becoming ordinary

We enter into a season that the Church has sometimes called ordinary. Do we think that this is bad? The messages we have most often heard are that of upward mobility; a rising out of the ordinary. Somehow we have come to believe that the ordinary does not matter; that it does not change the world. We have believed that only Washington D.C. or Hollywood or Harvard can and will influence, change or create our reality.

 

The Christian story has identified saints in the midst of ordinary people. Jesus used the ordinary food of bread and wine in a holy supper. Take a moment and think of all the extraordinarily ordinary people who have called out the goodness in you. Some have called these paradoxical people ordinary radicals. God has not called us to be the most extraordinary person in the world; not even in your circle of friends and family. He has called you to honor the image of himself that is already inside, to celebrate the color green, to experience the happy exchange of friendship and to see the face of Christ in the lonely, forgotten corners of this world. To see Christ in the ordinary. You cannot create, fashion or imagine a more extraordinary reality than the one God has already given you.

 

As the Church calendar creates the space for us to move into and recognize the sacredness of the ordinary, I am temporarily ceasing this space of daily prayer while I read to my boys, play baseball, and have the biggest pillow fights this side of the Mississippi. To learn the art of cooking and the steady persistence of laundry. To take my wife out on dates and to learn to give and receive love again. This will be my movement of ordinariness.

 

If you have created space for the rhythm of daily prayer, there are some links below that you might consider using to remain in your rhythm.

 

There is an old Buddhist story that tells of a monk who was being pursued by a tiger when he came to a cliff that had a rope in which he could shimmy down. But at the bottom of the cliff were jagged rocks. If he were to fall, he would surely die. With the tiger above and the jagged rocks below, two mice began chewing on the rope. Just then, the monk noticed right in front of him on the side of the cliff were growing some strawberries. He ate one and said, “This is the best strawberry I have ever tasted.”

 

Peace to you. May you take notice of the strawberries right in front of you.

 

Northumbria Community: Daily Office

 

Sacred Space

 

Mission St. Clare: Daily Office

 

Phyllis Tickle: The Divine Hours

Trinity Sunday evening

Ecclesiasticus 43.1-33

The pride of the higher realms is the clear vault of the sky,

   as glorious to behold as the sight of the heavens.

The sun, when it appears, proclaims as it rises

   what a marvellous instrument it is, the work of the Most High.

At noon it parches the land,

   and who can withstand its burning heat?

A man tending a furnace works in burning heat,

   but three times as hot is the sun scorching the mountains;

it breathes out fiery vapours,

   and its bright rays blind the eyes.

Great is the Lord who made it;

   at his orders it hurries on its course.

 

It is the moon that marks the changing seasons,

   governing the times, their everlasting sign.

From the moon comes the sign for festal days,

   a light that wanes when it completes its course.

The new moon, as its name suggests, renews itself;

   how marvellous it is in this change,

a beacon to the hosts on high,

   shining in the vault of the heavens!

 

The glory of the stars is the beauty of heaven,

   a glittering array in the heights of the Lord.

On the orders of the Holy One they stand in their appointed places;

   they never relax in their watches.

Look at the rainbow, and praise him who made it;

   it is exceedingly beautiful in its brightness.

It encircles the sky with its glorious arc;

   the hands of the Most High have stretched it out.

 

By his command he sends the driving snow

   and speeds the lightnings of his judgement.

Therefore the storehouses are opened,

   and the clouds fly out like birds.

In his majesty he gives the clouds their strength,

   and the hailstones are broken in pieces.

The voice of his thunder rebukes the earth;

   when he appears, the mountains shake.

At his will the south wind blows;

   so do the storm from the north and the whirlwind.

He scatters the snow like birds flying down,

   and its descent is like locusts alighting.

The eye is dazzled by the beauty of its whiteness,

   and the mind is amazed as it falls.

He pours frost over the earth like salt,

   and icicles form like pointed thorns.

The cold north wind blows,

   and ice freezes on the water;

it settles on every pool of water,

   and the water puts it on like a breastplate.

