Praying at Home Today: Friday 4 September 2020
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A warm welcome to PrayingAtHome.com, where you can find 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!
We follow the Track 2 “related” Old Testament reading and psalm (or equivalent response).
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
So you shall be a sign to them;
and they shall know that I am the Lord.Erisque eis in portentum,
et scietis quia ego Dominus.Tu seras un signe pour eux
et ils reconnaîtront que je suis l’Eternel.
Ezekiel 24:27
The Liturgy of the Word *
Here are today’s Bible readings.
You can read just one, or all three if you have time.
One link to all three readings
Separate links to each reading
Short Reflection
Another strange text from Ezekiel
Yesterday we read of the Boiling Pot as a parable for the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem.
In today’s Old Testament reading, we read of how Ezekiel’s wife, the “delight of his eyes”, has died and how he is to “carry on as normal”.
This is not to say that Ezekiel can’t be sorrowful, as a priest he is expected not to be too expressive with his emotions: he has to “groan in silence”, wear his turban on his head and not eat the bread that would customarily be brought to one who grieves since they wouldn’t be looking after themselves.
But this gesture also has a prophetic point: it’s not that the people of Jerusalem are forbidden to grieve the delights of their eyes but that, as the catastrophe is sudden and sharp, there will be no time to do so.
Relief from gloom coming soon!
The readings recently have all been rather gloomy!
Fortunately,
After that great judgment was made known to the prophet, there is a marked change in his utterances, and from that time his general tone is far more cheering and consolatory.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
Our New Testament reading quotes Isaiah who has a message of hope for us:
I have been found by those who did not seek me;
I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.’
Indeed, our friend Ezekiel also has words of hope for us:
Then he said to me,
‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them:
O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.Thus says the Lord God to these bones:
I will cause breath to enter you,
and you shall live.I will lay sinews on you,
and will cause flesh to come upon you,
and cover you with skin,
and put breath in you,
and you shall live;
and you shall know that I am the Lord.’
Ezekiel 37:4-6
Whilst writing part of this post, I’ve been listening to Duruflé’s setting of the ‘Requiem’, a most hope-filled, beautiful expression of salvation and life and joy.
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Prayer Suggestions
We pray for those who are sorrowful,
especially those who carry heavy burdens
preventing them from expressing what they need.
We pray that we may be sensitive to them.
We pray for places of conflict and unrest around the world,
especially Yemen, Belarus and the United States.
And we pray for those seeking to find a safe place to live
and for us all to be aware of the fragility of our beautiful planet.
a moment of silence
Pray 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
Grant us your mercy and peace, O Lamb of God,
tend the sick and comfort those who mourn.
Give rest to those who have died
and hope for us all.
Help us to value the gift of each present moment
in which you abide for ever.
Amen.
Returning to the world
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.
In these strange times, we are called to trust
* 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
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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