DAY 17

"Peacock Sunset" by Isuru Gunasekera

Psalm 91
Peacocks

†

A Greeting
O Lord, you are my God; 
I will exalt you, I will praise your name.
 (Isaiah 25:1)

A Reading 
You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
   who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress;
   my God, in whom I trust.’
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
   and from the deadly pestilence;
he will cover you with his pinions,
   and under his wings you will find refuge;
   his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
For he will command his angels concerning you
   to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up,
   so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. 
(Psalm 91:1-4;11-12)

Music


Meditative Verses
When they call to me, I will answer them;
   I will be with them in trouble,
   I will rescue them and honour them. 
(Psalm 91:15)

"The Adoration of the Magi" by Fra Angelica
Peacocks adorn the stable roof

A Prayer
The promise which is everywhere about us
Hold us God
In the longing for a new world and new living
Cradle us God
In the hunger for justice that aches in us
Feed us God
In the search for healing in our broken world
Find us God
In the gathering round the table
Gather with us God
In the breaking of bread and spilling of wine
Share with us God
In the community of faith
Reveal yourself God
–a prayer from the Church of Scotland, found on re:Worship
a liturgical planning blog

Verse for the Day
With long life I will satisfy them,
   and show them my salvation.
(Psalm 91:16) 

 †

Detail from the mystery painting

 The peacock might seem an unlikely creature to include in our stable, but this bird imported from India in the time of Solomon (see 1 Kings 10 and 2 Chronicles 9) has been an important presence in Christian art since the early third century, when it first symbolized Jesus' resurrection. In the medieval period, the peacocks entered nativity art as one of the elements that foreshadows the events of Jesus' life. (A sorrowful Joseph is another standard Nativity element; rather than rejoicing in the birth, he is in prophetic understanding of what is coming.) The peacock's capacity to shed its feathers annually and grow back more brilliant ones also came to symbolize how a faithful Christian can be renewed into deeper faith from year to year. A peacock drinking from a vase or a stream signified a believer drinking from the waters of eternal life. 

"Peacock at Dawn" by Rahul Rallan

LC† Psalms in the Stable is a project of
Lutherans Connect / Lutheran Campus Ministry Toronto.
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