He consumes the mountains and burns up the wilderness,

   and withers the tender grass like fire.

A mist quickly heals all things;

   the falling dew gives refreshment from the heat.

 

By his plan he stilled the deep

   and planted islands in it.

Those who sail the sea tell of its dangers,

   and we marvel at what we hear.

In it are strange and marvellous creatures,

   all kinds of living things, and huge sea-monsters.

Because of him each of his messengers succeeds,

   and by his word all things hold together.

 

We could say more but could never say enough;

   let the final word be: ‘He is the all.’

Where can we find the strength to praise him?

   For he is greater than all his works.

Awesome is the Lord and very great,

   and marvellous is his power.

Glorify the Lord and exalt him as much as you can,

   for he surpasses even that.

When you exalt him, summon all your strength,

   and do not grow weary, for you cannot praise him enough.

Who has seen him and can describe him?

   Or who can extol him as he is?

Many things greater than these lie hidden,

   for I have seen but few of his works.

For the Lord has made all things,

   and to the godly he has given wisdom.

 

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

   as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.

 

Take a deep breath and allow the Psalm to remain with you for the evening.

 

the prayers

Spend time with God praying in your own words or with no words at all.

 

Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Trinity Sunday noon

meditation

 

We need to go beyond the understanding of Trinity as logical mystery and see it as saving mystery. . . . We are not condemned to live alone, cut off from one another; we are called to live together and to enter into the communion of the Trinity || Leonardo Boff, Trinity and Society

Trinity Sunday morning

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come! Revelation 4.8

 

a reading from the gospel

Matthew 28.16-20 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

 

What words or phrases caught hold of you in your reading?

 

Enter into a space of silence and solitude with these words.

 

How can these words/scripture readings become a prayer for you and our community?

 

What implications do these words have for your life and our community today?

 

the prayers

Our Father in heaven,

   hallowed be your Name,

   your kingdom come,

   your will be done,

      on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

   as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial,

   and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

   and the glory are yours,

   now and forever. Amen.

 

Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

eve of trinity sunday

Psalm 104

Bless the Lord, O my soul.

   O Lord my God, you are very great.

You are clothed with honour and majesty,

   wrapped in light as with a garment.

You stretch out the heavens like a tent,

   you set the beams of your chambers on the waters,

you make the clouds your chariot,

   you ride on the wings of the wind,

you make the winds your messengers,

   fire and flame your ministers.

 

You set the earth on its foundations,

   so that it shall never be shaken.

You cover it with the deep as with a garment;

   the waters stood above the mountains.

At your rebuke they flee;

   at the sound of your thunder they take to flight.

They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the valleys

   to the place that you appointed for them.

You set a boundary that they may not pass,

   so that they might not again cover the earth.

 

You make springs gush forth in the valleys;

   they flow between the hills,

giving drink to every wild animal;

   the wild asses quench their thirst.

By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation;

   they sing among the branches.

From your lofty abode you water the mountains;

   the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

 

You cause the grass to grow for the cattle,

   and plants for people to use,

to bring forth food from the earth,

   and wine to gladden the human heart,

oil to make the face shine,

   and bread to strengthen the human heart.

The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly,

   the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

In them the birds build their nests;

   the stork has its home in the fir trees.

The high mountains are for the wild goats;

   the rocks are a refuge for the coneys.

You have made the moon to mark the seasons;

   the sun knows its time for setting.

You make darkness, and it is night,

   when all the animals of the forest come creeping out.

The young lions roar for their prey,

   seeking their food from God.

When the sun rises, they withdraw

   and lie down in their dens.

People go out to their work

   and to their labour until the evening.

 

O Lord, how manifold are your works!

   In wisdom you have made them all;

   the earth is full of your creatures.

Yonder is the sea, great and wide,

   creeping things innumerable are there,

   living things both small and great.

There go the ships,

   and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.

 

These all look to you

   to give them their food in due season;

when you give to them, they gather it up;

   when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.

