+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening prayer:
O God,
the strength of all who put their trust in you:
Mercifully accept our prayers, and because,
through the weakness of our mortal nature,
we can do no good thing without you,
grant us the help of your grace to keep your commandments,
that we may please you in will and deed;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
“The Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”
(John 14:26)
39:26 “Is it your wisdom that makes the hawk soar
and spread its wings toward the south?
+ Is it at your command that the eagle rises
to the heights to make its nest?
+ It lives on the cliffs,
making its home on a distant, rocky crag.
+ From there it hunts its prey,
keeping watch with piercing eyes.
+ Its young gulp down blood.
Where there’s a carcass, there you’ll find it.”
40:1 Then the Lord said to Job,
+ “Do you still want to argue with the Almighty?
You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?”
Job Responds to the Lord
40:3 Then Job replied to the Lord,
+ “I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers?
I will cover my mouth with my hand.
+ I have said too much already.
I have nothing more to say.”
14:25 I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Gracious God: Assist us with your Spirit, that your Holy Word may be written in our hearts to our everlasting comfort, to reform us, to renew us according to your own image, to build us up and edify us into the perfect dwelling place of your Christ, sanctifying and increasing in us all heavenly virtues; grant this, O heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.
O God, our heavenly Father: Pour out your Spirit on your Church, that we may fulfill Christ’s 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.
+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening prayer:
O God,
the strength of all who put their trust in you:
Mercifully accept our prayers, and because,
through the weakness of our mortal nature,
we can do no good thing without you,
grant us the help of your grace to keep your commandments,
that we may please you in will and deed;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
“A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.”
(1 Corinthians 12:7)
39:13 “The ostrich flaps her wings grandly,
but they are no match for the feathers of the stork.
+ She lays her eggs on top of the earth,
letting them be warmed in the dust.
+ She doesn’t worry that a foot might crush them
or a wild animal might destroy them.
+ She is harsh toward her young,
as if they were not her own.
She doesn’t care if they die.
+ For God has deprived her of wisdom.
He has given her no understanding.
+ But whenever she jumps up to run,
she passes the swiftest horse with its rider.
39:19 “Have you given the horse its strength
or clothed its neck with a flowing mane?
+ Did you give it the ability to leap like a locust?
Its majestic snorting is terrifying!
+ It paws the earth and rejoices in its strength
when it charges out to battle.
+ It laughs at fear and is unafraid.
It does not run from the sword.
+ The arrows rattle against it,
and the spear and javelin flash.
+ It paws the ground fiercely
and rushes forward into battle when the ram’s horn blows.
+ It snorts at the sound of the horn.
It senses the battle in the distance.
It quivers at the captain’s commands and the noise of battle.
12:4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.
12:7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
One Body with Many Parts
12:12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest,
And in our hearts take up thy rest;
Come with thy grace and heav’nly aid
To fill the hearts which thou hast made;
To fill the hearts which thou hast made.
O Comforter, to thee we cry,
Thou heav’nly gift of God most high;
Thou font of life and fire of love,
And sweet anointing from above;
And sweet anointing from above.
Praise be to thee, Father and Son,
And Holy Spirit, with them one;
And may the Son on us bestow
The gifts that from the Spirit flow;
The gifts that from the Spirit flow.
Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated to you; and then use us, we pray, as you will, and always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. | William Temple
O God, without whose beauty and goodness our souls are unfed, without whose truth our reason withers: Consecrate our lives to your will, giving us such purity of heart, such depth of faith, and such steadfastness of purpose, that in time we may come to think your own thoughts after you; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
O God, our heavenly Father: Pour out your Spirit on your Church, that we may fulfill Christ’s 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.
+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening prayer:
O God,
the strength of all who put their trust in you:
Mercifully accept our prayers, and because,
through the weakness of our mortal nature,
we can do no good thing without you,
grant us the help of your grace to keep your commandments,
that we may please you in will and deed;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
“No one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.”
(1 Corinthians 12:1-3)
38:39 “Can you stalk prey for a lioness
and satisfy the young lions’ appetites
+ as they lie in their dens
or crouch in the thicket?
+ Who provides food for the ravens
when their young cry out to God
and wander about in hunger?
The Lord’s Challenge Continues
39:39 “Do you know when the wild goats give birth?
Have you watched as deer are born in the wild?
+ Do you know how many months they carry their young?
Are you aware of the time of their delivery?
+ They crouch down to give birth to their young
and deliver their offspring.
+ Their young grow up in the open fields,
then leave home and never return.
39:5 “Who gives the wild donkey its freedom?
