Author: Jay N. Forrest

Dr. Jay N Forrest is a Spiritual Teacher of the Anglican Middle Way, writing on Prayer, Meditation, and Mysticism. Jay became a Christian in 1983, attended Bible school, and eventually earned his Doctorate in Ministry. Jay served as a Protestant minister for 27 years, took catechism classes with the Orthodox Church of America, and spent about a decade practicing Buddhism. In 2005, Jay was baptized and confirmed into the Catholic Church, but has since joined the Episcopal Church.

Biblical Prayer 1

Dear heavenly Father,

I pray that you,
the God of my Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory,
may give to me the spirit of wisdom and revelation
in the knowledge of you,
that the eyes of my understanding
may be enlightened;
that I may know
what is the hope of your calling,
what are the riches of the glory
of your inheritance in the saints, and
what is the exceeding greatness of your power
towards us who believe,
according to the working of your mighty power
which you worked in Christ
when you raised him from the dead
and seated him at your right hand in the heavenly places.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
(Eph 1:16-20)

The Nicene Creed (Episcopal)

The Nicene Creed

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.

_____
From the Book of Common Prayer According to the use of The Episcopal Church, “The Holy Eucharist: Rite Two.”

The General Thanksgiving

Almighty God, Father of all mercies,
we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks
for all your goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all whom you have made.

We bless you for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for your immeasurable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.

And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies,
that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise,
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up our selves to your service,
and by walking before you
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

_______
From the Common Book of Prayer, Daily Morning Prayer: Rite Two, “The General Thanksgiving.”

Bible Commentary on Romans 6:18

“And that you, having been set free from sin, have become enslaved to righteousness” (Rom. 6:18).

The Greek word that is translated as sin is hamartia. It is usually defined as “missing the mark.” Which gives one the picture of aiming an arrow at a target but missing it. This is not what it means.

Sin is not missing the mark, sin means to aim at the wrong object. One is not even aiming at the target. The target is pleasing God. Sin is not trying to please God but failing, sin is not even trying to please God. The aim of sin is pleasing self, not God. Sin is a wrong aim. Sin is selfishness.

Romans 3:9 says that “are under the power of sin.” What does this mean? It means that as long as you are aiming to please self, you cannot please God. Selfishness bends all actions to the ultimate aim of one’s own life and interests. Sin makes you a slave of pleasing self. You are “under the power” of the selfish motive (Rom. 3:9).

And Romans 6:22 explains, “But now that you have been freed from sin [a wrong aim] and enslaved to God [the right aim], the fruit you have leads to sanctification, and the end is eternal life.”

It is not wrong action that leads to separation from God, but the wrong aim of one’s life. Sin is living for oneself rather than God. “No one can serve two masters” (Matt. 6:24). You will either serve self or you will serve God. As Romans 6:23 explains, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Making Jesus Lord means making him master of your life.

The singular “sin” refers to the wrong aim, the dedication of the will to self-gratification. The plural “sins” refers to wrong acts, or selfish acts. These are acts that do not please or honor God. For a Christian, these wrong acts are out of harmony with one’s usual aim of pleasing God. As soon as the pressure of temptation is released, the aim of the will snaps back to pleasing God.

Let’s bring this all together. Let me paraphrase our text, “After being freed from the wrong aim of selfishness, you became slaves to the right aim of benevolence.” Benevolence is good willing, it is willing the highest good of God and humanity.

Psalm 23 – The Lord is My Shepherd

The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures:
he leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul:
he leads me in the paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.

Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil:
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies:
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
for ever.

_______

Psalm 23 AKJV