Epiphany

A Greek Orthodox troparion of the nativity:

Apolytikion: (Fourth Tone)

Your birth, O Christ our God, dawned the light of knowledge upon the earth. For by Your birth those who adored stars, were taught by a star, to worship You, the Sun of Justice and to know You, Orient from on High. O Lord, glory to You.

Epiphany

Some traditions link the star of Bethlehem with the star prophecy:

Numbers 24:15-17 (New Living Translation)

Balaam’s Final Messages
This is the message Balaam delivered:
“This is the message of Balaam son of Beor, the message of the man whose eyes see clearly, the message of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:
I see him, but not here and now.
I perceive him, but far in the distant future.
A star will rise from Jacob;
a scepter will emerge from Israel.
It will crush the foreheads of Moab’s people,
cracking the skulls of the people of Sheth.

This vision was received by the seer Balaam on Mount Peor. The fact that such a prophetic revelation was received in a region known for its sensual rites of Baal worship is a testimony that God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, shines in the hearts of men.

O Day Star from on high,
Arise in our hearts today.

Exaltation will come

Job 22:28-30 (New King James Version)
You will also declare a thing, And it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways.
When they cast you down, and you say, ‘Exaltation will come!’
Then He will save the humble person. He will even deliver one who is not innocent; Yes, he will be delivered by the purity of your hands.”

Father,
The neurologic patients are cast down, but we declare exaltation will come for Joseph, Sally, Chris, Lauren, Gaenor, Mark, Samuel, Erin, Isabella, Christy, Nick, Alan, David, John, Brian, LaTosha, Danny, Jared, and Jonathan. Exaltation! Exaltation! Exaltation! Amen.

ACNS prayers for Sudan

The Southern Sudan referendum commences Sunday. ACNS prayers here.

John 15:1-7

“I am the true vine, and my father is the vinedresser.” (John 15:1)
      Father, come and work more in my life; you are the vinedresser.

“Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away; and every branch that bears fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” (John 15:2)
      Father, remove from me all that is not fruitful.

“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.” (John 15:3)
      Jesus, speak your word into my heart and mind and soul and body.

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” (John 15:4)
      Holy Spirit, please help all of us throughout this diocese to abide in Jesus.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
      Lord Jesus, we long to bear fruit for you.

“If anyone does not abide in me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:6)
      Holy Spirit, please give us your gift of discernment so that we can tell the fruitful branches from those that are not.

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” (John 15:7)
      Jesus, we ask you to cause your word to abide in our hearts and minds. Fill us anew with your Holy Spirit day by day.

A word received: Praise me for my people of faith who bear witness to me, often at the cost of their lives.

      Notes from the Front Line

***** The computer store said they can copy the contents of my hard drive to another one which I can pick up later today. I hope to return to work today. Torre

Albany Intercessor

Body fluids

A friend shared this old account of St. Patrick from George H. Hunter’s The Celtic Way of Evangelism:

“They brought him a sick woman who was with child. He baptized the son in the mother’s womb, the amniotic fluid being the water of baptism. They buried her below the bank of the church enclosure.”

Patrick apparently believed that sacramental action could take place
in the natural fluids of the body.

Song of Solomon 5:12 (Amplified Bible)
His eyes are like doves beside the water brooks, bathed in milk and fitly set.

Jesus,
Your blood and tears were smeared from the Garden of Gethsemane to Golgotha, and water poured from Your pierced side. Your body fluids were the price for our redemption.
We are unworthy.
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
We are unworthy, for even after receiving You as our Lord and Savior, we, and our ancestors before us, have continued to sin. We ask Your forgiveness.
We ask Your forgiveness for persons suffering from neurologic and psychiatric disease, especially Joseph, Sally, Chris, Lauren, Gaenor, Mark, Samuel, Erin, Isabella, Christy, Nick, Alan, David, John, Brian, LaTosha, Danny, Jared, and Jonathan. We humbly request that Your healing waters cleanse any impurities of their spirits, souls, and bodies. We humbly ask for Your healing waters over their cerebrospinal fluid and neural tissues.
Jesus, You are our Divine Physician. Amen.

Rare earth metals

Approximately 99% of the rare earth metals are mined in China, which is reducing its exports.
Dysprosium–lasers, nuclear reactors, computer data storage
Terbium–flourescent lamps, TV tubes, sonar systems
Europium–lasers, flourescent lamps, TV tubes

Father, You are Jehovah-jireh, the God who provides. Jesus, You are our Bridegroom, and You meet all of our needs. Holy Trinity, Three-in-One, You know the relationships between the spiritual and the natural. We rest in You. We lean on You and not on our own understanding. We trust in You for the supply lines of all that is needful to establish God’s kingdom on earth. We lean on You, Holy Spirit, to order the days and the footsteps of the geologists and miners around the world. We lean on You for our provision. Amen.

Previous prayer

John 14:6-14

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)
      Jesus, please help us walk on the way you have laid out for us.