Who untied its ropes?
+ I have placed it in the wilderness;
its home is the wasteland.
+ It hates the noise of the city
and has no driver to shout at it.
+ The mountains are its pastureland,
where it searches for every blade of grass.
39:9 “Will the wild ox consent to being tamed?
Will it spend the night in your stall?
+ Can you hitch a wild ox to a plow?
Will it plow a field for you?
+ Given its strength, can you trust it?
Can you leave and trust the ox to do your work?
+ Can you rely on it to bring home your grain
and deliver it to your threshing floor?
12:1 Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you to misunderstand this. You know that when you were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols. So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.
O heavenly Father, you have filled the world with beauty: Open our eyes to behold your gracious hand in all your works; that, rejoicing in your whole creation, we may learn to serve you with gladness; for the sake of him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O merciful Creator, your loving hand is open wide to satisfy the needs of every living creature: Make us always thankful for your loving providence, and give us grace to honor you with all that you have entrusted to us; that we, remembering the account we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of your good gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
O God, our heavenly Father: 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.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
Almighty and everlasting God,
you have given to us your servants grace,
by the confession of a true faith,
to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity,
and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity:
Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship,
and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory,
O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
“Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
(Matthew 28:19)
1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
1:3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.”
+ And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.
1:6 Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.” And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. God called the space “sky.”
+ And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day.
1:9 Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened. God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.
+ And evening passed and morning came, marking the third day.
1:14 Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
+ And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day.
1:20 Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.” So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”
+ And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day.
1:24 Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened. God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.
1:26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
1:27 So God created human beings in his own image.
In the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
1:28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”
1:29 Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.
1:31 Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!
+ And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.
2:1 So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.
2:4 This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth.
13:11 Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.
+ Greet each other with a sacred kiss. All of God’s people here send you their greetings.
__________
We’ve A Story to Tell to the Nations – GCI Auckland
28:16 Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!
28:18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
+ We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, visible and invisible.
+ We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten 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, was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and 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, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who 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.
O God, the creator and preserver of all mankind, we humbly pray for all sorts and conditions of men; that you would be pleased to make your ways known to them, your saving health to all nations.
More especially we pray for your holy Church universal, that it may be so guided and governed by your good Spirit, that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life.
Finally, we commend to your fatherly goodness all those who are in any ways afflicted or distressed, in mind, body, or estate, especially those in the Middle East; that it may please you to comfort and relieve them according to their several necessities, giving them patience under their sufferings, and a happy issue out of all their afflictions. And this we pray for Jesus Christ’s sake. 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.
+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening prayer:
Almighty God,
through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit,
you revealed the way of eternal life to every race and nation:
Pour out this gift anew,
that by the preaching of the Gospel
your salvation may reach to the ends of the earth;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen.
“The Holy Spirit… leads into all truth.”
(John 14:15-17)
38:22 “Have you visited the storehouses of the snow
or seen the storehouses of hail?
+ (I have reserved them as weapons for the time of trouble,
for the day of battle and war.)
+ Where is the path to the source of light?
Where is the home of the east wind?
38:25 “Who created a channel for the torrents of rain?
Who laid out the path for the lightning?
+ Who makes the rain fall on barren land,
in a desert where no one lives?
+ Who sends rain to satisfy the parched ground
and make the tender grass spring up?
38:28 “Does the rain have a father?
Who gives birth to the dew?
+ Who is the mother of the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens?
+ For the water turns to ice as hard as rock,
and the surface of the water freezes.
38:31 “Can you direct the movement of the stars—
binding the cluster of the Pleiades
or loosening the cords of Orion?
+ Can you direct the constellations through the seasons
or guide the Bear with her cubs across the heavens?
+ Do you know the laws of the universe?
Can you use them to regulate the earth?
38:34 “Can you shout to the clouds
and make it rain?
+ Can you make lightning appear
and cause it to strike as you direct?
+ Who gives intuition to the heart
and instinct to the mind?
+ Who is wise enough to count all the clouds?
Who can tilt the water jars of heaven
+ when the parched ground is dry
and the soil has hardened into clods?
14:15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Gracious God: Assist us with your Spirit, that your Holy Word may be written in our hearts to our everlasting comfort, to reform us, to renew us according to your own image, to build us up and edify us into the perfect dwelling place of your Christ, sanctifying and increasing in us all heavenly virtues; grant this, O heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.
O God, our heavenly Father: Pour out your Spirit on your Church, that we may fulfill Christ’s 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.
12:7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
Spiritual Gifts
28:16 Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!
14:15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
The Peanut Gallery 