I will listen to what the Lord God is saying,
for he is speaking peace to his faithful people and to those who turn their hearts to him. Psalm 85:8
Tieoplo Sky
Tiepolo Clouds
Thursday, March 31, 2011
John Donne, Priest and Poet 1573-1631
Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul?And why are you so disquieted within me?
Put your trust in God, for I will give thanks to him who is the help of my countenance and my God. Psalm 42:5-6
We thinke that Paradise and Calvarie,
Christ’s Crosse, and Adam’s tree, stood in one place;
Looke, Lord, and find both Adams met in me;
As the first Adam’s sweat surrounds my face
May the last Adam’s blood my soul embrace.
John Donne
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tuesday
Look forward,
not backward,
for God gives
life to the dead
and calls
into existence
the things that
do not exist.
Taken from Jeremiah 7:24 and Romans 4:17
Monday, March 28, 2011
John Keble, priest and poet (1792-1866)
New every morning is the love, our waking and uprising prove;
Through sleep and darkness safely brought, restored to life and power and thought.
New mercies each returning day,
around us hover while we pray;
new perils past, new sins forgiven,
new thoughts of God, new hopes of heaven.
If on our daily course, our mind
be set to hallow all we find,
new treasures still, of countless price,
God will provide for sacrifice.
Old friends, old scenes will lovelier be
as more of heaven in each we see;
some softening gleam of love and prayer
shall dawn on every cross an dcare.
The trivial round, the common task, will furnish all we ought to ask, room to deny ourselves, a road
to lead us daily nearer God.
Only, O Lord, in thy dear love,
fit us for perfect rest above;
and help us this and every day,
to live more nearly as we pray.
John Keble
To hear the tune , go to http://hymnal.oremus.org/ Go to FIrst line Index, put in an N, then push Search go down til you hit the first line., and enter. Voila! The miracles of modern technology.... Not a choir of angels but the tune, which I love and luckily the 1982 Hymnal didn't screw up! :)
Sunday, March 27, 2011
The Third Sunday in Lent
God
raised the Lord
and will also
raise you by
his power.
You were
bought
with a price,
therefore,
glorify Christ
in your body.
I Corinthians 6:14, 20
You know we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves... Keep us both outwardly and inwardly.... Collect for the day
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Saturday Evening Prayer
The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom then should I be afraid? Psalm 27:1b
Friday, March 25, 2011
The Feast of the Annunciation to The Blessed Virgin Mary by the Angel Gabriel
Truth
has
sprung up
from the earth
and
righteousness
has
looked down
from heaven.
Annunciation Antiphon on Psalm 85
I’m up and at ‘em early - too many of those this week - on a drizzly morning, but taking a friend to get a fasting blood draw. Being the Feast of the Annunciation I wanted to get a verse and post it. So I looked up the story (it’s only in Luke -startling, though I Must have known that!) and I chose something appropriate to the day.
But the Little Voice whispered gently- “Do you chose a verse or is it a gift?” So I went in to see what there was, and this antiphon just about knocked me over. I have used The Prayer Book Daily Office, and so have read this antiphon, since before 1989, but I had never in my life really “gotten” the antiphon itself before - this day, TOday, truth has sprung UP from the earth, Righteousness had looked DOWN form heaven and the two have met in Mary and, to quote John, "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." And to top it off, it’s in the past tense! Have met, It’s done, whereas in the psalm itself, it is still a future promise. Now there’s the verse!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
James DeKoven, Priest 1855 - 1879
I will dwell in your house for ever; For you, O God, have heard my vows
Psalm 61:4a,5a
James DeKoven was nominated Bishop of Wisconsin 1874 and of Illinois in 1875. Because of his churchmanship and his support of “ritual” in the church (vestments, candles...) which was controversial at he time, consent was not given for his consecration.
I think he looks a little like George! Hemingway whose ordination anniversary is on Friday, don't you?
Monday, March 21, 2011
Thomas Cranmer, July 2, 1489- March 21, 1556
The
Lord
is...a
great
King
above
all
gods
gods
The Venite
I laughed when, after getting my verse today, I saw that the feast is Thomas Cranmer. Hew was consecrated the 69th Archbishop of Canterbury in 1533 and, that same year, annulled the marriage of Henry VIII from Catherine of Aragon so he could marry Anne Bolyn (wife #2. Of 6.) And so began the final stages of the Church IN England becoming the Church OF England, from whom we have sprung.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
The Second Sunday in Lent
The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world and all who dwell therein. For it is he who founded it upon the sea...
Psalm 24, 1, 2a
Saturday, March 19, 2011
St Joseph
The Lord
is glorious
in his
saints.
Come,
let us
adore him.
adore him.
