Daily Prayer, Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Accept my offerings of praise, O Lord, and teach me your ordinances (Psalm 119:109)

Morning
Invitatory Psalm Tuesday 84
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 for herself
where she may lay her you, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my Ruler and my God.
Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise.

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.

....

Psalms 65, 66, 70

Daily Lectionary Reading, Matthew 13:18-23

18 “ Consider then the parable of the farmer. 19 Whenever people hear the word about the kingdom and don’t understand it, the evil one comes and carries off what was planted in their hearts. This is the seed that was sown on the path.

20 As for the seed that was spread on rocky ground, this refers to people who hear the word and immediately receive it joyfully. 21 Because they have no roots, they last for only a little while. When they experience distress or abuse because of the word, they immediately fall away.

22 As for the seed that was spread among thorny plants, this refers to those who hear the word, but the worries of this life and the false appeal of wealth choke the word, and it bears no fruit.

23 As for what was planted on good soil, this refers to those who hear and understand, and bear fruit and produce—in one case a yield of one hundred to one, in another case a yield of sixty to one, and in another case a yield of thirty to one. ” [Common English Bible]

Prayer for Today:
Open our ears to hear your word, open our hearts to understand it, so that we can direct our concern and efforts away from what benefits us alone and turn instead toward your will. Make it true for us what the Psalmist said, "I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to observe your righteous ordinances." Amen.



Midday Psalm 119:97-104

Evening
Psalms 102, 103

Sowing Seeds, a Reflection on Matthew 13:1-9

Chapter 9, Jesus heals a paralytic, someone who's mute, stops a woman's hemorrhages, and restores a synagogue leader's daughter to life. Chapter 10, Jesus gives instructions to his disciples: what to take and not to take on missionary journeys, persecutions that are coming, and rewards. Chapter 11, Jesus praises John the Baptist, reproaches the cities who have not repented, and gives thanks to the Lord, adding "Come to me, all you that are weary..." Chapter 12, Jesus travels again, heals again and again, faces a confrontation with some scribes and Pharisees--and also his own family.

Adapted from Thomas G. Long's commentary on Matthew: The Gospel of Matthew alternates between action then teaching. Chapter 13 forms the third of five great teaching discourses. But this teaching has a different style from the previous ones--rather than speaking directly, e.g., "Do not judge, so that you may not be judged," Jesus uses parables.

In Chapter 12, Jesus had been inside a house, but now he goes outside. We can infer he has a larger audience. I'm imagining that the audience could be more diverse also--just thinking about who might feel comfortable coming inside somebody's home or who the homeowner might feel comfortable inviting in compared with who we are willing to be in the same crowd with.

And this is a big crowd--Jesus has to get in a boat so he can speak to all of them.

His parable begins, "A sower went out to sow." The sower isn't very careful about where he sows the seed. He scatters some on the path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns, and some, at least, on good soil. Jesus is not giving us agricultural instruction here. He's speaking about lavish distribution. He's talking about ignoring risk of loss--Some soil is not likely to nourish the seed, even really good seed.

But, even with allowing for a lot of lost seeds, this farmer has an abundant crop.

For this parable to work for us church people, we need to realize that we can't always tell what soil is on the path and which is rocky and where the thorns are. We just keep scattering that seed. Good soil is there, even if we don't recognize it right away.

Daily Prayer, Monday, July 4, 2011

Accept my offerings of praise, O Lord, and teach me your ordinances (Psalm 119:109)

Morning

Invitatory Psalm Monday 95
O come, let us sing to the Lord:
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
We come into your presence with thanksgiving;
we make a joyful noise to you with songs of praise.
You, Lord, are a great God,
…
In your hands are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are yours also.
The sea is yours, for you have made it,
and the dry land, which your hands have formed.
….

Psalms 57, 61, 64

Daily Lectionary Reading, Matthew 13:1-9

That day Jesus went out of the house and sat down beside the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he climbed into a boat and sat down. The whole crowd was standing on the shore.

3 He said many things to them in parables: “A farmer went out to scatter seed. 4 As he was scattering seed, some fell on the path, and birds came and ate it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground where the soil was shallow. They sprouted immediately because the soil wasn’t deep. 6 But when the sun came up, it scorched the plants, and they dried up because they had no roots. 7 Other seed fell among thorny plants. The thorny plants grew and choked them.

