Nepsis

Category: Time to Pray

  • Luke 3 7-15

    Therefore he (John) would say to the crowds who had come out to be baptised by him:
    ‘Children of snakes!
    who told you to flee from the coming wrath?
    So produce fruits worthy of repentance
    and do not begin to say to yourselves:
    ‘We have Abraham as our father.
    For I say to you that God can raise from these stones
    children for Abraham.’
    Already the axe is laid against the root of the trees.
    Therefore every root that does not bear good fruit
    will be cut down and thrown into the fire.’

    And the crowd asked him:
    ‘So what should we do?’
    And he answered them:
    ‘The one who has two tunics
    must share with the one who has none.
    And the one who has food must do likewise.’

    And tax collectors also came to be baptised
    and they said to him:
    ‘Teacher what should we do?’
    and he said to them:
    ‘No more collect than you are commanded.’
    The soldiers also asked him:
    ‘What should we do also?’
    And he said to them:
    ‘Extort no one and neither accuse falsely
    and be content with your wages. ‘

    Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
    Where there is hatred, let me 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,
    For your mercy and for your truth’s sake. Amen

  • Luke 3 1-6

    In the fifteenth year of the rule of Tiberias Caesar,
    as Pontius Pilate governed Judea
    and Herod was Tetrarch of Galilee
    and Philip his brother was Tetrarch of the land of Iturea and Trichonitis
    and Lysanias was Tetrarch of Abilene
    during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas
    it happened that the word of God
    came to John, son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
    And he went about in all the neighbourhood of the Jordan
    preaching a baptism of repentance
    for the forgiveness of sins.
    As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah, the prophet:
    A voice, crying in the wilderness
    prepare the road for the Lord
    make straight his paths.
    Every valley will be filled,
    and every mountain and hill will be humbled,
    and the crooked will be straightened
    and the rough ways smoothed
    and all flesh will see the salvation of God.    1

    1. Isaiah 40 3-5 ↩︎

    Grant, Lord,
    that we may hold to you without parting,
    worship you without wearying,
    serve you without failing;
    faithfully seek you,
    happily find you,
    and forever possess you,
    the only God,blessed now and for ever.
    Amen

    St Anselm

  • Psalm 7

    David’s, which he sang for Yahweh concerning the Kushite [Sudanese] words. The Binyaminite.

    1 Yahweh my God, in you I take shelter
    – deliver me from all who are pursuing me, and rescue me,
    2 Lest like a lion, one tears my life apart,
    ripping me to pieces and no one to rescue.


    3 Yahweh my God, if I did this,
    — if there’s evil in my palms
    –4 If I have dealt something bad to my friend,
    but released my adversary without reason,
    5 May the enemy pursue my life and overtake me,
    may he trample my life to the ground,
    may he tread down my honour in the dirt. (Rise)

    6 Rise up, Yahweh, in your anger;
    lift yourself up at the rage of my attackers.
    Wake up for me, you must have ordered judgement
    7 Let the assembly of the peoples come round you.
    – over it return on high;
    8Yahweh must rule the peoples.
    Exercise justice for me, Yahweh,
    as I am innocent and as the integrity in me
    9The bad ways of the wicked must, please, come to an end,
    and you must establish the righteous.

    The faithful God
    is one who tests hearts and minds.
    10God is my shield on high,
    one who delivers people who are upright in heart.
    11God exercises justice for the faithful person;
    God is indignant each day.


    12 If someone doesn’t turn back, he whets his sword;
    he’s directed his bow and fixed it.
    13 He’s fixed deadly weapons for himself,
    he makes his arrows into flames.


    14 There, someone twists with trouble,
    he’s pregnant with oppression, he gives birth to falsehood.
    15 He’s dug a cistern and made it deep,
    but he’s fallen into the hole he makes.
    16 His act of oppression comes back on to his own head,
    his violence comes down on his own skull.


    17 I will confess Yahweh in accordance with his faithfulness
    and make music to the name of Yahweh, the One on High.

    Thank you, dear Jesus,
    for all you have given me,
    for all you have taken away from me,
    for all you have left me.

    Thomas More (c.1478-1535)

  • Genesis 4 23-26

    And Lamek said to his wives,
    ‘Adah and Zillah
    Hear my voice
    Wives of Lamek
    Listen to my words
    For I have killed a man
    that wounded me
    a young man
    for striking me.
    For if Cain’s revenge is seven fold
    Lamek’s is seventy-sevenfold‘.

    And Adam knew his wife again
    and she conceived and bore a son
    and called his name, Seth.
    because God has provided for me
    an offspring after Abel
    because Cain killed him.

    To Seth also a son was born
    and he called his name Enosh

    and at that time people began to call upon the name of YHWH.

    Thank you, dear Jesus,
    for all you have given me,
    for all you have taken away from me,
    for all you have left me.

    Thomas More (c.1478-1535)

  • Genesis 4 17-22

    And Cain knew his wife and she conceived
    and she bore Enoch.
    And he (Enoch?) was building a city
    and he called the name of the city
    as the name of his son – Enoch.

    And to Enoch was born Irad
    And Irad fathered Mehujael
    And Mehujael fathered Methushael
    And Methushael fathered Lamek.

    And Lamek took two wives for himself,
    the name of one was Adah
    and the of the second was Zillah.

    And Adah bore Yabal
    He was the father of those who dwell in tents
    and (have) livestock.

    And the name of his brother was Yubal
    and he was the father of those who play the lyre and the pipe.

