Lent | Friday 13 Mar 2026: Psalm 23; 1 Samuel 15:22-31; Ephesians 5:1-9 ~ Follow the example of Christ.

Lent | Friday 13 Mar 2026
[Please note the time change to EDT]

+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening prayer:

Heavenly Father,
you have made us for yourself,
and our hearts are restless until they rest in you:
Look with compassion
upon the heartfelt desires of your servants,
and purify our disordered affections,
that we may behold your eternal glory
in the face of Christ Jesus;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

“Live a life filled with love,
following the example of Christ.”
(Ephesians 5:2)

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From the Psalms: Psalm 23 – Phil Wickham – ft. Tiffany Hudson

The Lord is my shepherd
There’s nothing I need
You lead me to the safest places
You lead me to the safest places
To walk in the meadow
And lie by the stream
You meet me in the quiet places
You meet me in the quiet places

Your goodness and Your mercy
Will follow me
All the days of my life
All the days of my life
And I’ll dwell in Your house
For eternity
I’ll be there by Your side
I’ll be there by Your side

Though I walk through the valley
Of the shadow of death
I don’t have to fear no evil
For I know that You are with me
With oil of blessing
You cover my head
You fill me to overflowing
My cup is overflowing

And Your goodness and Your mercy
Will follow me
All the days of my life
All the days of my life
And I’ll dwell in Your house
For eternity
I’ll be there by Your side
I’ll be there by Your side
All the days of my life
All the days of my life

You prepare a table before me
Right in front of my enemies
You’re the shepherd of my soul
You lead me in the right direction
My comfort and my protection
You’re the shepherd of my soul

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OT Reading: 1 Samuel 15:22-31 (NLT)

15:22 But Samuel replied,

“What is more pleasing to the Lord:
your burnt offerings and sacrifices
or your obedience to his voice?
Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.
+ Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft,
and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.
So because you have rejected the command of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.”

Saul Pleads for Forgiveness

15:24 Then Saul admitted to Samuel, “Yes, I have sinned. I have disobeyed your instructions and the Lord’s command, for I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded. But now, please forgive my sin and come back with me so that I may worship the Lord.”

+ But Samuel replied, “I will not go back with you! Since you have rejected the Lord’s command, he has rejected you as king of Israel.”

+ As Samuel turned to go, Saul tried to hold him back and tore the hem of his robe. And Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to someone else—one who is better than you. And he who is the Glory of Israel will not lie, nor will he change his mind, for he is not human that he should change his mind!”

+ Then Saul pleaded again, “I know I have sinned. But please, at least honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel by coming back with me so that I may worship the Lord your God.” So Samuel finally agreed and went back with him, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

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Forgiven | Sovereign Grace Music

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NT Reading: Ephesians 5:1-9 (NLT)

Living in the Light

5:1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

+ Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

+ Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

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“Trust And Obey” | 125 Voice Mass Choir for Classic Hymns album ” Amazing Grace”

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP 2019

O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light rises up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what you would have us do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices; that in your light we may see light, and in your straight path we may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O God, our heavenly Father, you manifested your love by sending your only-begotten Son into the world, that all might live through him: Pour out your Spirit on your Church, that we may fulfill his command to preach the Gospel to all people. Send forth laborers into your harvest; defend them in all dangers and temptations; and hasten the time when the fullness of the Gentiles shall be gathered in, and faithful Israel shall be saved; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Our God, in whom we trust: Strengthen us not to regard overmuch who is for us or who is against us, but to see to it that we be with you in everything we do. Amen. | Thomas à Kempis

Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch

May God our Redeemer show us compassion and love.

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lent | Thursday 12 Mar 2026: Psalm 23; 1 Samuel 15:10-21; Ephesians 4:25-32 ~ Live a life that pleases God.

Lent | Thursday 12 Mar 2026
[Please note the time change to EDT]

+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening prayer:

“Do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit
by the way you live.”
(Ephesians 4:30)

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From the Psalms: Psalm 23 – “Yahweh Is My Shepherd” | feat. Bethany John – The Psalms Project

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OT Reading: 1 Samuel 15:10-21 (NLT)

The Lord Rejects Saul

15:10 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has refused to obey my command.” Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard this that he cried out to the Lord all night.

