Grant us, O Lord, to rejoice in beholding the bliss of the heavenly Jerusalem; that as she is the home and mother of the multitude of the saints, we also may be counted worthy to have our portion within her; through thine only begotten Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Holy sunrise this morn! This is the best I could do w/ my iPhone from my porch while burning my kid’s breakfast. But, wow! #wiwx #sunrise #weather pic.twitter.com/dOyWyNQrz1
— Mike De Sisti (@mdesisti) March 15, 2021
Lord Christ, almighty Saviour, we cry to thee for aid against our strong enemy. O thou who art the Stronger than the strong, deliver us, we pray thee, from the evil one, and take sole possession of our hearts and minds; that filled with thy Spirit we may henceforth devote our lives to thy service, and therein find our perfect freedom; for the honour of thy great name.
Good morning from Somerset. Wishing you a lovely day
Quantock Hills sunrise
@StormHour pic.twitter.com/EwWe0awJnm— Paul Silvers (@Cloud9weather1) March 12, 2021
O Eternal God, who through thy Son our Lord hast promised a blessing upon those who hear thy Word and faithfully keep it: Open our ears, we humbly beseech thee, to hear what thou sayest, and enlighten our minds, that what we hear we may understand, and understanding may carry into good effect by thy bounteous prompting; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.
A stellar view this morning at Murrells Inlet!
To top it off, temperatures aren't quite as chilly as yesterday AM. pic.twitter.com/cXoCY4WwBm
— Megan James (@MeganJamesWX) March 11, 2021
O Thou who hast prepared a place for my soul, prepare my soul for that place. Prepare it with holiness; prepare it with desire; and even while it sojourneth upon earth, let it dwell in heaven with thee, beholding the beauty of thy countenance and the glory of thy saints, now and for evermore.
What a beautiful sunrise in Orleans today! Nauset beach. #capecod #StormHour pic.twitter.com/2VtXPAsbx5
— Darius Aniunas (@dariusaniunas) March 9, 2021
O God, who through thy Son has taught us that a house divided against itself must fall: Save us, we beseech thee, from the danger of a divided allegiance; unite our hearts to fear thy name; and grant that in all our course of life our eye may be single and our purpose one; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.
Sunrise over the Seven Sisters, Cothelstone Hill, Quantocks Hills, Somerset this morning
I hope you have a good day folks
@StormHour pic.twitter.com/9aX6s7WGd8— Paul Silvers (@Cloud9weather1) March 9, 2021
O almighty Father, giver of every good and perfect gift, who hast made the light of thy truth to shine in our hearts: Make us to walk as children of light in all goodness and righteousness, that we may have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
One for the early birds: Beverley Minster sunrise pic.twitter.com/Lw4qJK5X6i
— Andy Marshall (@fotofacade) March 8, 2021
O Eternal God, who hast taught us by thy holy Word that our bodies are temples of thy Spirit: Keep us, we most humbly beseech thee, temperate and holy in thought, word and deed, that at the last we, with all the pure in heart, may see thee and be made like unto thee in thy heavenly kingdom; through Christ our Lord.
Sunrise……..❤ more to follow 😊 pic.twitter.com/JNp2kAtrwf
— Jennifer Taylor (@FOXY3282) March 7, 2021
Save us, O God, from the false piety that parades itself in the eyes of men and is not genuine in thy sight; and so sanctify us by thy Spirit that both in heart and life we may serve thee acceptably, to the honour of thy holy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Sunrise at Pirin Mountains, #Bulgaria
📷 Nikolay Stoilov pic.twitter.com/wWCMLrGolv
— Sydney Park (@SydneyPark18) March 5, 2021
O God, who through thy Son Jesus Christ hast promised help to man according to his faith: Grant us the freedom of the children to taste the food of eternal life, and to share with others what we ourselves receive; through the merits of the same thy Son, our Lord.
