My Evensong
  • Home
  • Eternal Life
  • Resume
    • Letter of Reference #1
    • Letter of Reference #2
    • Letter of Reference #3
    • Letter of Reference #4
  • Essays
    • INTRO to Romans >
      • Romans 1.1-7 Grace & Peace
      • To Rome With Love
      • Not Ashamed of the Gospel
      • A Two-sided Coin
      • The Patience, Judgment and Praise of God
      • Center of All Things
    • Romans 8 >
      • No Condemnation in Christ
      • Our Present Suffering >
        • The Golden Chain
      • The Groaning and Glory
      • The Spirit's Intercession
      • Salvation’s Eternal Gobstobber
      • Total Makeover - Romans 12.1-2
    • Paul's Application of Justification by Faith >
      • What About Me? - Romans 12.3-8
      • Authority & Submission - Romans 13.1-7
      • True Love - Romans 12.9-21
      • Love's Demands Romans 13.8-14
      • Unity: Not Judgmental - Romans 14.1-14
      • Unity in Hope - Romans 15.1-13
      • Travel Plans - Romans 15.14-29
      • An appeal for Prayer - Romans 15.30-33
      • Final Greetings - Romans 16.1-14
      • A Last Word About Last Words - Romans 16.25-27
      • Another Word About Last Words - Romans 16.25-27
    • Christ Formed in You >
      • Preserverence
      • Labor Pains
      • Marks of a Disciple
      • Holy Character / Holy Habits
    • Jesus Post Resurrection Narratives >
      • Words From the Cross
      • The Resurrection
      • The Ascension of Christ
      • The Exaltation of Christ
      • The Session of Christ
      • The Reign of Christ
      • Jesus as High Priest
      • Jesus as Judge
    • Second Thoughts >
      • After Christmas
      • Thoughts on the Covenant
      • Infant Baptism
      • Job and a Dangerous God
      • The Ultimate Question
      • Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing
      • God's Eternal Decree & Secondary Causality
      • God's Providence & Evil
      • The Anguish of Child Birth
      • Truth: That Elusive Fellow
      • Spilled Water
      • Stretch Out Your Hand
      • A Brief of the Olivet Discourse
    • Thoughts on Isaiah >
      • A Love Song Isaiah 5
      • Firm in Faith: Isaiah 7.1 - 8.8
      • The Salvation of an Incomparable God
      • Two Cities: God's Supremacy
      • Looking Toward the Rising Sun
    • Thoughts on Prayer >
      • The Glory of God in Prayer
      • Disciples' Prayer
      • Prayer & the Righteous Person
      • A Sufficient Grace
      • Providence & Prayer
      • Prayer & the Session of Christ
      • The Struggle of Prayer
      • "Failure" in Prayer
      • The Silence of God
      • Prayer & the Will of God
    • Psalms >
      • Psalm 1 & 2 - Introducing the Psalms
      • Psalm 139 - Wings of the Morning
      • Psalm 90 - A Complaint
      • Psalm 91.1-13: The Wings of Refuge
      • Psalm 91.14-16 - God Speaks: A Salvation Oracle
      • Psalm 91 - God's Salvation
      • Psalm 92 - A Sabbath Psalm of Worship
      • Psalm 100 Steadfast Love
  • Books
    • Apologetics / Evangelism
    • Modernity & Post Modernism
    • Prayer
    • Basic in Christian Theology
    • Eclectic Reading
  • Conversations with Charlie
  • Compline
  • Photos
  • LOL
    • Bible / Theology / Church >
      • How Hot is Hell?
      • Theologians & Stop Signs
      • Butt Prints in the Sand
      • Bulletin Bloopers
      • Driving the Car & Haircuts
    • Deep Thoughts
    • Moose Hunting
    • Evolution of Math
    • Lexophiles
    • Musical Humor
    • O' The Married Life
    • Humor for Supercilious Condescending Pedagogues
    • Marriage from a Kid’s Point of View
  • Links
    • Carrie Marshall
    • Linda Moore
    • Gary's FCCW Sermon Videos

Elihu Confronts Job: Confession & the Promise of the Gospel

6/29/2015

1 Comment

 
Tonight's evening prayer of confession and the declaration of the hope of the Gospel is based on Elihu's confrontation with Job.

