Morning Devotional

Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.

"For Each New Morning"

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
I thank thee.


(From a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Prayer for Family and Friends

Blessed are You, loving Father, For all your gifts to us. Blessed are You for giving us family and friends To be with us in times of joy and sorrow, To help us in days of need, And to rejoice with us in moments of celebration.

Father, We praise You for Your Son Jesus, Who knew the happiness of family and friends, And in the love of Your Holy Spirit. Blessed are you for ever and ever.

Benediction

May the Passion of Christ be ever in my heart. May your law and your goodness guide my every thought, O Lord. And may the power of your Holy Spirit flow through my words and my actions.

Walk with me, so that I may not be alone as I face this day, but always in your presence. Your joy is a lighthouse in a world often dark with sin, and I pray that I may inspire others as I have been inspired. In the name of Christ, bless me this day, and all who I may meet.

Psalm 115:11-15

Ecclesiasticus 44:1-7 (King James)

Let Us Now Praise Famous Men

Let us now praise famous men, and our fathers that begat us.

The Lord hath wrought great glory by them through his great power from the beginning.

Such as did bear rule in their kingdoms, men renowned for their power, giving counsel by their understanding, and declaring prophecies:

Leaders of the people by their counsels, and by their knowledge of learning meet for the people, wise and eloquent are their instructions:

Such as found out musical tunes, and recited verses in writing:

Rich men furnished with ability, living peaceably in their habitations:

All these were honoured in their generations, and were the glory of their times.

There be of them, that have left a name behind them, that their praises might be reported.

And some there be, which have no memorial; who are perished, as though they had never been; and are become as though they had never been born; and their children after them.

But these were merciful men, whose righteousness hath not been forgotten.

With their seed shall continually remain a good inheritance, and their children are within the covenant.

Notes on the Scripture

Ecclesiasticus is also called "Sirach" or "Wisdom of Jesus son of Sirach". It is part of the canon in the Catholic and Orthodox Bibles, and was included in the Anglican Bible for centuries, but is part of the Apocrypha in most Protestant denominations. Even so, its content is not objectionable to most Christians. Like Proberbs, it is a book of wisdom, but unlike proverbs, it is not simply a collection of short aphorisms. Rather, it is a long and profound book of startling beautiful, provoking, and often Messianic (that is, foretelling the coming of Christ) poetry.

Today's passage is one of the most beautiful and meaningful passages of poetry in the Bible. I have presented the King James version; despite the archaic language, nobody translator has since equalled it in beauty and depth.

Read it over and over, until you feel like you fully understand it. There is not much need for textual comment. It is an homage to the men and women who have led productive and even great lives, who are responsible for so much that we have today, but whose names have been forgotten.