A spectacular sunrise over the Rwenzori Mountains commonly known as the mountain of the moon. The scenery is so beautiful .#VisitUganda #WhyUGDecidedM7 pic.twitter.com/cjFPRMz53u
— Komuntle Lisa (@komuntle) March 4, 2021
Write deeply upon our minds, O Lord God, the lesson of thy holy Word, that only the pure in heart can see thee. Leave us not in the bondage of any sinful inclination. May we neither deceive ourselves with the thought that we have no sin, nor acquiesce idly in aught of which our conscience accuses us. Strengthen us by thy Holy Spirit to fight the good fight of faith, and grant that no day may pass without its victory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Just an amazing sunrise in Juneau, #Alaska
📷 Duane Bender pic.twitter.com/j6aiGcVOGK
— Sydney Park (@SydneyPark18) March 3, 2021
O Blessed Saviour, who art full of mercy and compassion, and wilt not cast out any that come to thee: Help us, we beseech thee, who are grievously vexed with the burden of our sins; and so increase in us the power of thy Holy Spirit that we may prevail against the enemy of our souls; for thy name’s sake.
Good Morning Fairbanks, Alaska! Today it will be Mostly Cloudy with a high of 11F and a low of -7F. It's currently Cloudy with a temp of -3 .Sunrise is on March 2, 2021 at 10:54AM and sunset is on March 2, 2021 at 09:12PM CT pic.twitter.com/4kJ4Me1GBa
— Midwest Weather (@MidwestWeather3) March 2, 2021
O Eternal God, who hast taught us by thy holy Word that our bodies are temples of thy Spirit: Keep us, we most humbly beseech thee, temperate and holy in thought, word and deed, that at the last we, with all the pure in heart, may see thee and be made like unto thee in thy heavenly kingdom; through Christ our Lord.
#Seattle #Sunrise this morning! Happy 1st day of meteorological #spring! pic.twitter.com/HwgOPV8Igl
— Sigma Sreedharan (@sigmas) March 1, 2021
Eternal God, who has made all things for man, and man for thy glory: Sanctify our bodies and souls, our thoughts and our intentions, our words and actions. Let our body be a servant of our mind, and both body and spirit servants of Jesus Christ; that doing all things for thy glory here, we may be partakers of thy glory hereafter; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.
Sunrise bursting through lighting up Wexford Town
KENNY G PHOTOGRAPHY pic.twitter.com/tqi1OfFnAQ— Kenny Goodison (@Gkenny_72) February 27, 2021
O Lord God, keep ever in our remembrance the life and death of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Make the thought of his love powerful to win us from evil. As he toiled and sorrowed and suffered for us, in fighting against sin, so may we endure constantly and labour diligently, as his soldiers and servants, looking ever unto him and counting it all joy to be partakers with him in his conflict, his cross, and his victory; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.
I took lots of misty photos today at sunrise. In the opposite direction was the moon setting over the mists of Avalon, complete with the shadow of Glastonbury Tor and the church peeping through. pic.twitter.com/AqS73PDaPA
— Michelle (@Glastomichelle) February 27, 2021
Almighty and everlasting God, who for the well-being of our earthly life hast put into our hearts wholesome desires of body and spirit: Mercifully increase and establish in us, we beseech thee, the grace of holy discipline and healthy self-control; that we may fulfill our desires by the means which thou hast appointed, and for the ends thou ordainest; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Woke up at 4am to catch sunrise in #Milwaukee. Not every sunrise is a winner, but this one sure was. pic.twitter.com/XA2LRuK388
— Sam Li (@TheSamLi) February 25, 2021
Almighty and eternal God, who has so made us of body, soul and spirit, that we live not by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from thee: Make us to hunger for the spiritual food of thy Word; and as we trust thee for our daily bread, may we also trust thee to give us day by day the inward nourishment of that living truth which thou hast revealed to us in thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Sunrise in Mombasa pic.twitter.com/VyRhj8W41j
— Kenya Pics (@kenyapics) February 25, 2021
O God, who willest not the death of a sinner: We beseech thee to aid and protect those who are exposed to grievous temptations; and grant that in obeying thy commandments they may be strengthened and supported by thy grace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
A bit earlier today on my way to work: Beautiful sunrise at Parc du Cinquantenaire. pic.twitter.com/EDGeOrpRYC
— Sebastian Fischer (@SFischer_EU) February 24, 2021
O Heavenly Father, subdue in us whatever is contrary to thy holy will, that we may know how to please thee. Grant, O God, that we may never run into those temptations which in our prayers we desire to avoid. Lord, never permit our trials to be above our strength; through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Another view from yesterday's beautiful sunrise in #Pittsburgh, this time from the North Shore. As the sun began to creep higher in the sky crepuscular rays (there's your word of the day) emanated from directly behind the city as downtown reflected in the icy river. What a scene. pic.twitter.com/5Lb4JEol89
— Dave DiCello (@DaveDiCello) February 22, 2021
O Lord our God, grant us, we beseech thee, patience in troubles, humility in comforts, constancy in temptations, and victory over all our spiritual foes. Grant us sorrow for our sins, thankfulness for thy benefits, fear of thy judgment, love of thy mercies, and mindfulness of thy presence; now and for evermore.