When you hide your face, they are dismayed;

   when you take away their breath, they die

   and return to their dust.

When you send forth your spirit, they are created;

   and you renew the face of the ground.

 

May the glory of the Lord endure for ever;

   may the Lord rejoice in his works—

who looks on the earth and it trembles,

   who touches the mountains and they smoke.

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;

   I will sing praise to my God while I have being.

May my meditation be pleasing to him,

   for I rejoice in the Lord.

Let sinners be consumed from the earth,

   and let the wicked be no more.

Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Praise the Lord!

 

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

   as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.

 

Take a deep breath and allow the Psalm to remain with you for the evening.

the prayers

Spend time with God praying in your own words or with no words at all.

 

Gracious Father, we pray for your holy Catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior. Amen.

week of pentecost: saturday morning

Alleluia! Christ is risen.

The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

 

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1.8

 

a reading from the epistles of st. paul

Galatians 3.23-4.11 Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.

 My point is this: heirs, as long as they are minors, are no better than slaves, though they are the owners of all the property; but they remain under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father. So with us; while we were minors, we were enslaved to the elemental spirits of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods. Now, however, that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits? How can you want to be enslaved to them again? You are observing special days, and months, and seasons, and years. I am afraid that my work for you may have been wasted.

 

What words or phrases caught hold of you in your reading?

Enter into a space of silence and solitude with these words.

How can these words/scripture readings become a prayer for you and our community?

What implications do these words have for your life and our community today?

 

the prayers

Our Father in heaven,

   hallowed be your Name,

   your kingdom come,

   your will be done,

      on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

   as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial,

   and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

   and the glory are yours,

   now and forever. Amen.

 

Almighty God, on the day of Pentecost you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

week of pentecost: friday evening

Psalm 54

To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, ‘David is in hiding among us.’

Save me, O God, by your name,

   and vindicate me by your might.

Hear my prayer, O God;

   give ear to the words of my mouth.

 

For the insolent have risen against me,

   the ruthless seek my life;

   they do not set God before them.

          Selah

 

But surely, God is my helper;

   the Lord is the upholder of my life.

He will repay my enemies for their evil.

   In your faithfulness, put an end to them.

 

With a freewill-offering I will sacrifice to you;

   I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.

For he has delivered me from every trouble,

   and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.

 

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

   as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.

 

Take a deep breath and allow the Psalm to remain with you for the evening.

the prayers

Spend time with God praying in your own words or with no words at all.

 

Gracious Father, we pray for your holy Catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior. Amen.

week of pentecost: friday morning

Alleluia! Christ is risen.

The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

 

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1.8

 

a reading from the epistles of st. paul

Galatians 3.15-22 Brothers and sisters, I give an example from daily life: once a person’s will has been ratified, no one adds to it or annuls it. Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring; it does not say, ‘And to offsprings’, as of many; but it says, ‘And to your offspring’, that is, to one person, who is Christ. My point is this: the law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. For if the inheritance comes from the law, it no longer comes from the promise; but God granted it to Abraham through the promise.

 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring would come to whom the promise had been made; and it was ordained through angels by a mediator. Now a mediator involves more than one party; but God is one.

 Is the law then opposed to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could make alive, then righteousness would indeed come through the law. But the scripture has imprisoned all things under the power of sin, so that what was promised through faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

 

What words or phrases caught hold of you in your reading?

Enter into a space of silence and solitude with these words.

How can these words/scripture readings become a prayer for you and our community?

What implications do these words have for your life and our community today?

 

the prayers

Our Father in heaven,

   hallowed be your Name,

   your kingdom come,

   your will be done,

      on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

   as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial,

   and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

   and the glory are yours,

   now and forever. Amen.

 

Almighty God, on the day of Pentecost you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

week of pentecost: thursday evening

Psalm 84

To the leader: according to The Gittith. Of the Korahites. A Psalm.

How lovely is your dwelling place,

   O Lord of hosts!

