+ In the name the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening prayer:
Your love, O God, is boundless.
We who were strangers have been made Your children. We who were defenceless have been brought into Your household. Keep us mindful of Your deeds of mercy, that we may love You with our whole heart and love our neighbour as ourselves.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.
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A Reading from the Old testament: Exodus 22:20-26 (NLT)
“Anyone who sacrifices to any god other than the lord must be destroyed.
“You must not mistreat or oppress foreigners in any way. Remember, you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.
“You must not exploit a widow or an orphan. If you exploit them in any way and they cry out to me, then I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will blaze against you, and I will kill you with the sword. Then your wives will be widows and your children fatherless.
“If you lend money to any of my people who are in need, do not charge interest as a money lender would. If you take your neighbor’s cloak as security for a loan, you must return it before sunset.”
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A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 18:1-4, 46-49 (NLT)
I love you, lord ; you are my strength.
The lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.
I called on the lord , who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies.
The lord lives! Praise to my Rock! May the God of my salvation be exalted!
He is the God who pays back those who harm me; he subdues the nations under me and rescues me from my enemies. You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies; you save me from violent opponents.
For this, O lord , I will praise you among the nations; I will sing praises to your name.
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A Reading from the Letters: I Thessalonians 1:5-10 (NLT)
And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you. So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Greece — throughout both Macedonia and Achaia.
And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it, for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God. And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven — Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.
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A Reading from the Gospels: Matthew 22:34-40 (NLT)
But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again.
One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”
Jesus replied, “‘You must love the lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
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Intercessions:
Lord God, our Refuge and Strength – hear our prayers.
+ For all who follow Christ – that our love for one another may shine for all to see…. Lord, hear us.
+ For those parts of the world most battered by war and violence – that the Lord may grant them peace…. Lord, hear us.
+ For the weak and oppressed – that they may enjoy the protection of the strong and powerful…. Lord, hear us.
+ For those suffering because of the Ebola Virus, particularly in West Africa – that God may protect and save them…. Lord, hear us.
+ For refugees and asylum-seekers – that Christians may show them
love and care as unto the Lord…. Lord, hear us.
+ For the widowed and orphaned – that those who are troubled may experience comfort, compassion and justice…. Lord, hear us.
+ For the faithful who have departed this life – that our God of love and compassion may embrace them in peace…. Lord, hear us.
O God, You are our strength, our fortress, our saviour: hear our prayers offered in faith, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Benediction:
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24-25)
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
The Peanut Gallery 