Wisdom

O Lord, whose care and love is constant, send down to me your pure wisdom, that I may always return to you to give thanks so that the world may see through my life your hand. AMEN.

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Mal 1:1,6-14; Ps 101, 109; James 3:13-4:12; Luke 17:11-19.

And yet....

"...yet will I rejoice in the Lord. I will exult in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength." (Hab 3:xviii)

In my tradition preachers in their sermons usually start by commenting on the lessons in the order they appear in the service: Old Testament, Psalms, New Testament, Gospel. The Gospel's end today offends our sensibilities in today's world a little:

"So you also, when you have done all the you were ordered to do, say, "We are worthless slaves; we have only done what we ought to have done." (Luke 17:x)

If that's as far as we go, ignoring the rest of the Gospel message, then we've missed the point. I go back to the verse above from Habbakuk. "And yet" is a great way to start a prayer, for it says to me that despite all my failings and even despite all I have done right, I'm not putting the good and the bad on some grand scale trying to balance things out...or tip the scale in my favor. What I am ordered to do is give honor to the only one who deserves that honor: the God of my salvation and the source of my strength. AMEN.

Bedrock

Hab (i): I will keep watch to see what he will say to me, and what he will answer concerning my complaint.

Ps 89(xiv): Righteousness and justice are the foundations of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

James (xxiv): You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

Juke (xxix): They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.

There is an ultimate bedrock on which we can stand and depend. We need not look any further, but only look at what we have and listen to the eternally echoing words.

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Proper 28 Year B

Hab. 2:1-4, 9-20; Ps 89: 1-18/19-52; James 2:14-26; Luke 16:19-31.

Good Work

O Lord, we acknowledge that true gifts come only from you and without you we will fail. Grant that our undertakings may be from you, with you, and in you, so we may enable you to shine forth in this world. AMEN.

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daily office year 2:
Jds 13: 1-15; Ps 97,99/94; Acts 5:27-42; John 3:22-36.

Mondays are Tough

Mondays are tough. I find myself Sunday evening into Monday morning trying to psyche myself up to get mentally ready for the week. Sunday I attended a worship service, made a home visit to some shut-in parishioners, cooked and served a simple evening meal at a homeless shelter, and bought some coffee and sandwiches for and spent some time with a couple of homeless people living out in the woods. Lingering in my mind, though, is the dread, no other way to describe it, of immersing myself back into the dog-eat-dog daily routine of work and all the attendant frustration and disagreeable encounters that it sometimes brings.

I am amazed at what happens to me from the “high” of a spiritual Sunday to the “low” (and dread) on Monday. It just doesn’t carry through sometimes, though I know it should and I should be open to allowing that to happen.

So, with apologies to the author of the collect for Proper 14….

Gracious God, grant us the spirit to think and to do those things which are right so that we may be enabled to live according to your will, both on Sunday and on Monday. AMEN.

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Daily office year two:

Jds 12:1-7; Ps 89:1-18/19-52; Acts 5:12-26; John 3:1-21

Not Alone

Help me to remember that I do not live alone and that I do not die alone. As I live, be there to guide me so that I may graciously regard others. And as I die, fold me in your arms and carry me to eternal peace. Amen.

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Daily office year two:
Jos 8:1-22; Ps 45 / 47,48; Rom 14:1-12; Matt:26:47-56

A Prayer for the Opportune Time

(based on the lectionary reading today from Romans)

Help me to be ready to serve the opportune time: let my love be genuine, let me hold to that which is good; let me not lack in enthusiasm to care. Help me to celebrate hope and be patient in suffering. Guide me to persevere in prayer, contribute to those who do good work for others, and always welcome a stranger. Help me to be ready to serve the opportune time. Amen.

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Daily office year two:

Jos 4:19-5:1, 10-15; Ps 31/35; Rom 12:9-21; Matt 26:17-25.