My soul longs, indeed it faints

   for the courts of the Lord;

my heart and my flesh sing for joy

   to the living God.

 

Even the sparrow finds a home,

   and the swallow a nest for herself,

   where she may lay her young,

at your altars, O Lord of hosts,

   my King and my God.

Happy are those who live in your house,

   ever singing your praise.

          Selah

 

Happy are those whose strength is in you,

   in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

As they go through the valley of Baca

   they make it a place of springs;

   the early rain also covers it with pools.

They go from strength to strength;

   the God of gods will be seen in Zion.

 

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;

   give ear, O God of Jacob!

          Selah

Behold our shield, O God;

   look on the face of your anointed.

 

For a day in your courts is better

   than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

   than live in the tents of wickedness.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

   he bestows favour and honour.

No good thing does the Lord withhold

   from those who walk uprightly.

O Lord of hosts,

   happy is everyone who trusts in you.

 

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

   as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.

 

Take a deep breath and allow the Psalm to remain with you for the evening.

the prayers

Spend time with God praying in your own words or with no words at all.

 

Gracious Father, we pray for your holy Catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior. Amen.

week of pentecost: thursday morning

Alleluia! Christ is risen.

The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

 

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1.8

 

a reading from the epistles of st. paul

Galatians 3.1-14 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly exhibited as crucified! The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? Having started with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? Did you experience so much for nothing?—if it really was for nothing. Well then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?

 Just as Abraham ‘believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness’, so, you see, those who believe are the descendants of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘All the Gentiles shall be blessed in you.’ For this reason, those who believe are blessed with Abraham who believed.

 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the things written in the book of the law.’ Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law; for ‘The one who is righteous will live by faith.’ But the law does not rest on faith; on the contrary, ‘Whoever does the works of the law will live by them.’ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’— in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

 

What words or phrases caught hold of you in your reading?

Enter into a space of silence and solitude with these words.

How can these words/scripture readings become a prayer for you and our community?

What implications do these words have for your life and our community today?

 

the prayers

Our Father in heaven,

   hallowed be your Name,

   your kingdom come,

   your will be done,

      on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

   as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial,

   and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

   and the glory are yours,

   now and forever. Amen.

 

Almighty God, on the day of Pentecost you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

week of pentecost: wednesday evening

Psalm 53

To the leader: according to Mahalath. A Maskil of David.

Fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God.’

   They are corrupt, they commit abominable acts;

   there is no one who does good.

 

God looks down from heaven on humankind

   to see if there are any who are wise,

   who seek after God.

 

They have all fallen away, they are all alike perverse;

   there is no one who does good,

   no, not one.

 

Have they no knowledge, those evildoers,

   who eat up my people as they eat bread,

   and do not call upon God?

 

There they shall be in great terror,

   in terror such as has not been.

For God will scatter the bones of the ungodly;

   they will be put to shame, for God has rejected them.

 

O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!

   When God restores the fortunes of his people,

   Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.

 

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

   as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.

 

Take a deep breath and allow the Psalm to remain with you for the evening.

the prayers

Spend time with God praying in your own words or with no words at all.

 

Gracious Father, we pray for your holy Catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior. Amen.

week of pentecost: wednesday morning

Alleluia! Christ is risen.

The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

 

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1.8

 

a reading from the epistles of st. paul

Galatians 2.11-21 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood self-condemned; for until certain people came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But after they came, he drew back and kept himself separate for fear of the circumcision faction. And the other Jews joined him in this hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not acting consistently with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, ‘If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?’

 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law. But if, in our effort to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have been found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! But if I build up again the very things that I once tore down, then I demonstrate that I am a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

 

What words or phrases caught hold of you in your reading?

Enter into a space of silence and solitude with these words.

How can these words/scripture readings become a prayer for you and our community?

What implications do these words have for your life and our community today?

 

the prayers

Our Father in heaven,

   hallowed be your Name,

   your kingdom come,

   your will be done,

      on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

   as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial,

   and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

   and the glory are yours,

   now and forever. Amen.