+ Early the next morning Samuel went to find Saul. Someone told him, “Saul went to the town of Carmel to set up a monument to himself; then he went on to Gilgal.”

+ When Samuel finally found him, Saul greeted him cheerfully. “May the Lord bless you,” he said. “I have carried out the Lord’s command!”

+ “Then what is all the bleating of sheep and goats and the lowing of cattle I hear?” Samuel demanded.

+ “It’s true that the army spared the best of the sheep, goats, and cattle,” Saul admitted. “But they are going to sacrifice them to the Lord your God. We have destroyed everything else.”

+ Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! Listen to what the Lord told me last night!”

“What did he tell you?” Saul asked.

15:17 And Samuel told him, “Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? The Lord has anointed you king of Israel. And the Lord sent you on a mission and told you, ‘Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, until they are all dead.’ Why haven’t you obeyed the Lord? Why did you rush for the plunder and do what was evil in the Lord’s sight?”

+ “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul insisted. “I carried out the mission he gave me. I brought back King Agag, but I destroyed everyone else. Then my troops brought in the best of the sheep, goats, cattle, and plunder to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”

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Lead Me, Lord – Congregación María de Jesús / Chet Valley Churches

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NT Reading: Ephesians 4:25-32 (NLT)

4:25 So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

+ If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

+ And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

+ Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

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Tallis’ Canon (Ancient Lullaby Hymn) // Sounds Like Reign

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP 2019

O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength: By the might of your Spirit lift us, we pray, into your presence, where we may be still and know that you are God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch

May God our Redeemer show us compassion and love.

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lent | Wednesday 11 Mar 2026: Psalm 81; Jeremiah 2:4-13; John 7:14-31, 37-39 ~ Jesus is God’s messenger.

Lent | Wednesday 11 Mar 2026
[Please note the time change to EDT]

+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening prayer:

So Jesus told them,
“My message is not my own;
it comes from God who sent me.”
(John 7:16)

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From the Psalms: Psalm 81 – Poor Bishop Hooper

sing aloud to god our strength
shout for joy to the god of jacob
raise a song sound the tambourine
with the lyre harp

blow the horn on the day of feasts
to the moon for it is a statute
this is israel’s decree
from the land of egypt

i hear a language that i had not known

i delivered your shoulder from the burden you were carrying
i answered your distress from the secret place of thundering
listen listen oh my people to my warning
listen listen oh my people to this warning

there will be no strange foreign gods among you
for i am the lord god

i would feed you with the finest of wheat
with honey from the rock so satisfying

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OT Reading: Jeremiah 2:4-13 (NLT)

2:4 Listen to the word of the Lord, people of Jacob—all you families of Israel! This is what the Lord says:

“What did your ancestors find wrong with me
that led them to stray so far from me?
They worshiped worthless idols,
only to become worthless themselves.
+ They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord
who brought us safely out of Egypt
and led us through the barren wilderness—
a land of deserts and pits,
a land of drought and death,
where no one lives or even travels?’

2:7 “And when I brought you into a fruitful land
to enjoy its bounty and goodness,
you defiled my land and
corrupted the possession I had promised you.
+ The priests did not ask,
‘Where is the Lord?’
Those who taught my word ignored me,
the rulers turned against me,
and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal,
wasting their time on worthless idols.
+ Therefore, I will bring my case against you,”
says the Lord.
“I will even bring charges against your children’s children
in the years to come.

2:10 “Go west and look in the land of Cyprus;
go east and search through the land of Kedar.
Has anyone ever heard of anything
as strange as this?
+ Has any nation ever traded its gods for new ones,
even though they are not gods at all?
Yet my people have exchanged their glorious God
for worthless idols!
+ The heavens are shocked at such a thing
and shrink back in horror and dismay,”
says the Lord.
+ “For my people have done two evil things:
They have abandoned me—
the fountain of living water.
And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns
that can hold no water at all!

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Jesu, Lover of My Soul | St Michael’s Singers / Chet Valley Churches

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NT Reading: John 7:14-31, 37-39 (NLT)

7:14 Then, midway through the festival, Jesus went up to the Temple and began to teach. The people were surprised when they heard him. “How does he know so much when he hasn’t been trained?” they asked.

7:16 So Jesus told them, “My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me. Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own. Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies. Moses gave you the law, but none of you obeys it! In fact, you are trying to kill me.”

