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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 for the Morning

You usher in another day, untouched and freshly new, So here I come to ask You God, if You'll renew me too.

Forgive the many errors, Lord, that I made yesterday, And let me try again, dear God, to walk close in Thy way.

But Father, I'm aware that I can't make it on my own. So take my hand and hold it tight, for I can't walk alone.

Prayer for Family and Friends

Blessed are You, loving Father, For all your gifts to me and those close to me. 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, I 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

0 Lord, support me all the day long of this troublous life, until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over and my work is done. Then of Thy mercy, grant me a safe lodging, and a holy rest and a peace at last through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

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.

Proverbs 10:25

Acts 10:1-8 (ESV)

Peter and Cornelius

At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, "Cornelius."

And he stared at him in terror and said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea."

When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

Notes on the Scripture

Caesarea was the capital of Roman Judea. There were, of course, Roman troops in it to protect the officials, and Cornelius was one of them. A cohort (one-tenth of a legion) had about 600 men, and a centurion (which comes from the Latin root for "100", e.g. "century") was the head of 100 of them.

Cohorts were named for the place they were recruited — foreign soldiers usually served in units designated "auxiliary" — so one might expect that Cornelius would be Italian. Indeed, it would make sense that the capital would be guarded by men the prefect Pontius Pilate could trust. Being called Italian rather than Roman, they would have been from outside Rome itself, perhaps men trying to become citizens, or draftees, or simply poor s trying to make a career.

Cornelius, was probably not Jewish, even though he was described as devout — Peter will later treat him as unclean. Religious belief, however, could be as odd then as now. Cornelius must have assimilated some of the beliefs and practices of Judaism.

As has happened before, Cornelius was given information he did not know by an angel: the exact location of Peter. He was chosen by God for a purpose, because he was reverent and faithful to the God of the Jews. The angel also gave him a mission. We suspect this will involve the spread of the Gospel, but it will make for a colorful story in the next few lessons.

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