    And Zillah also bore Tubal-cain
    the father of all who sharpen copper and iron
    And the sister of Tubal Cain was Naamah.

    O Lord Jesus Christ,
    stay beside me to defend me,
    within me to guide me,
    before me to lead me,
    and above me to bless me,
    that with you and in you,
    I may live, and move and have my being,
    for ever and ever.
    Amen.

    (unknown)

  • Genesis 4 8-16

    And Cain spoke to Abel, his brother.
    And when they were in the field
    Cain rose up against Abel, his brother
    and killed him.


    And the Lord said to Cain:
    ‘Where is Abel, your brother?’
    And he said
    ‘I do not know:
    the keeper of my brother am I?’
    And he said:
    ‘What have you done?
    The voice of your brother’s blood
    cries out to me
    from the ground.
    And now you are cursed
    from the land
    which has opened its mouth
    to receive your brother’s blood
    from your hand.
    For when you work the ground
    it will not again give you its strength.
    A fugitive and wanderer you will be in the land.’

    And Cain said to the LORD
    ‘My punishment is greater than I can bear.
    Look, today you have driven me
    away from the face of the ground
    and away from your face I will be hidden.
    And I will be a wanderer and fugitive
    on the earth
    and whoever finds me will kill me. ‘

    And the LORD said to him
    ‘So then
    anyone killing Cain
    will be punished seven-fold. ‘

    And the LORD put a sign on Cain
    lest any who found him should strike him.

    And Cain went from the face of the LORD
    and settled in the land of Nod (Wandering),
    east of Eden.

    Eternal God and Father,
    you create us by your power,
    and redeem us by your love,
    guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,
    that we may give ourselves in love and service
    to one another and to you;
    through Jesus Christ our Lord.

  • Genesis 4 5-7

    And the LORD said to Cain
    ‘Why are you angry and
    why has your face fallen?
    Will there not be a lifting up
    if you do good?
    And if you do not do good,
    Sin lurks at the door,
    its desire is for you,
    and you must rule it.’

    O Lord, in whom is our hope,
    remove far from us, we pray thee,
    empty hopes and presumptuous confidence.
    Make our hearts so right with thy most holy and loving heart,
    that hoping in thee we may do good;
    until that day when faith and hope
    shall be abolished by sight and possession,
    and love shall be all in all.

    Christina Rossetti (1830-94)

  • Genesis 4 1-4

    And the man knew Eve, his wife,
    and she conceived
    and she bore Cain
    and she said
    ‘I have gained a man along with the LORD.’

    And she did it again, she bore his brother Abel,
    and Abel was a keeper of sheep,
    and Cain was a worker of the l and.

    And at the end of the days
    Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground
    as an offering to the LORD.

    And Abel brought from the first born of the flock
    even from the fattest (part) of them
    and the LORD ‘looked’ to Abel
    and his offering.

    To Cain and his offering
    he looked not.

    So Cain was very angry
    and his face fell.

    Keep us, O Lord, while we tarry on this earth,
    in a serious seeking after thee,
    and in an affectionate walking with thee,
    every day of our lives;
    that when thou comest,
    we may be found not hiding our talent,
    nor yet asleep with our lamp unfurnished,
    but waiting and longing for our Lord,
    our glorious King, for ever and ever.

    Richard Baxter (1615-1691)

  • Acts 9 26-31

    Next having arrived at Jerusalem he (Saul)
    began to try to join the disciples.
    And they were afraid of him
    not believing that he was a disciple.
    But Barnabas helped him
    and brought him to the apostles.
    and he (Barnabas) told them
    how he (Saul) had seen the Lord on the road
    and that he (Jesus) had spoken to him
    and how he (Saul) had preached boldly in Damascus
    in the name of Jesus.

    And going in and out
    among them in Jerusalem,
    he boldly preached in the name of the Lord.
    And he spoke and he argued
    with the Hellenists,
    but they were trying to kill him.

    And when the brothers had learned this
    they took him down to Caesarea
    and they sent him off to Tarsus.

    So then the church through the whole of Judea and Galilee and Samaria
    had peace; and
    being built up and
    walking in the fear of the Lord
    and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit,
    it grew.

    Lord God,,
    you feed us with the living bread from heaven;
    you renew our faith,
    increase our hope,
    and strengthen our love.

    Teach us to hunger
    for Christ who is the true and living bread,
    and to live by every word
    that comes from your mouth,
    through Jesus Christ our Lord.
    Amen.

  • Acts 9 19b -25

    Now he was
    for several days
    with the disciples
    in Damascus,
    and immediately
    he began to preach Jesus
    in the synagogues:
    ‘He is the son of God.’
    And all who heard were amazed and said:
    ‘Is not this the man
    who destroyed
    in Jerusalem
    those who call on this name
    and came here
    to tie them up to bring them
    before the High Priests?
    And Saul grew stronger and stronger
    and confused the Jews who lived in Damascus
    by proving that this one was the Messiah.

    While many days passed
    the Jews plotted together to kill him.
    Now their plan became known to Saul.
    They were watching the gates closely
    day and night
    in order to kill him.
    But his disciples taking him by night
    let him down through (an opening in) the wall
    lowering him in a basket.

    Eternal Light, shine into our hearts;
    Eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil;
    Eternal Power, be our support;
    Eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance:
    That we may seek your face
    with all our heart and mind and soul and strength. Amen.
    Alcuin