Friday 16 September 2016

17 September 2016

Collects

Prayers developed from the daily readings 

Saturday 17 September 2016 
Morning Prayer

Psalm 40

The psalmist tells the whole congregation of how God delivered him from desolation and being stuck. He sings a new song of praise telling of God’s innumerable deeds.

God listens even when no sacrifice is offered. God wants us to fulfil the Law and do God’s will.

The psalmist asks for more aid: past sins assail him and people want to take his life, to hurt and ridicule him. He prays for those who do God’s will and repeats the request for deliverance.

Nahum 1: 1 – 14

Nahum proclaims that the Lord, slow to anger will act on those who are adversaries. God will protect those who take refuge with God. The oppressors will be cut off from their strength and their name will have no more worth.

Matthew 6: 5 – 15

Jesus says when we pray do it not for external praise but quietly behind a closed door. Keep it simple and use the prayer our Lord gave us. Forgive others their trespasses and God will also forgive us. If we fail to forgive, so God will not forgive us.


Collect for Morning Prayer

New Norcia - church
Benedictine Community WA
L Osburn
 Awesome and amazing God, your power is beyond our understanding yet your love for us is so gentle that all we need to do is pray quietly to you. Open our hearts to you. Help us pray your prayer, meaning every word, and forgive those who owe us something, have trespassed on us or have sinned against us so that we may feel your forgiveness and your secure refuge through Jesus Christ who died for us. Amen.








Saturday 17 September 2016 
Evening Prayer

Psalms 42 and 43

The psalmist longs for God. In deep distress his soul thirsts for God. He recalls the times in the past he has been part of the celebrations. He is in the depths of despair, oppressed by an enemy. The psalmist tells his soul to hope in God for a time of praise will come – God is our help.

Again ungodly people oppress the psalmist. God’s light and truth are requested. They will lead us back to worship, to joy and praise. The psalmist tells his soul to hope in God. A time of praise will come – God is our help.

2 Maccabees 6: 18 – 31

Eleazar, a scribe who is very old dies a noble and courageous death as an example to the young people. He is forced to eat pork by the oppressors or be beaten to death. Fellow Jews have to administer this process. They give him the opportunity to get meat from his home so that he may look like he eats the meat provided and therefore can be spared. He chooses not to let people think that at the end he went over to an alien religion. He wants to be an example of someone who keeps the laws and to die a good death. As he dies he proclaims how glad he is to suffer for he reveres God.

Ephesians 4: 1 – 16

Paul encourages the people toward Christian maturity. We are to lead lives that are worthy of our calling: “with humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another in love making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (v.3). We are to hold to the core components of our faith: one body, one spirit, one Lord, one faith, one God of all. We have different gifts and abilities and different roles to play. We are not to be tossed about by novel ideas but to speak truth in love and steadily grow into Christ.

Collect for Evening Prayer

Sunset on the canal
Mulwala NSW  L Osburn
Holy God, you call us to lives with you in unity with the Spirit and in bonds of peace. Be with us now and help us reflect on our day. Open our hearts to see the choices we made today that were worthy of our calling. Help us to recognise and celebrate those actions of your Holy Spirit in our lives and guide us to do the same and more tomorrow so that we take another step toward you through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


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