Month: June 2019

Thursday Morning: 20 Jun 2019 – Hebrews 11:1-16 ~ Faith confirms and convicts.

Thursday Morning

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

Opening (A Collect for Guidance – Thursday)

Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Morning Reading – Hebrews 11:1-16 (NLT)

Great Examples of Faith

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.

By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.

It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.

It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.

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. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.

It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.

All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
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Morning Reflection:

Faith confirms and convicts.

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.
– Hebrews 11:1

In today’s reading, faith is described along with examples of old testament saints who persevered in faith.

So what is the nature of faith? Faith confirms our confidence in Christ, and convicts us of our hope in Christ. Faith is the basis of all the Christian life means, and all the Christian hopes for. Faith is essential for connecting with God. Faith is a way of viewing all of life, what lies ahead as well as what is in the past. It involves accepting God’s viewpoint as He has revealed it in His Word.

It is impossible to please God without faith.
Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and
that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. – Hebrews 11:6

So how did faith play out in the lives of some of the old testament saints?

  • By faith – They understood the entire universe was formed at God’s command
  • By faith – Abel offered God his first and best
  • By faith – Noah built an Ark before it began to rain
  • By faith – Abraham went out not knowing where he was going
  • By faith – Sarah was able to give birth to a son in her old age
  • By faith – Abraham lived as a stranger, looking forward to eternity
  • By faith – They expected God to reward their faithfulness

Questions for consideration:

  • Where would you place yourself on the faith scale – from 1 (zero) to 10 (hero)? Please explain.
  • Can you think of an example where you exercised faith by believing without seeing? Please explain.
  • Which of the examples of faith listed above speak to your present circumstances? Please explain.
  • What do you expect to receive from God as a reward for your faithfulness? Please explain.
  • How long are you willing to wait for God to fulfill is promises to you? Please explain.

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Morning Prayer:

Life Support Prayer:

 Heavenly Father: Raise up capable leaders in every faith community – grounded in Your Word and empowered by Your Spirit – whom You can use to mobilize the work of loving and protecting human life. And produce in me the character and faith required to support this good work. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Prayer for Increased Faith:

Mighty Everlasting Father, I humbly come before Your throne of grace and mercy, laying down my life before You. Only You can satisfy the longing within me; You are my heart’s desire. I yearn to be in Your Holy presence, constantly seeking Your will and Your great plans for my life. Draw me nearer and closer to You daily, as my thirst is quenched by Your springs of living waters. Increase my confidence and boldness that I may move forward in faith wherever You send me. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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“By Faith” – Keith & Kristyn Getty

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Closing:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

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

Wednesday Morning: 19 Jun 2019 – Hebrews 10:19-39 ~ Persevere in Confident Faith

Wednesday Morning

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

Opening (A Collect for Grace – Wednesday)

O Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us safely to the beginning of this day: Defend us by your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin nor run into any danger; and that guided by your Spirit, we may do what is righteous in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Morning Reading – Hebrews 10:19-39 (NLT)

A Call to Persevere

And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies. For anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us. For we know the one who said,

“I will take revenge. I will pay them back.”

He also said,

“The Lord will judge his own people.”

It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever.

So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

“For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”

But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved.
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Morning Reflection:

Persevere in Confident Faith

And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place
because of the blood of Jesus. – Hebrews 10:19

As believers we now have an open invitation to come into the holy place. We can confidently enter God’s presence, now and in the future, because of what Jesus Christ has done for us (died for us), and because of what Jesus Christ continues to do for us (intercedes for us).

It’s because of what Christ has done, and is doing, that believers are called to persevere in confident faith. So, how can we do that?

Peter DeHaan offers four tips for believers drawn from today’s reading:

  1. Pursue God:  Steadfastly move closer and closer to God, even as he gently pulls you to him. With a sincere heart and full of faith, yearn to be in his presence.
  2. Hold Onto Hope:  Hold fast to the promises of God, because God is trustworthy, and live accordingly. Align your thoughts and actions with your beliefs; don’t waiver – God is faithful.
  3. Encourage One Another:  Motivate one another to acts of love and good works. Start with the people closest to you, show them kindness love them as God has loved you.
  4. Spend Time Together:  Stay connected with other believers; share life together in worship, in Bible study, in prayer, and socially. We are stronger and better together.

Questions for consideration:

  • Would you describe yourself as a person who is confident in your faith? Please explain.
  • In what direction are you headed – closer to God, or farther away from him? Please explain.
  • When you think of God’s faithfulness, which of his promises come to mind? Why is that promise important to you? Please explain.
  • Where do you need encouragement right now? Do you know someone who also needs encouragement? How can you help one another? Please explain.
  • Do you connect regularly with other believers? What do you do when you get together? How can you strengthen our relationships with them? Please explain.

