Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany - 2017

The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany.

Psalm 20

Exaudiat te Dominus

THE Lord hear thee in the day of trouble : the Name of the God of Jacob defend thee;

2. Send thee help from the sanctuary : and strengthen thee out of Sion;

3. Remember all thy offerings : and accept thy burnt sacrifice;

4. Grant thee thy heart’s desire : and fulfil all thy mind.

5. We will rejoice in thy salvation, and triumph in the Name of the Lord our God : the Lord perform all thy petitions.

6. Now know I that the Lord helpeth his Anointed, and will hear him from his holy heaven : even with the wholesome strength of his right hand.

7. Some put their trust in chariots, and some in horses : but we will remember the Name of the Lord our God.

8. They are brought down, and fallen : but we are risen, and stand upright.

9. Save, Lord and hear us, O King of heaven : when we call upon thee.

The Collect.

O LORD, we beseech thee to keep thy Church and household continually in thy true religion; that they who do lean only upon the hope of thy heavenly grace may evermore be defended by thy mighty power; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Old Testament Reading: Habakkuk 1.12-2.14

Psalter: Psalm 112

Epistle Reading: Colossians 3.12-17

Gospel Reading: St. Matthew 13.24-30

Homily: http://orderofcenturions.org/documents/epiphany5.html#homily

Personal Reflection: Since the Collect for the day is for Christ’s Church, which brought back to mind a piece I wrote in December 2012. This link will take you to the blog post. http://mphilliber.blogspot.com/2012/12/short-quick-thought-prayer-for-unity.html

Fifth Sunday after Trinity - 2014

The Fifth Sunday after Trinity.

Psalm 119.33-40

Legem pone

TEACH me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes : and I shall keep it unto the end.

34. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law : yea, I shall keep it with my whole heart.

35. Make me to go in the path of thy commandments : for therein is my desire.

36. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies : and not to covetousness.

37. O turn away mine eyes, lest they behold vanity : and quicken thou me in thy way.

38. O stablish thy word in thy servant : that I may fear thee.

39. Take away the rebuke that I am afraid of : for thy judgements are good.

40. Behold, my delight is in thy commandments : O quicken me in thy righteousness.

The Collect.

GRANT, O Lord, we beseech thee, that the course of this world may be so peaceably ordered by thy governance, that thy Church may joyfully serve thee in all godly quietness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Old Testament Reading: Ecclesiastes 2.1-23

Psalter: Psalm 21, 23 | 26, 27

Epistle Reading: 1 Peter 3.8-15a (15b-16)

Gospel Reading: St. Luke 5.1-11

Toon: “This Prayer is a Petition, an intense and rich petition which contains two strong verbs, each of which particularly belong to the vocabulary of traditional English prayer, public and private. The verb to grant is most appropriately used (a) by creatures when thinking of the relation of their beneficent Creator to human beings made in his image and after his likeness, and (b) by sinners when thinking of the relation of their gracious Redeemer to them as undeserving and without claims upon him, except the Name of Jesus Christ. Further, the verb to beseech is an appropriate form of asking by such creatures and sinners as they face their Lord. It suggests that they are bowing low before him in deep humility recognizing his Majesty. They come not as friends asking for a favour or for a loan. They come as weak and undeserving, but yet they come in the faith of Jesus Christ.

And what do sinners being saved by grace desire and hope God will grant in response to their beseeching? They deeply desire that by his providence as the Governor of the universe he will so guide events in space and time that the Church of God will be able not merely to serve the Lord her God as best she can, but that she will serve him joyfully and in a calm yet committed way.

The Church, as a school for weak sinners and a hospital for sick disciples, here prays that she will not be placed in a world of tribulation and persecution (which has often been her vocation), but that there will be civil peace. Further, that there will be peace within the Church herself, free from internal schism and controversy. In this situation she will be able, by his guidance and in his strength, to love and serve him with joy, exceeding great joy, and also with a quiet mind, a meditating and convinced mind. In other words, as it is expressed in the Lord’s Prayer, to do his will on earth as it is done in heaven, where there is perfect peace and joy.

Of course, each of us can personalize this prayer desiring that the circumstances of our lives make it possible for us to serve God joyfully and with a quiet mind!

This kind of praying is offered in the biblical, lectionary context of the apostle Peter saying to the Lord, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord, (Gospel) and the word of God telling us: The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open unto their prayers (Epistle)” (http://www.pbs.org.uk/the-bcp/fifth-sunday-after-trinity).

