Daily Reading: 05 April – God’s Covenant with Abram – Genesis 15 – belief counted as righteousness

Tuesday of Second Week of Easter

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

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. (Hebrews 11:1-2)

E100:2.b Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob:
God’s Covenant with Abram – Genesis 15 (NLT)

The Lord’s Covenant Promise to Abram

Genesis 15 Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.”

2 But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. 3 You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.”

4 Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” 5 Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

6 And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.

7 Then the Lord told him, “I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession.”

8 But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, how can I be sure that I will actually possess it?”

9 The Lord told him, “Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 So Abram presented all these to him and killed them. Then he cut each animal down the middle and laid the halves side by side; he did not, however, cut the birds in half. 11 Some vultures swooped down to eat the carcasses, but Abram chased them away.

12 As the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a terrifying darkness came down over him. 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. 14 But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth. 15 (As for you, you will die in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.) 16 After four generations your descendants will return here to this land, for the sins of the Amorites do not yet warrant their destruction.”

17 After the sun went down and darkness fell, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. 18 So the Lord made a covenant with Abram that day and said, “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River— 19 the land now occupied by the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”

How Great Thou Art – Songs of Praise – Big Sing

Prayer

Father, Your works surround us and add depth and beauty to our daily experiences in life. You not only tend to our daily needs but through Your great works You delight our senses by that which we see, touch, hear, and feel as we admire Your handiwork.

Help us to pause in our busy schedules to listen to the rippling brook, smell the tree blossoms, observe the mountain grandeur and recognize Your creative power in the plentiful ornamentals that we have the privilege of planting, growing and tending over the warm months each year.

Your great works are observed in the Scriptures and admired in our daily lives. How wonderfully extravagant are Your works that we enjoy each day, for it is truly the heavens declaring Your glory and the firmament showing Your handiwork. For them we are grateful. Amen.

Closing Sentence

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

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

Daily Reading: 04 April – The Call of Abraham – Genesis 12 – going without knowing

Monday of Second Week of Easter

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

“It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.” (Hebrews 11:8 NLT)

E100:2.a Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob:
The Call of Abraham – Genesis 12 (NLT)

The Call of Abraham

1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

Abraham's Journey from Ur to Canaan József Molnár, 1850 Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest — Abraham’s Journey from Ur to Canaan
József Molnár, 1850
Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest

4 So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. 5 He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan, 6 Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites.

7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord, and he worshiped the Lord. 9 Then Abram continued traveling south by stages toward the Negev.

Abram and Sarai in Egypt

10 At that time a severe famine struck the land of Canaan, forcing Abram to go down to Egypt, where he lived as a foreigner. 11 As he was approaching the border of Egypt, Abram said to his wife, Sarai, “Look, you are a very beautiful woman. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife. Let’s kill him; then we can have her!’ 13 So please tell them you are my sister. Then they will spare my life and treat me well because of their interest in you.”

14 And sure enough, when Abram arrived in Egypt, everyone noticed Sarai’s beauty. 15 When the palace officials saw her, they sang her praises to Pharaoh, their king, and Sarai was taken into his palace. 16 Then Pharaoh gave Abram many gifts because of her—sheep, goats, cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.

17 But the Lord sent terrible plagues upon Pharaoh and his household because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram and accused him sharply. “What have you done to me?” he demanded. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ and allow me to take her as my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and get out of here!” 20 Pharaoh ordered some of his men to escort them, and he sent Abram out of the country, along with his wife and all his possessions.

Christian Missions: I Will Go

Prayer

Heavenly Father: you told Abraham to leave everything and go to a faraway place he had never seen, and knew nothing about. And, by faith, Abraham did just that. Thank you for the blessings that have been passed on to me through the faithfulness of Abraham and his descendants.

+ Lord, give me ears to hear when you call me in the still of the night, or the tumult of the storm.
+ Lord, give me the courage to leave behind the familiar and adventure into the unknown when your call.
+ Lord, give me a vision of your promised blessings, whether they are realized in my lifetime or not.

Heavenly Father: you have raised me to new life with Christ. Keep my mind fixed on the realities of heaven, rather than the things of this earth. And when Christ is revealed to the whole world, may I share in all his glory. Through Jesus Christ, your son, who with the Holy Spirit, reigns with you, one God forever. Amen.

Closing Sentence

“(May you) grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:18)

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

2nd Sunday of Easter, 03 April: Acts 5:12-16; Psalms 118; Revelation 1:9-19; John 20:19-31 ~ My Lord and my God!

