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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.

Prayer at Daybreak (by Archimandrite Sophronios)

O  Lord Eternal and Creator of all things, who with your unknowable goodness called me to this life; I have no life, no light, no joy or wisdom, no strength except in you, O God. I entreat you, teach me to pray aright. Purify me from all taint of flesh and spirit. Bless this day which you give to me, your unworthy servant.

By the power of your blessing enable me, throughout this day, to speak and act to your glory with a pure spirit, with humility, patience, love, gentleness, peace, courage and wisdom. Let me be always aware of your presence. By the power of your love, grant me to hold fast to that which is good. Preserve me from every word or deed that corrupts the soul; from every impulse unpleasing in your sight and hurtful to my fellow man, my brothers and sisters.

This in Christ's name, I pray,

Meditation

[I have no wisdom except in God.]

Prayer of Thanks

For the gladness here where the sun is shining at evening on the weeds at the river,
Our prayer of thanks.
For the laughter of children who tumble barefooted and bareheaded in the summer grass,
Our prayer of thanks.
For the sunset and the stars, the women and the copper arms that hold us,
Our prayer of thanks.

God, the game is all your way, the secrets and the signals and the system; and so for the break of the game and the first play and the last.
Our prayer of thanks.

from Our Prayer of Thanks by Carl Sandburg

Benediction

Now unto him that is able to keep me from falling, and to present me faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.

Think of the day ahead in terms of God with you, and visualize health, strength, guidance, purity, calm confidence, and victory as the gifts of His presence.

My Cup Runneth Over by Craig Singleton, contemporary.

Duties

1 Timothy 1:15-16, 3:1-3; 4:4; 6:5-9 (ESV)

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.

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The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer [also translated “bishop”, “elder”, and “pastor”] he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.

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For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

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But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.

Notes on the Scripture

Overview of the New Testament: The Epistles
10. Paul's First Epistle to Timothy

This is the first of Paul's pastoral epistles — letters written to individuals who had some authority in a church, about how to discharge their obligations.

Timothy, the son of a Jewish mother and Greek father, is first encountered in Acts 16. He became Paul's student and protégé. He was apparently an able student, because Paul left him in charge of the church at Ephesus: the first chapter of 1 Timothy encourages him to stay there, as it was an important church but under constant pressure from aberrant teachers. The date of the letter remains a mystery, although it had to be fairly late in Paul's known life.

Ch. 1) In the first chapter, Paul writes some personal notes, especially concerning Christ's mercy to even the worst of sinners, if they repent and take up a new life. He recounts his own sinful life before his conversion as a case-study, but he comes down hard on those who seem to accept Christ, yet do not follow the Gospel. He also speaks to the continuing vitality of the Mosaic law as a guideline for Christian morality.

Ch. 2) The remaining five chapters create a virtual rulebook for the organization and administration of post-apostolic churches. Chapter two treats general matters of Christian worship: the importance of leading a peaceful and humble life and praying in thanksgiving and petition, without quarreling or anger. Paul admonishes women to worship in modest attire, without pearls and gold, but clothed with good works, and to learn quietly.

Ch. 3) The leaders and “deacons” (servants) of a church must be “above reproach”: men of mature faith, both internally pious and externally good examples of clean living. Paul mentions a number of disqualifying factors: A violent nature, greediness, divorce or adultery, drunkenness, and conceit. They must be generally well-respected and good teachers, and if married, their household must be well-managed.

Ch. 4) Paul admonishes Timothy himself — and by extension, leaders in other churches — to hold fast to the plain established truths of the Gospel, constantly training himself in godliness, and avoiding the myriad myths and sects that were springing up. Paul specifically speaks of false teachings about forbidding marriage or abstaining from certain foods, the hallmarks of a branch of Gnosticism called “Encratism”; so we might infer that early Encratic teachers were spreading their doctrine in Ephesus.

Ch. 5) Paul gives instructions about the treatment of members, which could largely be summed up in “be kind to all”. Older widows must be taken care of, although the younger ones should remarry or care for the older women, so that they are not idle. Those who persist in sin, however, must be rebuked.

Ch. 6) Paul continues at length about holding fast to sound teaching and faith. He advises that everyone should be happy with modest wealth and not seek after riches; the rich should not succumb to pride in their wealth, but put their faith in Christ and good works. This chapter has the famous quote, “Love of money is the root of all evil” (although most Bibles now translate it a bit differently).

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