Praying at Home Today: Monday 17 August 2020
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A warm welcome to PrayingAtHome.com, where you can find some worship resources for praying at home today or wherever you are.
We hope these readings, prayers, music and the short reflection will help you stay in touch with the Church and to sustain you on your journey through life.
If this is your first visit to this website, then you might like to read about the common elements and the suggested structure for each day’s prayer.
Everything is optional!
Please note that with effect from 29 June 2020, we have reverted to the Track 1 “semi-continuous” Old Testament readings (this also affects the psalm or equivalent response); the New Testament and Gospel readings remain unchanged.
Opening to the Word
You can spend a few moments in silence,
focussing on your breathing
to become more mindful of the present moment
and to open yourself more fully
to God’s presence within you.
In the name of the living God,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Short reading
O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love.Speret Israel in Domino.
Quia apud Dominum misericordia.Israël, mets ton espoir en l’Eternel,
car c’est auprès de l’Eternel que se trouve la bonté.
Psalm 129 (130):7
The Liturgy of the Word *
Here are today’s Bible readings.
You can read just one, or all of them if you have time.
One link to all three readings
Separate links to each reading
Short Reflection
Joseph and his brothers: a second meeting
On Sunday, we heard about the final reunion of Joseph with his father, skipping the passage in today’s first reading.
So we travel back in time a bit.
Nine of the ten brothers have returned to their father with the grain, leaving Simeon in Egypt.
Time goes on; they’ve eaten all the grain and need to go to Egypt again to buy more. Only this time they have to take Benjamin with them.
Jacob is most grieved. He’s lost Joseph and Simeon and is about to lose Benjamin too.
What about God’s promise? Has God turned away from him?
Yet he lets his sons go, all 11 of them, sending with them an offering to Egypt’s governor: the best fruits of the land, honey, gum, resin, pistachio nuts and almonds, as well as double the money to make up for what they had found in their sacks from the previous outing.
The story reaches its climax tomorrow!
The Council of Jerusalem
Meanwhile, we whizz forward to the 1st century AD, when Paul and Barnabas are defending the mission to the Gentiles, which has been under attack from some in the Jerusalem camp.
Yes, even in those early days, the Church experienced those who would divide the followers of Jesus.
Form and essence; one gift, many ways
The essence here is the irrevocable gift of God, no matter to whom it is addressed; the form is the way or means by which this gift is communicated.
There is one essence, one gift, but many forms, many ways to reach that gift.
And our journeys, our ways
are each unique,
tailored by God for each one of us,
including you and me, praying at home today.
As Paul writes,
in the Reign of God
There is no longer Jew or Greek,
there is no longer slave or free,
there is no longer male and female;
for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.And if you belong to Christ,
then you are Abraham’s offspring,
heirs according to the promise.
Galatians 3:28
And that gift is irrevocable: once given, it cannot be taken back, no matter what we do.
As Abraham’s offspring, then, we can share in this paean of joy:
O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love.
Psalm 129 (130):7
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You can listen to Rev Christoph Wutscher’s sermon here
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Prayer Suggestions
We pray that we may be instruments of your peace,
to bring healing to wounded relationships,
and to seek to understand others’ different ways.
For the Church of God,
that all members may strive to live out the Gospel in their lives.
For families torn apart by strife,
that they may have the courage to forgive.
a moment of silence
For us all.
Music for reflection *
The Lord’s Prayer
We can say the Lord’s Prayer in any language or version we choose.
Here it is, in English, Latin and French.
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.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom,
the power and the glory are yours.
Now and for ever. Amen.
Pater noster, qui es in cælis;
sanctificatur nomen tuum:
adveniat regnum tuum;
fiat voluntas tua,
sicut in cælo, et in terra.
Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie:
et dimitte nobis debita nostra,
sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris:
et ne nos inducas in tentationem:
sed libera nos a malo.
Quia tuum est regnum,
et potestas, et gloria, in saecula.
Amen.
Notre Père qui es aux cieux,
que ton nom soit sanctifié.
Que ton règne vienne.
Que ta volonté soit faite sur la terre comme au ciel.
Donne-nous aujourd’hui notre pain de ce jour.
Pardonne-nous nos offences
comme nous pardonnons aussi
à ceux qui nous ont offensés.
Et ne nous soumets pas à la tentation,
mais délivre-nous du mal.
Car c’est à toi qu’appartiennent le règne,
la puissance et la gloire
pour les siècles des siècles. Amen.
Concluding prayer
Holy Trinity of love,
one God,
you call us to be one;
hear the prayers of your people
each with their own way to you
yet united in prayer,
in love and service
for all of humankind.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Benedicamus Domino.
Deo gratias.
Thank you for joining us in praying at home.
Oremus pro invicem.
* You can find more organ music from Holy Trinity Church, Stirling
on Alistair Warwick‘s website and on SoundCloud
There are several books by Brother Roger of the Taizé Community from many booksellers.
You can buy ‘The Complete Chronicles of Narnia’ at Amazon
In these strange times, we are called to trust
Other worship resources
Praying at Home Today: Acknowledgements
* Beginning with the week after Pentecost, the lectionary for weekdays is taken from the Vanderbilt Divinity Library. Currently, we’re following the semi-continuous readings (Track 1).
In that lectionary, the readings are in the following order: Old Testament reading, Psalm, New Testament reading; we have changed the order to the more usual OT, Psalm and NT.
English Bible texts are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Latin Bible texts are from Biblia Sacra Vulgata, and are in the Public Domain.
French Bible texts are from Version Segond 21, copyright © 2007 Société Biblique de Genève by Société Biblique de Genève.
Images, unless otherwise stated, are from lockdown in Scotland, by Alistair Warwick.
Music engraved by The Art of Music.
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