January 3 (Epiphany Sunday) - Psalm 72:1-7; 10-14
Behind and before us, Lord, are your eternal reign. David and Solomon as kings among your people, together with all who became kings in Israel after them, were in constant need of the intercessions here made on their behalf. Neither to them as individuals nor their kingdoms belonged the ultimate honor. That was reserved for you and your Kingdom, which is over all.
Even so, Lord, teach us our need for intercession, lest we forget. It is tempting to take the reins of life we have inherited as if we were now in charge going forward. Save us from that temptation. Intercede for us before your Father and our God. Grant us and those who come after us your justice and your righteousness, lest we seek for ourselves the power and honor that belongs only to you.
O divine shepherd, guide and befriend us now, that being filled in this Epiphany season with your light we may mirror that light in life around us and live our days in the power of your Spirit and according to your will. Amen.
Even so, Lord, teach us our need for intercession, lest we forget. It is tempting to take the reins of life we have inherited as if we were now in charge going forward. Save us from that temptation. Intercede for us before your Father and our God. Grant us and those who come after us your justice and your righteousness, lest we seek for ourselves the power and honor that belongs only to you.
O divine shepherd, guide and befriend us now, that being filled in this Epiphany season with your light we may mirror that light in life around us and live our days in the power of your Spirit and according to your will. Amen.
January 10 (Baptism of our Lord, First after Epiphany) - Psalm 29
Why, Lord, in the maelstrom of daily life with all its challenges and demands, do we so often lose our way? Why do we so easily forget that you alone are our light and salvation, the stronghold of our lives? Why, beholding your beauty Sunday after Sunday, inquiring with your people in your temple, do we lay it aside on weekdays following, selling our inheritance like Abel for more instant gratifications?
Hide us, Lord, once more in the shelter of your presence. Conceal us under the cover of your tent. Set us high on a rock above those who offer us but passing fancies. Do not turn your servants away in anger over our forgetfulness. Take us up, rather, into your presence day by day and teach us there your will and way.
Great , indeed, is your faithfulness, Lord. Restore in us the joy of your salvation. Let us see gain your goodness in the land of the living. Give us the courage to wait on you that we may be made strong in the power of your Spirit. Amen.
Hide us, Lord, once more in the shelter of your presence. Conceal us under the cover of your tent. Set us high on a rock above those who offer us but passing fancies. Do not turn your servants away in anger over our forgetfulness. Take us up, rather, into your presence day by day and teach us there your will and way.
Great , indeed, is your faithfulness, Lord. Restore in us the joy of your salvation. Let us see gain your goodness in the land of the living. Give us the courage to wait on you that we may be made strong in the power of your Spirit. Amen.
January 17 (Second after Epiphany) - Psalm 36:5-10
Sins, Lord, are surely not our greatest transgression. It is sin, rather, the tendency deep within our nature to forget you and the blessings only you can provide.
Not unlike the foolish ones described in the opening verses, who "flatter themselves in their own eyes" and "have ceased to act wisely and do good," we too often are "set on a way that is not good." How wonderful in the bleakness of such living to be brought back by doxologic reminders from the psalmist of all we are offered in you.
Steadfast love, faithfulness, righteousness, refuge, abundance--all these await us in your presence. With you and you alone is "the fountain of life." And "in your light we see light." Thank you, Lord, that you still pursue us when we go astray. Bring us home again, where we belong. Restore to us the joy of your salvation. And help us to teach others your ways and bring them home as well. Amen.
January 24 (Third after Epiphany) - Psalm 19
There is no speech, Lord, as if vocal chords were necessary to declare your praise. The heavens themselves declare it, proclaiming your handiwork "to the end of the earth." A hymn comes to mind: "all nature sings and 'round me rings the music of the spheres."
It is not the heavens themselves, of course, any more than the mountains to which the psalmist also lifted his eyes (121). Our help comes from you, Lord, who made both, you who inhabit all things. It is your law, your decrees, your precepts, your commandments, your ordinances the heavens declare. Seeing alone cannot reveal them. They are seen only by beholders who see you in them, eyes trained and focused on scripture absorbed over years.
And in thus truly seeing, Lord, we are warned against seeing only and not living into what we see. We are also reminded that "in keeping them there is great reward." Pray then, my soul, beholding with the psalmist: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." Amen.
January 31 (Fourth after Epiphany) - Psalm 71:1-6
In reading this, Lord, Isaiah 30:15 comes to mind: "...In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength." Those are words from your mouth and heart, Lord God, the Holy One of Israel--promises on which we can depend throughout our lives.
Forgive us for forgetting how dependent on you we are. And increase our faith, Lord, that we can depend on you to deliver and rescue us, to be our rock and fortress. Help us see in you and you alone our hope going forward, to remember and affirm what we have known from our birth, when we were taken from our mother's womb.
No one whose "praise is continually of you" can fail, Lord, no matter how tested and tried by circumstance. Grant us, then, the grace to take our refuge now and always in you. Amen.