8 Other seed fell on good soil and bore fruit, in one case a yield of one hundred to one, in another case a yield of sixty to one, and in another case a yield of thirty to one.

9 Everyone who has ears should pay attention.” [Common English Bible]

Prayer for Today:
You sent your word to us to show us the way, but we are not always willing to receive it or benefit from it. O Lord, we repent for allowing distractions to get in our way, to let our own inattentiveness keep us from watchfulness, and our weakness in face of temptation. You have given us ears--we now ask you to help us turn them on. Amen.


Midday Psalm 119:89-96

Evening
Psalms 87, 88, 91

Rescue from Sin, a Reflection on Romans 7:15-25a

At one time, we interpreted this portion of Romans as being an autobiographical account by Paul. However, scholars now assert that he was using "I" to represent a typical anybody, a common practice in Hellenistic writings of his time. Try reading this passage that way rather than as a personal confession of the particular guilt of one man.

We might say "you" or, probably preferably, "we." For example, "We don't always do what we know that we should."

Paul names sin as what is keeping us from doing what we know is right. We can see that doing the right thing is the right thing to do, but we are tempted to do something else. But, we don't need to despair. Paul reminds us that rescue is available to us.

Ronald Allen & Clark Williamson, in Preaching the Letters, discuss Paul's understanding of Sin:

Sin for Paul is not individual sins or the piling up of all of them into some big thing called "Sin" with a capital S, ... a power that governs the world in the old age in which we still live, in spite of the fact that in Jesus Christ we have a foretaste of God's righteousness, .... Paul not only does not express guilt for sinning--"it is no longer I that do it"--he does not admit responsibility for it, at least not so far as to be made guilty for it. Sin is a power in which individuals, groups and nations can become ensnared, like a fish caught in a net. It is our weakness that sin exploits.

They then add:

What we should not do then is wallow in guilt feelings. We should do what Paul did--sing praises to God through Jesus Christ for the magnificent gift of grace (v25).

"Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

Daily Prayer, Sunday, July 3

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and your faithful ones shall bless you!

Morning
Invitatory Psalm 24
The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.

You have founded it on the seas and established it on the rivers.

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in your holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of heir salvation.
Such is the company of those who seek you, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is the King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.

Who is this King of glory?
the Lord of hosts,
You are the King of glory.

Psalms 52, 53, 54, 56

Daily Lectionary Reading, Romans 7:15-25a
15 I don’t know what I’m doing, because I don’t do what I want to do. Instead, I do the thing that I hate. 16 But if I’m doing the thing that I don’t want to do, I’m agreeing that the Law is right. 17 But now I’m not the one doing it anymore. Instead, it’s sin that lives in me. 18 I know that good doesn’t live in me—that is, in my body. The desire to do good is inside of me, but I can’t do it. 19 I don’t do the good that I want to do, but I do the evil that I don’t want to do. 20 But if I do the very thing that I don’t want to do, then I’m not the one doing it anymore. Instead, it is sin that lives in me that is doing it.

21 So I find that, as a rule, when I want to do what is good, evil is right there with me. 22 I gladly agree with the Law on the inside, 23 but I see a different law at work in my body. It wages a war against the law of my mind and takes me prisoner with the law of sin that is in my body. 24 I’m a miserable human being. Who will deliver me from this dead corpse? 25 Thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! [Common English Bible]

Prayer for today:
O God, you have delivered your will to us in many ways, and we have found many ways to ignore it. Wake us up. Strengthen in us the will to do what you wish us to do. Amen.


Evening
Psalms 78, 79, 83, 86

The Lord is Good to All, a Reflection on Psalm 145:8-14

Psalm 145 tells us--or, speaks for us:

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.

It's a reminder, one that we may well need, that we're living in God's kingdom and that we should be living according to God's intentions for us. The Lord's desire is for all to be fed and attended to. Those who care what the Lord wants will work toward these goals.

All. Think about it--all. All to be fed. All to be attended to. All.

The Psalmist is quoting the proclamation of the Lord on Sinai after Moses had cut the words of the Ten Commandments onto stone tablets. This good news of love for all is repeated throughout the scriptures (The Wesley Study Bible cites as examples Numbers 14:18; Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 103:8, 17; and Jonah 4:2).

