Daily Prayer, Saturday, December 31, 2011

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over 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 141, 146

Daily Lectionary Reading, Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14

72 God, give your judgments to the king. Give your righteousness to the king’s son. 2 Let him judge your people with righteousness and your poor ones with justice. 3 Let the mountains bring peace to the people; let the hills bring righteousness. 4 Let the king bring justice to people who are poor; let him save the children of those who are needy, but let him crush oppressors! 5 Let the king live as long as the sun, as long as the moon, generation to generation. 6 Let him fall like rain upon fresh-cut grass, like showers that water the earth. 7 Let the righteous flourish throughout their lives, and let peace prosper until the moon is no more. .... 10 Let the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute; let the kings of Sheba and Seba present gifts. 11 Let all the kings bow down before him; let all the nations serve him. 12 Let it be so because he delivers the needy who cry out, the poor, and those who have no helper. 13 He has compassion on the weak and the needy; he saves the lives of those who are in need. 14 He redeems their lives from oppression and violence; their blood is precious in his eyes.

Prayer for Today: 
Righteous God, today I seem to be surrounded by stories
in the media about disaster after disaster, and so often it is
caused by inadequate leadership; or because people have
grabbed for power because of the so-called “prestige” of
being a world leader. Other’s seek power because of the
perceived access to untold wealth - never caring for
the people who are so often the source of that wealth.
....When I look at the Bible, with all the range of stories there,
it seems that the present very definitely mirrors the past in
so many ways. In the Bible, there were also royal leaders
and leaders who grabbed for power and influence for their
own gain, but the message of the Bible has God as the
Supreme Ruler of all things, which is not echoed in the politics
of today’s world, with its various blocs of aligned nations,
or even in the denominational environment of “Church” politics!

....Holy God, I am so thankful that there are people at the various
levels of community life, local, regional, national and international
life who are committed to serving God as the Supreme Ruler,
and who dedicate their life, their worldly goods, their gifts, talents
and time for the enrichment of human life; for the better health
of humanity; for improved educational opportunities; and for
the lifting up of human-kind to a more generous and caring life.
For these people, I give my thanks, and pray that they may be
blessed in their selfless service to a Higher Power, their God,
and to the care of their fellow human beings wherever they are.
....

If used in shared worship, please provide an acknowledgement as follows: 

© 2012 Joan Stott – "The Timeless Psalms" RCL Psalm Year B, used with permission.

Evening
Psalms 140, 142, 143