"If there be for him an angel, a mediator, one of the thousand, to declare to man what is right for him, and he is merciful to him, and says, “Deliver him from going down into the pit; I have found a ransom; let his flesh become fresh with youth; let him return to the days of his youthful vigor; then he prays to God, and he accepts him; he sees his face with a shout of joy, and he restores to man his righteousness. He sings before men and says: ‘I sinned and perverted what was right, and it was not repaid to me. He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit, and my life shall look upon the light’ (Job 33.22-28).

Heavenly Father we confess that you are infinite, most holy, most wise, most forgiving and that you accomplish everything according to your gracious will. In your mercy you have opened our eyes and ears to the terrifying consequences of our sins. You have warned us to turn aside from our prideful conceit lest we perish in our sin. Now with true repentance, we ask you to show us mercy on behalf of your Son and our Savior. With our whole heart we submit ourselves to you; trusting in you alone to reconcile us to yourself through your only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Comment

The Ultimate Question

6/26/2015

2 Comments

 
Then they said to him, “ What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent 
(John 6.28-29)

The question, or its variation, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” is a common one. It was the question asked by the lawyer in Luke 10.25 and the rich young ruler in Luke 18.18 (Matthew 19.16; Mark 10.17). The answer to this question lies at the heart of the gospel. Indeed, it is the great theme of Scripture. Bildad the Shuhite asked it: How then can a man be righteous before God? (Job 25.4; cp. Psalm 15). The biblical story of redemption focuses on answering this question, from its nadir of man’s expulsion from the garden in Genesis 3, to its zenith of man’s entrance into the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21 and 22. Paul and Silas answered the question for the Philippian jailor who, when the prison doors were miraculously opened, cried out: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.” If there is an immortal part to a person’s existence, then there can be no more important question. The gospel of John gives particular attention to answer this question. Indeed, it is the purpose of the gospel: Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (John 20.30-31; cp. 1.4; 3.15-16; 4.14; 5.24; 6.47; 11.25; 12.25; 17.13).

Most notably, in John 6 we have an encounter between Jesus and a large crowd of people who had been fed from only five loaves of barley bread and two small fish. Extraordinarily, what was gathered up after the meal was more than what was initially used to feed them? A number of these men immediately recognized how great an advantage they would have over the Romans if Jesus could be compelled to be their king and lead a revolt. Knowing their intent Jesus separated himself from them. He sent his disciples by boat to Capernaum while he retreated to the mountain to be alone. Later in the evening Jesus intercepted his disciples by walking across the Sea of Galilee. A strong wind had arisen and the waters had become turbulent. Needless to say, when the disciples saw Jesus approaching the boat they were terrified. But Jesus consoled them with an assurance that it was he: “It is I; don't be afraid” (John 6.20). After taking him into the boat they arrived together at Capernaum.

The following day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone (John 6.22). Eager to press their political case with Jesus, some people went by boats to Capernaum in search of him. However, when they found him their first question was when (or how) he come had to be there. Knowing that Jesus had not taken a boat, it did not seem possible that he had arrived there so quickly. There had not been sufficient time for him to walk along the perimeter of the lake. Jesus does not inform them; the miracle of Jesus walking on the water was apparently for the benefit of the disciples, although it also sets the stage for the discourse on the “Bread of Life.” So, in typical Johannine fashion, Jesus ignored the lesser issue and confronted them with a greater one. I tell you the truth; you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval” (John 6.26 – 27). To this statement they responded with the perennial question, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus responded, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

