9 July 2016

Collects

Prayers developed from the daily readings 

Saturday 9 July 2016

Morning Prayer

Psalm 22: 1 – 22

This portion of the psalm is a solemn prayer for deliverance from a dreadful illness. It is an illness that has detractors circling the psalmist. The psalmist feels alone and separated from God but is reminded of all the times God was there in the past for the Israelites. The psalmist is humble, asks to be saved not just from the illness but also from any temptation.

2 Chronicles 25: 5 – 26: 1

King Amaziah organises the people and sets up an army. He also pays for a mercenary force from Israel. A prophet says not to use the mercenaries, to trust in God. Amaziah complies but the mercenaries are angry about missing a battle and its spoils. The King wins his battle. In the meantime the mercenary force attacks other cities in Judah and takes booty.

Amaziah, brings back from the war zone the gods of the defeated people and begins to worship them. A prophet warns him; he does not listen. Full of victory, Amaziah provokes the King of Israel to fight. They fight, Amaziah loses, Jerusalem is pillaged again, Amaziah flees to Lachish, is chased, killed and is brought back to Jerusalem.

John 4: 43 – 54

Jesus leaves Samaria and goes to Galilee where this time he is welcomed since the people had been to Jerusalem for the festival and seen his works.

He comes to Cana and there a royal official, not a Jew, asks Jesus to heal his critically ill son. Jesus challenges the man on belief, that his belief is based on seeing signs and wonders not on faith. The man asks again, Jesus tells him that his son will live. The man believes Jesus’s word, returns home and is met with the message that the child is well. The official and his entire household become believers.

Collect for Morning Prayer

Fragile maiden hair fern
Beedelup National park WA
L Osburn

Holy and Almighty Lord you are able to do all things and will support and heal us if we trust in you. Keep our hearts, souls and minds open to you so that we may see your love manifest in this world healing and restoring people and nations through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.

Saturday 9 July 2016

Evening Prayer

Psalms 22: 23 – 32 and 23

The second section of the psalm, calls for all people who respect and honour God to praise him, glorify him and stand in awe of him! God has delivered the psalmist from deadly illness and this evidence shows that all God’s promises are secure. The Lord rules in all places and future generations will continue God’s praise.

This is the well-known 23^rd Psalm. The Lord is compared to a shepherd who makes sure the sheep are well pastured, have clean water, are at peace and have nothing to fear. God makes us holy (anoints us) and gives us good things our whole life long.

Ezekiel 19

This chapter laments the upbringing and demise of the Kings of Judah who were not faithful and were exiled either to Egypt or to Babylon.

Galatians 4: 21 – 31

Paul uses the scripture story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar to clarify the position of the Christians from other nations. Hagar, a slave had a son born to slavery – although he was Abraham’s son the Law would always bind him. Sarah, the free woman, the childless one, has a child by the spirit of God. That child is the one on which the future is built.

Hagar’s son persecuted Sarah’s son. Just like the church of the Law at the time persecuted Christians. So, Paul argues the Christians are the new inheritors of the promise with the child of the free woman.

Collect for Evening Prayer

Beside the crystal creek
Beedelup National Park WA
L Osburn

Holy Lord, you understand us through and through. You know that when we are under pressure from illness or persecution we seek certainty – that means some of us seek magic, the power we see through wealth or fame or influence or rigid adherence to religious laws. You ask us to have faith, to trust in your Spirit as sheep trust the shepherd. Forgive us for the times we stepped away from you and relied on something else to get us through. Open our hearts to you so that we may always be faithful as you are faithful and receive your steadfast love and care in overflowing joy as we would a feast, through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

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