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A Prayer for Sunday (Martin Luther)

February 19, 2012 in Church History, Prayers with 0 Comments

Martin Luther at Worms

In honor of the fact that yesterday marked the anniversary of Martin Luther’s death (February 18, 1546), today’s prayer comes from him.

Look, Lord, an empty vessel that needs to be filled. My Lord, fill it.

I am weak in the faith; strengthen me.

I am cold in love; warm me and make me fervent, that my love may go out to my neighbor.

I do not have a strong and firm faith. At times I doubt and am unable to trust You completely. O Lord, help me. Strengthen my faith and trust in You.

I have insured all my treasure in Your name.

I am poor; You are rich and You did come to be merciful to the poor.

I am a sinner; You are upright.

With me there is an abundance of sin; with You a fullness of righteousness.

Therefore I will remain with You, from whom I can receive but to whom I may not give. Amen.

Martin Luther, Luther’s Prayers, ed. Herbert Brokering (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1994), no. 91, 67-8.

A Prayer for Sunday: Praying with Zossima and Dostoevsky

February 12, 2012 in Church History, Prayers with 3 Comments

[This is a guest post from Michael Fletcher.]

My favorite author is Fyodor Dostoevsky (aside from Saint Athanasius and the authors of the Bible). I highly recommend that you read, at minimum, two of his novels: The Brothers Karamazov and Crime & Punishment (note: the two links are FREE Kindle downloads, and Kindle apps are available for free on computers and phones! You have no excuses!) In these two books you find amazing theological themes of sin, grace, justice, mercy, salvation, etc. Reading Dostoevsky is truly a spiritual exercise for me and I wish I could devote more of my time to reading his works. In the Brothers K, Father Zossima is the character who gives many words of Orthodox wisdom — especially to Alyosha, one of the Brothers who is told to live the life of a monk in the world by taking a wife. I wish Dostoevsky had survived long enough to finish the sequel to this book so that he could explain the latter part of Alyosha’s life! However, Fyodor’s time came to an end on February 9th, 1881. I wish to share an excerpt from The Brothers Karamazov (p.293). In this quote, Father Zossima teaches us on the necessity of prayer, I hope that it brings you hope and encourages you to pray:

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A Prayer for Sunday (Isaac the Syrian)

January 29, 2012 in Prayers with 0 Comments

These are the prayerful words of Isaac the Syrian, recognized as a Saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and celebrated on January 28th. The first selection is a prayer and the second is more of a poem.

O my Hope, pour into my heart the inebriation that consists in the hope of you. O Jesus Christ, the resurrection and light of all worlds, place upon my soul’s head the crown of knowledge of you; open before me all of a sudden the door of mercies, cause the rays of your grace to shine out in my heart.

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A Prayer for Sunday (John Dykes)

January 22, 2012 in Prayers with 0 Comments

The composer John Dykes was given the opportunity to make the melody to words “Holy, Holy, Holy” which had been written by the deceased Reginald Heber. Within 30 minutes of writing music, he had written the tune “Nicea” which is what we have become so familiar with, while singing this beloved hymm. John gave his last breath this day, January 22, 1876. May we sing or read the lyrics of this prayer with joy in our hearts while praising the Holy Trinity:

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

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A Prayer for Sunday (Gregory of Nyssa)

January 8, 2012 in Prayers with 1 Comment

Today we pray with St Gregory of Nyssa, one of the three Cappadocian Fathers (ca. 335- after 394). As we read some of his writings, may we align our spirits with the Spirit of God and understand that Christ is in our midst:

Our Bridegroom has not been taken from us. He stands in our midst, though we see him not. The Priest is within the holy place. He is entered into that within the veil, whither

Our forerunner Christ has entered for us (Hebrews 6:20). He has left behind him the curtain of the flesh. No longer does he pray to the type or shadow of the things in heaven, but he looks upon the very embodiment of these realities. No longer through a glass darkly does he intercede with God, but face to face he intercedes with Him: and he intercedes for us , and for the negligences and ignorances of the people.

A Prayer for Sunday (Zwingli)

January 1, 2012 in Prayers with 1 Comment

“Almighty, eternal and merciful God, whose Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, open and illuminate our minds, that we may purely and perfectly understand your Word and that our lives may be conformed to what we have rightly understood, that in nothing we may be displeasing to your majesty, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Ulrich Zwingli prayed the preceding every morning before he began his study of the Word. Zwingli was a man after God’s own heart, a man of prayer, and a student of God’s Word. However, he is perhaps best known in a negative sense; namely, for his opinion that the Eucharist was simply a metaphorical event – a view which Calvin and Luther (and myself) disagree with. He placed the authority of Scripture above that of Church Councils and the writings of the Church Fathers; he is perhaps one of the first men to place the writings of the scripture above Church tradition and authority. Zwingli was a very influential man, especially in Switzerland. He had wanted to reform the Catholic Church, but ultimately split apart from it. I believe that Zwingli had a passionate love for Christ Jesus, even though I do not necessarily agree with his theology on several levels. However, in the Spirit of Christian unity, I would prefer to hold on to the things which we share in common, especially as we celebrate the day of his birth, January 1, 1484.

