7 November 2016
Collects
Prayers
developed from the daily readings
Monday 7 November
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.”
Jonah
1
Jonah
receives God’s word to go to Nineveh and to tell the people they have been
wicked. Jonah does his best to get away from God and gets on a boat going to
Tarshish. A storm comes. The boat will be lost. The sailors pray to their gods
then wake Jonah to pray to his. They cast lots to see whose fault this is and
Jonah loses so he tells them his story. The sailors recognise they need to
throw him overboard but instead keep rowing. When they give up they pray not to
lose their lives for the sake of this one man and not to make them guilty of
killing someone innocent. They throw Jonah overboard. The storm ceases
immediately and they fear God, sacrifice and make vows. Meanwhile God provides
a great fish that swallows Jonah. He is in that fish for 3 days.
Matthew
22: 34 – 46
The
Pharisees ask Jesus which commandment is the greatest. Jesus replies, “You
shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and
with all your mind, and a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as
yourself. On these two commandments hand all the law and the prophets” (vv. 37
– 40).
In
return Jesus asks them what they think of the Messiah and whose son is he? They
reply – the son of David. Then Jesus asks if that is so, why does David say,
“The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under
your feet”? (v. 44). No one was able to give him an answer and they ceased
asking questions.
Collect for Morning Prayer
Spring's new variegated leaves Harrietville Vic 2016 |
Holy Lord
there is only one god and we thank you for the gift of your love and care for
us through all time. Keep us obedient to you this day: loving you above all
else and loving our neighbours as ourselves so that we walk the way you have
built for us and for our peace through Jesus Christ Your Son our Lord and
Your Holy Spirit in our hearts. Amen.
Monday 7
November 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).
Bel
and the Dragon 1 – 22
The
Babylonians have an idol called Bel. Cyrus the new king worships it and makes
offerings. Cyrus asks Daniel why he does not worship Bel. Daniel replies that
he worships the living God not one made by human hands. Cyrus calls the priests
of Bell and challenges them to show that Bel is actually eating the offerings.
If it is the case Daniel must die for blasphemy.
The
king seals food in the temple but before Daniel has ash sprinkled on the floor
inside. In the night the priests and their families sneak from a hidden place
and eat. In the morning the food is gone and the King praises Bell but Daniel
shows the King footprints in the ash covered floor. Cyrus learns of the secret
passage. The priests and their families are killed. The idol and temple are destroyed.
Revelation 3: 1 – 6
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.
Collect for Evening Prayer
Cascade of Roses Harrietville Vic 2016 |
Holy Lord there is no other God but
you. Help us to be courageous and put you before everything in our lives,
recognise and repent the things we have done wrong, and live and work in this
world to your praise and glory so that we may confidently walk with you all the
days of our lives in delight of what we have been taught and in joyous
anticipation of what is to come through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.
Amen.
*Presumptious 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,
5.
“I’ll repent
tomorrow…” presumes a tomorrow.
From
Rev. C. H. Spurgeon 1857
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