LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.
Psalm 26:8
A Psalm of Ascent
Psalm 132
Memento, Domine
LORD, remember David, * and all his trouble:
2 How he sware unto the LORD, * and vowed a vow unto the Almighty God of Jacob:
3 I will not come within the tabernacle of mine house, * nor climb up into my bed;
4 I will not suffer mine eyes to sleep, nor mine eyelids to slumber; * neither the temples of my head to take any rest;
5 Until I find out a place for the temple of the LORD; * an habitation for the Mighty God of Jacob.
6 Lo, we heard of the same at Ephratah, * and found it in the wood.
7 We will go into his tabernacle, * and fall low on our knees before his footstool.
8 Arise, O LORD, into thy resting-place; * thou, and the ark of thy strength.
9 Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; * and let thy saints sing with joyfulness.
10 For thy servant David's sake, * turn not away the face of thine anointed.
11 The LORD hath made a faithful oath unto David, * and he shall not shrink from it:
12 Of the fruit of thy body * shall I set upon thy throne.
13 If thy children will keep my covenant, and my testimonies that I shall teach them; * their children also shall sit upon thy throne for evermore.
14 For the LORD hath chosen Sion to be an habitation for himself; * he hath longed for her.
15 This shall be my rest for ever: * here will I dwell, for I have a delight therein.
16 I will bless her victuals with increase, * and will satisfy her poor with bread.
17 I will deck her priests with health, * and her saints shall rejoice and sing.
18 There shall I make the horn of David to flourish: * I have ordained a lantern for mine anointed.
19 As for his enemies, I shall clothe them with shame; * but upon himself shall his crown flourish.
(USA, The Book of Common Prayer, 1928)
Collect
Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings, with thy most gracious favour, and further us with thy continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify thy holy Name, and finally, by thy mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
from “Collects,” The Book of Common Prayer (USA, 1928)
Lesson (from Morning Prayer, BCP 1928)
Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
Then the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in."
So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant of the LORD and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it." And he ordered the people, "Advance! March around the city, with the armed guard going ahead of the ark of the LORD…."
So he had the ark of the LORD carried around the city, circling it once. Then the people returned to camp and spent the night there….
So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.
On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city! The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury."
When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city.
Joshua 6:1-7, 11, 14-20 (NIV)
From the Great Litany
O God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth;
Have mercy upon us.
O God the Son, Redeemer of the world;
Have mercy upon us.
O God the Holy Ghost, Sanctifier of the faithful;
Have mercy upon us.
O holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, one God;
Have mercy upon us.
Remember not, Lord, our offences, nor the offences of our forefathers; neither take thou vengeance of our sins: Spare us, good Lord, spare thy people, whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood, and be not angry with us for ever.
Spare us, good Lord.
From all evil and mischief; from sin; from the crafts and assaults of the devil; from thy wrath, and from everlasting damnation,
Good Lord, deliver us.
From all blindness of heart; from pride, vainglory, and hypocrisy; from envy, hatred, and malice, and all uncharitableness,
Good Lord, deliver us.
From all inordinate and sinful affections; and from all the deceits of the world, the flesh, and the devil,
Good Lord, deliver us.
From lightning and tempest; from earthquake, fire, and flood; from plague, pestilence, and famine; from battle and murder, and from sudden death,
Good Lord, deliver us.
From all sedition, privy conspiracy, and rebellion; from all false doctrine, heresy, and schism; from hardness of heart, and contempt of thy Word and Commandment,
Good Lord, deliver us....
Second Lesson (from Evening Prayer, BCP 1928)
In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before; so the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart."
I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?"
The king said to me, "What is it you want?"
Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it."
Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, "How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?" It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.
I also said to him, "If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king's forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?" And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.
Nehemiah 2:1-8 (NIV)
Third Lesson (from Evening Prayer, BCP 1928)
When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.
In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.
They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said,
"You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun."
Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.
Acts 12:25-13:12 (NIV)
A Meditation
And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
Even after the Holy Spirit had revealed that the believers were to set aside Paul and Barnabas, they still waited on the Lord. After God had revealed to Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour, the people—for six days—waited on the Lord. Nehemiah was asked by the king for an answer to what troubled him, and he waited on the Lord—So I prayed to the God of heaven—before answering. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
May God grant us the grace to wait upon Him.
A Heritage Reflection
Christian! dost thou see them
On the holy ground,
How the powers of darkness
Rage thy steps around?
Christian, up and smite them,
Counting gain but loss;
In the strength that cometh
By the holy cross.
Christian! dost thou feel them,
How they work within,
Striving, tempting, luring,
Goading into sin?
Christian! never tremble;
Never be downcast;
Gird thee for the battle,
Watch and pray and fast.