 

Almighty God, on the day of Pentecost you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

week of pentecost: tuesday evening

Psalm 48

A Song. A Psalm of the Korahites.

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised

   in the city of our God.

His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation,

   is the joy of all the earth,

Mount Zion, in the far north,

   the city of the great King.

Within its citadels God

   has shown himself a sure defence.

 

Then the kings assembled,

   they came on together.

As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;

   they were in panic, they took to flight;

trembling took hold of them there,

   pains as of a woman in labour,

as when an east wind shatters

   the ships of Tarshish.

As we have heard, so have we seen

   in the city of the Lord of hosts,

in the city of our God,

   which God establishes for ever.

          Selah

 

We ponder your steadfast love, O God,

   in the midst of your temple.

Your name, O God, like your praise,

   reaches to the ends of the earth.

Your right hand is filled with victory.

   Let Mount Zion be glad,

let the towns of Judah rejoice

   because of your judgements.

 

Walk about Zion, go all around it,

   count its towers,

consider well its ramparts;

   go through its citadels,

that you may tell the next generation

   that this is God,

our God for ever and ever.

   He will be our guide for ever.

 

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

   as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.

 

Take a deep breath and allow the Psalm to remain with you for the evening.

the prayers

Spend time with God praying in your own words or with no words at all.

 

Gracious Father, we pray for your holy Catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior. Amen.

week of pentecost: tuesday morning

Alleluia! Christ is risen.

The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

 

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1.8

 

a reading from the epistles of st. paul

Galatians 1.18-2.10 Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him for fifteen days; but I did not see any other apostle except James the Lord’s brother. In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie! Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, and I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea that are in Christ; they only heard it said, ‘The one who formerly was persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy.’ And they glorified God because of me.

 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. I went up in response to a revelation. Then I laid before them (though only in a private meeting with the acknowledged leaders) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure that I was not running, or had not run, in vain. But even Titus, who was with me, was not compelled to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. But because of false believers secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might enslave us— we did not submit to them even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might always remain with you. And from those who were supposed to be acknowledged leaders (what they actually were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those leaders contributed nothing to me. On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel for the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter making him an apostle to the circumcised also worked through me in sending me to the Gentiles), and when James and Cephas and John, who were acknowledged pillars, recognized the grace that had been given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was eager to do.

 

What words or phrases caught hold of you in your reading?

Enter into a space of silence and solitude with these words.

How can these words/scripture readings become a prayer for you and our community?

What implications do these words have for your life and our community today?

 

the prayers

Our Father in heaven,

   hallowed be your Name,

   your kingdom come,

   your will be done,

      on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

   as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial,

   and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

   and the glory are yours,

   now and forever. Amen.

 

Almighty God, on the day of Pentecost you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

week of pentecost: monday evening

Psalm 52

To the leader. A Maskil of David, when Doeg the Edomite came to Saul and said to him, ‘David has come to the house of Ahimelech.’

Why do you boast, O mighty one,

   of mischief done against the godly?

   All day long you are plotting destruction.

Your tongue is like a sharp razor,

   you worker of treachery.

You love evil more than good,

   and lying more than speaking the truth.

          Selah

You love all words that devour,

   O deceitful tongue.

 

But God will break you down for ever;

   he will snatch and tear you from your tent;

   he will uproot you from the land of the living.

          Selah

The righteous will see, and fear,

   and will laugh at the evildoer, saying,

‘See the one who would not take

   refuge in God,

but trusted in abundant riches,

   and sought refuge in wealth!’

 

But I am like a green olive tree

   in the house of God.

I trust in the steadfast love of God

   for ever and ever.

I will thank you for ever,

   because of what you have done.

In the presence of the faithful

   I will proclaim your name, for it is good.

 

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

   as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.

 

Take a deep breath and allow the Psalm to remain with you for the evening.

the prayers

Spend time with God praying in your own words or with no words at all.

