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Messiah Daily Prayers
8.2.2020 thru 8.9.2020
OPENING
Blessed be the Holy Trinity, one God
Who gives life, healing, and resurrection
PSALM 119 FOR MONDAY-TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY
121I have done what is |just and right;
do not deliver me to |my oppressors.
122Guarantee your |servant's good;
let not the |proud oppress me.
123My eyes have failed from watching for|your salvation
and for your |righteous promise.
124Deal with your servant according to your |steadfast love,
and teach |me your statutes.
125I am your servant; grant me |understanding,
that I may know |your decrees.
126It is time to act |for the LORD,
for they have violat- |ed your teaching.
127Truly, I love |your commandments
more than gold, even the |purest gold.
128Truly, I hold all your commandments to be |right for me;
all paths of falsehood |I abhor.
PSALM 67 FOR THURSDAY-FRIDAY-SATURDAY
1May God be merciful to |us and bless us;
may the light of God's face |shine upon us.
2Let your way be known |upon earth,
your saving health a- |mong all nations.
3Let the peoples praise |you, O God;
let all the |peoples praise you.
4Let the nations be glad and |sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide all the na- |tions on earth.
5Let the peoples |praise you, O God;
let all the |peoples praise you.
6The earth has brought |forth its increase;
God, our own |God, has blessed us.
7May God |give us blessing,
and may all the ends of the earth |stand in awe.
DAILY READINGS
AUGUST 2 thru AUGUST 9
UNIFYING THEME – All the readings this week are stories of people receiving food.
This bible reading schedule is suggested by an ELCA publication, “Between Sundays” (Augsburg Fortress, 1997).
SUNDAY AUGUST 2 – Matthew 13:14-21. Jesus retreats to an isolated place, a crowd finds him, he
directs his disciples to feed thousands of people.
Monday
Deuteronomy 8:1-10 – The people have been wandering wilderness for 40-years. Soon Moses will lead them into The Land that God had promised. There will be an abundance of food for them. Jesus embodied this spirit of abundance when he fed the 5,000. These stories invite us to ask how we may share from our abundance.
Tuesday
Deuteronomy 26:1-15. This is a story about “first fruits” giving. That is giving a percentage of an asset, an income, a gain of sorts as an offering to God. This story tells what motivated the people to give a “first fruits” offering of their harvest. The story describes the role of the priests and also the inclusion of resident aliens (immigrants).
Wednesday
Matthew 15:32-39 is the second story in Matthew about Jesus feeding a crowd. In both stories the motivation was the same. Jesus had compassion.
Thursday
Exodus 16:2-15, 31-35 – the Israelites have barely begun their sojourn thru the wilderness after escaping slavery in Egypt. Naturally, they are hungry and resources are scarce. God provides them bread in the wilderness. The bread is named “manna”. Manna has since come to symbolize any basic provisioning in time of need, especially food. Any day provides opportunity to help provide manna for someone.
Friday
Acts 2:27-47 describes the most important and major identifying activity of the ancient church. They gathered regularly for breaking bread, shared mealtime. In this century congregations gather regularly for Holy Communion.
Saturday
“Between Seasons” daily lectionary schedules a psalm for Saturdays. Normally, a psalm is considered a prayer, not a reading. Perhaps the prayerful nature of psalm read on Saturday is the best way to close out the week. Psalm 78:1-8, 17-29 re-tells the Exodus 16 story about God providing manna food in the wilderness. So ends the 9thWeek after Pentecost.
SUNDAY AUGUST 2, 2020 – Matthew 14:22-33 tells the story of Jesus commanding disciples to get into
a dangerous boat, a storm nearly overcoming the disciples, Jesu walking on the sea, & Peter’s attempt to
walk on water.
