Lord, as your servant, I beg you to release me that I may serve you. You have given me the tongue of a teacher. Let me sustain the weary with your word. Let me listen so I may not be rebellious, but stand with your Son as he faces good-byes, as he is crucified. Let me listen beneath the cross as those who are taught.
As I stand, surrounded by by those who have stood in faith before me, let me run with perseverance the race that is set before me. Give me courage to embrace hardship, pain, and to face strong opposition for the sake of securing your promises. Help me to endure on account that my obedience will make me malleable so you can shape me to your will.
Let me not betray you or in any way trouble you in spirit, Jesus. Rather let me be the servant of servants. The washer of the feet of those need your grace and my love. As we face the night that is to come, prepare us by your love to love one another.
These
DailyScripture Readings, Epiphany
(January 6) and Ordinary Time until Lent, (March 8, 2013), are adapted
from The Book of Common Prayer,
Daily Readings for Year One. http://www.crivoice.org/epiphany1.html
My personal study
bible for this Liturgical Year is The Wesley Study Bible, New Revised Standard
Version, Abingdon Press, 2009
Psalm 61
Uploaded on Jan 2, 2012
Psalm 61 -- Desert Moon music and lyrics by Chad Woodburn November 19, 2011
O hear my cry, O God;
give heed unto my prayer.
Far from my land I call
here at the earth's far end.
O let me worship You
ever in Your tent.
Let me find shelter 'neath
the shadow of Your loving wings of grace.
You have heard all my vows
that I made for Your fame.
So, You'll make my whole life most blest.
You will add days unto
all my days without end.
I will sit ruling at Your side.
Give me Your love and truth.
Let them preserve my soul.
So I will praise Your name
forever as I've vowed.
Thus I will sing Your praise
every day of my life,
and I will pay my vows
day by day in Your temple gates for ever.
_____________
Psalm 61 (ESV)
[1] Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer;
[2] from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I,
[3] for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.
[4] Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah
[5] For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
[6] Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations!
[7] May he be enthroned forever before God; appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!
[8] So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day.
Psalm 62 Song Performed by Aaron Keyes, with Lyrics and slideshow. Praise music with lyrics.
Lyrics Below:
My soul finds rest in God alone, My Rock and my salvation,
A fortress strong against my foes, And I will not be shaken.
Though lips may bless and hearts may curse, And lies like arrows pierce me,
I'll fix my heart on righteousness, I'll look to Him who hears me.
O praise Him, hallelujah, My Delight and my Reward;
Everlasting, never failing, My Redeemer, my God.
Find rest, my soul, in God alone
Amid the world's temptations;
When evil seeks to take a hold
I'll cling to my salvation.
Though riches come and riches go,
Don't set your heart upon them;
The fields of hope in which I sow
Are harvested in heaven.
O praise Him, hallelujah, My Delight and my Reward;
Everlasting, never failing, My Redeemer, my God.
I'll set my gaze on God alone,
And trust in Him completely;
With every day pour out my soul,
And He will prove His mercy.
Though life is but a fleeting breath,
A sigh too brief to measure,
My King has crushed the curse of death
And I am His forever.
O praise Him, hallelujah, My Delight and my Reward;
Everlasting, never failing, My Redeemer, my God.
O praise Him, hallelujah, My Delight and my Reward;
Everlasting, never failing, My Redeemer, my God.
O praise Him, O praise Him, hallelujah, hallelujah,
O praise Him, O praise Him, hallelujah, hallelujah,
O praise Him, O praise Him, hallelujah! hallelujah!
O praise Him, hallelujah, My Delight and my Reward;
Everlasting, never failing, My Redeemer, my God.
Performance by the Psalm Choir of Psalm 68, Psalter 179 titled "Invocation and Praise" from their CD "Fitting Praises Volume 5"
The tune is named "Alstone" and was composed Christopher E. Willing, 1868, from The Parish School Hymnal.
Christopher was the son of Christopher Willing, al¬to and as¬sist¬ant gen¬tle¬man at the Chapel Royal. At age eight, he entered the Westminster Abbey choir under Turle. Even at this age he could play the organ and once, when Turle became ill, he walked down the nave past the congregation, climbed onto the organ stool and finished the service. He became deputy organist at age 14, and was often left in sole charge by Turle. In 1848, he was elected organist of the Foundling Hospital, staying there 31 years, though part of the time he held other offices as well, driving at full speed from one to another. One of his last appointments was organist at Hugh Haweis' church in Westminster Place, Marylebone, not far from Charles Wesley's London home. He compiled a collection of tunes, many of his own composition, and was involved with opera, as well.
