Sabbath Reflection: September 27th, 2015

I pray you hear God's invitation to you to come sit with Him a while.

The Collect for today:
O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Psalm 124

 ^1-5 If God hadn’t been for us

    —all together now, Israel, sing out!—
If God hadn’t been for us
    when everyone went against us,
We would have been swallowed alive
    by their violent anger,
Swept away by the flood of rage,
    drowned in the torrent;
We would have lost our lives
    in the wild, raging water.

⁶ Oh, blessed be God!
    He didn’t go off and leave us.
He didn’t abandon us defenseless,
    helpless as a rabbit in a pack of snarling dogs.

⁷ We’ve flown free from their fangs,
    free of their traps, free as a bird.
Their grip is broken;
    we’re free as a bird in flight.

⁸ God’s strong name is our help,
    the same God who made heaven and earth.

Sabbath Reflection: September 20th, 2015

I pray you hear God's invitation to you to come sit with Him a while.

The Collect for today:
Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Psalm 1

1

Happy 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!

2

Their delight is in the law of the LORD, *
and they meditate on his law day and night.

3

They are like trees planted by streams of water,
bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither; *
everything they do shall prosper.

4

It is not so with the wicked; *
they are like chaff which the wind blows away.

5

Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when judgment comes, *
nor the sinner in the council of the righteous.

6

For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, *
but the way of the wicked is doomed.

Sabbath Reflection: September 13th, 2015

I pray you hear God's invitation to you to come sit with Him a while.

The Collect for today:
O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Psalm 116:1-8 

1

I love the LORD, because he has heard the voice of my supplication, *
because he has inclined his ear to me whenever I called upon him.

2

The cords of death entangled me;
the grip of the grave took hold of me; *
I came to grief and sorrow.

3

Then I called upon the Name of the LORD: *
"O LORD, I pray you, save my life."

4

Gracious is the LORD and righteous; *
our God is full of compassion.

5

The LORD watches over the innocent; *
I was brought very low, and he helped me.

6

Turn again to your rest, O my soul, *
for the LORD has treated you well.

7

For you have rescued my life from death, *
my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling.

8

I will walk in the presence of the LORD *
in the land of the living.

NEW Sabbath Reflection: September 6th, 2015

 I pray you hear God's invitation to you to come sit with Him a while.

The Collect for today:
Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,

and favor is better than silver or gold.

The rich and the poor have this in common:

the LORD is the maker of them all.

Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,

and the rod of anger will fail.

Those who are generous are blessed,

for they share their bread with the poor.

 

Do not rob the poor because they are poor,

or crush the afflicted at the gate;

for the LORD pleads their cause

and despoils of life those who despoil them.

Sabbath Reflection: 30th August, 2015

I pray you hear God's invitation to you to come sit with Him a while.

The Collect for today:
Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

 The lectionary readings appointed for today: 

 Song of Songs 2: 8-13

Psalm 45

James 1: 17-27

Mark 7

Song of Solomon 2:8-13

The voice of my beloved!

Look, he comes,

leaping upon the mountains,

bounding over the hills.

My beloved is like a gazelle

or a young stag.

Look, there he stands

behind our wall,

gazing in at the windows,

looking through the lattice.

My beloved speaks and says to me:

 

“Arise, my love, my fair one,

and come away;

for now the winter is past,

the rain is over and gone.

The flowers appear on the earth;

the time of singing has come,

and the voice of the turtledove

is heard in our land.

The fig tree puts forth its figs,

and the vines are in blossom;

they give forth fragrance.

Arise, my love, my fair one,

and come away.”

Sabbath Reflection: 23rd August, 2015

I pray you hear God's invitation to you to come sit with Him a while.

The Collect for today:
Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 The lectionary readings appointed for today:

1 Kings 8

Psalm 84

Ephesians 6: 10-20

John 6: 56-69

Psalm 84

1

How dear to me is your dwelling, O LORD of hosts! *
My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.

2

The sparrow has found her a house
and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young; *
by the side of your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my King and my God.

3

Happy are they who dwell in your house! *
they will always be praising you.

4

Happy are the people whose strength is in you! *
whose hearts are set on the pilgrims' way.

5

Those who go through the desolate valley will find it a place of springs, *
for the early rains have covered it with pools of water.

6

They will climb from height to height, *
and the God of gods will reveal himself in Zion.

7

LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; *
hearken, O God of Jacob.

8

Behold our defender, O God; *
and look upon the face of your Anointed.

9

For one day in your courts is better than a thousand in my own room, *
and to stand at the threshold of the house of my God
than to dwell in the tents of the wicked.

10

For the LORD God is both sun and shield; *
he will give grace and glory;

11

No good thing will the LORD withhold *
from those who walk with integrity.