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Morning Prayer: 

Life Support Prayer:

 Heavenly Father: Thank You for bringing me out of my old life of darkened understanding and hardness of heart. Help me live out what I have learned in Christ, as the Holy Spirit brings it to my attention. Protect all who advocate for life with Your full armor in our spiritual battle with Satan who seeks to destroy human life and rob us of joy. Equip us, protect us, and strengthen us for the work You have given us to do. I ask this in Jesus’ name, and for Your glory. Amen.

Prayer for Perseverance:

Heavenly Father: I bless and thank You for a brand new day, and for the fresh opportunities and challenges that this day will bring; thank You for Your loving-kindness that is renewed every morning.

I pray that I will walk worthy of You today and be a faithful witness in thought, word and deed – demonstrating a Christ-like attitude to all with whom I come in contact. Keep me ever-focused on You, Lord, and keep my heart steadfastly trusting You for all my needs and necessities.

Help me not to function in my own strength, but in the power of the Holy Spirit. May I stand firm in the truth of the gospel of grace and remain steadfastly looking to Jesus – trusting in Him to supply His sufficient strength for all occasions.

Teach me all that You would have me to learn today and give me the courage and strength to press on toward the goal for the upward call in Christ Jesus. I ask this in Jesus’ name, and for your glory. Amen.

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“Lord I Need You” – Matt Maher

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Closing:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

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

Tuesday Morning: 18 Jun 2019 – Hebrews 10:1-18 ~ Jesus is making us holy.

Tuesday Morning

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

Opening (A Collect for Peace – Tuesday)

O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Morning Reading – Hebrews 10:1-18 (NLT)

Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All

The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared.

But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God,

“You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer. You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin. Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God—as is written about me in the Scriptures.’”

First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). Then he said, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.

Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.

And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. For he says,

“This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts,

Then he says,

“I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.”

And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.
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Morning Reflection:

Jesus is making us holy.

For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ,
once for all time. – Hebrews 10:10

In today’s reading: the holiness of believers is viewed from two perspectives – our position in relation to God as Judge (justification), and our position in relation to our fellowship with God (sanctification). Both our justification and our sanctification are accomplished through the once and for all sacrifice of the body and blood of Jesus Christ – however, while our justification is a done deal through faith by grace, our sanctification is ongoing through faith by grace.

In other words, as believers in Jesus Christ, we have been declared holy; now we need to grow into the holy people that God declares us to be.

Questions for consideration:

  • Justification – Do you believe that your sins have been forgiven once and for all time? What is the basis for your belief? Please explain.
  • Sanctification – Do you believe that you are now sinless before God? How does that square with your lifestyle? Please explain.
  • An old testament understanding of holiness includes being separated from what is unclean and consecrated to what is pure. Where in your life do you need separation from sin and consecration to purity? Please explain.
  • A new testament understanding of holiness leads to the concept of sainthood. What does the word “sainthood” bring to your mind? Where do you need the power of God’s Spirit to help you become the “saint” that God already declares you are? Please explain.

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Morning Prayer:

Life-Support Prayer:

 Heavenly Father: Reveal the areas in my life where I need to grow up spiritually. I pray that every person now working to protect life would die to self, grow up in Christ, and be fully functional as the member of the body of Christ you have created us to be. And, call and equip many more with your Spirit to the work of elder care, advocacy for the unborn, and inclusion of persons with disabilities that they may lavish love and encouragement on those who are sick and distressed. I ask this in Jesus’ name, and for your glory. Amen.

Prayer for Personal Holiness:

Thank You Heavenly Father, for calling me out of darkness into Your marvelous light, setting me free from slavery to sin, and releasing me from bondage to fear. Thank You for breathing the new resurrection life of Christ into my very being. and for taking up permanent residence within my heart.

Lord I want to be led by Your Holy Spirit, and to walk in spirit and truth; I want to live a godly life and to develop personal holiness, but I don’t really know how. So I come to You incapable of being able to live a holy life myself, and humbly ask that You would teach me to be holy, and show me how You would have me live.

Open my eyes to see what You would have to do, unblock my ears so that I may hear Your still small voice, and give me a teachable spirit to learn all that You would teach me. I ask this in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, through whom I can do all things. Amen.

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“Holiness unto the Lord” – Eden’s Bridge

Holiness unto the Lord unto the King
Holiness unto Your name I will sing

Holiness unto Jesus | Holiness unto You Lord
Holiness unto Jesus | Holiness unto You Lord

I love You, I love Your ways, I love Your name
I love You, and all my days, I’ll proclaim

Holiness unto the Lord unto the King
Holiness unto Your name I will sing
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Closing:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

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

Monday Morning: 17 Jun 2019 – Hebrews 9:11-28 ~ Jesus sacrificed himself to remove the sins of many.

