Good morning. Today is the 21st of July, 2018. It's a Saturday. I'm Jacob, and this is Morning Prayer, right to you from the Episcopalian Book of Common Prayer.
It's a lovely morning prayer this morning. Jack and I are camping in the middle of the Adirondacks, and I am right now sitting at our campsite, which is right beside a stream on a fallen log covered in moss. There's a little fern growing right to my right. I've got my coffee, which I've brewed at home and brought in a mason jar.
So it's cold coffee, but still, I have my coffee. I'm by the stream, reading Morning Prayer. It's beautiful. You can probably also hear cars in the background, but hey, that's modern life, right?
So, good morning. We begin on page 78 of the Book of Common Prayer. The hour is coming, and now it is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. Dearly beloved, we have come together in the presence of Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, to set forth his praise, to hear his holy word, and to ask for ourselves and on behalf of others, those things that are necessary for our life and our salvation.
And so that we may prepare ourselves in heart and mind to worship him, let us kneel in silence and with penitent and obedient hearts confess our sins, that we may obtain forgiveness by his infinite goodness and mercy. Lord, open our lips, and our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Alleluia. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Come, let us adore him. Come, let us sing to the Lord, let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and raise a loud shout to him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the caverns of the earth, and the heights of the hills are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands have molded the dry land.
Come, let us bow down and bend the knee, and kneel before the Lord our Maker. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would hearken to his voice. The earth is the Lord's, for he made it.
Come, let us adore him. We will now read Psalms 30 and 32. Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?
Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me. O Lord, be my helper. You have turned my mourning into dancing. You have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.
O Lord, my God, I will give thanks to you forever. Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. While I kept silence, my body wasted away, through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me. My strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Therefore, let all who are faithful offer prayer to you. At a time of distress, the rush of mighty water shall not reach them. You are a hiding place for me. You preserve me from trouble.
You surround me with glad cries of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go. I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Do not be like a horse or a mule without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you.
Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it is now, was in the beginning, and will be forever. Amen.
We're reading from Joshua, Joshua chapter 6, verses 1 through 14. Now Jericho was shut up inside and out because of the Israelites. No one came out and no one went in. The Lord said to Joshua, See, I have handed Jericho over to you, along with its king and soldiers.
You shall march around the city, all the warriors circling the city once. Thus you shall do for six days, with seven priests bearing seven trumpets of ram's horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, the priests blowing the trumpets. When they make a long blast with the ram's horn, as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people will shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and all the people shall charge straight ahead.
So Joshua, son of Nun, summoned the priests and said to them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and have seven priests carry seven trumpets of ram's horns in front of the ark of the Lord. To the people who said, Go forward and march around the city. Have the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord. As Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of ram's horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them.
And the armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets. The rear guard came after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually. To the people Joshua gave this command, You shall not shout or let your voice be heard, nor shall you utter a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.
So the ark of the Lord went around the city, circling it once, and they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp. Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of ram's horns before the ark of the Lord passed on, blowing the trumpets continually. The armed men went before them, and the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets blew continually.
On the second day they marched around the city once, and then returned to the camp. They did this for six days. On the seventh day they rose early at dawn, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times.
And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Canticle 12 on page 88.
A Song of Creation Glorify the Lord, all your works of the Lord. Praise him and highly exalt him forever. In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord. Praise him and highly exalt him forever.
Glorify the Lord, whom angels and all powers of the Lord, O heavens and all waters above the heavens, sun and moon and stars of the sky, glorify the Lord. Praise him and highly exalt him forever. Glorify the Lord, every shower of rain and fall of dew, all winds and fire and heat. Winter and summer, glorify the Lord.
Praise him and highly exalt him forever. Glorify the Lord, O chill and cold, drops of dew and flakes of snow, frost and cold, ice and sleet, glorify the Lord. Praise him and highly exalt him forever. Glorify the Lord, O nights and days, O shining light and unfolding dark.
Storm clouds and thunderbolts, Let us glorify the Lord, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, praise Him and highly exalt Him forever. In the firmament of His power, glorify the Lord, praise Him, and highly exalt Him forever. A reading from Romans, Romans chapter 13, verses 1 through 7. For the authorities are God's servants, busy with this very thing.
Pay to all what is due them, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Canticle 19 on page 94.
O ruler of the universe, Lord God, great deeds are they that you have done, surpassing human understanding. Your ways are ways of righteousness and truth, O king of all the ages. Who can fail to do you homage, Lord, and sing the praises of your name? For you only are the Holy One.
All nations will draw near and fall down before you, because your just and holy works have been revealed. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Glory to you, Lord Christ. Matthew chapter 26, verses 26 through 35. While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it, he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body. Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day, when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, You will all become deserters because of me this night. For it is written, I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.
But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee. Peter said to him, Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you. Jesus said to him, Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times. Peter said to him, Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.
And so said all the disciples. The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Christ. Let us say together the Apostles' Creed on page 96.
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead. On the third day, he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The Lord be with you, and also with you. Let us pray.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen. Savior, we're using, um, prayer set B.
Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance. Govern and uphold them, now and always. Day by day we bless you, and we praise your name forever. Lord, keep us from all sin today.
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy. Lord, show us your love and mercy, for we put our trust in you. In you, Lord, is our hope, and we shall never hope in vain. Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all your works and sanctified a day of rest for all your creatures, grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared for the service of your sanctuary, and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Almighty and everlasting God, by whose spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified, receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you, for all members of your holy church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you. Through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen. Prayer 62 on page 833, followed by prayer 61 on 832. Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us so love.
Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is discord, union. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen. Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to thee, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly thine, utterly dedicated unto thee, and then use us, we pray thee, as thou wilt, and always do thy glory and the welfare of thy people. Through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
All right, here's my thoughts on today's selections. Psalms 30 and 32, continued imagery. This is what I see in it today, because what I see in the readings, I can read the same reading, different days, and see different things, right? And I do try, as I said before, to put on my Holy Spirit lenses and allow him to show me what I need to see for each day, for God gives us what we need, right?
So anyway, Psalms 30 and 32 speak to a continued message that the Lord has delivered and will deliver. And here we have again an image of the Lord as a parent, which I think is the psalmist's way of understanding God, right? So the closest parallel he can find is a good parent, who, although sometimes angry and frustrated with their child, the consistent and enduring, not just feeling, but approach, attitude, basis, foundation of the relationship is love. Joshua, the importance of ritual.
And not, I believe anyway, not ritual as a magic thing that is going to give us what we want if we enter all the pieces into the formula and say the spells right and put the right combination of ingredients in at the right time. No, I think timing is important, but I think the importance of ritual is that it builds a sort of spiritual muscle memory and taps into what... what... the Ignatians would call the universal Christ, or at the very least Tiard would call it the universal Christ.
I'm probably saying his name, sorry. But at any rate, that which is greater than us, that which is enduring, that which has been passed down from century to century and mouth to mouth and believer to believer, and that for me at least is the importance of ritual. It is beautiful, it is enduring, it is strong and foundational, and it is a bedrock on which we plant our seed and sprout from. So ritual is empty when we don't become fully involved and interactive with it, but ritual is very powerful when we are involved and interactive.
Timing is also important. I think that the reading from Joshua speaks to that, that this sounds simplistic, but it's so hard to practice, right? There are times to be silent, and there are times to shout, and that has a lot of different meanings. The reading from Romans, man, this is another tough one.
It's another often abused passage, right? I've heard this taken to mean everything from don't talk back to your boss, even when he's insane, to wives, submit to your husband, so you're linking those two passages together. Anything regarding submission to authority, right? And again, I think it's abused.
I think the bottom line here is that this passage is not talking about blind obedience or fellowship. It's talking about honor where honor is due, taxes where taxes are due, paying what is due. No good leader, I'm just going to go ahead and say this. I mean, it's kind of an absolute, and we generally try to stay away from those, but no good leader wants to be blindly followed.
No leader wants to be the emperor that's not wearing any clothes and nobody's telling them. A good leader wants to be followed wisely by mindful followers who are also partners. So I would caution that we not abuse this to mean blind followership even in the face of an evil or despotic or ungodly leader. I don't think that's the point.
That being said, I think there is a point here that even though we were followers of God and followers of God first, we also obey the just rules of our society, right? We don't speed because it's unsafe. We pay our taxes because they are the funds on which our society functions. I do not believe that it's godly to say, I'm going to choose to not pay my taxes and I'm going to give that money to my church instead.
There is an aspect of obedience to our civil law when that law is just and right. And I know that's another tricky and slippery slope, but when the law is unjust and when it's not right, we have an equal responsibility to raise the alarm, to speak up for social justice in this day and age. And I could really go down that rabbit hole, but I will just leave it there. It is our right and our responsibility to speak up when our leaders are making decisions that are unjust and unrighteous and abusive.
Just as much as it's our duty and responsibility to follow them. And that, again, it's a tricky line to walk. I like the way Bernice Brown says, speak truth to bullshit, but do it civilly. I think that applies to yesterday's readings too.
We must speak truth, but we must do it in a way that is civil. And we must love even those we disagree with and honor those to whom honor is due and respect those to whom respect is due even when we disagree with them. And all of that being said, love above all is our greatest commandment. And if we are following in a way that is not expressing love for all of God's children, then we better stop and take a hard look at it.
The Gospel reading. So again, speaking of ritual, this is the beginning of a beautiful ritual, the beginning of communion. And I think of this every time we celebrate communion in my church, especially because my amazing and beautiful son is normally at the altar participating in that celebration. And he's very expressive, shall we say.
So every day it's kind of a show and it helps it not become mundane. But speaking of being fully involved, pardon me, in the ritual, that's so important here. And when I think about this first time when the disciples didn't know what was coming, and Jesus welcomed them into community with himself. And I think, in my personal opinion, he was trying to let them know that we don't always know how we're going to react when we come up against it, when the time comes.
And he was going to let them know that they were going to act in a way that they would feel very badly for, to put it very, very lightly later. And that he loved and forgave them. He knew what was coming. And he forgave them.
And they didn't have the foresight of themselves that he did. The question that comes to mind here is predestination or foreknowledge? I believe foreknowledge. A little bit tricky to wrap one's mind around, but still.
And forgive me for kind of rushing through, but we have some hiking and some swimming in a beautiful lake to do. And a bit of a drive to where we get cell service so that I can check in. Not with my social media followers, but with my workplace. So at any rate, thank you very much for listening.
Let's continue on with morning prayer and wrap it up with the general thanksgiving on page 101. Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we, your unworthy servants, give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life. But above all, for your immeasurable love and redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, for the means of grace and the hope of glory.
And we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, with truly thankful heart to may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to your service and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, to whom with you in the Holy Spirit be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen. Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you.
And you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his name, you will be in the midst of them. Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us, granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God. Glory to God, whose power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to him from generation to generation in the church, and in Christ Jesus forever and ever. Amen.
We live without fear, for our Creator has made us holy, has always protected us, and loves us as a good mother loves her children. We go now in peace to follow the good road, and may God's blessing be with us always. Amen.