Sunrise in Sabattus @newscentermaine pic.twitter.com/jjLo18n3K4
— Justin Juray (@justinjj0406) February 22, 2021
Blessed Lord, who wast tempted in all things like as we are, have mercy upon our frailty. Out of weakness give us strength; grant to us thy fear, that we may fear thee only; support us in time of temptation; embolden us in time of danger; help us to do thy work with good courage, and to continue thy faithful soldiers and servants unto our life’s end.
A beautiful sunrise over the clouds at Plansee Lake, #Austria
📷 Jovi Vojnics pic.twitter.com/CRSpmKqc72
— Sydney Park (@SydneyPark18) February 21, 2021
O God, who by thy Son dost marvellously work out the salvation of mankind: Grant, we beseech thee, that, following the example of our blessed Lord, and observing such a fast as thou dost choose, we may both be subjected to thee with all our hearts, and united to each other in holy charity; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.
Sunrise over Bow Fiddle Rock a natural sea arch on the north east coast of Scotland
Happy weekend to all ☀️🌸 pic.twitter.com/OKLt40XY5Z
— Sebastian (@Sebastian023456) February 20, 2021
Almighty God, spirit of peace and of grace, whose salvation is never far from penitent hearts: We confess the sins that have estranged us from thee, dimmed our vision of heavenly things, and brought upon us many troubles and sorrows. O merciful Father, grant unto us who humble ourselves before thee the remission of all our sins, and the assurance of thy pardon and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
–Prayers for the Christian Year (SCM, 1964)
What a sunrise with all the ice still on the trees and deck. Thanks to Sarah in Freeport looking over Casco Bay from Wolfe's Neck #maine #mewx pic.twitter.com/PGTTTgN25T
— Ted McInerney (@Ted_WMTW) February 17, 2021
It was another sign of the times Wednesday as two Anglican priests sprinkled ashes over the heads of the faithful without the congregants having to get out of their cars.
Beginning at 7 a.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of Trinity Anglican Church in southwest Bakersfield, a drive-thru format was used to minimize physical contact during the early-morning observance of Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.
“We’ve never done this before, but with COVID, God is letting us try something different this year,” said the Rev. Karl Dietze, pastor at Trinity.
He didn’t really know whether anyone would even show up for the unusual Ash Wednesday rite, but Dietze said it was worth a try.
“We’re trying to do ministry and keep people safe at the same time,” he said.
Bakersfield Churches strive to maintain Ash Wednesday tradition, even as they bend it for safety's sake **FOLLOW ME I FOLLOW BACK!!** https://t.co/yLMxPZJJQh
— Bako.com (@Bakocom) February 18, 2021
O Lord our God, who art of purer eyes than to behold iniquity: Have mercy upon us, we beseech thee, for our sins accuse us, and we are troubled by them and put to shame. We have done wrong to ourselves in ignorance, and to our brethren in willfulness, and by our selfish and faithless ways have grieved thy Holy Spirit. Forgive us, we humbly pray thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
–Prayers for the Christian Year (SCM, 1964)
Watching clouds floating has always calmed my mind. This is a February sunrise but I feel like it’s got a spring in it’s step pic.twitter.com/dPubfDB5M2
— Nikon Photographer (@Astrid_Tontson) February 18, 2021
I. In the first place, my hearers, let me endeavour to explain to you the NATURE OF THE TURNING HERE MEANT. It says—”if he turn not he will whet his sword.”
