Prayer of Clement of Alexandria (c. 150–215) link
O Educator, be gracious to thy children,
O Educator, Father, Guide of Israel, Son and Father, both one, Lord.
Give to us, who follow thy command, to fulfill the likeness of thy image,
and to see, according to our strength, the God who is both a good God and a Judge who is not harsh.
Do thou thyself bestow all things on us who dwell in thy peace,
who have been placed in thy city, who sail the sea of sin unruffled,
that we may be made tranquil and supported by the Holy Spirit,
the unutterable Wisdom, by night and day, unto the perfect day,
to sing eternal thanksgiving to the one only Father and Son, Son and Father,
Educator and Teacher with the Holy Spirit.
Amen
A Morning Prayer from the Syrian Clementine liturgy link
O God, Who are the unsearchable abyss of peace, the ineffable sea of love,
the fountain of blessings, and the bestower of affection,
Who sends peace to those that receive it;
open to us this day the sea of Your love,
and water us with the plenteous streams from the riches of Your grace.
Make us children of quietness, and heirs of peace.
Kindle in us the fire of Your love; sow in us Your fear;
strengthen our weakness by Your power;
bind us closely to You and to each other in one firm bond of unity;
for the sake of Jesus Christ.
AMEN.
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
Scripture : Philippians 1:1-18 NIV
1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons[a]:
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first dayuntil now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heartand, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousnessthat comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
Paul’s Chains Advance the Gospel
12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters,[b] that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard[c] and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.
15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
Traditional Gaelic blessing
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
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Thanks for your presentation of Ezra 10, Pastor Wade Burleson.
Couple notes:
Predators are not wisely identified by what they wear. Camou or fitting in is their MO, as they groom the public & seek the vulnerable: “In Plain View” by Malcolm Gladwell in “The New Yorker” notes. “Talking to Strangers” also by Gladwell is another discourse on the topic of engagement with people we don’t know.
The Holy Spirit gift of Discernment in the Body of Christ is sent by God to filter, protect, break through the façade and truth-tell. Everyone preaching a Big Tent hopefully acknowledges this supernatural gift among their fellowship. The scuttlebutt of who is dangerous and who is innocently maligned should be properly addressed in, of all places, church fellowship. Ananias and Sapphira were outed, supernaturally by the power of the HS.
Finally, the book of Jude teaches about the balance and tension of evangelism for all and safety: the power of God’s love and the power of evil. Christians should be neither snobs nor schmucks.
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Ava,
“Christians should be neither snobs nor schmucks.”
Never heard it said better.
Thank you
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The Biblical exhortation:
“Be as wise as serpents and as gentle as doves.”
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Wade Burleson,
Thank you back. Yes, that’s the verse.
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A debt to society can be paid in civility. But environmental safeguard neglect is not an option.