RESPONSE AFTER THE READING
I want to walk as a child of the light
I want to follow Jesus
HYMN FOR THIS WEEK – ELW
615 Text from Sylvia Duncan / Tune from Charles Anders
In all our grief and fear we turn to you, O God
You know all that we think or do
You know the pain we put each other thru
Lord, have mercy
God, when we suffer all that we can bear
Then let us know that you in truth are near
And will not leave us lost in all our fear
Lord, have mercy
PRAY THIS EVERY DAY THIS WEEK
Lord Jesus, you were filled with compassion when you told your disciples to feed the hungry crowd. Lead us to healthy habits that feed our souls. Help us find healthy food for our bodies. And especially show us how to help with sharing food for others. Amen
PRAY THIS IN THE MORNING
I give thanks to you, my heavenly Father, thru Jesus Christ your dear Son, that you have protected me thru the night form all danger and harm. I ask that you would protect me today from sin and every danger, so that my life and actions may please you. Into your hands I commend my body and soul and all that is mine. Let your holy angel be with me so that the wicked foe may have no power over me. Amen
PRAY THIS AT NOON
Blessed Savior, at this hour you hung upon the cross, stretching out your loving arms. Grant that all the peoples of the earth may look to you and be saved. Amen
PRAY THIS IN THE EVENING
We give thanks to you, heavenly Father, thru Jesus Christ your dear Son, that you have graciously protected us today. We ask you to forgive us all our sins, where we have done wrong, and graciously to protect us this night. Into your hands we commend ourselves: our bodies, our souls, and all that is ours. Let your holy angels be with us, so that the wicked foe may have no power over us. Amen
PRAYER FOR ALL IN THE NIGHT TIME
Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give hour angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, sooth the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; all for your love’s sake. Amen
PRAY THIS PRAYER TO CURE THE CORONA VIRUS
Holy and blessed Trinity, sustain us, your people, with your Holy Spirit. Drive away this virus from our bodies, from our buildings, from our atmosphere. Give us the victory of life over this disease and enable us to serve you now and evermore. Thru Christ we pray, Amen.
CLOSING
God keep us in light and peace, in health and safety, today and all days. Amen
Messiah Daily Prayers
7.26.2020 thru 8.2.2020
OPENING
Blessed be the Holy Trinity, one God
Who gives life, healing, and resurrection
PSALM 1 FOR MONDAY-TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY
1Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel | of the wicked,
nor lingered in the way of sinners,
nor sat in the seats | of the scornful!
2Their delight is in the law | of the LORD,
and they meditate on God's teaching | day and night.
3They are like trees planted by streams of water,
bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that | do not wither;
everything they | do shall prosper.
4It is not so | with the wicked;
they are like chaff which the wind | blows away.
5Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when | judgment comes,
nor the sinner in the council | of the righteous.
6For the LORD knows the way | of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked shall | be destroyed.
PSALM 119 FOR THURSDAY-FRIDAY-SATURDAY
89 O LORD, your word is | everlasting;
it stands firm | in the heavens.
90 Your faithfulness remains from one generation | to another;
you established the earth, and | it abides.
91 By your decree these continue | to this day,
for all things | are your servants.
92 If my delight had not been | in your teaching,
I would have perished in | my affliction.
93 I will never forget | your commandments,
because by them you | gave me life.
94 O LORD, I | am yours;
save me, for I study | your commandments.
95 Though the wicked lie in wait for me | to destroy me,
I will apply my mind to | your decrees.
96 I see that all things come | to an end,
but your commandment | has no bounds.
DAILY READINGS JULY 26 THRU AUGUST 2
This bible reading schedule is suggested by an ELCA publication, “Between Sundays” (Augsburg Fortress, 1997). The Monday thru Saturday readings coincide in some way with Sunday readings that began the week.
SUNDAY JULY 26 – Matthew 13: Twin parables of mustard seed and yeast, Twin parables of treasure in the field and pearl of great price, Parable of the fishing dragnet.
Monday
I Kings 3:16-29. This is that great story of Solomon’s wisdom. Solomon understands natural parental instinct to protect an infant. He uses that understanding to determine which woman is the natural mother of an infant and which woman wrongly sought to take an infant. We’re reading this story today because the story assigned for Sunday was Solomon’s prayer for wisdom (I Kings 3:5-12).