This is the heart of the gospel: it is the means whereby women and men are saved. While the answer to the question, “How can one gain eternal life?” is essentially the same in all the gospels, John answers the question with an emphatic emphasis on the importance of a personal relationship between the believer and Jesus. Interestingly, some of the salvific themes prominent in the synoptic gospels are absent in John. For example, John says nothing about repentance; neither the verb nor the noun appears in the fourth Gospel. The kingdom of God motif that is central to the other gospels almost disappears in John. It is replaced with the concept of life or eternal life, which for John is a present reality, as well as being a future certainty. By way of contrast, the first three gospels speak of eternal life as primarily an eschatological event. The most distinctive literary form of teaching in the synoptic gospels is the parable; however, parables in their traditional form are prevalent in John’s gospel. They have been replaced by lengthy discourses. The short epigrammatic sayings common to the synoptic Gospels are also missing in the fourth gospel. The pithy sayings and brief accounts of events in Jesus’ life joined with teaching sections are common in the first three Gospels, but they are absent in John. Moreover, the fourth Gospel lacks other important events found in the other three (e.g., Jesus birth, baptism, transfiguration, the exorcism of demons, the agony in Gethsemane, the Last Supper, and the Olivet Discourse) (cp. George Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament, p. 215).

Consequently, any attempt to appreciate Jesus’ response to the crowd must include some understanding of Johannine language. In particular, what does John intend his readers to make of the expression to believe in Jesus. Precisely what is one supposed to believe about Him and will this translate into belief (or in Pauline terms, faith) in Him? Jesus responded to the Pharisees who challenged his authority with the statement: I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins” (John 8.24). So what is it that He claims to be? Well, for one thing, it is clear that John sets Christ before the reader as the eternally existent Divine Logos (1.1). He is the one sent from God (1.14). He has authority over life and death and is the judge of all humanity (5.24-27). There are a variety of definitive I am sayings wherein Jesus defines metaphorically who he is and the relationship he intends to have with his disciples. In this discourse on the Bread of Life we encounter the first of these I am sayings (6.35). This is followed by other metaphors that help the reader understand something of who Jesus is. The distinctively idiomatic I am sayings thread their way throughout the pre-passion narrative. Jesus says of himself, I am: the bread of life (6.35), the light of the world (6.12); the door (10.7); the good shepherd (10.11); the resurrection and the life (11.25); the way, the truth and the life (14.6); the true vine (15.1); and of course all of these sayings are an amplification of the passage where Jesus says, Before Abraham was, I am (8.58).

In one sense the teaching in John 6 climaxes in the upper room when Jesus confronts his disciples, “Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me?” They do not immediately understand what Jesus is talking about, but by the end of evening the disciples responded, “Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.” “You believe at last!” Jesus answered (16.30-31). Those who know God know Jesus Christ whom God sent; these are the ones who have eternal life (17.2-3). Everything is written for the singular purpose that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

By way of comparison with the crowd in John’s gospel, consider the answer Jesus gave to the rich ruler in Matthew 20.1-16. Jesus had instructed the rich young man to sell all his possessions and to follow him. One must be careful not to construe that Jesus was suggesting that by divesting himself of his wealth the man would somehow merit salvation. To the contrary, poverty was not to be the object of his life – Jesus was. Wealth was the impediment. Jesus asked for a radical commitment to himself, just as he had asked Peter and John to leave their fishing nets and follow Him. But Jesus asked him to do the very thing he knew he could not do, thereby demonstrating that men are unable to procure their own salvation. This is what makes sense of the disciples perplexity expressed in their question, who then can be saved? Jesus replied that with man it is impossible but with God all things are possible. Matthew reinforced his point with a parable about the kingdom of heaven in which workers were hired at various times of the day to work in the master’s vineyard. At end of day each man was paid the same amount. God does not grant salvation because men labor for it, but he freely saves people by his grace.

It may be worth a few moments of your time to survey some of the more than 70 passages in John that speak of believing. Dietrich Bonheoffer, the German theologian and WW II martyr, wrote, “Only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient, truly believes” (The Cost of Discipleship, p. 37). There is a union between belief and obedience that is not foreign to John.

SOME BELIEVE SAYING S IN JOHN 

To those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (1.12). 


In Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name (2.23). 


For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (3.16). 

“Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (5.24). 

“How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?” (5.44). 

The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent. … Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” … “For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life.” … “I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.” … “Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that on one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.” From this time on many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." (6.29, 35, 40, 47, 64, 69). “

I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins." (8.24). 