+ The crowd replied, “You’re demon possessed! Who’s trying to kill you?”

+ Jesus replied, “I did one miracle on the Sabbath, and you were amazed. But you work on the Sabbath, too, when you obey Moses’ law of circumcision. (Actually, this tradition of circumcision began with the patriarchs, long before the law of Moses.) For if the correct time for circumcising your son falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it so as not to break the law of Moses. So why should you be angry with me for healing a man on the Sabbath? Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.”

Is Jesus the Messiah?

7:25 Some of the people who lived in Jerusalem started to ask each other, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? But here he is, speaking in public, and they say nothing to him. Could our leaders possibly believe that he is the Messiah? But how could he be? For we know where this man comes from. When the Messiah comes, he will simply appear; no one will know where he comes from.”

+ While Jesus was teaching in the Temple, he called out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I come from. But I’m not here on my own. The one who sent me is true, and you don’t know him. But I know him because I come from him, and he sent me to you.” Then the leaders tried to arrest him; but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come.

+ Many among the crowds at the Temple believed in him. “After all,” they said, “would you expect the Messiah to do more miraculous signs than this man has done?”

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Jesus Messiah – Chris Tomlin / Grace Bible Church – Adell

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP 2019

Our God, in whom we trust: Strengthen us not to regard overmuch who is for us or who is against us, but to see to it that we be with you in everything we do. Amen. | Thomas à Kempis

Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch

May God our Redeemer show us compassion and love.

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lent | Tuesday 10 Mar 2026: Psalm 81; Genesis 29:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 ~ Christ is our spiritual rock.

Lent | Tuesday 10 Mar 2026
[Please note the time change to EDT]

+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening prayer:

“For they drank from the spiritual rock
that traveled with them,
and that rock was Christ.”
(1 Corinthians 10:4)

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From the Psalms: Psalm 81 – “Sing a Song of Joy” from the Genevan Psalter | The Psalternative

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OT Reading: Genesis 29:1-14 (NLT)

Jacob Arrives at Paddan-Aram

29:1 Then Jacob hurried on, finally arriving in the land of the east. He saw a well in the distance. Three flocks of sheep and goats lay in an open field beside it, waiting to be watered. But a heavy stone covered the mouth of the well.

+ It was the custom there to wait for all the flocks to arrive before removing the stone and watering the animals. Afterward the stone would be placed back over the mouth of the well. Jacob went over to the shepherds and asked, “Where are you from, my friends?”

“We are from Haran,” they answered.

+ “Do you know a man there named Laban, the grandson of Nahor?” he asked.

“Yes, we do,” they replied.

+ “Is he doing well?” Jacob asked.

“Yes, he’s well,” they answered. “Look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the flock now.”

+ Jacob said, “Look, it’s still broad daylight—too early to round up the animals. Why don’t you water the sheep and goats so they can get back out to pasture?”

+ “We can’t water the animals until all the flocks have arrived,” they replied. “Then the shepherds move the stone from the mouth of the well, and we water all the sheep and goats.”

+ Jacob was still talking with them when Rachel arrived with her father’s flock, for she was a shepherd. And because Rachel was his cousin—the daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother—and because the sheep and goats belonged to his uncle Laban, Jacob went over to the well and moved the stone from its mouth and watered his uncle’s flock. Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and he wept aloud. He explained to Rachel that he was her cousin on her father’s side—the son of her aunt Rebekah. So Rachel quickly ran and told her father, Laban.

+ As soon as Laban heard that his nephew Jacob had arrived, he ran out to meet him. He embraced and kissed him and brought him home. When Jacob had told him his story, Laban exclaimed, “You really are my own flesh and blood!”

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The Well – Royal Anthems

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NT Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 (NLT)

10:1 I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. All of them ate the same spiritual food, and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ.

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The Solid Rock (My Hope is Built) | Reawaken Hymns

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP 2019

O God, of your goodness, give me yourself, for you are enough for me. I can ask for nothing less that is completely to your honor, and if I do ask anything less, I shall always be in want. Only in you I have all. Amen. | Julian of Norwich

Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch

May God our Redeemer show us compassion and love.

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lent | Monday 09 Mar 2026: Psalm 81; Genesis 24:1-27; 2 John 1:1-13 ~ “Love one another.”