12

O LORD of hosts, *
happy are they who put their trust in you!

Sabbath Reflection: 16th August, 2015

I pray you hear God's invitation to you to come sit with Him a while.

The Collect for today:
Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 The lectionary readings appointed for today:

1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14

Psalm 111

Ephesians 5:15-20

John 6:51-58 

Psalm 111

1

Hallelujah!
I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, *
in the assembly of the upright, in the congregation.

2

Great are the deeds of the LORD! *
they are studied by all who delight in them.

3

His work is full of majesty and splendor, *
and his righteousness endures for ever.

4

He makes his marvelous works to be remembered; *
the LORD is gracious and full of compassion.

5

He gives food to those who fear him; *
he is ever mindful of his covenant.

6

He has shown his people the power of his works *
in giving them the lands of the nations.

7

The works of his hands are faithfulness and justice; *
all his commandments are sure.

8

They stand fast for ever and ever, *
because they are done in truth and equity.

9

He sent redemption to his people;
he commanded his covenant for ever; *
holy and awesome is his Name.

10

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; *
those who act accordingly have a good understanding;
his praise endures for ever.

Sabbath Reflection: August 9th, 2015

I pray you hear God's invitation to you to come sit with Him a while.

The Collect for today:
Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 The lectionary readings appointed for today:

1 Kings 19:4-8

Psalm 34:1-8

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

John 6:35, 41-51

Psalm 34:1-8

1

I will bless the LORD at all times; *
his praise shall ever be in my mouth.

2

I will glory in the LORD; *
let the humble hear and rejoice.

3

Proclaim with me the greatness of the LORD; *
let us exalt his Name together.

4

I sought the LORD, and he answered me *
and delivered me out of all my terror.

5

Look upon him and be radiant, *
and let not your faces be ashamed.

6

I called in my affliction and the LORD heard me *
and saved me from all my troubles.

7

The angel of the LORD encompasses those who fear him, *
and he will deliver them.

8

Taste and see that the LORD is good; *
happy are they who trust in him!

Sabbath Reflection: August 2nd, 2015

I pray you hear God's invitation to you to come sit with Him a while.

The Collect for today:
Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 The lectionary readings appointed for today:

2 Samuel 11:26 - 12:13a

Psalm 51:1-12

Ephesians 4:1-16

John 6:24-35

John 6:24-35

The next day, when the people who remained after the feeding of the five thousand saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal." Then they said to him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?" Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." So they said to him, "What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, `He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Then Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

Sabbath Reflection: July 26th 2015

I pray you hear God's invitation to you to come sit with Him a while.

The Collect for today:
O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 The lectionary readings appointed for today:

 2 Samuel 11: 1-5

Psalm 14

Ephesians 3: 14-21

John 6: 1-21

Ephesians 3:14-21

A Prayer for the Ephesians

¹⁴ For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Sabbath Reflection: July 19th, 2015

I pray you hear God's invitation to you to come sit with Him a while.

The Collect for today:
Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 The lectionary readings appointed for today:

Jeremiah 23:1-6

Psalm 23

Ephesians 2:11-22

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Psalm 23

^1-3 God, my shepherd!
    I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
    you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
    you let me catch my breath
    and send me in the right direction.
 

⁴ Even when the way goes through
    Death Valley,
I’m not afraid
    when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook
    makes me feel secure.

⁵ You serve me a six-course dinner
    right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
    my cup brims with blessing.

⁶ Your beauty and love chase after me
    every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of God
    for the rest of my life.

Sabbath Reflection: July 12th, 2015

I pray you hear God's invitation to you to come sit with Him a while.

The Collect for today:
O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 The lectionary readings appointed for today:

 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19

Psalm 85:8-13

Ephesians 1:3-14

Mark 6:14-29

Ephesians 1:3-14

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.

He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us.

With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.

In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people, to the praise of his glory.

Sabbath Reflection: July 5th, 2015

I pray you hear God's invitation to you to come sit with Him a while.

The Collect for today:
O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 The lectionary readings appointed for today:

2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10

Psalm 48

2 Corinthians 12:2-10

Mark 6:1-13

Psalm 48 

^1-3 God majestic praise abounds in our God-city! 

    His sacred mountain, breathtaking in its heights—earth’s joy. 

    Zion Mountain looms in the North, city of the world-King.
    God in his citadel peak impregnable.  

^4-6 The kings got together, they united and came.
     They took one look and shook their heads, they scattered and ran away.
     They doubled up in pain like a woman having a baby.

^7-8 You smashed the ships of Tarshish with a storm out of the East.
     We heard about it, then we saw it with our eyes—
      In God’s city of Angel Armies, in the city our God
      Set on firm foundations, firm forever.