“You do not believe because you are not my sheep” (10.26). “Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does” (10.37). 

“When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me” (12.44). 

These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (20.31).

BTW: If you would like to read a bit more on this theme of the ultimate question I've posted a short piece under Essays / Second Thoughts / Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing. In it you will see the contrast beween the "Rich Ruler" (Luke 18.18 - 30) and the rich tax collector, Zacchaeus (Luke 19.1-10).
2 Comments

Treasure in Heaven

6/18/2015

2 Comments

 
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieve break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieve do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also - Matthew 6.19-24
INTRODUCTION

Jesus has just excoriated those who mispracticed the heart and spirit of the religious life - namely, alms, prayer and fasting. He now deals with the opposite end of the spectrum - namely, a preoccupation with the things of this world. The true believer expresses his faith in God through his loyalty to the kingdom of heaven and his unwavering faith in God’s gracious provision for all his temporal needs. In the words of Paul, one may say he lives by faith not by sight. Thus, if one is a citizen of the kingdom he will invest in the kingdom. Jesus’ commands regarding wealth are as radical as the other kingdom activities addressed in the Synoptic gospels. Of course, the Bible’s comments about stewardship and wealth are not limited to the few comments Jesus makes in the Sermon on the Mount.

Scripture devotes considerable attention to the subject of wealth. Indeed, there is scarcely anything in Scripture, which is so greatly warned against as the allurements of personal wealth. Paul cautions his young disciple to be content: But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs (1 Timothy 6.6-10; cp. Hebrews 13.5). The emphatic command to stop storing up treasures on earth (Matthew 6.19) requires a radical paradigm shift in the way most Christians view their possessions (cp. Romans 12.1-2). Jesus warns those who hope in heaven to be on guard against every form of greed because the value of a man’s life cannot be measured by his possessions. Indeed, it is not what is accumulated on earth that has value but what is stored in the vaults of heaven. Consequently, the believer ought to be rich toward God (Luke 12.15-21).

HEAVENLY TREASURE 

But what constitutes a treasure fit for heaven? Paul says of the Christians at Thessalonica that they are his crown in which he will glory in the presence of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 2.19; cp. Philippians 4.1). There is nothing greater than winning the lost to Christ. Daniel summarized it well when he said: And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever (Daniel 12.3). Indeed, all things done for the Lord will receive their reward in heaven. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Colossians 3.23-24).  However, it is not the possessions you acquire that are important; rather, it is the relationships that you cultivate in Christ which honor Christ and have eternal value. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world (James 1.27). Scripture declares that God desires the believer to be generous toward those in need. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? (1 John 3.17; cp. Matthew 18.21-35). Jesus assured His disciples that the Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Luke 12.33-24).

Does this mean that Christians are to be financially poor themselves? Does the Lord disparage all those who are wealthy? Of course, the answer is “no,” but with this caveat: while money itself is not evil, one’s attitude towards it may easily corrupt the individual. If such is the case, what is a proper perspective toward money?

First, trust in the Lord; He will supply all your needs. The psalmist said, The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want (Psalm 23.1). Paul wrote from prison: And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4.19; cp. Matthew 6.28-34). The Lord provided for Israel in the wilderness (Exodus 16.4-6), and he is able to provide for all who trust in him (Psalm 118.8-9; Romans 8.32).

Second, one must work hard and use his resources wisely. That is, he must be industrious in his labor, wise in saving and spending, and generous in helping others. Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica that they ought to make it their ambition to lead a quiet life, mind their own business and work with their hands so that they will earn a good reputation and not be dependent on others for their livelihood (1 Thessalonians 4.11-12). In Proverbs we read, Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth (Proverbs 10.4; 6.6-11; 11.24-28). Some regard debt as part and parcel of the capitalistic process. Others view debt as prohibited in Scripture (Romans 13.8). The Bible does not forbid debt. Though debt is not a sin, it is nonetheless a good thing to avoid whenever possible (Proverbs 6.1-5; 22.7).