To commence then. The turning here meant is actual, not fictitious—not that which stops with promises and vows, but that which deals with the real acts life. Possible one of you will say, this morning “Lo I turn to God; from this forth I will not sin, but I will endeavour to walk in holiness; my vices shall be abandoned, my crimes shall be thrown to the winds, and I will turn unto God with full purpose of heart;” but, mayhap, to-morrow you will have forgotten this; you will weep a tear or two under the preaching of God’s word, but by to-morrow every tear shall have been dried, and you will utterly forget that you ever came to the house of God at all. How many of us are like men who see their faces in a glass, and straightway go away and forget what manner of men they are! Ah! my hearer, it is not thy promise of repentance that can save thee; it is not thy vow, it is not thy solemn declaration, it is not the tear that is dried more easily than the dew-drop by the sun, it is not the transient emotion of the heart which constitutes a real turning to God. There must be a true and actual abandonment of sin, and a turning unto righteousness in real act and deed in every-day life. Do you say you are sorry, and repent, and yet go on from day to day, just as you always went? Will your now bow your heads, and say, “Lord, I repent,” and in a little while commit the same deeds again? If ye do, your repentance is worse than nothing, and shall but make your destruction yet more sure; for he that voweth to his Maker, and doth not pay, hath committed another sin, in that he hath attempted to deceive the Almighty, and lie against the God that made him. Repentance to be true, to be evangelical, must be a repentance which really affects our outward conduct.
In the next place, repentance to be sure must be entire. How many will say, “Sir, I will renounce this sin and the other; but there are certain darling lusts which I must keep and hold.” O sirs, In God’s name let me tell you, it is not the giving up of one sin, nor fifty sins, which is true repentance; it is the solemn renunciation of every sin. If thou dost harbour one of those accursed vipers in thy heart, thy repentance is but a sham. If thou dost indulge in but one lust, and dost give up every other, that one lust, like one leak in a ship, will sink thy soul. Think it not sufficient to give up thy outward vices; fancy it not enough to cut off the more corrupt sins of thy life; it is all or none which God demands. “Repent,” says he; and when he bids you repent, he means repent for all thy sins, otherwise he never can accept thy repentance as being real and genuine. The true penitent hates sin in the race, not in the individual—in the mass, not in the particular. He says, “Gild thee as thou wilt, O sin, I abhor thee! Ay, cover thyself with pleasure, make thyself guady, like the snake with its azure scales—I hate thee still, for I know thy venom, and I flee from thee, even when thou comest to me in the most specious garb.” All sin must be given up, or else you shall never have Christ: all transgression must be renounced, or else the gates of heaven must be barred against you. Let us remember, then, that for repentance to be sincere it must be entire repentance.
Again, when God says, “If he turn not, he will whet his sword,” he means immediate repentance. Ye say, when we are nearing the last extremity of mortal life, and when we are entering the borders of the thick darkness of futurity, then we will change our ways. But, my dear hearers, do not delude yourselves. It is few who have ever changed after a long life of sin. “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?” If so, let him that is accustomed to do evil learn to do well. Put no faith in the repentances which you promise yourselves on your death beds. There are ten thousand arguments against one, that if you repent not in health, you will never repent in sickness. Too many have promised themselves a quiet season before they leave the world, when they could turn their face to the wall and confess their sins; but how few have found that time of repose! Do not men drop down dead in the streets—ay, even in the house of God? Do they not expire in their business? And when death is gradual, it affords but an ill season for repentance. Many a saint has said on his death-bed, “Oh! if I had now to seek my God, if I had now to cry to him for mercy, what would become of me? These pangs are enough, without the pangs of repentance. It is enough to have the body tortured, without having the soul wrung with remorse.” Sinner! God saith, “To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, when your fathers tempted me and proved me.” When God the Holy Spirit convinces men of sin, they will never talk of delays. You may never have another to repent in. Therefore saith the voice of wisdom, “Repent now.” The Jewish rabbis said, “Let every man repent one day before he dies, and since he may die to-morrow, let him take heed to turn from his evil ways to-day.” Even so we say; immediate repentance is that which God demands, for he hath never promised thee that thou shalt have any hour to repent in, except the one that thou hast now.
Furthermore; the repentance here described as absolutely necessary is hearty repentance. It is not a mock tear; it is not hanging out the ensigns of grief, whilst you are keeping merriment in your hearts. It is not having an illumination within, and shutting up all the windows by a pretended repentance; it is the putting out of the candles of the heart; it is sorrow of soul which is true repentance. A man may renounce every outward sin, and yet not really repent. True repentance is a turning of the heart as well as of the life; it is the giving up of the whole soul to God, to be his for ever and ever; it is a renunciation of the sins of the heart, as well as the crimes of the life.
Read it all from December 7, 1856.
