Day 4 of our Desert Wilderness Journey! Let us worship God only!

Good Evening Dear Family of God and Love!

Wow it's day 4 of our Desert Wilderness Journey! We find Jesus yet again having encounters with the Devil! This time we see Jesus being taken to the pinnacle of the Temple and shown quite a bit of real estate and other things. The Devil was trying to bribe him, tempt him to accept the offers that the Devil/Satan was trying to give him if he only would bow down and worship him. Jesus knew better and would not commit to doing these acts. This makes me wonder if we have been tempted by the Evil One into going against our faith. Has this happened to you? Take time to ponder and pray about this. Remember we are setting the stage to write our own Wilderness narrative. Each piece builds on another. 

Tonight we continue with our format that we have been using.  Let us first engage in the "Be stills"

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be



Light of the World Phos hilaron

Light of the world, in grace and beauty,
Mirror of God’s eternal face,
Transparent flame of love’s free duty,
You bring salvation to our race.
Now, as we see the lights of evening,
We raise our voice in hymns of praise;
Worthy are you of endless blessing,
Sun of our night, lamp of our days




Dear Ones it is time to turn our hearts and minds and light our candles and be at prayer as we continue with our Virtual Candle Light Prayer Vigil. Tonight we pray for courage, strength and faith when we encounter life's struggles. We pray for the least of these who are struggling to live without food clothing and shelter. We continue to pray for peace and that we may be peacemakers one to another and to the whole world in which we live, move and just be. We pray this night that we remain CALM (compassionate, accepting loving, and merciful). Amen.

The Song of Hannah
1 Samuel 2:1-8
My heart exults in you, O God; *
my triumph song is lifted in you.
My mouth derides my enemies, *
for I rejoice in your salvation.
There is none holy like you, *
nor any rock to be compared to you, our God.
Do not heap up prideful words or speak in arrogance; *
Only God is knowing and weighs all actions.
The bows of the mighty are broken, *
but the weak are clothed in strength.
Those once full now labor for bread, *
those who hungered now are well fed.
The childless woman has borne sevenfold, *
while the mother of many is forlorn.
God destroys and brings to life, casts down and raises up; *
gives wealth or takes it away, humbles and dignifies.
God raises the poor from the dust; *
and lifts the needy from the ash heap
To make them sit with the rulers *
and inherit a place of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are God’s *
on which the whole earth is founded.



A Smudging Prayer 

Creator, our Father in heaven, we come to you as your children. We confess that we are weak and broken images of you. We pray for the forgiveness and healing you give in Jesus Christ. May his Spirit clean our spirits, minds, hearts, and bodies. We pray that your Holy Spirit will help us to worship in spirit and truth. We pray in the name of Jesus, so that his Spirit will carry our prayers to you. Amen.
.
A Song of Christ’s Humility
Philippians 2:6-11
Though in the form of God, *
Christ Jesus did not cling to equality with God,
But emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, *
and was born in human likeness.
Being found in human form, he humbled himself *
and became obedient to death, even death on a cross.
Therefore, God has highly exalted him *
and given him the name above every name,
That at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, *
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, *
to the glory of God the Father.

A Song of the Wilderness
Isaiah 35:1-7,10
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, *
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
It shall blossom abundantly, *
and rejoice with joy and singing.
They shall see the glory of the Lord, *
the majesty of our God.
Strengthen the weary hands, *
and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to the anxious, “Be strong, do not fear! *
Here is your God, coming with judgment to save you.”
Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, *
and the ears of the deaf be unstopped.
Then shall the lame leap like a deer, *
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness *
and streams in the desert;
The burning sand shall become a pool *
and the thirsty ground, springs of water.
The ransomed of God shall return with singing, *
with everlasting joy upon their heads.
Joy and gladness shall be theirs, *
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.


We enter in this night by praying and meditating upon today's scripture readings.

Bless us, O God, in this holy season, in which our hearts seek your help and healing; and so purify us by your discipline that we may grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Jonah 3:1–10
The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, "Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you." So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, "Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.

When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: "By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish."
When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.

A Song of Jonah

Jonah 2:2-7,9

I called to you, O God, out of my distress, and you answered me; *

out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.

You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, *

and the flood surrounded me;

all your waves and billows passed over me.

Then I said, “I am driven away from your sight; *

how shall I ever look again upon your holy temple?”