Third, one must be honest and generous in his dealings with others. Scripture says: Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act (Proverbs 3.27-28). James cautions the rich against hoarding their riches and failing to pay a proper wage to those who work for them (James 5.1-6). James has in mind the following Levitical admonition: Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight (Leviticus 19.13; Deuteronomy 24.15). Such action would cause undo hardship on a poor man who lived from day to day. God looks with great disfavor on those who defraud laborers and oppress widows (Malachi 3.5).

Fourth, the pursuit of wealth is not worth the end result. Those who seek to fill their “stomachs” will never have enough (Philippians 3.19). Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. … As goods increase, so do those who consume them (Ecclesiastes 5.10-11).

Finally, take care not to rob God of what is rightly His. The prophet Malachi wrote, “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ in tithes and offerings. You are under a curse – the whole nation of you – because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it” (Malachi 3.8-10; cp. 1 Corinthians 9.6-11).

THE PROBLEM OF MONEY

Why is money so often a problem? For one thing, if people don't have it they focus their creative resources on trying to get it; when they get it, they focus their energy on keeping it. In short, it tends to keep one’s attention riveted on what’s temporal rather than what’s eternal (1 Peter 1.7; cp. 2 Corinthians 4.16-18). Moreover, there is a general tendency to believe that money is the answer to all problems. A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything (Ecclesiastes 10.19; cp. Mark 10.17-23). The problem with money is that you can never make enough. Thankfully the things in life that are really meaningful and important are truly free (Isaiah 55.1-3). Haggai, a prominent post-exilic prophet, challenged the people about their luxurious lifestyles at a time when the temple remained unrestored. He asked the question, Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house [the temple] remains in ruin? … Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it  (Haggai 1.3-4).

Some commentators have mistakenly suggested that the verses in Matthew 6.19-24 are disjointed and were woven together by a later redactor. They fail to recognize the connection between the admonition concerning earthly possessions, heavenly treasure, and the eye being the lamp of the body. However, the eye may be read here as having the same metaphorical impact as heart. “The ‘eye’ can be equivalent to the ‘heart.’ The heart set on God so as to hold to his commands (Psalm 119:10) is equivalent to the eye fastened on God’s law (Psalm 119:18, 148; cf. 119:36-37). Similarly Jesus moves from ‘heart’ (v. 21) to ‘eye’ (vv. 22-23). Moreover the text moves between physical description and metaphor by the words chosen for ‘good’ and ‘bad.’ Haplous (‘good’ v.22) and its cognates can mean either ‘single’ (vs. diplous, ‘double,’ 1 Tim 5:17) in the sense of ‘single, undivided loyalty’ (cf. 1 Chronicles 29.17) or in cognate forms ‘generous,’ ‘liberal’ (cf. Rom 12.8; James 1.5)” (D. A. Carson, EBCNT, p. 178).

Thus, just as the heart may have its passions, so too, what the eye fixates on may become a consuming passion. If one’s eye looks on the kingdom, then his desire will be for the King of heaven and he will be full of light; if one’s eye looks on earthly things which pass away, then he will be full of darkness. Light and darkness cannot occupy the same space. The warning is emphatic: Don't be greedy!

A GODWARD FOCUS

Greed keeps the focus of the individual on himself without giving proper attention to the needs of others (Proverbs 21.25-26; Isaiah 56.11 cp. Philippians 2.3-4). Selfishness and greed are ranked among the sins that Christians generally count among the worst, such as drunkenness, sexual immorality, theft, and the worship of idols (2 Corinthians 5.11). The self-focus of the greedy envelops them in moral darkness and they cannot see their inevitable self-destruction (Psalm 73.18; John 9.39-41).

So then, two things are set before the reader, God and money. Both are masters (slave owners); that is, each one requires absolute devotion. Each is jealous for the total affection of his disciple. There can be no room in the heart for divided loyalty. One cannot be devoted part of the time to God and kingdom living, and part of the time to oneself and the pursuit of wealth and property. Jesus says you must chose. It has always been thus. People must choose between God and their idols – Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs (Jonah 2.8; cp. Joshua 24.14-15; 2 Kings 17.15).

