Prayer & Praise: 01/09/2022
First Sunday of Epiphany
COLLECT
Eternal Father, at the baptism of Jesus you revealed him to be your Son, and your Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove: Grant that we, who are born again by water and the Spirit, may be faithful as your adopted children; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
ISAIAH 42:1-9
Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.
Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people on it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations,
to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.
Behold, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth
I tell you of them.”
PSALM 84
How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.
O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob!
Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed!
For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!
ACTS 10:34-38
So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
LUKE 3:15-22
As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.
Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Requesting prayer
Praying, my friend…
I prayed for you Reuben.
“He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.”
Reading this again this morning. Complete polar opposite of American Christianity
Thanks Reuben. One of my fav passages…a bruised reed he will not break.
Reuben
Remembered you in Morning Prayer…
I appreciate it Duane. I’m not kidding, I need some intervention here. I have been crushed, and believe god has ordained it. For what purpose, I don’t know yet, but I wish I did
Can’t shake the feeling I have been called on the carpet, which is fine, but I no longer have the strength to battle your god, so he/she/it needs to just make the intentions known
Give me Romans walk, anyone, and we are gonna fight
Lord have mercy on Reuben, please.
Father, in the Name of your beloved Son, Jesus, grant dear Reuben the strength and wisdom he needs now…..
My daughter is taking an old rescue cat in to the vet to be put down… She is a cat lover, so it will be a long 30 mile drive. We made the decision to have Mr. Higgens. cremated as 4′ of snow precludes a burial now
Remember this dear girl in your prayers? Thank you…
God keep
Love and prayers your way Reuben.
Em,
My heart is with your daughter…
Reuben…still praying…He’s for you, not against you…
Daughter home. She said that they gave Mr. Higgens a sedative, he put his head on his paws and started purring – something my daughter hadn’t heard in a long time. But she had to leave the room when they put him into his final sleep.
For those who gave her prayer cover, thank you so much. Two hours later now and she’s going to be okay. His former owner (had to sell his home to pay for medical care) is now reunited with his little grey friend, perhaps. Hope so
Praying for you Reuben. Praying for better things for you!
Rebuen..my husband and I are praying for you. God is walking with you through this and loves you more than you, or many of us, know. He is for you.
Em, I read the prayer request too late to offer prayers, but understand what your daughter went through. Saying good bye to our animal companions is heart-wrenching.