Second Sunday of Easter

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

Opening Sentence:

You have been raised to life with Christ. Set your hearts, then, on the things that are in heaven, where Christ sits on his throne at the right side of God. Keep your minds fixed on things there, not on things here on earth, alleluia.
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“Come People of the Risen King” – Keith & Kristyn Getty

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A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles: Acts 5:12-16 (NLT)

St Peter Healing the Sick with his Shadow 1426-27 Cappella Brancacci, Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence — St Peter Healing the Sick with his Shadow (1426-27)
Cappella Brancacci, Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence

The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade. But no one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for them. Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women. As a result of the apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by. Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed.
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A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24 – Shane & Shane

Let all Israel repeat: “His faithful love endures forever.” Let Aaron’s descendants, the priests, repeat: “His faithful love endures forever.” Let all who fear the Lord repeat: “His faithful love endures forever.”
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My enemies did their best to kill me, but the Lord rescued me. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly. The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things!
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The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord ’s doing, and it is wonderful to see. This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.
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Psalm 118 – Shane & Shane

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A Reading from the Revelations of John: Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19 NLT (NLT)

I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus. It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. It said, “Write in a book everything you see….”

When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest.

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.

“Write down what you have seen—both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen.
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A Reading from the Gospels: John 20:19-31 (NLT)

That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”

Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”

“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.

Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.
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Spiritual Song: “How Great Thou Art” – Loretta Lynn

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Intercessory Prayer:

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love has no end! He answered the prayers of his Beloved Son: he will help us in our needs too. Lord, hear us.

+ That all who profess Jesus as Savior and Lord may live in love….
+ That all who were recently baptized may persevere in their faithfulness….
+ That all who are sick in body, mind, or spirit may find comfort and healing in Jesus….
+ That all who are persecuted for their faith may find courage and strength in Jesus….
+ That those for whom faith is irrelevant may discover the Good News of Jesus….
+ That people in need of support and love may experience God’s care through us….
+ That those who have died in Christ may share in his resurrection….

God our Redeemer, you lead your people from defeat to triumph: grant our prayers, through Christ our Risen Lord. Amen.
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Hymn: “Victor’s Crown” – Darlene Zschech

Benediction:

Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen. (Revelation 7:12)

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

Morning Prayer: 02 April – Mark 16:9-15 ~ “Go and tell”

Easter Saturday

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

Opening Sentence

Christ has risen: he is the light of his people, whom he has redeemed with his blood. Alleluia.

Morning Reading: Mark 16:9-15 (NLT)

9 After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went to the disciples, who were grieving and weeping, and told them what had happened. 11 But when she told them that Jesus was alive and she had seen him, they didn’t believe her.

go and preach

12 Afterward he appeared in a different form to two of his followers who were walking from Jerusalem into the country. 13 They rushed back to tell the others, but no one believed them.

14 Still later he appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their stubborn unbelief because they refused to believe those who had seen him after he had been raised from the dead.

15 And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.

Prayer

Lord God, you increase and multiply your faithful by your abundant gift of grace. Look now on your chosen people, and clothe forever in the garment of eternal life all those who have been reborn by water and the Spirit. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Campagneverslag Musoma Tanzania – David de Vos – Go and Tell

Closing Sentence

You are the peace and joy of all who believe in you; help us to live as children of light, rejoicing in your victory.

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

Daily Reading: 01 April – The Tower of Babel – Genesis 11:1-9 ~ orchestrated confusion

First Friday of Easter

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

This is the day which was made by the Lord: let us rejoice and be glad, alleluia.

E100:1.e In the Beginning:
The Tower of Babel – Genesis 11:1-9 (NLT)

Genesis 11 At one time all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words. 2 As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there.

The Tower of Babel by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1563) — The Tower of Babel
by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1563) Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

3 They began saying to each other, “Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire.” (In this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) 4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”

5 But the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. 6 “Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! 7 Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.”

8 In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why the city was called Babel, because that is where the Lord confused the people with different languages. In this way he scattered them all over the world.

Catherine Tate – The Offensive Translator
(A CEO is desperate to find someone who knows how to speak 7 languages.)

Prayer

I give thanks to You, heavenly Father, for protecting me through the night and granting me another day. I ask You to fortify me with the grace of Your Holy Spirit, and give Your peace to my soul, that I may be free from all needless anxiety and worry. Help me to desire always that which is pleasing and acceptable to You, so that Your will may be my will.

+ Today, make known to me, and take from my heart, every kind, form and degree of pride.

+ Today, empty me of self, and awaken in me the deepest depth and truth of that humility which can make me capable of your revealing light.

+ Today, do not allow attribution to me, for the good that you perform in me and through me, but rather, that all honor be to you.

+ Today, may your presence in me, and your work through me, testify of your holiness and saving grace.

Help me to die to self each day, and continuously seek your glorification in all that I think or do. This I ask in the name of Jesus Christ, the exemplar of humility. Amen.

Closing Sentence

Cleanse our hearts by your truth and guide our lives by your holiness; may we do what is right and pleasing to you.

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

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