 

Gracious Father, we pray for your holy Catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior. Amen.

week of pentecost: monday morning

Alleluia! Christ is risen.

The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

 

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1.8

 

a reading from the epistles of st. paul

Galatians 1.1-17 Paul an apostle—sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— and all the members of God’s family who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed! As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed!

 Am I now seeking human approval, or God’s approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

 For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

 You have heard, no doubt, of my earlier life in Judaism. I was violently persecuting the church of God and was trying to destroy it. I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of the same age, for I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. But when God, who had set me apart before I was born and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with any human being, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were already apostles before me, but I went away at once into Arabia, and afterwards I returned to Damascus.

 

What words or phrases caught hold of you in your reading?

Enter into a space of silence and solitude with these words.

How can these words/scripture readings become a prayer for you and our community?

What implications do these words have for your life and our community today?

 

the prayers

Our Father in heaven,

   hallowed be your Name,

   your kingdom come,

   your will be done,

      on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

   as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial,

   and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

   and the glory are yours,

   now and forever. Amen.

 

Almighty God, on the day of Pentecost you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

pentecost evening

Psalm 145

Praise. Of David.

I will extol you, my God and King,

   and bless your name for ever and ever.

Every day I will bless you,

   and praise your name for ever and ever.

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;

   his greatness is unsearchable.

 

One generation shall laud your works to another,

   and shall declare your mighty acts.

On the glorious splendour of your majesty,

   and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,

   and I will declare your greatness.

They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,

   and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

 

The Lord is gracious and merciful,

   slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

The Lord is good to all,

   and his compassion is over all that he has made.

 

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,

   and all your faithful shall bless you.

They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom,

   and tell of your power,

to make known to all people your mighty deeds,

   and the glorious splendour of your kingdom.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

   and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

 

The Lord is faithful in all his words,

   and gracious in all his deeds.

The Lord upholds all who are falling,

   and raises up all who are bowed down.

The eyes of all look to you,

   and you give them their food in due season.

You open your hand,

   satisfying the desire of every living thing.

The Lord is just in all his ways,

   and kind in all his doings.

The Lord is near to all who call on him,

   to all who call on him in truth.

He fulfils the desire of all who fear him;

   he also hears their cry, and saves them.

The Lord watches over all who love him,

   but all the wicked he will destroy.

 

My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,

   and all flesh will bless his holy name for ever and ever.

 

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

   as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.

 

Take a deep breath and allow the Psalm to remain with you for the evening.

the prayers

Spend time with God praying in your own words or with no words at all.

 

Gracious Father, we pray for your holy Catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior. Amen.

pentecost morning

Alleluia! Christ is risen.

The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

 

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1.8

 

a reading from the acts of the apostles

Acts 4.18-21, 23-33 So they called them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, ‘Whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard.’ After threatening them again, they let them go, finding no way to punish them because of the people, for all of them praised God for what had happened.

 After they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. When they heard it, they raised their voices together to God and said, ‘Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and everything in them, it is you who said by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant:

“Why did the Gentiles rage,

   and the peoples imagine vain things?

The kings of the earth took their stand,

   and the rulers have gathered together

     against the Lord and against his Messiah.”

For in this city, in fact, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.’ When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.

 Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.

 

What words or phrases caught hold of you in your reading?

Enter into a space of silence and solitude with these words.

How can these words/scripture readings become a prayer for you and our community?

What implications do these words have for your life and our community today?

 

the prayers

Our Father in heaven,

   hallowed be your Name,

   your kingdom come,

   your will be done,

      on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

   as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial,

   and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

   and the glory are yours,

   now and forever. Amen.

 

Almighty God, on the day of Pentecost you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

eve of pentecost

Psalm 33

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous.

   Praise befits the upright.

Praise the Lord with the lyre;

   make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.

Sing to him a new song;

   play skilfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

 

For the word of the Lord is upright,

   and all his work is done in faithfulness.

