16 September 2016

Collects

Prayers developed from the daily readings 

Friday 16 September 2016 

Morning Prayer

Psalm 38

The psalmist is dreadfully ill, so much so that friends stand a bit further away and people who seek harm spread rumours. The psalmist stays quiet, trusting God, praying and asking for God’s salvation.

Habakkuk 3: 8 – 19

Habakkuk describes God coming with the people from Sinai. This is poetic. It seems to say was this great action wrath: against the rivers, against the land? And Habakkuk will wait patiently for this same anger to be experienced by those who attack God’s people. He goes on to say that though all the crops fail and all the herds disappear he will rejoice in God, exult God and feel the exuberance that comes from loving God.

Matthew 5: 43 – 6: 4

Jesus teaches that we should love our neighbour and love our enemy. Greet them. Pattern our behaviours and attitudes on God since we are God’s children.

And be humble about practicing our faith and giving alms. Do it quietly not for praise and acknowledgement from our communities.

Collect for Morning Prayer

The water park
Perth WA  L Osburn

 Great God and almighty ruler, you bring us salvation and joy and exuberance. Your energy is infinite. Infuse us with your spirit of joy and love so that we find it easy to love and pray for those who fear us when we are ill, those who misrepresent us, and those who bear enmity to us. Open our hearts to you so that we prove we are your children, trust you and rejoice in you through Jesus Christ who died for us. Amen.

Friday 16 September 2016

Evening Prayer

Psalm 39

The psalmist is mortally ill and perceives his illness to be punishment from God. He decides to be calm and quiet in the presence of people who would bring him more grief. He asks to know how much time he has left. Humans are like passing guests, aliens. The psalmist asks for a little relief so that he can smile before he dies.

2 Maccabees 6: 1 – 17

The cultural genocide continues under the Greeks. The temple is renamed for Zeus. The atrocities and violence continues against all the Jews and especially the faithful. But the writer urges us not to be depressed by such calamities but to see it as a blessing. God waits to punish the other nations when they have reached the zenith of their sin. God never withdraws mercy from God’s people. God might discipline with calamities: God never forsakes us.

Ephesians 3: 14 – 21

Paul prays that the Holy Spirit through God’s abundance may strengthen the Ephesians. He prays that through faith Christ dwells in their hearts and that they have their foundations and nourishment from love. He prays they have the capacity to grasp the depth and breadth and height of Christ’s love and be filled with God’s fullness. Finally he praises God who does far more than we can ask or imagine. To God be the glory. Amen.

Collect for Evening Prayer

Happy lights in the night
Armadale WA  L Osburn

God of wonder, God of light in our darkest moments you love us still. Shine the light of your love and mercy into the troubles we live through. So infuse us with your love and presence that we may open our hearts, even in silence, and sing to your praise and glory through Jesus Christ our Lord and your Holy Spirit in our hearts. Amen.