^9-10 We pondered your love-in-action, God, waiting in your temple:
      Your name, God, evokes a train of Hallelujahs wherever
       It is spoken, near and far; your arms are heaped with goodness-in-action. 

¹¹ Be glad, Zion Mountain;
    Dance, Judah’s daughters!
    He does what he said he’d do! 

^12-14 Circle Zion, take her measure, count her fortress peaks,
        Gaze long at her sloping bulwark, climb her citadel heights—
        Then you can tell the next generation detail by detail the story of God,
        Our God forever, who guides us till the end of time.

Sabbath Reflection: June 28th, 2015

I pray you hear God's invitation to you to come sit with Him a while.

The Collect for today:
Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.


 The lectionary readings appointed for today:

2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27

Psalm 130

2 Corinthians 8:7-15

Mark 5:21-43

Psalm 130 The Message (MSG)

A Pilgrim Song

130 ^1-2 Help, God—the bottom has fallen out of my life!
    Master, hear my cry for help!
Listen hard! Open your ears!
    Listen to my cries for mercy.

^3-4 If you, God, kept records on wrongdoings,
    who would stand a chance?
As it turns out, forgiveness is your habit,
    and that’s why you’re worshiped.

^5-6 I pray to God—my life a prayer—
    and wait for what he’ll say and do.
My life’s on the line before God, my Lord,
    waiting and watching till morning,
    waiting and watching till morning.

^7-8 O Israel, wait and watch for God—
    with God’s arrival comes love,
    with God’s arrival comes generous redemption.
No doubt about it—he’ll redeem Israel,
    buy back Israel from captivity to sin.

Sabbath Reflection: June 21st, 2015

I pray you hear God's invitation to you to come sit with Him a while.

The Collect for today:
O Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving­kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 The lectionary readings appointed for today:

1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23), 32-49

Psalm 9 v9-20

2 Corinthians 6 v1-13

 Mark 4 v35-41

Mark 4:35-41

When evening had come, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let us go across to the other side." And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

 

Sabbath Reflection: June 14th

I belong to an Anglican church in Washington DC. Each week the scriptures read and preached on follow the Revised Common Lectionary. My Sabbath Reflection on a Sunday will be the collect or prayer for the day, the list of lectionary readings and an extract from the scriptures that stood out to me that week.

I pray you hear God's invitation to you to come sit with Him a while.

The Collect for today:
Keep, O Lord, your household the Church in your steadfast faith and love, that through your grace we may proclaim your truth with boldness, and minister your justice with compassion; for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 The lectionary readings appointed for today:

 1 Samuel 15: 34-16:3

Psalm 20

2 Corinthians 5: 6-10

Mark 4: 26-34

Psalm 20

1

May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble, *
the Name of the God of Jacob defend you;

2

Send you help from his holy place *
and strengthen you out of Zion;

3

Remember all your offerings *
and accept your burnt sacrifice;

4

Grant you your heart's desire *
and prosper all your plans.

5

We will shout for joy at your victory
and triumph in the Name of our God; *
may the LORD grant all your requests.

6

Now I know that the LORD gives victory to his anointed; *
he will answer him out of his holy heaven,
with the victorious strength of his right hand.

7

Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses, *
but we will call upon the Name of the LORD our God.

8

They collapse and fall down, *
but we will arise and stand upright.

9

O LORD, give victory to the king *
and answer us when we call.

Sabbath Reflection: June 7th

I belong to an Anglican church in Washington DC. Each week the scriptures read and preached on follow the Revised Common Lectionary. My Sabbath Reflection on a Sunday will be the collect or prayer for the day, the list of lectionary readings and an extract from the scriptures that stood out to me that week.

I pray you hear God's invitation to you to come sit with Him a while.

The Collect for today:
O God, from whom all good proceeds: Grant that by your inspiration we may think those things that are right, and by your merciful guiding may do them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 The lectionary readings appointed for today:

1 Samuel 8:4-11, (12-15), 16-20, (11:14-15)
Psalm 138
2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1
Mark 3:20-35

2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 

Just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture-- "I believed, and so I spoke" -- we also believe, and so we speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence. Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. 

 

So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Sabbath Reflection: Trinity Sunday

I belong to an Anglican church in Washington DC. Each week the scriptures read and preached on follow the Revised Common Lectionary. My Sabbath Reflection on a Sunday will be the collect or prayer for the day, the list of lectionary readings and an extract from the scriptures that stood out to me that week.

I pray you hear God's invitation to you to come sit with Him a while.

The Collect for today:
Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 The lectionary readings appointed for today:

Isaiah 6:1-8
Psalm 29
Romans 8:12-17 John 3:1-17

Romans 8: 12-17

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.