The waters closed in over me, the deep was round about me; *

weeds were wrapped around my head at the roots of the mountains.

I went down to the land beneath the earth, *

yet you brought up my life from the depths, O God.

As my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, O God, *

and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.

With the voice of thanksgiving, I will sacrifice to you; *

what I have vowed I will pay, for deliverance belongs to the Lord!

Psalm 51:11–18

Miserere mei, Deus

11 Create in me a clean heart, O God, *

and renew a right spirit within me.

12 Cast me not away from your presence *

and take not your holy Spirit from me.

13 Give me the joy of your saving help again *

and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.

14 I shall teach your ways to the wicked, *

and sinners shall return to you.

15 Deliver me from death, O God, *

and my tongue shall sing of your righteousness, 

O God of my salvation.

16 Open my lips, O Lord, *

and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

17 Had you desired it, I would have offered sacrifice, *

but you take no delight in burnt-offerings.

18 The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit; *

a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Luke 11:29–32

When the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say, “This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here! The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!”

And now we turn to our 40 days of Psalmody!

Eighth Day: Evening Prayer

41 Beatus qui intelligit

1 Happy are they who consider the poor and needy! *

the Lord will deliver them in the time of trouble.

2 The Lord preserves them and keeps them alive,

so that they may be happy in the land; *

he does not hand them over to the will of their enemies.

3 The Lord sustains them on their sickbed *

and ministers to them in their illness.

4 I said, “Lord, be merciful to me; *

heal me, for I have sinned against you.”

5 My enemies are saying wicked things about me: *

“When will he die, and his name perish?”

6 Even if they come to see me, they speak empty words; *

their heart collects false rumors;

they go outside and spread them.

7 All my enemies whisper together about me *

and devise evil against me.

8 “A deadly thing,” they say, “has fastened on him; *

he has taken to his bed and will never get up again.”

9 Even my best friend, whom I trusted,

who broke bread with me, *

has lifted up his heel and turned against me.

10 But you, O Lord, be merciful to me and raise me up, *

and I shall repay them.

11 By this I know you are pleased with me, *

that my enemy does not triumph over me.

12 In my integrity you hold me fast, *

and shall set me before your face for ever.

13 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, *

from age to age. Amen. Amen.

Book Two

42 Quemadmodum

1 As the deer longs for the water-brooks, *

so longs my soul for you, O God.

2 My soul is athirst for God, athirst for the living God; *

when shall I come to appear before the presence of God?

3 My tears have been my food day and night, *

while all day long they say to me,

“Where now is your God?”

4 I pour out my soul when I think on these things: *

how I went with the multitude and led them into the

house of God,

5 With the voice of praise and thanksgiving, *

among those who keep holy-day.

6 Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul? *

and why are you so disquieted within me?

7 Put your trust in God; *

for I will yet give thanks to him,

who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

8 My soul is heavy within me; *

therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan,

and from the peak of Mizar among the heights of Hermon.

9 One deep calls to another in the noise of your cataracts; *

all your rapids and floods have gone over me.

10 The Lord grants his loving-kindness in the daytime; *

in the night season his song is with me,

a prayer to the God of my life.

11 I will say to the God of my strength,

“Why have you forgotten me? *

and why do I go so heavily while the enemy

oppresses me?”

12 While my bones are being broken, *

my enemies mock me to my face;

13 All day long they mock me *

and say to me, “Where now is your God?”

14 Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul? *

and why are you so disquieted within me?

15 Put your trust in God; *

for I will yet give thanks to him,

who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

43 Judica me, Deus

1 Give judgment for me, O God,

and defend my cause against an ungodly people; *

deliver me from the deceitful and the wicked.

2 For you are the God of my strength;

why have you put me from you? *

and why do I go so heavily while the enemy

oppresses me?

3 Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, *

and bring me to your holy hill

and to your dwelling;

4 That I may go to the altar of God,

to the God of my joy and gladness; *

and on the harp I will give thanks to you, O God my God.

5 Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul? *

and why are you so disquieted within me?

6 Put your trust in God; *

for I will yet give thanks to him,

who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

Ninth Day: Morning Prayer

44 Deus, auribus

1 We have heard with our ears, O God,

our forefathers have told us, *

the deeds you did in their days,

in the days of old.

