St. Paul’s Cycle of Prayer – Monday – Children, youth, and family ministries of St. Paul’s and those who teach and work with our youth. Our music program and choirs.

(click Prayer Instructions for links to Morning or Evening Prayer for today)

True confession time! I have hoped this prayer blog would encourage others to say the Daily Office of either Morning Prayer or Evening Prayer (or both). These two offices have anchored the Book of Common Prayer since the beginning (1549).

I have always struggled to be a disciplined daily office person. This prayer blog has really helped me with that. And while I do resonate with the offices when done in corporate worship, I tend to get really bored with them when using them on a daily basis by myself. That is probably a horrible thing for a Priest to admit, but it is true for me.

So what I need is variety. I will continue to follow the Daily Office lectionary, reading the Psalms and lessons appointed each day. But I am going to mixup the framework around the lessons. Consequently this may mean I will write about different prayers than are in the Book of Common Prayer. I apologize for any confusion.

I have several “go-to” prayer resources and I will let you know which I am using as I alternate. Don’t worry (if you are still reading this far), I will return to the BCP often.

For now I am using the St. Augustine’s Prayer Book, a small but very rich resource prepared by Forward Movement on behalf of the Order of the Holy Cross. This prayer book is Anglo-Catholic in nature and the 2014 edition is an update to the original published by the Order beginning in 1947. Stay tuned for more reflections from this book and the daily readings.

Sunday – Clergy, Staff, Wardens and Vestry and the Rector Search (click HERE to read the Rector Search prayer)
Our Psalm appointed for Eucharist this morning (34) reminded us to bless the Lord at all times. And to taste and see the goodness of the Lord. This evening I received an email from a friend reflecting on my borther’s induction in th Hall of Fame and my first grandchild’s birth and 2nd one coming soon, saying “sure seems your life is full of blessings lately.” 

Amen. I am sitting at the beach after a bike ride and remembering those blessings indeed. 

Taste and see indeed   

St. Paul’s Cycle of Prayer – Friday – Daughters of the King, Brotherhood of St. Andrew, Marthas, worship volunteers (acolytes, ushers and greeters, chalice bearers) and all over volunteer groups who work so tirelessly and joyfully for the Kingdom of God and the Body of Christ at St. Paul’s.

(click Prayer Instructions for links to Morning or Evening Prayer for today)

Who is your Nathan? After King David committed adultery with Bathsheba AND had her husband killed by sending him to the front lines and instructing the other men to leave him to battle on his own. It is such a shocking crime, especially for a “man after God’s own heart”. God sent Nathan, the prophet, to confront David, and he told David a story of a rich man taking a poor man’s last lamb to feed his guests. David was furious and demanded the rich man be punished by death, to which Nathan famously responds, “YOU are the man!”

A pretty brave message delivered by the prophet to the king. We all need a Nathan, someone who is unafraid to speak the truth to us, to hold up to the light of day when we have sinned and fallen short.

Who is your Nathan? Perhaps you need to give someone permission to hold you accountable, with no strings attached. Someone who will say, “you are the man (or woman)” to your face and live to tell about it.

St. Paul’s Cycle of Prayer – Thursday – The people of Bondeau, Haiti, especially Pere Phanord, the school teachers and medical clinic volunteers, for our Cursillo community.

(click Prayer Instructions for links to Morning or Evening Prayer for today)

On this Feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus, Paul’s 2nd letter to the church in Corinth (chapter 4) connects our faith and our role in the world and the spread of the gospel to that amazing event on the mountaintop where Jesus is joined by Elijah and Moses, shining with the glory of God:

5For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. 6For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Proclaim Jesus y’all. Proclaim him as Lord. God has already overcome the darkness.

Wednesday – Paul’s Place after school program and the St. Paul’s Day School

36For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 

Says Jesus in today’s gospel reading from the gospel of Mark. As we prepare for our 2nd funeral in 3 days at St. Paul’s, I am once again reminded not only of our mortality, not only of our hope in Christ, but also of these words from Jesus which speak to the heart of how to live our lives in the days we are given. This same passage reminds us to take up our cross each day – for following Jesus is not always very easy. Yet the lure of “gaining the whole world” is real. 

The call of “the world” is insidiuous and infiltrates every decision we make if we let it. Jesus knew it was our greatest tempatation. So he reminds us: 35For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.

Lord, help me to lose my life for your sake, and for the sake of the gospel, this day and every day.