“If you had known me, you would have known my father also; and from now on you know him and have seen him.” (John 14:7)
      Jesus, please help us know you and your father better each day. Flood us with your Holy Spirit so that we can come into that knowledge.

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:8-9)
      Holy Spirit, please give us eyes to see what Jesus is doing and ears to hear him and hearts to heed him.

Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.” (John 14:10)
      Jesus, thank you for showing us that we have a heavenly Father who loves us and canbe in us through his Holy Spirit.

“Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in me, or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves.” (John 14:11)
      Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to my father.” (John 14:12)
      Holy Spirit, please help us do the works that Jesus has laid out for us to do.

“And whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13)
      Father, thank you for answered prayer. Thank you for the power of the name of your son Jesus.

“If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:14)
      Jesus, we ask in your name that the power of your Holy Spirit would come down on the Parish Leadership Conferences and the Diocesan Convention. Thank you.

A word received: Look to me for help in the good times as well as the hard. Turn to me, look to me. I AM able.

Albany Intercessor

Sudan boundary

The boundary between Sudan and Southern Sudan at Abeyi is disputed. This is a fascinating interview about the Abeyi negotiations.

Acts 17:26 (New Living Translation)
From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.

Sovereign Lord,
We stand on the promise of Your word. You have determined the border at Abeyi. Amen.

Psalm 68:19-20 and Genesis 28:20-22

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation! (Psalm 68:19)
      Father, we bless you for your mighty deeds and for sending your son to rescue us out of darkness.

Our God is the God of salvation; and to GOD the Lord belong escapes from death. (Psalm 68:20)
      Father, thank you for rescuing us from sin and death.

Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will surely give a tenth to you.” (Genesis 28:20-22)
      Holy Spirit, please help us keep our vows to Jesus and return to him a tenth of all we receive from his hand.

      Notes from the Front Line

***** Please pray that we will recover our hard drive and that I will get over this flu bug. Torre

Albany Intercessor

Sudan

This prayer is by one of our readers, Georgia.

Dear Holy Father God,

You alone are the I AM, The King and Ruler and Lord of all, of all the heavens and the earth. YOU are King and Lord of Sudan.
Please – Raise up praise and thanksgiving among Your people in the Sudan, that they may enter Your Holy Gates and stand in Your Presence – the place of peace and all blessings.
Shower Your people with Your Word of Truth, Love and Life, that they may have encouragement and strength and joy forevermore, joy in suffering, in trials, in persecutions, joy that can only come from knowing and loving You.
Raise up people to do Your holy will, to fulfill Your holy purposes.
Shine the light of Your holy face upon the Sudan, north, south, east, west.
Breathe upon it and speak, call Your people to pray and wait upon You, to work Your good will.
Help forgiveness, mercy, unity, hope, faith and love to flow and overflow from Your heart and mind, like oil on Aaron’s beard.
Cover Your people with the oil of joy…the clothing of compassion, the peace that passes all understanding.
Help them to stand firm and faithful and shine like the dawn…no matter what comes against them and You.
Let their beauty and goodness and mercy and the fruit of their lives inspired by the Holy Spirit bring conviction to evildoers and all who oppose You.
Let the bright cherubim of Your Love fly free – the Love that motivates, fuels and inspires, that heals, redeems, rectifies, restores, renews. Let it flow and reveal Your true Beauty and unblemished Goodness, Your pure and utter Holiness and irresistible Power. Reveal Your Son in the Sudan, that He may draw all men unto Himself…for the saving of many souls, for the redemption of all who will come to Him.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, the Name that You have made higher than any other, the only Name by which we may be saved. Amen

Dew of heaven

Numbers 11:9 (Amplified Bible)
And when the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell with it.

Judges 6:36-40 (Amplified Bible)
And Gideon said to God, If You will deliver Israel by my hand as You have said,
Behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will deliver Israel by my hand, as You have said. And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the dew out of the fleece, he wrung from it a bowlful of water.
And Gideon said to God, Let not your anger be kindled against me, and I will speak but this once. Let me make trial only this once with the fleece, I pray you; let it now be dry only upon the fleece and upon all the ground let there be dew. And God did so that night, for it was dry on the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.

Jesus, You are our manna, the Bread of Heaven. In You, through You and for You is all divine revelation. Deliver Joseph, Sally, Chris, Lauren, Gaenor, Mark, Samuel, Erin, Isabella, Christy, Nick, Alan, David, John, Brian, LaTosha, Danny, Jared, and Jonathan from afflictions of the central nervous system. Let the dew of heaven fall on their spirits at night. Amen.

Miracles at the Birth of Christ

By Isaac Watts, 1674-1748

The King of Glory sends his Son
To make his entrance on this earth;
Behold the midnight bright as noon,
And heav’nly hosts declare his birth!

About the young Redeemer’s head
What wonders and what glories meet!
An unknown star arose, and led
The eastern sages to his feet.

Simeon and Anna both conspire
The infant Savior to proclaim;
Inward they felt the sacred fire,
And blessed the Babe, and owned his name.

