Month: August 2022

After Pentecost – 11th Sunday: 21 Aug 2022 – Isa 28:14-22; Ps 46; Heb 12:(15-29; Luke 13:22-30 ~ The door to God’s Kingdom is narrow.

After Pentecost – 11th Sunday: 21 Aug 2022

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

Opening:

Let your continual mercy, O Lord,
cleanse and defend your Church; and,
because it cannot continue in safety without your help,
protect and govern it always by your goodness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

“Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom,
for many will try to enter but will fail.
When the master of the house has locked the door,
it will be too late.”
(Luke 13: 24-25a)

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God of Grace and God of Glory – Buford First UMC
https://youtu.be/XWPZK75WEh8?rel=0
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OT Reading: Isaiah 28:14-22 (NLT)

28:14 Therefore, listen to this message from the Lord,
you scoffing rulers in Jerusalem.
You boast, “We have struck a bargain to cheat death
and have made a deal to dodge the grave.
The coming destruction can never touch us,
for we have built a strong refuge made of lies and deception.”

Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem,
a firm and tested stone.
It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on.
Whoever believes need never be shaken.
I will test you with the measuring line of justice
and the plumb line of righteousness.
Since your refuge is made of lies,
a hailstorm will knock it down.
Since it is made of deception,
a flood will sweep it away.
I will cancel the bargain you made to cheat death,
and I will overturn your deal to dodge the grave.
When the terrible enemy sweeps through,
you will be trampled into the ground.
Again and again that flood will come,
morning after morning,
day and night,
until you are carried away.”

This message will bring terror to your people.
The bed you have made is too short to lie on.
The blankets are too narrow to cover you.
The Lord will come as he did against the Philistines at Mount Perazim
and against the Amorites at Gibeon.
He will come to do a strange thing;
he will come to do an unusual deed:
For the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
has plainly said that he is determined to crush the whole land.
So scoff no more,
or your punishment will be even greater.

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Psalms Reading: Psalm 46 – (Lord of Hosts) ~ Capital City Music

music meets heaven

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NT Reading: Hebrews 12:15-29 (NLT)

12:15 Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal. You know that afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears.

You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai. For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking. They staggered back under God’s command: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, “I am terrified and trembling.” No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.

Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.” This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.

Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire.

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Awesome God : Michael W. Smith : Live from Budapest (Jul 23, 2022)

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Gospel Reading: Luke 13:22-30 (NLT)

The Narrow Door

13:22 Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he went, always pressing on toward Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?”

He replied, “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail. When the master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. You will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Lord, open the door for us!’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ Then you will say, ‘But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ And he will reply, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you or where you come from. Get away from me, all you who do evil.’

“There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but you will be thrown out. And people will come from all over the world—from east and west, north and south—to take their places in the Kingdom of God. And note this: Some who seem least important now will be the greatest then, and some who are the greatest now will be least important then.”

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The kingdom of God – J.Berthiert/Taizé
[Members of NDJ choir, St Georges Maronite Cathedral choir
and Young adults from various Chrurhes in Lebanon.]
Camilio Saadeh

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ 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.

William Laud
+ Gracious Father, we pray for your holy catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in anything it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior. Amen.

+ O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch

You are the God who formed us,
The God who knows us,
The God who loves us,
The God who leads us,
The God who feeds us,
The God who blesses us,
The beginning and end
of all that we are,
and hope to be.
Worthy of our praise.

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

After Pentecost| Saturday – 20 Aug 2022: Psalm 71:1-6; Jeremiah 1:1-3, 11-19; Luke 6:1-5 ~ Jesus: The Lord over the Sabbath

After Pentecost| Saturday – 20 Aug 2022

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

Opening:

Keep your Church, O Lord,
by your perpetual mercy; and because without you
the frailty of our nature causes us to fall,
keep us from all things hurtful, and lead us
to all things profitable for our salvation;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen.

And Jesus added, “The Son of Man is Lord,
even over the Sabbath.”
(Luke 6:5)

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Psalms Reading: Psalm 71 – Poor Bishop Hooper – Psalm 71 (EveryPsalm)

be to me the
rock of my refuge
to which i may
always come

lord from my youth
upon you i’ve leaned
from my mother’s womb
you’re the one who took me
so let my praise be continually of you

do not cast me
off in my aging
do not forsake me
when my strength is spent

lord from my youth
upon you i’ve leaned
from my mother’s womb
you’re the one you’re the one who took me
so let my praise be continually of you

so even in old age
and hairs gray o god do not forsake me
so i may proclaim
your might again
to another generation
to all those coming

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OT Reading: Jeremiah 1:1-3, 11-19 (NLT)

1:1 These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests from the town of Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. The Lord first gave messages to Jeremiah during the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah.[ The Lord’s messages continued throughout the reign of King Jehoiakim, Josiah’s son, until the eleventh year of the reign of King Zedekiah, another of Josiah’s sons. In August of that eleventh year the people of Jerusalem were taken away as captives.