2 How with your hand you drove the peoples out

and planted our forefathers in the land; *

how you destroyed nations and made your people flourish.

3 For they did not take the land by their sword,

nor did their arm win the victory for them; *

but your right hand, your arm, and the

light of your countenance,

because you favored them.

4 You are my King and my God; *

you command victories for Jacob.

5 Through you we pushed back our adversaries; *

through your Name we trampled on those who

rose up against us.

6 For I do not rely on my bow, *

and my sword does not give me the victory.

7 Surely, you gave us victory over our adversaries *

and put those who hate us to shame.

8 Every day we gloried in God, *

and we will praise your Name for ever.

9 Nevertheless, you have rejected and humbled us *

and do not go forth with our armies.

10 You have made us fall back before our adversary, *

and our enemies have plundered us.

11 You have made us like sheep to be eaten *

and have scattered us among the nations.

12 You are selling your people for a trifle *

and are making no profit on the sale of them.

13 You have made us the scorn of our neighbors, *

a mockery and derision to those around us.

14 You have made us a byword among the nations, *

a laughing-stock among the peoples.

15 My humiliation is daily before me, *

and shame has covered my face;

16 Because of the taunts of the mockers and blasphemers, *

because of the enemy and avenger.

17 All this has come upon us; *

yet we have not forgotten you,

nor have we betrayed your covenant.

18 Our heart never turned back, *

nor did our footsteps stray from your path;

19 Though you thrust us down into a place of misery, *

and covered us over with deep darkness.

20 If we have forgotten the Name of our God, *

or stretched out our hands to some strange god,

21 Will not God find it out? *

for he knows the secrets of the heart.

22 Indeed, for your sake we are killed all the day long; *

we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

23 Awake, O Lord! why are you sleeping? *

Arise! do not reject us for ever.

24 Why have you hidden your face *

and forgotten our affliction and oppression?

25 We sink down into the dust; *

our body cleaves to the ground.

26 Rise up, and help us, *

and save us, for the sake of your steadfast love.

45 Eructavit cor meum

1 My heart is stirring with a noble song;

let me recite what I have fashioned for the king; *

my tongue shall be the pen of a skilled writer.

2 You are the fairest of men; *

grace flows from your lips,

because God has blessed you for ever.

3 Strap your sword upon your thigh, O mighty warrior, *

in your pride and in your majesty.

4 Ride out and conquer in the cause of truth *

and for the sake of justice.

5 Your right hand will show you marvelous things; *

your arrows are very sharp, O mighty warrior.

6 The peoples are falling at your feet, *

and the king’s enemies are losing heart.

7 Your throne, O God, endures for ever and ever, *

a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom;

you love righteousness and hate iniquity.

8 Therefore God, your God, has anointed you *

with the oil of gladness above your fellows.

9 All your garments are fragrant with myrrh, aloes, and cassia, *

and the music of strings from ivory palaces makes you glad.

10 Kings’ daughters stand among the ladies of the court; *

on your right hand is the queen,

adorned with the gold of Ophir.

11 “Hear, O daughter; consider and listen closely; *

forget your people and your father’s house.

12 The king will have pleasure in your beauty; *

he is your master; therefore do him honor.

13 The people of Tyre are here with a gift; *

the rich among the people seek your favor.”

14 All glorious is the princess as she enters; *

her gown is cloth-of-gold.

15 In embroidered apparel she is brought to the king; *

after her the bridesmaids follow in procession.

16 With joy and gladness they are brought, *

and enter into the palace of the king.

17 “In place of fathers, O king, you shall have sons; *

you shall make them princes over all the earth.

18 I will make your name to be remembered

from one generation to another; *

therefore nations will praise you for ever and ever.”

46 Deus noster refugium

1 God is our refuge and strength, *

a very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved, *

and though the mountains be toppled into the

depths of the sea;

3 Though its waters rage and foam, *

and though the mountains tremble at its tumult.

4 The Lord of hosts is with us; *

the God of Jacob is our stronghold.

5 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, *

the holy habitation of the Most High.

6 God is in the midst of her;

she shall not be overthrown; *

God shall help her at the break of day.

7 The nations make much ado, and the kingdoms are shaken; *

God has spoken, and the earth shall melt away.

8 The Lord of hosts is with us; *

the God of Jacob is our stronghold.