Major Saints day antiphon on the Venite
Friday, March 18, 2011
St Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, circa 315-March 18, 368
Great things are they that you have done, for me, O Lord, my God!
how great your wonders and your plans for us! Psalm 40:5a
These guys are never as far away from us as we think.
The current book of "Holy Women, Holy Men..." says that St Cyril is the one we have most to thank for the development of catechetical instruction. I looked it up just to be sure and catechetical means of or relating to religious instruction given to a person in preparation for Christian baptism or confirmation. And since St David’s has a huge class of baptisands and confirmands and people being received by the Bishop into the Anglican Communion this week-end, there has been a great deal of catechesis going on. Makes me think that Cyril is smiling happily.
We also have Cyril to thanks for the liturgical observances during Lent and Holy Week, In fact, his thought has "greatly enriched the observance of Holy Week in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer."
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Tuesday Vespers
We have waited
in silence
on your
loving-kindness,
O God,
in the midst
of your temple.
Psalm 48:8
Monday, March 14, 2011
Monday of the First Week in Lent
Take
care
that
you
do
not
forget
the
Lord
your
God
by
failing
to
keep
his commandments Deuteronomy 8:11
At first I was going to leave out the last part which in fact goes on to include not just keeping God’s commandments, but “his ordinances and his statutes” as well. Felt a little heavy on the OBEDIENCE theme. And then, as I sat with it, it occurred to me that "taking care not to forget God" is not just a matter of the mind, of thinking fond thoughts, but is a remembering by DOING, of my actions. If I DO take care to remember God, I WILL keep the commandments - I won’t hate or kill of covet. Or at least I will be less likely to do so....
A very astute reflection Bill
A very astute reflection Bill
I try to stay away from heavy OBEY GOD OR ELSE stuff because it seems that it has so distorted the main message. There's really no getting around the fact that you do need to do what God wants you to do but it seems to me that it flows out of the relationship rather than coming first and being crammed down the throat ... It''s like a spousal relationship where you do certain things because you love the person no tin OREDER for them to love you. I have a friend who’s a recovering alcoholic and a great friend of God (now) says by the time he was 12 he knew he was going to hell, so what's the use. Where is the Good News of God’s saving love in that!?
That’s true and St. Paul does mention the freedom of the children of God wherein we are not constrained but obey out of love. Then there is always: love God and do what you will. A famous phrase which remains true.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Sunday
Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For Jews demand signs and Greeks demand wisdom,
but we proclaim Christ crucified Corinthians 1:20,22
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Saturday Prayer
The Lord grants his loving-kindness in the daytime; in the night season his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.
Psalm 42:10
Friday, March 11, 2011
Friday
Grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life
and peace.
and peace.
Friday Morning Prayer Collect
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Ash Wednesday
In your great goodness, O Lord, you have promised forgiveness to sinners, that they ay repent of their sin and be saved.
Canticle 14
It’s like I have never read Jonah 3:1-4:11 on Ash Wednesday until today. I have loved bits and pieces of it... I love the irony of: “A second time the word of the Lord came to Jonah saying Get up and go to Nineveh.. and he got up and went.” Well, I guess so! I have workers coming today to put in carpet and vinyl and I did my prayers sitting in the torn apart room. All that is as usual is my rocker with my little book table which will also soon need to be moved. It’s such a familiar story, I thought I’d just zip through it. And then it was all new! Unfortunately, all AHA moments, when reduced to words, leave even me feeling: Yea, so? But I’ll try. As I said, I’ve read it, but somehow today what was new was that Nineveh never would have been saved without Jonah’s obedient - if reluctant - preaching and witness (Which doesn’t seem AHA at all but quite obvious) - a fact which he seems to have missed entirely because he’s so caught up in himself. He’s like a toddler yelling “I told you so, I told you so!” It was because of him and Thorough his actions that they were enabled to hear the Word and repent and God, in his great goodness, saved. We think we know God and what he should do and how he should do it - and he should really spare us the trouble because He’s going to save after all! But it is only through our efforts that it comes, which is quite glorious, actually, If I can get out of the way long enough to see it. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith..."Consider him... so that we may not grow weary or lose heart.." (Hebrews 12:1-3)
Maybe next time I hear “Get up and go” I’ll go the first time and leave the results to God.
Maybe next time I hear “Get up and go” I’ll go the first time and leave the results to God.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Perpetua and her Companions, Martyred under the Emperor Septimius Severus at Carthage in north Africa in 202
Lead me in your truth, O Lord, and teach me. Antiphon: Psalm 25
Sunday, March 6, 2011
The Last Sunday after the Epiphany
grant that we may be strengthened to bear our cross and be changed into his likeness
Collect of the day
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Saturday #1
Some put
their trust
in chariots,
and some
in horses,
But we
will call upon
the Name
of the Lord
our God.
Psalm 22:7
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