Messiah Daily Readings and Prayers
February 28 thru March 7
Anno Domini 2021
OPENING
God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me
Glory to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen
PSALM SCHEDULE LENT
Sunday 150 42
Monday 145 6
Tuesday 146 116
Wednesday 99 9
Thursday 27 126
Friday 148 49
Saturday 43 31
DAILY READINGS – 2.28 thru 3.7
2.28.2021 / 2ND SUNDAY IN LENT
Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 – God blesses Abraham and Sarah. Up until this point, Sarah has been known as Sarai. God changes her name here to Sarah. In the Old Testament a name change indicates a new status or calling. Usually, men got the name change. It’s significant that the Genesis author regards Sarah, along with Abraham, as significant enough of a character to receive a name change.
Mark 8:31f. For the first of three times, Jesus predicts his passion.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday readings anticipate the First Reading on 3.7.2021 – God giving the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mt. Sinai
3.1.2021 Exodus 19:1-9a
This is a lofty passage. God bore the people on “eagles wings.” God wants the people to be a “priestly kingdom.”
3.2.2021 Exodus 19:9b-15
Moses prepares the people to prepare for the “third day”, the giving of the Law. Limits, boundaries, are set. We function best when we do not cross boundaries.
3.3.2021 Exodus 19:16-25
A theophany is described. God is present; we know so because of clouds, thunder, lightning, smoke, etc. God is revealed in the Ten Commandments, the Law, that Moses will receive. God is also revealed in the Gospel, the Promise, that Abraham received and that Jesus guaranteed on the cross.
Thursday, Friday, Saturday readings anticipate Sunday’s gospel, Jesus cleansing the temple.
3.4.2021 I Kings 6:1-4, 21-22
Solomon builds the temple. This was around 966-959 BC. In 587 BC the Babylonians destroyed it. In 537-516 BC the Persians helped the Jews rebuild it. In AD 70 the Romans destroyed it. Structures can be fleeting things. Community and relationships endure.
3.5.2021 Second Chronicles 29:1-11, 16-19
Hezekiah was a reforming king. His work, 716-687 BC, anticipated the cleansing of temple religion that Jesus would attempt in his day.
3.6.2021 Ezra 6:1-16
This tells the story of the Persian King Darius ordering the rebuilding of the temple that Babylonians had sacked. What the Babylonians had destroyed in 587 BC was rebuilt and rededicated 515 BC.
3.7.2021 THE THIRD SUNDAY DURING LENT
Exodus 20:1-17. The Israelites have escaped Egyptian slavery. Moses leads them to Mt Sinai. There God reveals to them the Ten Commandments: how to love God and how to be in community.
John 2:13-22. Jesus cleanses the temple. He uses that experience as a sign of his resurrection on the third day.
PRAYERS
PRAYER FOR THE MORNING HOURS
O Lord, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us in safety to this new day. Preserve us with your mighty power that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome in adversity, and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; thru Jesus Christ our Lord.
PRAYER FOR AFTERNOON AND EVENING
O God, from whom come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works: Give to us, your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey your commandments; and also that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness; thru the merit of Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God forever Amen
DAILY
Loving God, you lead us thru the 40-Days of Lent as you led your people, Israel, thru 40-Years in the desert. Help us to be open and receive the gifts you have for us this holy season. Amen
OTHER CONCERNS
Pray for people you know, people you love, for Covid19 response, for cooperation in Washington DC, for all public officials, for our nation recovering from a severe weather week, for all who were hurt in anyway by recent severe weather.
CLOSING
God keep us in health and safety, today and every day. Amen
Messiah Daily Readings and Prayers
February 21 thru February 28
Anno Domini 2021
OPENING
God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me
Glory to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen
PSALM SCHEDULE LENT
Sunday 150 42
Monday 145 6
Tuesday 146 116
Wednesday 99 9
Thursday 27 126
Friday 148 49
Saturday 43 31
DAILY READINGS – 2.21 thru 2.28
21 FEBRUARY / FIRST SUNDAY DURING LENT
Mark 1:9-15. The temptation of Jesus.
Daily readings this week help us prepare for Sunday’s reading, Genesis 17, God blessing Sarah and Abraham. We’ll stay in Genesis all week, reading Abraham stories.
MONDAY – GENESIS 15:1-6, 12-18. After calling Abraham to leave his ancestral home, after promising Abraham offspring more than the sands on the shore, God covenants with Abraham. God pledges to be Abraham’s God. So, a religious experience is based on faith and promise. Expectations of conduct will follow. But the relationship is based on God’s initial calling, on God’s “yes.”
TUESDAY – GENESIS 16:1-6.
Abraham gets anxious about not having offspring. He does not trust God’s promise. He takes matters into his own hands. That’s always a mistake. His son Ishmael is born to the household servant named Hagar. Abraham’s wife sends Hagar out to the desert to die.
WEDNESDAY – GENESIS 16:7-15.
Here is another story of grace in the Old Testament. Ishmael is not the son that God promised Abraham. Hagar is not the wife God intended for Abraham. Hagar and Ishmael are excluded from the family tribe; they are dying. One of God’s angels sends Hagar and Ishmael back to the house of Abraham and promises their family shall continue.
THURSDAY – GENESIS 21:1-7.
God completes the promise God had made to Abraham at the beginning of Abraham’s story. Isaac is born to Abraham and Sarah.
FRIDAY – GENESIS 22:1-19
No matter how many times we read it, this story remains unsettling. Abraham takes his only son, Isaac, up the mountain to tie him, kill him, and offer him as sacrifice. There are many perspectives on this story. Danish Philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, for example, interpreted this as a type for authentic faith, a willingness to sacrifice all. The take on this story I prefer is that it made it into the bible at a time when sacrificing and burning children was a religious exercise. This story is told to remind its Jewish readers (and us), “we don’t do that.” The gruesome story ends, thankfully, with an angel. “Abraham! Do not lay your hand on the boy!”
SATURDAY – HEBREWS 11:1-3, 13-19
The author of the long letter (actually, it was more of a theological essay) to the Hebrews reflects on the faithfulness and willingness of Abraham to trust God.
SUNDAY / 2nd SUNDAY IN LENT / 2.28.2-29
Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 – God blesses Abraham and Sarah. Up until this point, Sarah has been known as Sarai. God changes her name here to Sarah. In the Old Testament a name change indicates a new status or calling. Usually, men got the name change. It’s significant that the Genesis author regards Sarah, along with Abraham, as significant enough of a character to receive a name change.
PRAYERS
PRAYER FOR THE MORNING HOURS
O Lord, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us in safety to this new day. Preserve us with your mighty power that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome in adversity, and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; thru Jesus Christ our Lord.
PRAYER FOR AFTERNOON AND EVENING
O God, from whom come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works: Give to us, your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey your commandments; and also that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness; thru the merit of Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God forever Amen
DAILY
Loving God, you lead us thru the 40-Days of Lent as you led your people, Israel, thru 40-Years in the desert. Help us to be open and receive the gifts you have for us this special season. Amen
OTHER CONCERNS
Pray for people you know, people you love, for Covid19 response, for cooperation in Washington DC, for all public officials, for our nation recovering from a severe weather week, for all who were hurt in anyway by recent severe weather.
CLOSING
God keep us in health and safety, today and every day. Amen