Monday Morning

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

Opening (A Collect for the Renewal of Life – Monday)

O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness during the day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Morning Reading – Hebrews 9:11-28 (NLT)

Christ Is the Perfect Sacrifice

So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.

Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.

Now when someone leaves a will, it is necessary to prove that the person who made it is dead. The will goes into effect only after the person’s death. While the person who made it is still alive, the will cannot be put into effect.

That is why even the first covenant was put into effect with the blood of an animal. For after Moses had read each of God’s commandments to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, and sprinkled both the book of God’s law and all the people, using hyssop branches and scarlet wool. Then he said, “This blood confirms the covenant God has made with you.” And in the same way, he sprinkled blood on the Tabernacle and on everything used for worship. In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.

That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals.

For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice.

And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.
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Morning Reflection:

Jesus sacrificed himself to remove the sins of many.

With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—
[Jesus] entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.
– Hebrews 9:12

The emphasis in today’s reading is on the efficacy of the Blood of Christ to take away our sins, once and for all time.

Under the old covenant a blood sacrifice was required for purification (Lev. 17:11). However the lives of innocent animal substitutes were sufficient only to atone for sin temporarily. In contrast, under the new covenant, the life of Jesus Christ, his blood sacrifice, was a perfect human substitute which atoned for the sins of the world and adequately paid for the redemption of all people forever. Why is this important?

+ the blood of Jesus provided permanent cleansing from our sin
+ the blood of Jesus cleanses our consciences as worshipers
+ the blood of Jesus secures our hope in an “eternal inheritance”
+ the blood of Jesus enables us to wait eagerly for his return

Questions for consideration:

“As sinful pilgrims on their way to the heavenly city,
God’s people defile all they touch, even their ‘meeting place’ with God,
and they need the constant efficacy of the sacrifice of Christ their High Priest
to remove that defilement. [David J. MacLeod]

  • Do you see yourself as a “sinful pilgrim on your way to the heavenly city?” Please explain.
  • In what sense do “God’s people defile all they touch?” Please explain.
  • How does the blood sacrifice of Jesus remove that defilement once and for all time? Please explain.
  • Why do you think confession of sin is regularly included as an element of worship? Please explain.
  • Why is the Lord’s Supper an essential means of remembering what Jesus has done for us? Please explain.

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Morning Prayer:

Life Support Prayer:

 Thank you, Heavenly Father, for pro-life leaders around the world. Strengthen them in Christ Jesus and unite them in faith and practice that they may reflect maturity in Christ. Help us to set aside our differences for the greater good of our common witness: Choose Life. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Lord’s Supper: Words of Institution

On the night that he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take, eat; this is my Body, which is given for you: Do this in remembrance of me.”

Likewise, after supper, Jesus took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink this, all of you; for this is my Blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for you, and for many, for the forgiveness of sins: Whenever you drink it, do this in remembrance of me.”

Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

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“Nothing But The Blood” – Page CXVI

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Closing:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

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

Trinity Sunday, 16 Jun 2019: Isaiah 6:1-7; Revelation 4:1-11; John 16:12-15 ~ Holy! Holy! Holy!

Trinity Sunday

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

Opening Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, your name is veiled in mystery, yet we dare to call you Father; your Son was begotten before all ages, yet is born among us in time; your Holy Spirit fills the whole creation, yet is poured forth now into our hearts. Because you have made us and loved us and called us by name, draw us more deeply into your divine life, that we may glorify you rightly through your Son, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.
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“Holy, Holy, Holy” – Latria Modern Worship

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A Reading from the Old Testament: Isaiah 6:1-7 (NLT)

Isaiah’s Cleansing and Call

It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They were calling out to each other,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”

Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.

Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”
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A Reading from the New Testament: Revelation 4:1-11 (NLT)

Worship in Heaven

Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow. Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God. In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal.

In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”

Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say,

“You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”

A Reading from the Gospels: John 16:12-15 (NLT)

“There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’
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Intercession:

Holy! Holy! Holy! are you, Lord God Almighty, the whole world is filled with your glory! Thank you for sending us your Son, Jesus Christ, that our sins may be forgiven and that we may approach your throne of grace with confidence. Lord, in your mercy, help us – we pray especially –

+ For the peace of the whole world, that your people may live full satisfying lives….
+ For church leaders around the world, that they may lead with constancy, grace, and love….
+ For all who preach / teach the Gospel, that they may make wise, faithful disciples….
+ For all believers in Christ who are persecuted for their faith, that they may be delivered from evil….
+ For all those who are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity, that they may receive your help and healing, and be filled with hope….
+ For believing father’s everywhere, that we might fulfill our responsibilities to our wives and children with energy, intelligence, imagination and love – after the example of Jesus….

Heavenly Father, grant these our prayers for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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“Revelation Song” – Gateway Worship

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Closing:

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always. Amen
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+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen