Month: May 2017

Friday of 4th Week of Easter, 12 May – John 14:1-6 ~ my Father’s home

Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter

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

Opening Prayer

Heavenly Father, your Son Jesus Christ is the way that leads to you and to one another, the truth that is good news of love and hope, and the life which he sacrificed to give it.

Help us to show the way to him and to go his way to one another, to speak the truth that is encouraging and credible, and to give life by sharing happiness, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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Reading: John 14:1-6 (NLT)

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going.”

“No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
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Reflection & Prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ: in this evil age of conflict and uncertainty, speak to us a word of peace and encouragement.

+ Pacify our troubled hearts that we may love and serve all believers as members of our family in faith.
+ Thank you for preparing a place for us in our Father’s home where we can live together with you forever.
+ Give us patient endurance while we wait confidently for your return; even so, Lord, come quickly.
+ Sustain us with your Spirit that our lives may reflect your presence and bear credible witness to your Way to the Father.

Lord Jesus Christ: you are the Way, the Truth, and the Life – the only way by which we come to the Father. Secure us in our faith and support us in our trust that we may live with you forever in our Father’s house. For your name’s sake, we ask it. Amen.
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“Big House” – Audio Adrenaline


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Concluding Prayer – Psalm 98:1 (NLT)

Sing a new song to the Lord, for he has done wonderful deeds. His right hand has won a mighty victory; his holy arm has shown his saving power!
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Thursday of 4th Week of Easter, 11 May – John 13:16-20 ~ welcome Master

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter

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

Opening Prayer

All-powerful God, you remind us today that we are not greater than your Son Jesus, our servant Lord and master. Give us the love and endurance to serve you and to serve others without waiting for awards or gratitude; and to accept the difficulties and contradictions which are part of the Christian life, and which are normal for followers of him who bore the cross for us, Jesus Christ our Lord.
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Reading: John 13:16-20 (NLT)

I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.

“I am not saying these things to all of you; I know the ones I have chosen. But this fulfills the Scripture that says, ‘The one who eats my food has turned against me.’ I tell you this beforehand, so that when it happens you will believe that I am the Messiah. I tell you the truth, anyone who welcomes my messenger is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the Father who sent me.”
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Reflection & Prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ: you gave up your divine privileges, took the humble position of a servant, and were born as a human being. In washing your followers’ feet, you gave us an example of how to love and serve others.

+ Fill me with your Spirit that I may set aside all distractions and wait quietly for your word spoken to me.
+ Deepen my faith and trust in your loving-kindness that I may set aside my fears and do what you call me to do.
+ Give me the willingness to expend myself for others that I may find true happiness in their joy.

Lord Jesus Christ: you are the presence of the liberating face of God in our midst. May I decrease and you increase that I may find true freedom in your Father’s service, who lives with you and the holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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“God I Look to You” – Bethel Music, Jenn Johnson


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Concluding Prayer – Psalm 89:1-2 (NLT)

I will sing of the Lord’s unfailing love forever! Young and old will hear of your faithfulness. Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens.
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Wednesday of 4th Week of Easter, 10 May – John 12:44-50 ~ trust me

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

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

Opening Prayer

Lord our God, through your Son Jesus Christ you assure us that he came not to condemn us but to bring us Life and Light –

+ Life worth living, that refreshes us with love and a spirit of service;

+ Light of Life, that enables us to see all that is good and worth living for.

Thank you for allowing us to share in his Life that has no end, and walk in his Light that pierces the darkness. Through Christ our Lord, who lives with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen,
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Reading: John 12:44-50 (NLT)

Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken. I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say.”
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Reflection & Prayer:

Heavenly Father: you sent us your only Son that we may see you in him.

+ Write every word he speaks in your name on my heart.

+ Satisfy the deep longing of my soul with his presence within me.

+ Enable me to view the world in which I live through his eyes.

+ Make me a bearer of Good News that the world may be saved through him.

Lord Jesus Christ: you are a faithful reflection of the Father. Fill me with your Life and Light that I may live faithfully and serve you only until my life’s end. You who lives with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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“We Believe” – Newsboys


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Concluding Prayer – Psalm 67:4-5 (NLT)

Let the whole world sing for joy, because you govern the nations with justice and guide the people of the whole world. May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you.
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Tuesday of 4th Week of Easter, 09 May – John 10:22-30 ~ Son of God

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

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

Opening Prayer

Lord God, our Father, the Spirit of Jesus calls us, as he called your Son, to abandon our old selves and our old world to be free for new life and growth. Forgive us our fear and hesitations, lead us out of our worn-out phrases and habits, and our self-made certainties, steep us in the gospel of your Son, that his good news may become credible in our times and our world. We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
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Reading: John 10:22-30 (NLT)

It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon’s Colonnade. The people surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”
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Reflection & Prayer:

Lord Jesus: You have revealed the Father as he is, not as I might want him to be.

+ Illumine my understanding of Scripture that I may see you as you truly are.
+ Change how I think and act to conform to your way of thinking and acting,
+ Help me to set aside my own likes and preferences that I may serve others.
+ Create in me an openness to listen to your voice and follow as you lead.

Heavenly Father: Thank you for calling me, claiming me, and holding on to me. Thank you for the Life, abundant and eternal, that you have given me. Send me out, in the power of your Spirit, that I may be a credible witness to your love, mercy, and grace. Through my Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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“Dawn to Dusk” – All Sons & Daughters


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Concluding Prayer – Psalm 67:2-3 (NLT)

May your ways be known throughout the earth, your saving power among people everywhere. May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you.
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Monday of 4th Week of Easter, 08 May – John 10:11-18 ~ voluntary sacrifice

Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter

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

Opening Prayer

Lord our God, Father of all, you sent your Son Jesus Christ among us to reveal your sacrificial love and care for all, without any distinction for race or culture. Give us the strength and courage to follow his example, even if it means suffering, that Jesus may truly be the Lord and Shepherd of all, now and for ever. Amen.
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Reading: John 10:11-18 (NLT)

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.

“The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”
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Reflection & Prayer:

Heavenly Father: you have sent us your Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Good Shepherd.

+ Thank you for his sacrificial love for us.
+ Thank you for his sacrificial care for us.

Lord Jesus, you willingly sacrificed your life in our defense.

+ Give us the discernment to follow no other Shepherd.
+ Give us the courage to follow your example, even if it means suffering.

Holy Spirit: make us one with other believers who follow Jesus.

+ Free us from our preconceptions and prejudices.
+ Send us out in unity of purpose and the bond of peace.

Father: send us out into the world to do the work you have given us to do, to love and serve you as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord. To him, to you, and to the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.
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“Lead Me Lord” – The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir


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Concluding Prayer – Psalm 42:1-2 (NLT)

As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him?
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!