Tuesday
I Kings 4:29-34. This describes the breadth and depth of Solomon’s wisdom. His intellect was singularly advanced; that enabled him to accomplish so much. The bible is clear that was gift from God, a gift to be nurtured responsibly. Time will pass. Solomon will use his intellect but forsake wisdom. He will make choices that convert the nation into an empire. That will result in the destruction of the nation.
Wednesday
Mark 4:30-34. Last Sunday we heard the Matthew 13 collection of Jesus’ parables. Today we read Mark’s recording of the Parable of the Mustard Seed. The mustard seed is so small yet produces a shrub that is huge with a very powerful root system. What we do as people of God may seem small. Mercy and forgiveness do not generate much conversation. Food banks and advocacy do not garner the big headlines. But the results of what the Holy Spirit accomplishes thru us as people of God are huge and deeply impactful. The parable invites us to consider what small way of being we’ve taken on is actually very, very powerful. To continue this week’s wisdom theme, this is a deeper wisdom: what is very small and insignificant is potentially very large and consequential. To quote St. Paul, “When I am weak, then I a strong.”
Thursday
Proverbs 1:1-7, 20-23 continues the Solomon’s wisdom theme this week. These verses invite us to wisdom. One of the nice things about the Book of Proverbs is the reader may pause and rest on any single sentence for a while and glean a simple yet profound message. In this passage my favorite has been 1:6, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Which sentence here do you resonate with?
Friday
Ephesians 6:10-18. This is that family dress up in the armor of God passage. It’s used on many occasions to bolster and encourage. The wisdom motivating this image is the awareness that our enemies are not each other. Our enemies are the forces (attitudes) in this universe that prompt present darkness (chaotic unraveling). Wisdom directs us to “suit up” in the ways and attitudes described in these verses.
Saturday
“Between Seasons” daily lectionary schedules a psalm for Saturdays. Normally, a psalm is considered a prayer, not a reading. Perhaps the prayerful nature of psalm read on Saturday is the best way to close out the week. Psalm 119:121-128 asks for understanding, another tie in to the wisdom theme we’ve been fallowing all week. So ends the 8thWeek after Pentecost.
SUNDAY AUGUST 2, 2020 – Matthew 13:14-21. Jesus retreats to an isolated place, a crowd finds him, he and disciples must feed thousands of people.
RESPONSE AFTER THE READING
I want to walk as a child of the light
I want to follow Jesus
HYMN FOR THIS WEEK – ELW
615 Text from Sylvia Duncan / Tune from Charles Anders
In all our grief and fear we turn to you, O God
You know all that we think or do
You know the pain we put each other thru
Lord, have mercy
God, when we suffer all that we can bear
Then let us know that you in truth are near
And will not leave us lost in all our fear
Lord, have mercy
PRAY THIS IN THE MORNING
I give thanks to you, my heavenly Father, thru Jesus Christ your dear Son, that you have protected me thru the night form all danger and harm. I ask that you would protect me today from sin and every danger, so that my life and actions may please you. Into your hands I commend my body and soul and all that is mine. Let your holy angel be with me so that the wicked foe may have no power over me. Amen
PRAY THIS AT NOON
Blessed Savior, at this hour you hung upon the cross, stretching out your loving arms. Grant that all the peoples of the earth may look to you and be saved. Amen
PRAY THIS IN THE EVENING
We give thanks to you, heavenly Father, thru Jesus Christ your dear Son, that you have graciously protected us today. We ask you to forgive us all our sins, where we have done wrong, and graciously to protect us this night. Into your hands we commend ourselves: our bodies, our souls, and all that is ours. Let your holy angels be with us, so that the wicked foe may have no power over us. Amen
PRAYER FOR ALL IN THE NIGHT TIME
Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give hour angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, sooth the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; all for your love’s sake. Amen
PRAY THIS PRAYER TO CURE THE CORONA VIRUS
Holy and blessed Trinity, sustain us, your people, with your Holy Spirit. Drive away this virus from our bodies, from our buildings, from our atmosphere. Give us the victory of life over this disease and enable us to serve you now and evermore. Thru Christ we pray, Amen.
CLOSING
God keep us in light and peace, in health and safety, today and all days. Amen
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