New Every Morning

Trinity 4 Saturday

Collect
O God, the protector of all that trust in thee, without whom nothing is pure, nothing is holy; Increase and multiply upon us thy mercy; that, thou being our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we finally lose not the things eternal. Grant this, O heavenly Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Click here for readings (ESV) 

Psalm 147
the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,

in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Ruth 1
Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.

Luke 9
Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astonished at the majesty of God.

New Every Morning

Trinity 4 Thursday

Collect
O God, the protector of all that trust in thee, without whom nothing is pure, nothing is holy; Increase and multiply upon us thy mercy; that, thou being our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we finally lose not the things eternal. Grant this, O heavenly Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Click here for readings

Psalm
It is he who remembered us in our low estate,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

24 and rescued us from our foes,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

Judges 16
Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me


Luke 9
they all ate and were satisfied 

Comments
It is God who is the pearl of great price. He is the Kingdom, He is the end of all things, He the hope of glory, He the Food who feeds us, the Power who sustains us, the Redeemer who rescues us, the Love who remembers us in our low estate.  When we have striven against this life and this world, and have reached for understanding and knowledge and prosperity and pleasure we find that the only thing we truly need is an increase of Him, a multiplication of his presence and goodness. I need more God in my life, then I will finally be satisfied. 

New Every Morning

Collect
O God, the protector of all that trust in thee, without whom nothing is pure, nothing is holy; Increase and multiply upon us thy mercy; that, thou being our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we finally lose not the things eternal. Grant this, O heavenly Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Click here for readings (ESV)

Psalm 138
On the day I called, you answered me;

my strength of soul you increased.

Joshua 16

But he did not know that the Lord had left him... 21 And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison. 22 But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.

Luke 8

your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

My Comments
On the traditional calendar, this is the Fourth Sunday after Trinity and the collect above has always been one of my favorites - and most needful. It is so tempting to exchange eternal things for momentary and passing things, because they are needed. Time is such a difficult burden. Its hard to stay focused on the eternal good when this moment in time is all that presses me.

As for Samson, he is a fearful example of someone who got entangled in temporal things and lost sight of eternal things. The momentary nagging of a deceitful wife... Yet I am so grateful for the reminder that, though the Lord once left Samson because of his sin, still the Lord returned to Samson once he returned to obedience.

And the woman with the hemorrhaging disease - she shows the way. It was her faith that made a way for her healing. Jesus healed her, but her faith and confidence in him made the way for her to experience it. In the middle of such a long burden of sorrow and pain, she grasped hold of Jesus and her whole life was made better - well. 

I think she could sing Psalm 138, and mean it. As could the parents of that little girl, of course.