Most of the members of the choir are from the Protestant Reformed Churches in America. For more info about this denomination check out http://www.prca.org
The Psalter was first published in 1912 by the United Presbyterian Church.
Lyrics:
1. Let God arise, and by His might
Let all His foes be put to flight;
But, O ye righteous, gladly sing,
Exult before your God and King.
2. Jehovah's praises sound abroad,
Rejoice before the living God;
Prepare the way that He may come
And make the desert places bloom.
3. A father of the fatherless,
A judge of widows in distress,
Is God, the God of boundless grace,
Who dwells within His holy place.
4. God frees the captive and He sends
The blessedness of home and friends,
And only those in darkness stay
Who will not trust Him and obey.
O God, my God, your heart is filled with steadfast love and faithfulness. I know that I know that when life seems unjust, you are not yet through with me or with the world. I praise you and thank you for adopting me as your child.
I thank you and praise you for redeeming me from slavery under the Law.Help me to always be turning. turning, turning back to the gospel of grace. For you alone are my source of strength.
Help me to see your compassion and willingness to provide for those who follow you. You would think, after we witnessed your grace and mercy, it would be easy for us to see it again. However, we appear to be unable to understand, or respond to you in faith.
Remind us. Reform us. Redirect us. Reconfigure our hearts that we might rejoice, for there is the locus of sin, faith and grace. Let us even learn to leave our hearts behind that we might instead bear your heart. A heart filled with steadfast love and faithfulness. Oh God, my God! Amen
The John Wesley Study Bible, New Revised Standard
Version, Abingdon Press, 2009
Psalm 117: Universal Call
to Worship.
“A Hallel (praise Psalm) calling all people to praise
God for God’s faithfulness.”
v.2 “For great is his steadfast love toward us, and
the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!”
Psalm 118: A Song of
Victory.
“An antiphonal (call and response) Hallel in which
an individual comes to the temple to give thanks for deliverance.”
v.1 “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his
steadfast love endures forever!”
v.22 “ The stone that the builders rejected has
become the chief cornerstone.”
v.24 “This is the day the Lord has made; let us
rejoice and be glad in it.”
v.26 “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of
the Lord.”
v.29 “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his
steadfast love endures forever!”
Psalm 112: Blessings of
the Righteous
“An alphabetic acrostic [song] … describing the
blessings of a righteous life.”
“The righteous take on the attributes of God, their
families thrive; they treat all people equitably; they are strong and
confident; and they care for the poor.”
Psalm 113: God the Helper
of the Needy
“The first of six songs called the ‘Egyptian Hallel’
… because of their association with the Jewish Passover meal.”
“A call to praise God in all times and in all
places.”
Isaiah 59:15-21: Injustice and Oppression to Be Punished
“The Lord states the unalterable commitment to the
covenant he has made with Israel through all generations. Chapter 59 moves
between two extremes. Leading up to today’s verses is a virtual vocabulary list
of covenant disobedience, (bloody hands, lies, wickedness, corrupt courts,
violence, evil, oppression, revolt) contrasted with the ways of God’s covenant
that are ignored (peace, righteousness, justice, salvation, uprightness,
truth).
“God will judge the covenant breakers by God’s own
arm and clothed in righteousness and salvation (cf. Ephesians 6:14-17 Putting
on the Whole Armor of God), but God will also redeem those who turn from
transgression.”
Revelation 2:8-17: The Messages to the Churches at Smyrna and Pergamom
“The ‘crown of life’ (cf. Ephesians 6:14-17) is an
eschatological reward for those who stand faithful in the face of blasphemy and
persecution that come from the hand of the Devil himself. Jesus the faithful
‘faithful witness’ describes the martyr Antipas as ‘my witness, my faithful
one,’ revealing that one’s faithful witness to Jesus could very well require
the same sacrifice [by other believers].
v.16 “Repent then, if not I will come to you soon
and make war against them with the sword of my mouth.” (cf. Ephesians 6:14-17)
John 4: 46-54: Jesus Heals an
Official’s Son
“Another sign that “emphasizes the universality of
Jesus’s mission and the nature of authentic faith. … Authentic faith is, most
importantly, trusting the word of Jesus. The sign – the child’s recovery – does
not cause but confirms the Gentile’s faith in Jesus; it expresses Jesus’s
gracious gift of both physical and spiritual life.”
