Praying at Home Today: Wednesday 9 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
It is good for me that I was humbled,
so that I might learn your statutes.Bonum mihi quia humiliasti me,
ut discam justificationes tuas.Il est bon pour moi d’être humilié
afin d’apprendre tes prescriptions.
Psalm 118 (119):71
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
Scapegoats and worship
Our first reading today gives us an early account of the poor scapegoat, the one on who all the blame is placed.
At least the goat here is allowed to go off into the wilderness, rather than being punished, as would happen in secular society today!
Preparing for worship
Two of Aaron’s sons have died, having “presented unlawful fire” before God (Leviticus 10:1).
Aaron now has to go through a ritual before he is allowed near the place of worship.
For a start, he can’t just come at any time of his own choosing; it has to be at the right time.*
He has certain rituals to perform, including washing and clothing.
These are echoed in the prayers that many priests and others say as they clothe themselves in their vestments.** These prayers have further echoes in the Collect for Purity, used in many Anglican churches:
Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord.
An earlier Latin version reads
Deus
cui omne cor patet et omnis voluntas loquitur:
et quem nullum latet secretum:
purifica per infusionem sancti spiritus
cogitationes cordis nostri:
ut te perfecte diligere et digne laudare mereamur,
per dominum nostrum iesum christum filium tuum
qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate eiusdem spiritus sancti deus,
per omnia secula seculorum.
All this tends to encourage an attitude of humility in the one asking for the blessing, as is right and fitting for one engaged in worship.
Why? Because it is through worship that we dare to enter into that thin space between heaven and earth in which we share with the angels and saints in the song of creation.
* This will be another example of God’s time (καιρος), not our time (χρονος).
** Some organists have similar vesting prayers as they put on their shoes, e.g.
O God,
place my feet upon a rock
and give me secure footing.
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Prayer Suggestions
“Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.”
We pray for all who lead worship,
that they may be strong, loving and wise.
We pray for all who engage in worship
that they may do so in a spirit of humility, wonder and awe.
We pray for peace in our world,
at the China-India border,
in Belarus,
in Iran.
We pray for refugees searching for somewhere to live
and for those newly affected by Covid-19.
In Holy Trinity’s prayer diary, we pray today for Rachel Campbell.
We pray for all who have asked for our prayers.
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
Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
today and every day.
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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