29th Terce

Prayer

Bless the Lord, whose name is to be praised,
Our Father who art in heaven,
who has given us his laws,
to show us the error of our ways,
Blessed is his son, Christ the Messiah,
who redeemed us from having broken them.
Blessed are you, O Holy Spirit,
who assists us in sinning no more,
and sustains us in the way of the Lord,
grant us wisdom and understanding this day.
Amen.

map of Tyre — Tyre was one of the largest and most important Phoenician city states and was a strategic coastal base on the Mediterranean. The city had a nearby island with walls extending directly into the water, which meant that it’s impossible to attack the fortification by land and you couldn’t attack the city with a navy (which Alexander didn’t have anyway). As a result, Alexander decided to do the unthinkable and started building a long land bridge to link Tyre back to land, and he did so while his army was attacked with arrows and bombarded by Tyre’s navy. He eventually conquered the island.

Old Testament Reading - The Money Has Gone to Your Head

^1-5God’s Message came to me, “Son of man, tell the prince of Tyre, ‘This is what God, the Master, says:

“‘Your heart is proud,
going around saying, “I’m a god.
I sit on God’s divine throne,
ruling the sea” —
You, a mere mortal,
not even close to being a god,
A mere mortal
trying to be a god.
Look, you think you’re smarter than Daniel.
No enigmas can stump you.
Your sharp intelligence
made you world-wealthy.
You piled up gold and silver
in your banks.
You used your head well,
worked good deals, made a lot of money.
But the money has gone to your head,
swelled your head — what a big head!

^6-11“‘Therefore, God, the Master, says:

“‘Because you’re acting like a god,
pretending to be a god,
I’m giving fair warning: I’m bringing strangers down on you,
the most vicious of all nations.
They’ll pull their swords and make hash
of your reputation for knowing it all.
They’ll puncture the balloon
of your god-pretensions.
They’ll bring you down from your self-made pedestal
and bury you in the deep blue sea.
Will you protest to your assassins,
“You can’t do that! I’m a god”?
To them you’re a mere mortal.
They’re killing a man, not a god.
You’ll die like a stray dog,
killed by strangers —
Because I said so.
Decree of God, the Master.’”

. . . . .Ezekiel 28:1-10 (The Message)

Confession

Almighty and merciful God,
we have sinned against you,
in thought, word and deed.
We have not loved you with all our heart.
We have not loved others
as our Saviour Christ loves us.
We are truly sorry.
In your mercy forgive what we have been,
help us to amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be;
that we may delight in your will
and walk in your ways,
through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Amen.

MORNING TEA/COFFEE BREAK (Terce)

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Old Testament Reading - The Money Has Gone to Your Head

Confession