Let Jews and Greeks blaspheme aloud,
And treat the holy Child with scorn;
Our souls adore th’ eternal God,
Who condescended to be born.

Dew

Dew is mentioned in the OT, but not the NT. In these readings, dew is a blessing, its absence a curse. In the Song of Solomon the dew fills the head of the male lover:

Song of Solomon 5:2 (Young’s Literal Translation)
I am sleeping, but my heart waketh: The sound of my beloved knocking! `Open to me, my sister, my friend, My dove, my perfect one, For my head is filled [with] dew, My locks [with] drops of the night.’

The dew dropped on the insane Nebuchadnezzar is enigmatic. In the context of the whole canon, I presume the dew dropped on Nebuchadnezzar was a blessing as well. He did recover from his insanity. Why particular ranks of angels, working together, are involved, I cannot say.–JW

–Isaac’s blessing of Jacob (Gen 27)
–With the manna from heaven (Ex 16, Num 11)
–Song of Moses (Deu 32)
–Jacob’s blessing of Joseph (Deu 33)
–Gideon puts out a fleece (Jud 6)
–David curses the mountains of Gilboa on the death of Saul and Jonathan (2 Samuel 1)
–Absalom plots the overthrow of David (2 Samuel 17)
–Elijah curses Israel (1 Kings 17)
–Job laments his past prosperity (Job 29)
–Jehovah challenges Job (Job 38)
–Messianic psalm (Ps 110)
–Song on unity of the saints (Ps 133)
–God’s wisdom (Pr 3)
–The king’s favor (Pr 19)
–The male lover’s head (SoS 5)
–The Lord’s rest (Is 18)
–A millenial song of the resurrection of the just (Is 26)
–A watcher and a holy one drop dew on the insane Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 4)
–God upbraids Ephraim and Judah’s lack of steadfastness (Hos 6,13)
–God’s blessing of Israel on repentance (Hos 14)
–Israel’s blessing to the people (Micah 5)
–God’s judgment against Judah (Hag 1)

El Elyon, God Most High,
We honor and glorify You who lives forever. Your dominion is an eternal dominion; Your kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. You do as You please with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back Your hand or say to You: “What have You done?”
We don’t understand why some people are afflicted with neurologic and psychiatric diseases and some are not. We rend our hearts before You. We have perpetuated many iniquities and broken covenants. We have broken Your holy laws, and there is no health in us
Have mercy, Lord. Have mercy. You are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Take pity and relent from sending calamity upon those who suffer from neurologic and psychiatric disease.
Do not make Your inheritance an object of scorn. Spare Your children.
We humbly ask You to commission Your watchers and Your holy ones to spread the dew of Your heavenly blessing over Joseph, Sally, Chris, Lauren, Gaenor, Mark, Samuel, Erin, Isabella, Christy, Nick, Alan, David, John, Brian, LaTosha, Danny, Jared, and Jonathan. Amen.

Ephesians 1:3-6,15-19

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus: (Ephesians 1:1)
      Thank you, Lord, for those who are faithful in this diocese.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:2)
      Thank you, FAther and Jesus Christ your son, for the grace and peace you have given us.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, (Ephesians 1:3)
      Father, thank you for all your blessings that youhave poured out on us in you son Jesus.

just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, (Ephesians 1:4)
      Father, thank you for your claim on our lives, and thank you for calling us to a life of holiness. Please help us answer your call.

having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, (Ephesians 1:5)
      Father, thank you for the Spirit of adoption you have given us. (See Romans 8:15)

to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he made us accepted in the beloved. (Ephesians 1:6)
      Jesus, please help us praise you and your father (and ours) for the glory of your grace. Thank you for sending your Holy Spirit on us to lead us in this new life in you.

Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, (Ephesians 1:15)
      Holy Spirit, let our faith in Jesus be evident to all who see us and hear about us.

do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: (Ephesians 1:16)
      Holy Spirit, please help us daily intercede for one another.

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, (Ephesians 1:17)
      Holy Father, please give us your Spirit of wisdom and revelation as we come to know you and your love for us.

the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, (Ephesians 1:18 )
      Jesus, please open our eyes to understand the hope of our calling and the riches of your glory that you have given us as an inheritance to the saints.

and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power (Ephesians 1:19)
      Jesus, please help us believe according to the works of your mighty power so that we may receive all that you have for us. Thank you.

Second Sunday after Christmas: 66, 67 * 145; Ecclus. 3:3-9, 14-17; 1 John 2:12-17; John 6:41-47
      HC: Second Sunday after Christmas: 84 or 84:1-8; Jeremiah 31:7-14; Ephesians 1:3-6,15-19a; Matthew 2:13-15,19-23 or Luke 2:41-52 or Matthew 2:1-12
Jan. 2:: 34 * 33; Gen. 12:1-7; Heb. 11:1-12; John 6:35-42, 48-51
Jan. 3: 68 * 72; Gen. 28:10-22; Heb. 11:13-22; John 10:7-17

Albany Intercessor