Christian! dost thou hear them,
How they speak thee fair?
“Always fast and vigil?
Always watch and prayer?”
Christian, answer boldly:
“While I breathe I pray!”
Peace shall follow battle,
Night shall end in day.
“Well I know thy trouble,
O my servant true;
Thou art very weary,
I was weary, too;
But that toil shall make thee
Some day all Mine own,
At the end of sorrow
Shall be near my throne.”
St. Andrew of Crete (c. 650-740?)
Translated by John Mason Neale (1818-1866)
from The Hymnal Revised and Enlarged as Adopted by the General Convention of The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America in the Year of Our Lord 1892
Translated by John Mason Neale (1818-1866)
from The Hymnal Revised and Enlarged as Adopted by the General Convention of The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America in the Year of Our Lord 1892
5 comments:
I discovered in an English novel (pre-Victorian) that 'wait upon' meant to honor the person by calling upon him at his home, to humble yourself by presenting yourself at the door, then 'waiting upon' the host to acknowledge and honor you with his presence, allow him to refresh you from your journey, provide the best of his hospitality, from his riches of food, drink, music, conversation...all meant for the benefit and delight of the caller.
The Psalms say our souls should wait upon God alone, look to God alone for our needs and help, and yeild ourselves (an act of submission and worship) to God alone.
Georgia, I think you are on to something powerful.
As I fasted and prayed yesterday, the Bible lesson from Luke 5:27ff kept provoking thoughts about "Great Banquet" and, of course, "wine." Jesus - His Gospel and Kingdom - are the "new wine" - He is the host on who we wait in humble submission and hopeful expectation.
And He is most gracious - he went to the "great banquet" thrown by Levi and the other repentant sinners.
Last night my wife and I stumbled into Proverbs 9, including:
2 She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table.
3 She has sent out her maids, and she calls from the highest point of the city.
4 "Let all who are simple come in here!" she says to those who lack judgment.
The new wine is for those who are "simple" - those who don't know what God is about but to whom God calls with an offer of new life.
And of course there will be resistance - those who prefer familiar "old wine" and don't accept the invite. Jesus would tell a parable of a great banquet, with "wine poured", which many invited people declined because they were busy with worldly things.
I'm rambling, but what I'm hearing for GAFCON is God's call to do Christ's work - to offer the "new wine", and to sit graciously among those who receive it by repentance. Also, to realize that there will be many who reject the new wine and stay with old stuff.
Will's meditation on "waiting" speaks to our need to humbly present ourselves to Christ and delight in his provision. Also, it points to our duty to patiently guide those who are coming to Christ - if we try to pour new wine into their old skins, we will fail. But if we sit among them as did Jesus with Levi's friends, we will be doing Christ's work.
One should read ALL of Proverbs 9 for a fuller understanding;
Proverbs 9
Invitations of Wisdom and of Folly
1 Wisdom has built her house;
she has hewn out its seven pillars.
2 She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.
3 She has sent out her maids, and she calls
from the highest point of the city.
4 "Let all who are simple come in here!"
she says to those who lack judgment.
5 "Come, eat my food
and drink the wine I have mixed.
6 Leave your simple ways and you will live;
walk in the way of understanding.
7 "Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult;
whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse.
8 Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you;
rebuke a wise man and he will love you.
9 Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still;
teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.
10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For through me your days will be many,
and years will be added to your life.
12 If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you;
if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer."
13 The woman Folly is loud;
she is undisciplined and without knowledge.
14 She sits at the door of her house,
on a seat at the highest point of the city,
15 calling out to those who pass by,
who go straight on their way.
16 "Let all who are simple come in here!"
she says to those who lack judgment.
17 "Stolen water is sweet;
food eaten in secret is delicious!"
18 But little do they know that the dead are there,
that her guests are in the depths of the grave. [a]
Footnotes:
Proverbs 9:18 Hebrew Sheol
Georgia,
Thank you for visiting and sharing your thoughts.
In my reflection, I was using the phrase "wait upon the Lord" in the sense of the Old Testament, where "wait' (Heb. 'qavah') means 'to wait hopefully or expectantly' (cf. Psalm 25:5, Isaiah 40:31, et. al.)
I hope, that as GAFCON approaches, we can all wait expectantly (with confidence) on the Lord to reveal his will for us.
Thank you all for these powerful devotions and the very apt Scriptures and quotes and for your kind responses to my post.
It is so refreshing and reviving to read and pray them...an antidote to the anger and indignation that weighs me down and exhausts me...it's been a long convoluted road since GC2003, but for many it's been decades longer.
May He give us strength, rest, food, light, hope, joy, peace, focus to fulfill His will and word.
He alone can.
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