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A Prayer for Sunday (St. Ambrose)

December 11, 2011 in Church History, Prayers with 0 Comments

[The feast day for Ambrose of Milan was earlier this week (Dec 7). So it seems appropriate that our prayer this morning come from this great leader of the early church.]

Lord Jesus Christ, I approach your banquet table
in fear and trembling, for I am a sinner,
and dare not rely on my own worth
but only on your goodness and mercy.
I am defiled by many sins in body and soul,
and by my unguarded thoughts and words.

Gracious God of majesty and awe,
I seek your protection, I look for your healing.
Poor troubled sinner that I am, I appeal to You, the fountain of all mercy.
I cannot bear your judgment, but I trust in your salvation.
Lord, I show my wounds to You and uncover my shame before You.
I know my sins are many and great, and they will fill me with fear,
but I hope in Your Mercies, for they cannot be numbered.

Lord Jesus Christ, eternal king, God and man, crucified for mankind,
look upon me with mercy and hear my prayer, for I trust in You.
Have mercy on me, full of sorrow and sin,
for the depth of your compassion never ends.

Praise to You, saving sacrifice,
offered on the wood of the cross for me and for all mankind.
Praise to the noble and precious blood,
flowing from the wounds of my crucified Lord Jesus Christ
and washing away the sins of the whole world.
Remember, Lord, your creature, whom You have redeemed with Your Blood.
I repent my sins, and I long to put right what I have done.
Merciful Father, take away all my offenses and sins;
purify me in body and soul, and make me worthy to taste the holy of holies.

May Your Body and Blood, which I intend to receive, although I am unworthy,
be for me the remission of my sins, the washing away of my guilt,
the end of my evil thoughts, and the rebirth of my better instincts.
May it incite meto do the works pleasing to You
and profitable to my health in body and soul,
and be a firm defense against the wiles of my enemies.

Amen.

A Prayer for Sunday (John of Damascus)

December 4, 2011 in Church History, Prayers with 0 Comments

[This Sunday is the feast day of Saint John Damascene, Doctor of the Church (676 – 4 December 749). He is most famous as one who defended the veneration – not to be confused with worship! – of sacred images and icons. In significance, his writings in the Eastern Church are comparable to those of Aquinas in the West. There are so many of his writings I would love to share; but, today I will simply leave you with two examples of his work, one is a prayer.]

Heal our passions, Cure our diseases, Help us out of our difficulties, Make our lives peaceful, Send us the illumination of the Spirit. Inflame us with the desire of thy son. Render us pleasing to Him, so that we may enjoy happiness with Him, seeing thee resplendent with thy Son’s glory, rejoicing forever, keeping feast in the Church with those who worthily celebrate Him who worked our salvation through thee, Christ the Son of God, and our God. To Him be glory and majesty, with the uncreated Father and the all-holy and life-giving Spirit, now and forever, through the endless ages of eternity. Amen. (from Sermon 3 on the Dormition)

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So, then, He had by nature, both as God and as man, the power of will. But His human will was obedient and subordinate to His divine will, not being guided by its own inclination, but willing those things which the divine will willed. For it was with the permission of the divine will that He suffered by nature what was proper to Him. For when He prayed that He might escape the death, it was with His divine will naturally willing and permitting it that He did so pray and agonize and fear, and again when His divine will willed that His human will should choose the death, the passion became voluntary to Him. For it was not as God only, but also as man, that He voluntarily surrendered Himself to the death. And thus He bestowed on us also courage in the face of death. So, indeed, He said before His saving passion, Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me , manifestly as though He were to drink the cup as man and not as God. It was as man, then, that He wished the cup to pass from Him: but these are the words of natural timidity. Nevertheless, He said, not My will, that is to say, not in so far as I am of a different essence from You, but Your will be done, that is to say, My will and Your will, in so far as I am of the same essence as Thou. Now these are the words of a brave heart. For the Spirit of the Lord, since He truly became man in His good pleasure, on first testing its natural weakness was sensible of the naturalfellow-suffering involved in its separation from the body, but being strengthened by the divine will it again grew bold in the face of death. For since He was Himself wholly God although also man, and wholly man although also God, He Himself as man subjected in Himself and by Himself His human nature to God and the Father, and became obedient to the Father, thus making Himself the most excellent type and example for us. (Exposition of the Faith, Book III, Chapter 18)

A Prayer for Sunday (Clement of Rome)

November 27, 2011 in Church History, Prayers with 1 Comment

[This is a guest post from Michael Fletcher, a Th.M. student at Western Seminary.]