1:11 Then the Lord said to me, “Look, Jeremiah! What do you see?”

And I replied, “I see a branch from an almond tree.”

And the Lord said, “That’s right, and it means that I am watching, and I will certainly carry out all my plans.”

Then the Lord spoke to me again and asked, “What do you see now?”

And I replied, “I see a pot of boiling water, spilling from the north.”

“Yes,” the Lord said, “for terror from the north will boil out on the people of this land. Listen! I am calling the armies of the kingdoms of the north to come to Jerusalem. I, the Lord, have spoken!

“They will set their thrones
at the gates of the city.
They will attack its walls
and all the other towns of Judah.
I will pronounce judgment
on my people for all their evil—
for deserting me and burning incense to other gods.
Yes, they worship idols made with their own hands!

“Get up and prepare for action.
Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say.
Do not be afraid of them,
or I will make you look foolish in front of them.
For see, today I have made you strong
like a fortified city that cannot be captured,
like an iron pillar or a bronze wall.
You will stand against the whole land—
the kings, officials, priests, and people of Judah.
They will fight you, but they will fail.
For I am with you, and I will take care of you.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”

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God With Me ~ Vineyard Worship
music meets heaven

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NT Reading: Luke 6:1-5 (NLT)

A Discussion about the Sabbath

6:1 One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples broke off heads of grain, rubbed off the husks in their hands, and ate the grain. But some Pharisees said, “Why are you breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?”

Jesus replied, “Haven’t you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He went into the house of God and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests can eat. He also gave some to his companions.” And Jesus added, “The Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath.”

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Lord of the Sabbath
GraceChild2012

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ Almighty God, you gave your servants boldness to confess the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ before the rulers of this world, and courage to die for this faith: Grant that we may always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us, and to suffer gladly for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

William Temple

+ 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.

Thomas à Kempis

+ Our God, in whom we trust: Strengthen us not to regard overmuch who is for us or who is against us, but to see to it that we be with you in everything we do. Amen

Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch

When my body is weary
grant me peace
When my soul is weary
grant me faith
When my spirit is weary
grant me joy

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

After Pentecost| Friday – 19 Aug 2022: Psalm 71:1-6; Jeremiah 6:20-30; Acts 17:1-9 ~ Jesus: The Messiah of prophecy.

After Pentecost| Friday – 19 Aug 2022

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

Opening:

Keep your Church, O Lord,
by your perpetual mercy; and because without you
the frailty of our nature causes us to fall,
keep us from all things hurtful, and lead us
to all things profitable for our salvation;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen.

[Paul] explained the prophecies and proved
that the Messiah
must suffer and rise from the dead.
He said, “This Jesus I’m telling you about
is the Messiah.”
(Acts 17:3)

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Psalms Reading: Psalm 71:1-3 – Rescue Story by Zach Williams
Stone Meadow

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OT Reading: Jeremiah 6:20-30 (NLT)

6:20 There’s no use offering me sweet frankincense from Sheba.
Keep your fragrant calamus imported from distant lands!
I will not accept your burnt offerings.
Your sacrifices have no pleasing aroma for me.”

Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
“I will put obstacles in my people’s path.
Fathers and sons will both fall over them.
Neighbors and friends will die together.”

An Invasion from the North

6:22 This is what the Lord says:
“Look! A great army coming from the north!
A great nation is rising against you from far-off lands.
They are armed with bows and spears.
They are cruel and show no mercy.
They sound like a roaring sea
as they ride forward on horses.
They are coming in battle formation,
planning to destroy you, beautiful Jerusalem.”

We have heard reports about the enemy,
and we wring our hands in fright.
Pangs of anguish have gripped us,
like those of a woman in labor.
Don’t go out to the fields!
Don’t travel on the roads!
The enemy’s sword is everywhere
and terrorizes us at every turn!
Oh, my people, dress yourselves in burlap
and sit among the ashes.
Mourn and weep bitterly, as for the loss of an only son.
For suddenly the destroying armies will be upon you!

“Jeremiah, I have made you a tester of metals,
that you may determine the quality of my people.
They are the worst kind of rebel,
full of slander.
They are as hard as bronze and iron,
and they lead others into corruption.
The bellows fiercely fan the flames
to burn out the corruption.
But it does not purify them,
for the wickedness remains.
I will label them ‘Rejected Silver,’
for I, the Lord, am discarding them.”