9 Come now and look upon the works of the Lord, *

what awesome things he has done on earth.

10 It is he who makes war to cease in all the world; *

he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear,

and burns the shields with fire.

11 “Be still, then, and know that I am God; *

I will be exalted among the nations;

I will be exalted in the earth.”

12 The Lord of hosts is with us; *

the God of Jacob is our stronghold

+++++++++

Our selection from A Season of Prayer : 40 Days in the Desert

Wednesday, March 8 Pray for social justice 

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the people of this land], that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

++++++++++

God we pray that we may not be tempted by outside forces and that our faith may continue on level and sacred ground. We will worship you in Spirit and in Truth.

God we pray that we may never been given bribes so that our faith and you may never be shaken. Help us with courage and resolve to worship you in Spirit and in Truth.

God we pray that we may always faithful in our words, deeds, and works of mercy and worship. Help us to press on with eyes on the prize and worship you daily in Spirit and in Truth.

God we pray for peace in the world and that we may never find ourselves having to go against our faith. May we always worship you in Spirit and in Truth.

God may we worship you in Spirit and in Truth and serve you night and day in what we are called to do. Let us worship you with our minds fixed upon you and your son Jesus the Christ, and the Holy Spirit our Advocate and Guide. Amen. 

+++++

God grant us courage and strength to go deeper in our relationship with you. Help us to continue to have faith the size of a mustard seed and not be afraid to be in your presence.

God grant us courage and strength to speak truth to power when we are called to do so.

God grant us courage and strength to reach out to our family members who differ from us without fear.

God grant us courage and strength to go into the desert and renew our bodies minds, and spirits and listen to you with the ears of our hearts.

God grant us courage and strength to go where you call us even up unto the pinnacles of the temples in our lives.

God grant us courage and strength to lovingly respond to the cries of your children who are in need nearby and far away.

God grant us courage and strength to be the children of God you have made us to be.

God grant us the courage and strength to stand with the voiceless ones and do as in the words of Micah- Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God..

God grant us the courage, strength to show and reflect your love, shine your light, and spread your Gospel message to a fragile and broken world.

God we pray for an end to violence, bigotry, terror, and all things that draw us away from you and each other.

God we pray for all refugees ,victims of violence of any kind ,the most vulnerable and those you name now.

God we pray for the families of those who are led to commit acts of terror that they may be comforted

God we pray for all who live with chronic mental and physical illnesses of any kind. We pray for____________.

God we pray and give thanks for _____________________ 

As we close our worship this night we remember these prayers.

The Beatitudes Matthew 5:3–12

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. (5:3)

Blessed are those who mourn: for they will be comforted. (5:4)

Blessed are the meek: for they will inherit the earth. (5:5)

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they will be filled. (5:6)

Blessed are the merciful: for they will be shown mercy. (5:7)

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they will see God. (5:8)

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they will be called children of God. (5:9)

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (5:10

A Prayer attributed to St. Francis

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is

hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where

there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where

there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where

there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to

be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is

in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we

are born to eternal life. Amen.

The Song of Mary Magnificat

Luke 1:46-55

My soul doth magnify the Lord, *

and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.

For he hath regarded *

the lowliness of his handmaiden.

For behold from henceforth *

all generations shall call me blessed.

For he that is mighty hath magnified me, *

and holy is his Name.

And his mercy is on them that fear him *

throughout all generations.

He hath showed strength with his arm; *

he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

He hath put down the mighty from their seat, *

and hath exalted the humble and meek.

He hath filled the hungry with good things, *

and the rich he hath sent empty away.

He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel, *

as he promised to our forefathers,

Abraham and his seed for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Song of Simeon Nunc Dimittis

Luke 2:29-32

Lord, you now have set your servant free *

to go in peace as you have promised;

For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, *

whom you have prepared for all the world to see:

A Light to enlighten the nations, *

and the glory of your people Israel.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

You are welcome to take a virtual labyrinth walk with your mouse if you so desire.

Good Night Dear Ones! Stay tuned tomorrow. We are heading toward the end of Wilderness week. I love you and give thanks to God for you this day and always.

With love and prayers,

Sara

Resources!

Last year's Blog

Book of Common Prayer

Enriching our Worship

Smudging Prayer - Metis Ministries

A Season of Prayer  : 40 Days in the Desert : ForwardMovement.org

Lectionary Page