Clement of Rome was a disciple of Peter and was the 4th Bishop of Rome (ca. 88-97). He is considered the First Church Father and Patristic Writer. His feast days are onNovember 23 (Catholic) and 25 (Orthodox). I could not find any extant prayers written by him; however, he does have some fabulous letters and homilies. The following is taken from the 16th chapter of his first letter:

For Christ is of those who are humble-minded, and not of those who exalt themselves over His flock. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Sceptre of the majesty of God, did not come in the pomp of pride or arrogance, although He might have done so, but in a lowly condition, as the Holy Spirit had declared regarding Him. For He says, Lord, who has believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? We have declared [our message] in His presence: He is, as it were, a child, and like a root in thirsty ground; He has no form nor glory, yea, we saw Him, and He had no form nor comeliness; but His form was without eminence, yea, deficient in comparison with the [ordinary] form of men. He is a man exposed to stripes and suffering, and acquainted with the endurance of grief: for His countenance was turned away; He was despised, and not esteemed. He bears our iniquities, and is in sorrow for our sakes; yet we supposed that [on His own account] He was exposed to labour, and stripes, and affliction. But He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we were healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray; [every] man has wandered in his own way; and the Lord has delivered Him up for our sins, while He in the midst of His sufferings opens not His mouth. He was brought as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before her shearer is dumb, so He opens not His mouth. In His humiliation His judgment was taken away; who shall declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth. For the transgressions of my people was He brought down to death. And I will give the wicked for His sepulchre, and therich for His death, because He did no iniquity, neither was guile found in His mouth. And the Lord is pleased to purify him by stripes. If you make an offering for sin, your soul shall see a long-lived seed. And the Lord is pleased to relieve Him of the affliction of His soul, to show Him light, and to form Him with understanding, to justify the Just One who ministers well to many; and He Himself shall carry their sins. On this account He shall inherit many, and shall divide the spoil of the strong; because His soul was delivered to death, and He was reckoned among the transgressors, and He bare the sins of many, and for their sins was He delivered. And again He says, I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All that see me have derided me; they have spoken with their lips; they have wagged their head, [saying] He hoped in God, let Him deliver Him, let Him save Him, since He delights in Him. You see, beloved, what is the example which has been given us; for if the Lord thus humbled Himself, what shall we do who have through Him come under the yoke of His grace?

A Prayer for Sunday (Chrysostom)

November 13, 2011 in Prayers with 0 Comments

[This is a guest post by Michael Fletcher, a Th.M. student a Western Seminary.]

Saint John Chrysostom (ca. 347 – 407), Archbishop of Constantinople, is celebrated by feasting in the Orthodox tradition on many days, including the 13th of November. He was such a treasure to the church. He was an amazing preacher and upon his death was given the surname chrysostomos, meaning “golden mouth.” The following prayer was written by him and it is one of my favorites:

Lord, exclude me not from Thy heavenly blessings.

Lord, deliver me from eternal torments.

Lord, whether I have sinned in mind or though, word or deed, forgive me.

Lord, deliver me from all ignorance, forgetfulness, cowardice, and stone-like insensitivity.

Lord, deliver me from every temptation.

Lord, enlighten my heart, which evil desires have darkened.

Lord, as a man I have sinned: as a gracious God, have mercy on me, seeing the weakness of my soul.

Lord, send Thy Grace to my aid, that I may glorify Thy holy name.

Lord Jesus Christ, inscribe me, Thy servant, in the book of life, and grant me a good end.

Lord, my God, even though I have done nothing good before Thee, grant by Thy Grace that I may make a good beginning.

Lord, sprinkle the dew of Thy Grace into my heart.

Lord of Heaven and earth, remember me, Thy sinful, shameful, and impure servant in Thy Kingdom. Amen.

Lord, accept me in repentance.

Lord, abandon me not.

Lord, lead me not into temptation.

Lord, grant me good thoughts.

Lord, grant me tears, the remembrance of death and compunction.

Lord, grant me the thought of confessing my sins.

Lord, grant me humility, chastity, and obedience.

Lord, grant me patience, courage, and meekness.

Lord, cause the root of good to dwell in me – Thy fear in my heart.

Lord, grant that I may love Thee with all my soul and mind and to do Thy will in all things.

Lord, protect me from certain people, demons, and passions, and from any other unseemly thing.

Lord, I know that Thou doest as Thou wilt: may Thy will be in me, a sinner, for blessed art Thou forever. Amen.

 

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