I'm reading these words today first as a reminder that God loves me, gives me what I need, and is merciful when I don't deserve mercy. And, these words are also a reminder to me that I'm not the only recipient of God's gifts and mercy; nor, are they restricted to people like me. God has compassion over all. And, then, it gets harder for me. If God is compassionate to all, how does God expect me to be?

Daily Prayer, Saturday, July 2

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and your faithful ones shall bless you!

Morning
Invitatory Psalm 67
God, be gracious to us and bless us
and make your face to shine upon us,
that your way may be known upon earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.

The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, has blessed us.
May God continue to bless us;
let all the ends of the earth revere you.

Psalms 50, 51

Daily Lectionary Reading, Psalm 145:8-14
8 “The LORD is merciful and compassionate, very patient, and full of faithful love.
9 The LORD is good to everyone and everything; God’s compassion extends to all his handiwork.”
10 All that you have made gives thanks to you, LORD; all your faithful ones bless you!
11 They speak of the glory of your kingdom; they talk all about your power, 12 to inform all human beings about God’s power and the majestic glory of God’s kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is a kingship that lasts forever; your rule endures for all generations.
The LORD is trustworthy in all that he says, faithful in all that he does.(y)
14 The LORD supports all who fall down, straightens up all who are bent low.

[y LXX, DSS (11QPs a ), Syr; MT lacks these lines, but they correspond to the nun line in the alphabetic acrostic poem. Common English Bible]

Today's prayer:
O Lord, you have shown us mercy, compassion, and faithful love. And you have shown mercy, compassion, and faithful love to many others that we have difficulty showing any mercy or compassion or love of any kind. We give you thanks for what you have done for us, and ask that you help us to understand what it means that you are King, that your concern is with all the world, not just with our particular corner of it. Support us when we fail to understand, or understanding, fail to carry out, your intentions for us. Amen.

Evening
Psalms 75, 77

Scripture and Prayer for Independence Day

Suggested scripture readings for Independence Day:
Deuteronomy 10:12-13, 17-21 What does God require of a nation?
Psalm 72 A prayer for justice and righteousness
Galatians 5:13-26 The proper use of freedom
John 8:31-36 True Freedom

Prayer:
Almighty God, you rule all the peoples of the earth.
Inspire the minds of all women and men to whom you have committed the responsibility of government and leadership in the nations of the world.
Give to them the vision of truth and justice, that y their counsel all nations and peoples ay work together.
Give to the people of our country zeal for justice and strength of forbearance, that we may use our liberty in accordance with your gracious will.
Forgive our shortcomings as a nation; purify our hearts to see and love the truth.
We pray all these things through Jesus Christ. Amen.

(UMBOW 442, written by Andy Langford)

Recognizing the Ruler and the Rules, Reflecting on Zechariah 9:9-12

How does Scripture portray the ideal ruler? Zechariah speaks of a king that although triumphant and victorious is humble. The New Interpreters' Study Bible notes that "victorious" could be translated as "saved." I'm considering what it means to combine these two conditions: triumphant and saved.

As a sideline to this passage, read earlier in Zechariah for the list of sins that Israel has committed: oppressing widows, orphans, aliens, and the poor (7:9-14).

[Repeat]

Daily Prayer, Friday, July 1

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and your faithful ones shall bless you!

Morning
Invitatory Psalm 118
O Lord, we give thanks to to you, for you are good;
your steadfast love endures forever!
….
Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.
With the Lord on my side I do not fear.
What can mortals do to me?
….
Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.

This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.

Psalms 41, 42, 43, 47

Daily Lectionary Reading, Zechariah 4:9-12

9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion.
Sing aloud, Daughter Jerusalem.
Look, your king will come to you.
He is righteous and victorious.
He is humble and riding on an ass,
on a colt, the offspring of a donkey.
10 He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the warhorse from Jerusalem.
The bow used in battle will be cut off;
he will speak peace to the nations.
His rule will stretch from sea to sea,
and from the river
to the ends of the earth.
11 Moreover, by the blood of your covenant,
I will release your prisoners
from the waterless pit.
12 Return to the stronghold,
prisoners of hope.
Moreover, declare today
that I will return double to you. [Common English Bible]

Prayer for today:
We rejoice, O Christ,
for in your tender compassion
you should our burdens and ease our heavy hearts.
Give us the strength to carry each other
as you have carried us. Amen.
(RCL Prayers, Fortress Press)

Midday Psalm 119:78-88

Evening
Psalm 74