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Is He Worthy? – Andrew Peterson
Angie Jermyn

https://youtu.be/aWo_ED3kOno?rel=0
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NT Reading: Acts 17:1-9 (NLT)

Paul Preaches in Thessalonica

17:1 Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I’m telling you about is the Messiah.” Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women.

But some of the Jews were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd. Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers instead and took them before the city council. “Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,” they shouted, “and now they are here disturbing our city, too. And Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, named Jesus.”

The people of the city, as well as the city council, were thrown into turmoil by these reports. So the officials forced Jason and the other believers to post bond, and then they released them.

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Jesus Messiah – The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

https://youtu.be/PXj1gLxe2J8?rel=0
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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ Almighty God, you gave your servants boldness to confess the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ before the rulers of this world, and courage to die for this faith: Grant that we may always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us, and to suffer gladly for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

William Temple

+ 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.

Thomas à Kempis

+ Our God, in whom we trust: Strengthen us not to regard overmuch who is for us or who is against us, but to see to it that we be with you in everything we do. Amen

Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch

When my body is weary
grant me peace
When my soul is weary
grant me faith
When my spirit is weary
grant me joy

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

After Pentecost| Thursday – 18 Aug 2022: Psalm 71:1-6; Jeremiah 6:1-19; Hebrews 12:3-17 ~ Jesus: Endured hostility unto death.

After Pentecost| Thursday – 18 Aug 2022

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

Opening:

Keep your Church, O Lord,
by your perpetual mercy; and because without you
the frailty of our nature causes us to fall,
keep us from all things hurtful, and lead us
to all things profitable for our salvation;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Think of all the hostility
[Jesus]endured from sinful people;
then you won’t become weary and give up.
After all, you have not yet given your lives
in your struggle against sin.
(Hebrews 12:3-4)

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Psalms Reading: Psalm 71 – Praise You More  – David Loftis Music

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OT Reading: Jeremiah 6:1-19 (NLT)

Jerusalem’s Last Warning

6:1 “Run for your lives, you people of Benjamin!
Get out of Jerusalem!
Sound the alarm in Tekoa!
Send up a signal at Beth-hakkerem!
A powerful army is coming from the north,
coming with disaster and destruction.
O Jerusalem, you are my beautiful and delicate daughter—
but I will destroy you!
Enemies will surround you, like shepherds camped around the city.
Each chooses a place for his troops to devour.
They shout, ‘Prepare for battle!
Attack at noon!’
‘No, it’s too late; the day is fading,
and the evening shadows are falling.’
‘Well then, let’s attack at night
and destroy her palaces!’”

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
“Cut down the trees for battering rams.
Build siege ramps against the walls of Jerusalem.
This is the city to be punished,
for she is wicked through and through.
She spouts evil like a fountain.
Her streets echo with the sounds of violence and destruction.
I always see her sickness and sores.
Listen to this warning, Jerusalem,
or I will turn from you in disgust.
Listen, or I will turn you into a heap of ruins,
a land where no one lives.”

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
“Even the few who remain in Israel
will be picked over again,
as when a harvester checks each vine a second time
to pick the grapes that were missed.”

Judah’s Constant Rebellion

6:10 To whom can I give warning?
Who will listen when I speak?
Their ears are closed,
and they cannot hear.
They scorn the word of the Lord.
They don’t want to listen at all.
So now I am filled with the Lord’s fury.
Yes, I am tired of holding it in!

“I will pour out my fury on children playing in the streets
and on gatherings of young men,
on husbands and wives
and on those who are old and gray.
Their homes will be turned over to their enemies,
as will their fields and their wives.
For I will raise my powerful fist
against the people of this land,”
says the Lord.
“From the least to the greatest,
their lives are ruled by greed.
From prophets to priests,
they are all frauds.
They offer superficial treatments
for my people’s mortal wound.
They give assurances of peace
when there is no peace.
Are they ashamed of their disgusting actions?
Not at all—they don’t even know how to blush!
Therefore, they will lie among the slaughtered.
They will be brought down when I punish them,”
says the Lord.

Judah Rejects the Lord’s Way

6:16 This is what the Lord says:
“Stop at the crossroads and look around.
Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.
Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.
But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’
I posted watchmen over you who said,
‘Listen for the sound of the alarm.’
But you replied,
‘No! We won’t pay attention!’

“Therefore, listen to this, all you nations.
Take note of my people’s situation.
Listen, all the earth!
I will bring disaster on my people.
It is the fruit of their own schemes,
because they refuse to listen to me.
They have rejected my word.

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I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say ~ Celtic Source
Alexander McConnell

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NT Reading: Hebrews 12:3-17 (NLT)

12:3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.

And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said,

“My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and don’t give up when he corrects you.
For the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”

As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?

For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.

A Call to Listen to God

12:14 Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal. You know that afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears.

