Daily Prayer, Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Morning
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff--they comfort me.

Invitatory Psalm 84

Psalms 65, 66, 70

Daily Lectionary Reading, John 10:7-10

Lectio Divina

I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and destroy. I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:9-10).

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want (Psalm 23:1).

Prayer for Today:
Everyday we are confronted with choices, with demands, people wanting things from us, people wanting us to do what they think we should be doing. O Lord, help us in the sorting out of your voice from the clamor of all the voices shouting at us and whispering to us. Keep us mindful of the true shepherd. Open our ears to listen to you. Amen.


Midday Psalm 119:97-104

Evening
Psalms 55, 59, 60

Voice of the Shepherd, a Reflection on John 10:1-6

In the lectionary, we come to this reading the week after Luke's account of the recognition at Emmaus. A fitting choice for the weeks after Easter to read about an early post-resurrection experience.

This week, we move to John's gospel and we are in the period of Jesus' ministry before the last supper but during a time when he is performing many miracles--displeasing his opponents, the religious authorities. Jesus said that he had come into the world to exercise judgment so that those who don't see can and those who see will become blind." His opponents responded, "Surely we aren't blind, are we?"

So, are Jesus' words in chapter 10 an answer to that question? Is Jesus talking to his followers or his enemies when he describes himself as the shepherd?

Whether he is talking to them or not, isn't he talking about them when he contrasts his own role as the shepherd with that of the thief and bandit?

He has healed a blind man; they have criticized him because he did it on the sabbath. Wouldn't a shepherd have been concerned enough about the sheep in his care not to look on the calendar before helping it?

The sheep can tell the difference between the true shepherd and the false one. They know which one to follow.

John was writing about Pharisees, but they weren't the last false shepherds. Christians must continue to distinguish between the voices speaking to them. Jesus says that the sheep can tell the difference. Is that still true of today's sheep? Do we recognize the voice of the shepherd or are we likely to follow some other attraction?

Daily Prayer, Monday, May 9, 2011

Morning
Keep me mindful of the true Shepherd. Open my ears to listen to you.

Invitatory Psalm 95
O come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into God's presence with thanksgiving;
Let us make a joyful nose with songs of praise!
....
O come, let us worship and bow down,...
for you, O Lord, are our God,
we are the people of your pasture,
the sheep of your hand.

Psalms 57, 61, 64

Daily Lectionary Reading, John 10:1-6

Lectio Divina

When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice (John 10:4).

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want (Psalm 23:1).

Prayer for today:
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heaves, Jesus, the Son of god, let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we ay receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (UMBOW 385).

Midday Psalm 119:89-96

Evening
Psalms 87, 88, 91

Psalms 57, 61, 64

Daily Lectionary Reading, John 10:1-6

Lectio Divina
John 10:4
Psalm 23:1

Midday Psalm 119:89-96

Evening
Psalms 87, 88, 91

Love One Another, a Reflection on 1 Peter 1:22-23

Peter is writing to the new converts: The resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us hope. Rejoice because you are also included.

He outlines the appropriate response to the news of salvation:

Consider what's important.
Consider what lasts.

As Beverly Gaventa puts it in Texts for Preaching, a new life and a new way of living it are required:

While this new birth is intensely personal, in that it involves individual human beings who find their lives radically changed by the gospel, it also involves an intensely social dimension. Those who experience the new birth belong to one another in a profound and unrelenting way. These newborns are not members of disparate family units, each of which may take its own infant and go home. They belong to one another, as surely as they belong to the God who granted them this new birth.

How much of Peter's instruction is palatable to us today? Do any congregations exhibit the kind of love that he is talking about?

Not included in the lectionary, but read it anyway, is his quotation from Isaiah:
All human life on the earth is like grass,
and all human glory is like a flower in a field.
The grass dries up and its flower falls off
but the word of the Lord endures forever(CEB).

Daily Prayer, Sunday, May 8, 2011

Morning
O Lord, I prayed, save my life. What shall I return to you for all your bounty to me?

Invitatory Psalm 24

Psalms 52, 53, 54, 56

Daily Lectionary Reading, 1 Peter 1:22-23

Lectio Divina

Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God (1 Peter 1:22-23).

I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live (Psalm 116:1-2).

Prayer for Today:
O Lord, I have prayed to you many times asking for more and more. Today I pray again still asking for more. But this day, I ask that I am the one who does more, that I will in my thoughts and actions to those around me show the genuine mutual love that you have already shown to me. Amen.

Evening
Psalms 78, 29, 83, 86

A Litany for Mother's Day

A Litany for Mother's Day is on the General Board of Discipleship website.

New Way, a Reflection on 1 Peter 1:17-21

This letter was written originally to Gentile converts. "You're one of us now. You've been rescued from the futile ways that your ancestors lived. Christ has ransomed you."

How do we read the letter today? What does it say to our lives?

First, I'm struck by the term "exile." I hear people refer to America as a Christian country. Yet, I read polls that indicate that when asked what their religion is, the largest number report "none." Furthermore, as I read the morning paper or listen to conversations, I don't always hear Christian principles discussed. Have I, like these ancient people, inherited futile ways? Worse, am I passing on futile ways to the generations that follow me?

What do I have faith in? What are my hopes set on?

Daily Prayer, Saturday, May 7, 2011

Morning

What shall I return to the Lord for all the bounty to me?

Invitatory Psalm 67

Psalms 50, 51

Daily Lectionary Reading, 1 Peter 1:17-21

Lectio Divina

Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God (1 Peter 1:21).

I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 116:18-19)

Prayer for Today:
Open our eyes to see you clearly. Strengthen our wills to follow your will. Instill in us the ability and will to love, to love one another deeply from the heart. Amen.

Evening
Psalms 75, 77

Gratitude, a Reflection on Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19

I can't remember my first prayer. I don't even remember who first told me about prayer or suggested words that might be used. I'm guessing that grace before meals and those bedtime prayers were the first. But, I don't remember who taught me about prayer in time of great difficulty. Somebody must have, because I have been praying that kind of prayer throughout the tough times in my life.

One source of instruction for all of us is, of course, the Psalter.

The psalm chosen for the lectionary reading this week is a thanksgiving psalm.

And, as a thanksgiving psalm, it also gives the need for the prayer that the Lord has answered.

The psalmist remembers the time of distress and anguish and calling on the Lord for help. And, having received that help, the psalmist then gives thanks.

Notice that the psalmist is not being totally private, but is promising to be a witness to the care and support that the Lord gives.

I will pay my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
in the courts of the house of the Lord,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!

Daily Prayer, Friday, May 6, 2011

Morning
O Lord, you are always beside us. You do not abandon us. We continue to give you thanks.

Invitatory Psalm 118

Psalms 41, 42, 43, 47

Daily Lectionary Reading, Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19

Lectio Divina
Psalm 116:16
Psalm 116:17

Prayer for Today:
We pray for our world. Where there is conflict, bring peace. Where there is uncertainty and anxiousness, bring inner quiet. Where there is hatred, bring understanding and love. Where there is the terror of war, hover over your earth and bring a change to people's hearts. Where there is selfishness, bring generosity and a change of heart. Where there is peril, bring comfort and courage. Amen. (taken from Prayers of the People, Richard J. Einerson).

Midday Psalm 119:78-88

Evening
Psalm 74