Lent Daybook 23: Bread Crumbs
Look: Eucaristía, Nguyen Dinh Dang - Source
Listen*: Prayer of Humble Access, Liturgical Folk - Bandcamp w/ lyrics | Spotify | YouTube
Read**: Psalm 89; Genesis 49:1-28; 1 Corinthians 10:14-11:1; Mark 7:24-37
Excerpts:
"I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.” You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: ‘I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.’” Selah
Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones! For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him? O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you?"
*
"Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come.
'Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob, listen to Israel your father.
... Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion's cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey's colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.
... Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall. The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely, yet his bow remained unmoved; his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), by the God of your father who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of your father are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.'
... All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him."
*
"Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.
... “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof.” If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved."
*
"And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.” And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone."
- Psalm 89:1-8 * Genesis 49:1-2, 8-12, 22-26, 28 * 1 Corinthians 10:14-17, 23-32 * Mark 7:24-30 (ESV)
Pray: The Lord's Prayer - Adapted from this source.
On Mondays during Lent, we'll use the Lord's Prayer as our guide for praying for ourselves and the world. One of the ways to pray the Lord's prayer is by dividing it into six sections and pausing between each section to offer prayer on that theme.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name
Thank God for who God is and for God's abundant faithfulness. Contemplate God's many attributes and offer praise for the blessings in your life, community, and the world: _________.
Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Pray for God's rule and reign to become a reality in your life, city, nation, and world. Ask for God to bring miracles and salvation: ____________________.
Give us this day our daily bread
Pray for God's daily provision in your life and for those around the world who the Holy Spirit brings to your heart and mind: ____________________.
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us
Engage in a few moments of silence to allow space for the Holy Spirit to bring specific acts of sin to your attention. Confess those sins to the Lord. Also, be still and allow the Holy Spirit to bring to mind those that have sinned against you so that you can name them to God, ask for healing and strength to forgive. Forgive those who have wronged you: ____________________.
Lead us not into temptation
Ask for God guide you in 'paths of righteousness for God's name sake'. Pray that God will give you the discernment and knowledge of God's will in the specific decisions, known and unknown, ahead of you today: ____________________.
Deliver us from evil
Pray for God's protection against any of the strategies of Satan. The Devil wants to kill, steal, and destroy. Ask God to mightily deliver you and others the Holy Spirit brings to your heart and mind: ____________________.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Do: Fast from taking offense. Feast on acts of forgiveness instead.
This week, ask the Spirit of Christ to open your eyes to the times you become offended by the words and actions of others. Acknowledge the feeling and then ask God to help you release the offense quickly.
During the week, choose one person (or group) to forgive and to release from your expectation of apology or restitution. If appropriate, write them a note, passing the peace of Christ through a simple few words.
Once you’ve done this, talk with a trusted friend, and ask them to pray for you to remain in the place of peace and forgiveness in your heart and mind. Bask in the love and forgiveness of our friend and brother, Jesus, who has reconciled us to God.
If it’s helpful, here’s a recent reflection I shared on some common roadblocks to forgiveness.
* Listen to my entire playlist on Spotify: Lent - Worship & Prayer 2020. Add it to your account by clicking ‘Save to My Library.’
** Sunday Scripture readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary (Year A). Daily Scripture readings are taken from the Book of Common Prayer (Year 2).