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Finish Well – The Carr Family

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ Almighty God, you gave your servants boldness to confess the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ before the rulers of this world, and courage to die for this faith: Grant that we may always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us, and to suffer gladly for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

William Temple

+ 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.

Thomas à Kempis

+ Our God, in whom we trust: Strengthen us not to regard overmuch who is for us or who is against us, but to see to it that we be with you in everything we do. Amen

Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch

When my body is weary
grant me peace
When my soul is weary
grant me faith
When my spirit is weary
grant me joy

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

After Pentecost| Wednesday – 17 Aug 2022: Psalm 74; Isaiah 27:1-13; Luke 19:45-48 ~ church: become a house of prayer

After Pentecost| Wednesday – 17 Aug 2022

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

Opening:

Keep your Church, O Lord,
by your perpetual mercy; and because without you
the frailty of our nature causes us to fall,
keep us from all things hurtful, and lead us
to all things profitable for our salvation;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen.

[Jesus] said to them, “The Scriptures declare,
‘My Temple will be a house of prayer,’
but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”
(Luke 19:46)

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Psalms Reading: Psalm 74 – Poor Bishop Hooper – Psalm 74 (EveryPsalm)

lord why do you cast us off
why does your anger burn
lord the very mount you dwelt
lies everlasting in ruin

remember remember the ones you purchased long ago
remember remember zion your stronghold

like axes on the trees
see your house there burning burning
no longer prophets voice
no more signs for seeing

remember remember the ones you purchased long ago
remember remember zion your stronghold

why do you hold your hand
there in the fold it stays
come destroy our enemies
how long o god will we wait

remember remember the ones you purchased long ago
remember remember zion your stronghold
remember remember you crushed the creatures of the deep
remember remember yours is the day night summer spring
remember remember oppressors stand in mocking
remember remember don’t give your dove to wild beasts

arise oh god defend your cause
arise oh god again again again

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OT Reading: Isaiah 27:1-13 (NLT)

27:1 In that day the Lord will take his terrible, swift sword and punish Leviathan, the swiftly moving serpent, the coiling, writhing serpent. He will kill the dragon of the sea.

“In that day,
sing about the fruitful vineyard.
I, the Lord, will watch over it,
watering it carefully.
Day and night I will watch so no one can harm it.
My anger will be gone.
If I find briers and thorns growing,
I will attack them;
I will burn them up—
unless they turn to me for help.
Let them make peace with me;
yes, let them make peace with me.”
The time is coming when Jacob’s descendants will take root.
Israel will bud and blossom
and fill the whole earth with fruit!

Has the Lord struck Israel
as he struck her enemies?
Has he punished her
as he punished them?
No, but he exiled Israel to call her to account.
She was exiled from her land
as though blown away in a storm from the east.
The Lord did this to purge Israel’s wickedness,
to take away all her sin.
As a result, all the pagan altars will be crushed to dust.
No Asherah pole or pagan shrine will be left standing.
The fortified towns will be silent and empty,
the houses abandoned, the streets overgrown with weeds.
Calves will graze there,
chewing on twigs and branches.
The people are like the dead branches of a tree,
broken off and used for kindling beneath the cooking pots.
Israel is a foolish and stupid nation,
for its people have turned away from God.
Therefore, the one who made them
will show them no pity or mercy.

Yet the time will come when the Lord will gather them together like handpicked grain. One by one he will gather them—from the Euphrates River in the east to the Brook of Egypt in the west. In that day the great trumpet will sound. Many who were dying in exile in Assyria and Egypt will return to Jerusalem to worship the Lord on his holy mountain.

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Fruitful vineyard ~ Godfrey Birtill

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NT Reading: Luke 19:45-48 (NLT)

Jesus Clears the Temple

19:45 Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices. He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”

After that, he taught daily in the Temple, but the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders of the people began planning how to kill him. But they could think of nothing, because all the people hung on every word he said.

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House of Prayer ~ Eddie James
Melody Royal

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

William Laud

+ Gracious Father, we pray for your holy catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in anything it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior. Amen.

+ O God the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of the faithful: Sanctify our local assemblies by your abiding presence. Bless those who minister in holy things. Enlighten the minds of your people more and more with the light of the everlasting Gospel. Bring erring souls to the knowledge of our Savior Jesus Christ; and those who are walking in the way of life, keep steadfast to the end. Give patience to the sick and afflicted, and renew them in body and soul. Guard those who are strong and prosperous from forgetting you. Increase in us your many gifts of grace, and make us all fruitful in good works. This we ask, O blessed Spirit, whom with the Father and the Son we worship and glorify, one God, world without end. Amen.

Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch

Give us grace, O Lord,
not only to hear your Word with our ears,
but also to receive it into our hearts
and to show it forth in our lives;
for the glory of your great name.

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