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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.

For a Heart Open to God’s Word

God, as you gave us the sun to lighten our days, so you have given us your Word to lighten our minds and our souls. I pray that you will pour out on me your Spirit as I pray today, that my heart and mind may be opened to your Word, and that I may learn and accept your will for my life.

Shine within my heart, loving God, the pure light of your divine knowledge; open the eyes of my mind and the ears of my heart to receive your Word, this day and always,

by Mason Barge

Prayer for Forgiveness

Almighty and most merciful Father, I have erred and strayed from your ways like a lost sheep. I have followed too much the devices and desires of my own heart. I have offended against your holy laws. I have left undone those things which I ought to have done; and I have done those things which I ought not to have done; and there is no good in me.

O Lord, have mercy upon me, a miserable sinner. Spare all those, O God, who confess their faults. Restore those who are penitent; according to your promises declared to us in Christ Jesus our Lord. And Grant that I and all who confess his holy name may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life; to his glory and not our own,

Adapted from the 1928 Anglican Book of Common Prayer

Saint Francis’ Prayer of Praise

You are holy, Lord, the only God,
and your deeds are wonderful.

You are strong;
You are great.
You are the Most High,
You are almighty,
You, holy Father, are
King of heaven and earth.

You are Three and One,
Lord God, all good.
You are Good, all Good, supreme Good,
Lord God, living and true.

You are love,
You are wisdom,
You are humility,
You are endurance.
You are rest,
You are peace.
You are joy and gladness.
You are justice and moderation.
You are all our riches,
And you suffice for us.

You are beauty,
You are gentleness.
You are our protector,
You are our guardian and defender,
You are courage.
You are our haven and our hope.

You are our faith,
Our great consolation.
You are our eternal life,
Great and wonderful Lord,
God Almighty,
Merciful savior.

(Saint) Francis of Assisi, ca. 1210

Blessing of Mark

O  Sovereign and almighty Lord, bless all your people, and all your flock. Give your peace, your help, and your love unto us your servants, the sheep of your fold, that we may be united in the bond of peace and love, one body and one spirit, in one hope of our calling, in your divine and boundless love.

From the Liturgy of Mark, 2d Century A.D.

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.

1 Corinthians 13:4-10 (NKJV)

Isaiah 51:17-23 (ESV)

God Promises Salvation for Zion

wake, awake, and stand, Jerusalem, which has drunk the cup of Jehovah's wrath. You have drunk the cup until you stagger, and drained it.

Among all the sons she has spawned, there is none to lead you; among all the sons that she has raised, none will take her by the hand.

You have received desolation and destruction have fallen, and who will moan for you? Both famine and the sword have come, and how can you be comforted?

Your sons have fainted and lie in the streets, like deer in a trap; they are full of the wrath of Jehovah, the rebuke of your God.

Therefore hear this, you afflicted, drunken with wine. Your Lord Jehovah speaks, your God who pleads the cause of his people. “Behold, I have taken the cup of staggering out of your hand, even the bowl filled by my wrath; you will drink it no more. I will put it instead into the hands of them that afflict you, that have said to your soul, 'Bow down, that we may pass by.' For you have put your back flat on ground, as flat as the street, to them that pass by you.”

Notes on the Scripture

In the 6th Century B.C., the Babylonians (under Nebuchadnezzar and his heirs) sacked Jerusalem, knocking down the walls, the houses and, most importantly, the Temple. Most of the prominent Israelites who survived were taken back to Babylonia in chains, to become slaves.

In Isaiah 51, the image of wine and the cup are used extensively: First, as an analogy for the general moral dissipation of the Hebrew people (which surely included excessive drunkenness); and Second, as a concrete metaphor for God's wrath. Drunkenness, which prostrates men with intoxication, and God's wrath, which lays men on their backs in death or fear of the conquering Babylonians, are both represented as drinking from a cup.

But Isaiah, the great prophet of the transition from the Old Testament to the coming of Christ, has many layers of meaning, and his message of hope to those “flat on their back” lives on today, in full force. Most of us have paid a price for our sins during our lives. In extreme cases, our lives seem to be permanently damaged. We lose our home or our job, we get divorced, we go to jail. We clog our arteries and wait in patience, trying not to feel the terror of the heart attack or stroke that will come. Our ability to withstand some temptation seems inadequate, and we feel doomed to continue sliding down a slope, for we do not have the strength to stop our fall.

Many are terrorized and controlled by other people. This can be especially acute outside the English-speaking world, but it can happen to anyone. And the victims are powerless to fight their oppressors.

But there is one who has such power, and that is God Almighty. He has the power and, as one person after another will testify, He will help if asked often enough and with conviction. Because His power is greater than that of sin; His power has overcome death itself.

God can and will help us if we ask him with sincere and steadfast hearts. It is true that good Christians are murdered or suffer gravely: we cannot know the mind of God. But person after person will testify to victory over a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, that came only after they began to ask for, and unwaveringly believe in, God's love and willingness to help us overcome our sin.

Christ Victorious by Christian St. Pierre (1992).

Daily Inspiration

“Earning a Passing Grade
from God”

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