He loves righteousness and justice;

   the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

 

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,

   and all their host by the breath of his mouth.

He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle;

   he put the deeps in storehouses.

 

Let all the earth fear the Lord;

   let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

For he spoke, and it came to be;

   he commanded, and it stood firm.

 

The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;

   he frustrates the plans of the peoples.

The counsel of the Lord stands for ever,

   the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord,

   the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.

 

The Lord looks down from heaven;

   he sees all humankind.

From where he sits enthroned he watches

   all the inhabitants of the earth—

he who fashions the hearts of them all,

   and observes all their deeds.

A king is not saved by his great army;

   a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.

The war horse is a vain hope for victory,

   and by its great might it cannot save.

 

Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,

   on those who hope in his steadfast love,

to deliver their soul from death,

   and to keep them alive in famine.

 

Our soul waits for the Lord;

   he is our help and shield.

Our heart is glad in him,

   because we trust in his holy name.

Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,

   even as we hope in you.

 

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

   as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.

 

Take a deep breath and allow the Psalm to remain with you for the evening.

the prayers

Spend time with God praying in your own words or with no words at all.

 

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatred cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus our Lord. Amen.

easter 7: saturday morning

Alleluia! Christ is risen.

The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

 

Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15.57

 

a reading from the epistles of st. paul

Ephesians 6.10-24 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

 So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus will tell you everything. He is a dear brother and a faithful minister in the Lord. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, to let you know how we are, and to encourage your hearts.

 Peace be to the whole community, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who have an undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

What words or phrases caught hold of you in your reading?

Enter into a space of silence and solitude with these words.

How can these words/scripture readings become a prayer for you and our community?

What implications do these words have for your life and our community today?

 

the prayers

Our Father in heaven,

   hallowed be your Name,

   your kingdom come,

   your will be done,

      on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

   as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial,

   and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

   and the glory are yours,

   now and forever. Amen.

 

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

easter 7: friday evening

Psalm 107.1-32

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

   for his steadfast love endures for ever.

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,

   those he redeemed from trouble

and gathered in from the lands,

   from the east and from the west,

   from the north and from the south.

 

Some wandered in desert wastes,

   finding no way to an inhabited town;

hungry and thirsty,

   their soul fainted within them.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

   and he delivered them from their distress;

he led them by a straight way,

   until they reached an inhabited town.

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

   for his wonderful works to humankind.

For he satisfies the thirsty,

   and the hungry he fills with good things.

 

Some sat in darkness and in gloom,

   prisoners in misery and in irons,

for they had rebelled against the words of God,

   and spurned the counsel of the Most High.

Their hearts were bowed down with hard labour;

   they fell down, with no one to help.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

   and he saved them from their distress;

he brought them out of darkness and gloom,

   and broke their bonds asunder.

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

   for his wonderful works to humankind.

For he shatters the doors of bronze,

   and cuts in two the bars of iron.

 

Some were sick through their sinful ways,

   and because of their iniquities endured affliction;

they loathed any kind of food,

   and they drew near to the gates of death.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

   and he saved them from their distress;

he sent out his word and healed them,

   and delivered them from destruction.

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

   for his wonderful works to humankind.

And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices,

   and tell of his deeds with songs of joy.

 

Some went down to the sea in ships,

   doing business on the mighty waters;

they saw the deeds of the Lord,

   his wondrous works in the deep.

For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,

   which lifted up the waves of the sea.

They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths;

   their courage melted away in their calamity;

they reeled and staggered like drunkards,

   and were at their wits’ end.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

   and he brought them out from their distress;

he made the storm be still,

   and the waves of the sea were hushed.

Then they were glad because they had quiet,

   and he brought them to their desired haven.

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

   for his wonderful works to humankind.

Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,

   and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

 

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

   as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.

 

Take a deep breath and allow the Psalm to remain with you for the evening.

the prayers

Spend time with God praying in your own words or with no words at all.

 

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatred cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus our Lord. Amen.