Fifth Sunday after Epiphany - 2014

The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany.

Psalm 20

Exaudiat te Dominus

THE Lord hear thee in the day of trouble : the Name of the God of Jacob defend thee;

2. Send thee help from the sanctuary : and strengthen thee out of Sion;

3. Remember all thy offerings : and accept thy burnt sacrifice;

4. Grant thee thy heart’s desire : and fulfil all thy mind.

5. We will rejoice in thy salvation, and triumph in the Name of the Lord our God : the Lord perform all thy petitions.

6. Now know I that the Lord helpeth his Anointed, and will hear him from his holy heaven : even with the wholesome strength of his right hand.

7. Some put their trust in chariots, and some in horses : but we will remember the Name of the Lord our God.

8. They are brought down, and fallen : but we are risen, and stand upright.

9. Save, Lord and hear us, O King of heaven : when we call upon thee.

The Collect.

O LORD, we beseech thee to keep thy Church and household continually in thy true religion; that they who do lean only upon the hope of thy heavenly grace may evermore be defended by thy mighty power; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Old Testament Reading: Habakkuk 1.12-2.14

Psalter: Psalm 112

Epistle Reading: Colossians 3.12-17

Gospel Reading: St. Matthew 13.24-30

Personal Reflection: The Westminster Confession of Faith (1649) rightly announces that outside the visible Church “there is no ordinary possibility of salvation” (25.2). It further notes that this “catholic Church hath been sometimes more, sometimes less visible. And particular Churches, which are members thereof, are more or less pure, according as the doctrine of the Gospel is taught and embraced, ordinances administered, and public worship performed more or less purely in them” (25.5). And finally, that the “purest Churches under heaven are subject both to mixture and error; and some have so degenerated, as to become no Churches of Christ, but synagogues of Satan. Nevertheless, there shall be always a Church on earth, to worship God according to His will” (25.6). The point of this rehearsal is that we are reminded, along with the Gospel reading and the Collect, that the Church, and our congregations, always need our prayers; specifically that God would keep her – his household – in the “true religion,” always leaning “upon the hope of” God’s “heavenly grace” and “defended by” God’s “mighty power.” A sober-minded glance over the Church scene in the 21^st Century reveals how true this is. Pray for Christ’s Church!

The Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity and the Commemoration of Saxa Ruba - 2013

The Twenty-second Sunday after Trinity.

Psalm 119.169-176

Appropinquet deprecatio

169. LET my complaint come before thee, O Lord : give me understanding, according to thy word.

170. Let my supplication come before thee : deliver me, according to thy word.

171. My lips shall speak of thy praise : when thou hast taught me thy statutes.

172. Yea, my tongue shall sing of thy word : for all thy commandments are righteous.

173. Let thine hand help me : for I have chosen thy commandments.

174. I have longed for thy saving health, O Lord : and in thy law is my delight.

175. O let my soul live, and it shall praise thee : and thy judgements shall help me.

176. I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost : O seek thy servant, for I do not forget thy commandments.

The Collect.

LORD, we beseech thee to keep thy household the Church in continual godliness; that through thy protection it may be free from all adversities, and devoutly given to serve thee in good works, to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Old Testament Reading: Numbers 20.14-29

Psalter: Psalm 123, 124, 125 | 136, 138

Epistle Reading: Philippians 1.3-11

Gospel Reading: St. Matthew 18.21-35

Barbee and Zahl: “…this Collect properly beseeches God for the godliness of the Church,  its protection from threat and disaster, and its ministry of devout service. ( . . . ) But there is a little more to it than that. The Church is the household of God (Ephesians 2:19). It is a family keeping company together. It is a family in operation, not theory. “Household” suggests activity, support, unity yet with plurality, focus yet variety; not oneness at the expense of manyness, nor manyness at the expense of oneness. Household suggests a clear direction yet with the necessary working on the part of all hands. We run parallel here with the somewhat more theological image of the Body of Christ. We receive from this Collect, then, a vision of the Christian Church as a oneness in motion and the manyness required for the ustaining of such motion. There is nothing static here, nor obdurate” (113).

27 October

The Victory at Saxa Ruba

Here is the link for the Collect and readings: http://orderofcenturions.org/ihsv.html