Tuesday 1st September

Here are Tuesday’s morning prayers and Bible meditations. They are designed to be read in 5 to 10 minutes.

The theme for this week’s readings is that we are called to follow Jesus, reading his Word, listening to his Spirit and obeying his teaching. 

Opening Prayer: Heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of Truth,
present in all places and filling all things,
the treasury of blessings and Giver of life:
come and abide in me.

Lord’s Prayer: Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever.

Amen

Text: Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-20)

Explanation: We can find it relatively easy to listen to (most of) what Jesus taught as it is found in the gospels. Our culture tends to find it much harder to relate to the teaching of the Old Testament. In part this is because the Old Testament writings feel so distant from our culture and time that they can be hard to understand both in terms of the genre of the books and also the attitudes and actions of the people involved. We should be honest, though, and accept that it is also because the Old Testament contains a lot of rules there and our culture hates, above all else, being told what to do.

For these reasons it is tempting to dismiss the Old Testament – after all, we have Jesus’ teaching so why do we need it? Jesus himself gives us the answer. His life and teaching can’t be fully understood without the Old Testament. He came ‘not to abolish’ it ‘but to fulfil’ it. In other words Jesus can’t be understood without the context of the Old Testament, while the Old Testament can’t be understood without the light and fulfilment of Jesus.

There is much more that could be said. For now, however, we should note that Jesus’ attitude means both (i) that we need to read and think about the Old Testament; but (ii) we don’t read it in a flat way as if it runs alongside or contradicts what we see in Jesus. Rather when we read the Old Testament we try to understand both as preparing for Jesus, and as he fulfils it.

Questions: Take a moment and give thanks for all that Jesus has done for you over the last day. Then ask: 1. Is it surprising that Jesus speaks so highly of the Old Testament writing? 2. How might it help to read the Old Testament in the light of Jesus’s life and teaching? 3.  Where might our attitudes to authority and obedience affect how we read the Bible?

Prayer: Father thank you for Jesus. Thank you that he came to fulfil everything that came before him. Thank you that through all those years you were working to prepare a place and time for Jesus to be born and in which he could be understood. Help me to understand my life and culture in the light of Jesus. Amen. 

Prayer for the Day: Lord, grant me to greet the coming day in peace.
Help me in all things to rely upon Your holy will.
In every hour of the day reveal Your will to me.
Bless my dealings with all who surround me.
Teach me to treat all that come to me throughout the day with peace of soul and with firm conviction that Your will governs all.
In all my deeds and words guide my thoughts and feelings.
In unforeseen events let me not forget that all things are under Your care.
Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others.
Give me strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day with all that it shall bring.
Direct my will, teach me to pray, pray Yourself in me. Amen. 

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Image Credit: Fadi Mikhail