2 Comments

Night Time Prayers

6/12/2015

6 Comments

 
Within a segment of the liturgical traditions of Christendom there are those who observe the canonical (divine) hours throughout the day. The last of these five or seven observances (depending on the tradition) is called the compline. It is the last office of prayer and reflection for the day and it tends to be a contemplative devotion that promotes spiritual peace through the confession of sin, the reading of Psalms, perhaps a hymn, the canticle of Simeon and a benediction for the day. With this in mind it is my intent to use these postings on my website for the purpose of my reflections on Biblical and devotional themes. In as much as the title for the blog is "Compline" it seems appropriate to make my first entry about night time prayers. 

Regarding prayer in general, I am both fond of and convicted by the following excerpt from Tennyson’s well-known poem.

If thou shouldst never see my face again,
Pray for my soul. More things are wrought by prayer
Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice
Rise like a fountain for me night and day.
For what are men better than sheep or goats
That nourish a blind life within the brain,
If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer
Both for themselves and those who call them friend?
For so the whole round earth is every way
Bound by gold chains about the feet of God.
 

           (From: “Le Morte d’Arthur” Alfred Tennyson)

When I was very young I would often recite an abbreviated version of the popular children’s nighttime prayer, “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep;” it is still a prayer that is very much worth reciting. My favorite best version of this 18th century prayer goes something like this: 

Thank you lord for another day,
The chance to learn, the chance to play.
Now as I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.


Please, guard me Jesus through the night,
And keep me safe till mornings light.
But if should I die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.


And should I live for other days,
I pray that God will guide my ways.
Amen


Now, at the other end of my life, I find I am once again embracing written and “liturgical prayers.” I think there is a good case to be made for the tried and true rites of worship. The danger, of course, is obvious: if the words are not internalized, processed and born of a life-changing encounter with the Holy Spirit then they are as lifeless as a stillborn child. John Burton cautions his readers: 

I often say my prayers, 
But do I ever pray;
And do the wishes of my heart 
Go with the words I say?


I may as well kneel down 
And worship gods of stone
As offer to the living God 
A prayer of words alone.


For words without the heart
The Lord will never hear:
Nor will he to those lips attend
Whose prayers are not sincere.


Still, having acknowledged this pitfall, there is much to be said for the reciting of prayers that have endured through the centuries. Of course, we do this with the “Lord’s Prayer,” the doxology, the Gloria Patria or making Psalm 23 the prayer of our heart. But there are others that have resonated with me; one, that of late I frequently turn to is an evening prayer of Saint Augustine of Hippo; in addition other places, it may be found in the compline (night office) of the “Divine Hour: Prayers for Autumn and Winter time” by Phyllis Tickle.   

"Watch, O Lord, with those who wake, or watch or weep tonight, 
And give your angels charge over those who sleep. 
Tend your sick ones, O Lord Jesus Christ. 
Rest your weary ones. Bless your dying ones. 
Soothe your suffering ones. Pity your afflicted ones. 
Shield your joyous ones; and all for your love's sake.  Amen.


Sometimes, I personalize this prayer by filling in the blanks; that is, under each category, like those who are awake, or the sick one, or dying ones I supply the names and concerns of people I know who are being challenged in their lives by these afflictions. 

Finally, I close with the Nunc Dimittis (Canticle of Simeon)


“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.

Well, I pass these few thoughts along to you as an encouragement for your prayer watches in the night and should you make it through the night, here is a prayer for the morning light: 

Gracious heavenly Father, you have sustained me through the watches of the night and brought to the beginning of a new day. Now, grant me by your grace that throughout this day I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by the cares of the world; in everything that I do, may my thoughts and affections be pleasing to you and may I accomplish what you purpose to do in and through me to the glory of my Lord Jesus Christ.

6 Comments

    My Compline

    In the liturgrical tradition the compline is the last office of prayer and reflection for the day and it tends to be a contemplative devotion  that emphasizes spiritual peace. 

    Archives

    March 2026
    February 2026
    January 2026
    December 2025
    November 2025
    December 2022
    June 2021
    December 2020
    August 2019
    September 2018
    September 2017
    January 2017
    April 2016
    December 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed