Simon, Are You SLEEPING ?

Lectionary Meditations ~ 

MARK 14: 36-38 

And HE+ said, ABBA, FATHER, all things are possible unto THEE; take away this cup from ME+: nevertheless not what I+ will, but what THOU wilt.

And HE+ cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, 

Simon, sleepest thou? 

Couldest not thou watch 

one hour?

Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.

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Meditation ~ ~ 

Simon Peter had two names:  Simon, son of Jonas, and Peter, the little rock, the familiar name given unto him by The LORD. 

Two names... two names indicate two operations within this beloved follower of JESUS: the human, fleshy man and the Re-generated Man. 

Notice in Scripture WHEN each name is addressed to Peter by The LORD.

Luke 22: 31-32

 And the LORD said, Simon, Simon, behold, the satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

 But I+  have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

At Watch for One Hour With The LORD .... 

How can we think to stand for CHRIST JESUS in these perilous times if we do not watch with HIM+ before the battle begins ? 

Do not be mistaken: if we SOW to the flesh, if we are so active and involved with even GOOD temporal things, that we MAKE NO TIME TO WATCH WITH HIM+ for an hour ...   

... we will not be prepared 

to STAND with CHRIST JESUS 

when the wrath of the satan 

is stirred against those 

who follow HIM+. 

Prayer  ~ ~ ~ 

O LORD CHRIST, awake me from my slumber. Arouse the Spirit within me to draw me into wakeful prayer. Help me to be MORE ALERT to the spiritual work you have placed upon me, to fight with the NON-FLESHLY weapons of our warfare. 

Lo, O LORD CHRIST, THOU+ hast given me Thy+ Word that the weapons of our warfare do NOT deal with the carnal but with the spiritual , and thus , are MIGHTY THROUGH GOD to the pulling down of strongholds built by the wicked spiritual entities parading across this globe ... for a short hour. 

Help me to be diligent to use these weapons by staying close to THEE+, O CHRIST, and to hear Thy+ Directions, O Captain of the Divine Heavenly Armies. 

Amen, and thankfully so, through the Authority of the BLOOD of JESUS CHRIST, and with all the Authority His+ Blood and His+ Name grants us, according to His+ Will,  I do pray. 

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HOLY WEEK ~ First Day Following Palm Lauds of The SAVIOR

Holy Week ~ ~ ~ First Day after Palm Lauds
For the Year of Our LORD, 3.17.2008

She Hath Done What She Could

After two days was the feast of the Passover,
and of unleavened bread:
and the chief priests and the scribes sought
how they might take him by craft,
and put him to death.

But they said, Not on the feast day,
lest there be an uproar of the people.
And being in Bethany
in the house of Simon the leper,
as he sat at meat,
there came a woman
having an alabaster box
of ointment of spikenard very precious;
and she brake the box,
and poured it on his head.

And there were some
that had indignation within themselves,
and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?
For it might have been sold
for more than three hundred pence,
and have been given to the poor.
And they murmured against her.

And Jesus said,
Let her alone; why trouble ye her?
she hath wrought a good work on me.

For ye have the poor with you always,
and whensoever ye will
ye may do them good:
but me ye have not always.

She hath done what she could:
she is come aforehand
to anoint my body to the burying.

Verily I say unto you,
Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached
throughout the whole world,
this also that she hath done shall be
spoken of for a memorial of her.
Mark 14:1-9

“She hath wrought a good work on ME+,” Our LORD said. The LORD received it. Seeking The LORD, let us go and do likewise, working a GOOD work upon Our LORD. What sacrifice would please HIM+ ? A further support of missions? A dedicated time of quietude every day? A visiting of a widow? Opening our home to an orphan? Having a feast or holiday and inviting those who cannot repay us?

She did what she could. She did it to show her love for HIM+. She gave HIM+ what could have been sold for great gain for herself. She was disdained by those around her as she did this. She anointed HIM+ for burial ahead of time. In so doing, she joined HIM+… in her small way by her sacrifice… in death.

Seeking The LORD, let us go and work a work on HIM+ that HE+ will find pleasing… regardless whether it is hidden from or visible to the eyes of man. It is certain that the eyes of the invisible will see it.


Let us join with our Anglican Brethren and lift this prayer to Our LORD:

Almighty GOD, Whose most dear SON went not up to joy but first HE+ suffered pain, and entered not into glory before HE+ was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of Life and Peace; through the same Thy SON JESUS CHRIST our LORD, Who liveth and reigneth with THEE and Thy HOLY SPIRIT, one GOD, for ever and ever. Amen.

(Book of Common Prayer, 1979, Traditional Collects, p. 168)