OTD in 1850, Charles Spurgeon came to a saving faith in Christ. “The Great Husbandman came, and began to plough my soul. Ten black horses were his team, and there was a tough ploughshare he used, and the ploughs made deep furrows ” pic.twitter.com/WOla5dPd6C
— SBC History (@SBCHistory) January 6, 2020
Today, Ash Wednesday, we begin a new Lenten journey, a journey that extends over forty days and leads us towards the joy of Easter, to victory of Life over death. Following the ancient Roman tradition of Lenten stations, we are gathered for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. The tradition says that the first statio took place in the Basilica of Saint Sabina on the Aventine Hill. Circumstances suggested we gather in St. Peter’s Basilica. Tonight there are many of us gathered around the tomb of the Apostle Peter, to also ask him to pray for the path of the Church going forward at this particular moment in time, to renew our faith in the Supreme Pastor, Christ the Lord. For me it is also a good opportunity to thank everyone, especially the faithful of the Diocese of Rome, as I prepare to conclude the Petrine ministry, and I ask you for a special remembrance in your prayer.
The readings that have just been proclaimed offer us ideas which, by the grace of God, we are called to transform into a concrete attitude and behaviour during Lent. First of all the Church proposes the powerful appeal which the prophet Joel addresses to the people of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning” (2.12). Please note the phrase “with all your heart,” which means from the very core of our thoughts and feelings, from the roots of our decisions, choices and actions, with a gesture of total and radical freedom. But is this return to God possible? Yes, because there is a force that does not reside in our hearts, but that emanates from the heart of God and the power of His mercy. The prophet says: “return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and relenting in punishment” (v. 13). It is possible to return to the Lord, it is a ‘grace’, because it is the work of God and the fruit of faith that we entrust to His mercy. But this return to God becomes a reality in our lives only when the grace of God penetrates and moves our innermost core, gifting us the power that “rends the heart”.
As Kenneth Miller says, ‘To any biochemist, even an evolutionary biochemist, the notion that human life was formed from the dust of
the earth is not only poetic, but scientifically accurate to an astonishing degree.’ #AshWednesday pic.twitter.com/hhbjMd6zMF— leavenmag (@leavenmag) February 17, 2021
On that Wednesday, throughout the world,
as it is appointed, priests bless
clean ashes in church, and then lay them
on people’s heads, so that they may remember
that they came from earth and will return again to dust,
just as Almighty God said to Adam,
after he had sinned against God’s command:
‘In labour you shall live and in sweat you shall eat
your bread upon the earth, until you return again
to the same earth from which you came,
for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.’
This is not said about the souls of mankind,
but about their bodies, which moulder to dust,
and shall again on Judgement Day, through the power of our Lord,
rise from the earth, all who ever lived,
just as all trees quicken again in the season of spring
which were deadened by the winter’s chill.
‘Þu eart dust and to duste gewendst’: an Anglo-Saxon Ash Wednesday, spring, and the life that is ‘lent’ https://t.co/gW6skHKmRv pic.twitter.com/glBKXCfrlb
— Eleanor Parker (@ClerkofOxford) February 14, 2018
Almighty and everlasting God,
you hate nothing that you have made
and forgive the sins of all those who are penitent:
create and make in us new and contrite hearts
that we, worthily lamenting our sins
and acknowledging our wretchedness,
may receive from you, the God of all mercy,
perfect remission and forgiveness;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Today we are reminded of the transient nature of life, from dust we came, to dust we return.
My fav season of the Church’s calendar – Lent #AshWednesday pic.twitter.com/15MXwNP53V— Ify in a jiffy (@Afroifee1) February 17, 2021
O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst take upon thee the form of a servant, humbling thyself and accepting death for us, even the death of the cross: Grant that this mind may be also in us; so that we may gladly take upon ourselves the life of humility and service, and taking up our cross daily may follow thee in thy suffering and death, that with thee we may attain unto the power of thy endless life. Grant this, O Christ, our Saviour and our King.
Ash Wednesday.
Our Lenten journey begins.
We will fall,
we will fail,
we will break,
But then…
We will rise,
We will heal,
We will overcome. Again and again and again.
Let us pray for each other
during this Holy Season. pic.twitter.com/ZUqytAKN5S— Sister Luke (@sisterlukenh) February 16, 2021
O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who didst devote thy life and thy death to our most plenteous redemption: Grant that what thou hast wrought for us may also be wrought in us: that, growing into thy likeness, we may serve and share thy redeeming work; who livest and reignest in the glory of the eternal Trinity now and for evermore.
–A Procession of Passion Prayers, ed. Eric Milner-White (London: SPCK, 1952)