24 April 2016
Collects
Prayers developed from the daily readings
Sunday 24 April 2016
Morning Prayer
Psalm
116
Thanks
is given to God for healing from a severe illness. Now the psalmist’s soul
rests well in God.
A new
commitment is made to serve God.
John
11: 25 – 37
Jesus
says to Martha, “I am the resurrection and anyone who believes in me shall
never die” (v.25). Martha confirms her belief and says to Jesus that he is the
Messiah. Martha goes to get Mary, who goes quickly to Jesus and kneels at his
feet; she is weeping and those around her are too. Jesus weeps.
Those
around ask, could not Jesus who restores sight to the blind, have healed
Lazarus?
Collect for Morning Prayer
Galah Harrietville Vic L Osburn |
Holy and compassionate God you weep with us when we are
ill and when we mourn. You sent Jesus to be our resurrection and our rest.
Today, even if we doubt, bring us to you. Stand with us as we come to you and
proclaim Jesus messiah so that we make a new commitment to you and know your
rest. Amen.
Sunday 24 April 2016
Evening Prayer
Revelation 3: 1 – 13
John is instructed by Christ to
write a fifth letter this time to Sardis. The letter is to tell them that their
works are known, they seem to be doing things but actually they are spiritually
dead. They are to wake up and strengthen the remnants of their belief. They are
to remember what they heard – the gospel – obey it and repent. There are some
in Sardis who are faithful and they will walk with Christ and be saved. If the
others conquer themselves like the worthy ones they too will be saved.
John is to write to the church in
Philadelphia. Jesus knows they are small and faithful and struggling with a
difficult synagogue. As a result of the Philadelphians’ patient endurance they
will be protected in the trials to come. They are to hold fast to what they
have and by doing so be conquerors, named for God and their city named for the
new Jerusalem.
Psalm
107: 1 – 3 and 10 – 16
Let all those who have
been redeemed by the Lord give thanks for God’s steadfast love endures forever.
There were some who sat in dark rooms in misery and irons as a result of
disobeying God’s word, their hearts bowed down with hard labour until they
called to the Lord. God breaks them out of their gloom, shatters the doors of
bronze and cuts the bars of iron. Let them stand and give thanks.
Acts
12: 1 – 11
Herod
Agrippa persecutes the believers and kills James the son of Zebedee. He arrests
Peter and has him closely guarded in prison. In the night Peter has what he
thinks is a vision of his chains falling of and an angel leading him out to
safety. It was not a vision. He realises that Lord sent an angel to rescue him.
He goes
to the house of Mary, the mother of John (aka Mark). Rhoda the maid sees him at
the gate and is so excited she runs in to tell everyone without opening the
gate. They don’t believe her and thought her crazy. Peter keeps knocking. They
come, open the gate and are amazed. Peter motions to them to be silent. He
tells them what happened, instructs them to tell James and the believers and
then leaves them.
Collect for Evening Prayer
Galahs Harrietville Vic L Osburn |
Holy and gracious Lord your steadfast love endures
forever, frees us and empowers us to strengthen and encourage others. Help us
to wake up our own belief, conquer ourselves and come to the realisation, crazy
though it may first appear, that you can and will break us out, shatter the
doors of oppression and break the iron bars of fear so that we can focus on and
obey your gospel, step out from being bowed down and emerge conquerors with
Christ our Lord and redeemer. Amen
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