Lent | Monday 09 Mar 2026
[Please note the time change to EDT]

+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening prayer:

“ I am writing to remind you, dear friends,
that we should love one another.”
(2 John 1:5)

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From the Psalms: Psalm 81 | Andrea Sandefur

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OT Reading: Genesis 24:1-27 (NLT)

A Wife for Isaac

24:1 Abraham was now a very old man, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. One day Abraham said to his oldest servant, the man in charge of his household, “Take an oath by putting your hand under my thigh. Swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac.”

+ The servant asked, “But what if I can’t find a young woman who is willing to travel so far from home? Should I then take Isaac there to live among your relatives in the land you came from?”

+ “No!” Abraham responded. “Be careful never to take my son there. For the Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and my native land, solemnly promised to give this land to my descendants. He will send his angel ahead of you, and he will see to it that you find a wife there for my son. If she is unwilling to come back with you, then you are free from this oath of mine. But under no circumstances are you to take my son there.”

+ So the servant took an oath by putting his hand under the thigh of his master, Abraham. He swore to follow Abraham’s instructions. Then he loaded ten of Abraham’s camels with all kinds of expensive gifts from his master, and he traveled to distant Aram-naharaim. There he went to the town where Abraham’s brother Nahor had settled. He made the camels kneel beside a well just outside the town. It was evening, and the women were coming out to draw water.

24:12 “O Lord, God of my master, Abraham,” he prayed. “Please give me success today, and show unfailing love to my master, Abraham. See, I am standing here beside this spring, and the young women of the town are coming out to draw water. This is my request. I will ask one of them, ‘Please give me a drink from your jug.’ If she says, ‘Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’—let her be the one you have selected as Isaac’s wife. This is how I will know that you have shown unfailing love to my master.”

+ Before he had finished praying, he saw a young woman named Rebekah coming out with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, who was the son of Abraham’s brother Nahor and his wife, Milcah. Rebekah was very beautiful and old enough to be married, but she was still a virgin. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came up again. Running over to her, the servant said, “Please give me a little drink of water from your jug.”

+ “Yes, my lord,” she answered, “have a drink.” And she quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and gave him a drink. When she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels, too, until they have had enough to drink.” So she quickly emptied her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw water for all his camels.

+ The servant watched her in silence, wondering whether or not the Lord had given him success in his mission. Then at last, when the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring for her nose and two large gold bracelets for her wrists.

+ “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. “And please tell me, would your father have any room to put us up for the night?”

+ “I am the daughter of Bethuel,” she replied. “My grandparents are Nahor and Milcah. Yes, we have plenty of straw and feed for the camels, and we have room for guests.”

+ The man bowed low and worshiped the Lord. “Praise the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham,” he said. “The Lord has shown unfailing love and faithfulness to my master, for he has led me straight to my master’s relatives.”

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He Leadeth Me | Sovereign Grace Music

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NT Reading: 2 John 1:1-13 (NLT)

1:1 This letter is from John, the elder.

+ I am writing to the chosen lady and to her children, whom I love in the truth—as does everyone else who knows the truth— because the truth lives in us and will be with us forever.

+ Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ—the Son of the Father—will continue to be with us who live in truth and love.

Live in the Truth

+ How happy I was to meet some of your children and find them living according to the truth, just as the Father commanded.

1:5 I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning. Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.

+ I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward. Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son.

+ If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement. Anyone who encourages such people becomes a partner in their evil work.

+ I have much more to say to you, but I don’t want to do it with paper and ink. For I hope to visit you soon and talk with you face to face. Then our joy will be complete.

+ Greetings from the children of your sister, chosen by God.

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A New Commandment I Give Unto You – The New Apostolic Church Children’s Choir / Chet Valley Churches

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP 2019

O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior, the Prince of Peace: Give us grace to take to heart the grave dangers we are in through our many divisions. Deliver your Church from all enmity and prejudice, and everything that hinders us from godly union. As there is one Body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so make us all to be of one heart and of one mind, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and love, that with one voice we may give you praise; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God in everlasting glory. Amen.

O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength: By the might of your Spirit lift us, we pray, into your presence, where we may be still and know that you are God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch

May God our Redeemer show us compassion and love.

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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