7 July 2016
Collects
Prayers developed from the daily readings
Thursday 7 July 2016
Morning Prayer
Psalm 19
The sky in silence, every
day and every night shows us that God is magnificent. God’s commandments are
magnificent. They are right, they delight the heart, they are simple, they are
more precious than gold. And the commandments warn us – but can we ever truly
detect all our own faults? David asks for help so that he does not commit
presumptuous sins*. He finishes with:
“Let the words of my
mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord my rock and
my redeemer.”
2 Chronicles 23: 18 – 24:
14
While Jehoiada the priest is
alive King Joash (whose reign is 40 years) is faithful and rules well. He
orders a tax be levied throughout Judah for the restoration of the temple. At first
his orders are not followed but he convinces the Levites and they set up a
chest before the temple. The restorations began. Jehoiada dies an old man.
John 4: 16 – 26
Jesus and the Samaritan
woman at the well continue their conversation. He tells her to call her husband
and come back. She tells the truth – that she has no husband. He says that she
is honest, has had many husbands and is now in a relationship with someone
else’s husband. She admits this is so and recognises Jesus as a prophet. She
then talks with him about where one is to worship God – the idea that God
belongs to a place. He explains that all our understandings will change, that
the Jews are the path to salvation but God is spirit and the time will come
when we will worship in spirit and truth anywhere and everywhere. She then says
that she knows about the Messiah who, when he comes will proclaim all things to
the people. Jesus says, “I am he” (v. 26).
Collect for Morning Prayer
Juvenile female crimson rosellas Harrietville Vic L Osburn |
God of love and guidance, you guided and taught King
David, provided young King Joash with a trusted mentor Jehoiada and sent your
Son Jesus to guide people of all nations to you and to truth. Guide us this day
in all we do, so that we use our abilities and energies in our families and
communities to do your will, and bring your peace and love to all through Jesus
Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
Thursday 7 July 2016
Evening Prayer
Psalm 119: 1 – 16
This portion of the psalm
celebrates those who know and follow the laws of God. The psalmist asks to be
taught and to be assisted to follow these laws.
“I will
delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word” (v 16).
Ezekiel 17
Ezekiel uses a riddle and
an allegory of the two eagles. It tells the saga of the exile of the King to
Babylon and the failure of the caretaker King Zedekiah, to honour the treaty
made with the Babylonians. As far as Ezekiel’s prophecy is concerned Zedekiah’s
breaking of the treaty is despising God’s oath and breaking God’s covenant.
Babylon will respond and Zedekiah will find himself destroyed. God will choose
another, from the house of David to be the anointed one and bring all creatures,
not just the Jews, under God’s care.
Galatians 3: 27 – 4: 7
Paul makes it clear that
once we are baptised in the spirit and we are clothed in Christ we are heirs to
God’s promise to Abraham. There is no division Jew/Greek, slave/free or
man/woman. Just like little children who are heirs to a great house, while we
are little we have no say; we have to be obedient to the rules. So the rules,
the Mosaic Law is there. But God sent his son to redeem us and we are now
adopted as God’s children. Because we are God’s children we have received the
Spirit of Jesus in our hearts so we can call God “Daddy”.
Collect for Evening Prayer
Ice melts in the warm sun Mt Hotham Victoria L Osburn |
Loving generous God you know that we humans struggle and make some daft
decisions. But loving us you sent your Son and Holy Spirit so that we can be
yours, can seek your face, can have our hearts filled with the courage of your
Spirit. We thank you that you have adopted us. Help us now sit with you a while
and feel your love infuse us and warm us so that we, knowing how precious it is,
pass on your love to others through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, and the
power of your Holy Spirit in our hearts. Amen.
*Presumptuous sins are:
1.
When we do
know better
2.
When we
deliberately plan to do it or keep nurturing the thought about doing it, or
have built up a habit of a particular sin
3.
Sinning to
show total disregard for God
4.
Thinking
that we are immune from a particular type of sin because we are strong or “able
to manage it”. This is risky.
And, “I’ll
repent tomorrow…” presumes a tomorrow.
From
Rev. C. H. Spurgeon 1857
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