 11: 39 – 12: 3

The writer here talks of people who were righteous, journeyed and/ or suffered for their faith. But, the writer pauses and says, “Yet all these... Did not receive what was promised...” What was promised was salvation. The ancients are not perfect, we are not perfect but we all need each other as part of the great cord of salvation made possible by Christ.

Since we have had all the examples of faithful people from the time of Abel, they are like a crowd cheering us on to persevere in our own race. We look to the finish line: to Jesus and to the joy that comes from his presence. The one who went through the shame of the cross and now sits at the right hand of the throne of God.

Collect for Morning Prayer

A great crowd of blossoms
The dogged tree in spring
Harrietville L Osburn

 Saving and restoring God you want to guard us, deliver us and have us rejoicing in your presence. Be with us today and help us hear and feel the cheers, encouragement and the frisson of the crowd so that we indeed look up to the finish line, see the joy that comes from being in the presence of Christ and put in that extra effort praising you with every step through Jesus who went to the cross for us and our salvation. Amen

Sunday 7 February 2016 

Evening Prayer

Psalm 2

This is a rhetorical psalm asking why some people think they can break the bond between God and his anointed one (messiah). The psalmist thinks it is laughable. God is all-powerful and the anointed one is his begotten son. God’s power could be used to punish and correct. Let humans be warned to respect God. Those that take refuge in the Lord will be happy.

Deuteronomy 34: 1 – 12

Moses goes up to Mount Nebo and sees the expanse of The Promised Land. He dies there and is buried in the valley. Never has there been a prophet like Moses who had as close communication and guidance from God or done what he did.

John 12: 27 – 41

Jesus says that his soul is troubled and knows his purpose. He asks that God be glorified. The voice of God says God has been glorified and will be glorified again. The crowd hear the voice and Jesus tells them it is for their sake, not his that God is audible to them. Jesus tells them what is to come and through his death on the cross, the ruler of the world will be defeated, God will be glorified and people everywhere will be drawn to God.

The people cannot understand so he says to them that he is a light, it is with them a little while, they are to walk with him now, to stay in the light and they will become children of light.

Jesus hides from the people. He has done many signs and still the people do did not believe. This fulfils the words of Isaiah.

Collect for Evening Prayer

At the cool river even in the dark of night
The Ovens River Harrietville Vic  L Osburn

Glorious God you want us to walk with you as children of light, to trust you as Moses trusted – even more – so and to take refuge in you alone. Shake us from our disbelief. Jolt us from our small-mindedness so that we understand that your bond with us is never severed except by the quality of our own stupidity and disbelief and bring us to the recognition that you never give up on us when you are concealed and when you went into death itself you gave us the proof that you never will give up on us! May we forever joyously celebrate through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

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