Nepsis

Category: Time to Pray

  • John 1:6-13

    A man became,
    having been sent from God,
    his name was John,
    -this one came as a witness
    that is to bear witness to the L ight
    so that all people might trust through him.

    -That one was not the Light,
    but he (came) to witness about the Light.

    He was the true Light,
    who gives light to everyone,
    by his coming into the world.

    He was in the world,
    and the world through him
    became
    and the world did not recognise him.

    To his own he came,
    yet his own people did not receive him.

    But to as many received him,
    he gave to them
    the right to become children of God,
    to those who trust in his name.
    Those,
    not from blood,
    not from the will of flesh
    not from the will of man
    but born from God.

    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)

  • John 1:2-5

    This one
    was in the beginning
    with God.

    All things
    through him
    became
    and without him
    became
    not one thing which
    became

    In him
    was life;
    and the life
    was the light of humankind;
    and the light shines
    in the darkness
    and yet the darkness
    did not master it

    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)

  • John 1:1

    In the beginning was the Word,
    and the Word was with God,
    and God – the Word was.

    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.

  • Jude 24, 25

    So,
    to the one who is able to keep you from stumbling,
    and to present (you) before his glory
    faultless
    with rejoicing
    to the only God
    our saviour
    through Jesus Christ our Lord
    – be
    glory
    majesty
    power
    and authority
    before all the ages
    and now
    and for all ages
    Amen

    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

  • Jude 17-23

    So you, beloved,
    remember the sayings
    having been pronounced
    by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ
    that they said to you all:
    ‘At the last time
    there will be mockers,
    going according to their own desires of ungodlinesses.
    These are the divisive people,
    – natural
    – not having the Spirit.

    But you, beloved,
    by building yourselves up
    in your most holy faith
    by praying in the Holy Spirit,
    keep yourselves in the love of God,
    waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ,
    for the life eternal.
    And
    have mercy on those who are disputing
    save others by snatching them from the fire
    have mercy on others in fear
    even hating the clothes
    stained by the flesh.



    God, give me grace to accept with serenity
    the things that cannot be changed,
    Courage to change the things
    which should be changed,
    and the Wisdom to distinguish
    the one from the other.

    Living one day at a time,
    Enjoying one moment at a time,
    Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
    Taking, as Jesus did,
    This sinful world as it is,
    Not as I would have it,
    Trusting that You will make all things right,
    If I surrender to Your will,
    So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
    And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

    Amen.

  • Jude 14-16

    And so
    Enoch,
    the seventh man from Adam
    prophesied
    saying:
    ‘Behold,
    ‘The Lord came
    with his ten thousands of holy ones,
    to make judgement against all and
    to convict all souls
    about all their works of ungodliness
    which they-have-done-in-ungodly-ways and
    about all the hard things
    which they have said
    against him:
    –godless sinners!    1

    These are complainers, grumblers
    going
    according to their own desires
    and their mouths speak ‘big words’
    ‘amazing faces’
    for the sake of gain.

    1. 1 Enoch 1 9 ↩︎

    Teach us, good Lord,
    to serve thee as thou deservest;
    to give and not to count the cost;
    to fight and not to heed the wounds;
    to toil and not to seek for rest;
    to labour and not to ask for any reward,
    save that of knowing that we do thy will,
    through Jesus Christ our Lord.
    Amen

    St Ignatius

  • Jude 11-13

    Woe to them! –
    because they have gone the way of Cain,
    and have plunged themselves
    into Balaam’s error
    for a reward
    and have been destroyed
    by the controversy of Korah.

    These people
    at your love feasts
    are dangerous-reefs
    feasting with you
    without reverence;
    -shepherds who look after themselves
    -waterless clouds,
    blown along by the wind
    – trees, belonging to late autumn,
    fruitless
    (twice dead)
    being uprooted
    –wild waves of the sea
    foaming up their own shame
    – wandering stars
    for whom the gloom, that is darkness
    has been kept for ever.

    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

  • Jude 8-9

    Actually
    these people
    who ‘have dreams’,
    defile flesh
    reject the authority-of-the-Lord
    and slander the glorious ones.

    But Michael, the archangel,
    when he was arguing with the devil
    and disputing
    about the body of Moses,
    did not dare to pronounce judgement
    for slander
    but he said:
    ‘May the Lord rebuke you.’
    But these people
    – as many things they do not understand
    they slander
    – as many things
    that by instinct
    they understand
    like irrational animals
    by these things
    they are being destroyed

    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)

  • Jude 6=7

    And next (you will remember)
    the angels
    who did not keep to their own domain
    but left their proper dwelling
    he has kept
    for the judgement of the great day
    in eternal chains
    in deep darkness,
    And so too
    Sodom and Gomorrah
    and the towns around them
    in the same way as these
    lived immorally
    and went after flesh of another kind
    are displayed as evidence
    that is by undergoing eternal fire.

    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

  • Jude 5

    So I want to remind you,
    – who know all this:
    that once
    the Lord
    having saved the People from the Egyptians
    later
    destroyed
    those who did not believe.

    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)