The Season of Lent | Friday 31 Mar 2023
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
Almighty God,
you alone can bring into order
the unruly wills and affections of sinners:
Grant your people grace
to love what you command and desire what you promise;
that, among the swift and varied changes of this world,
our hearts may surely there be fixed
where true joys are to be found;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
For you have been given
not only the privilege of trusting in Christ
but also the privilege of suffering for him.
We are in this struggle together.
(Philippians 1:29-30)
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From Psalms: Psalm 31:16-17,19-21 – “Make Your Face to Shine Upon Your Servant” (Esther Mui)
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OT Reading: Job 13:13-19 (NLT)
13:13 “Be silent now and leave me alone.
Let me speak, and I will face the consequences.
Why should I put myself in mortal danger
and take my life in my own hands?
God might kill me, but I have no other hope.
I am going to argue my case with him.
But this is what will save me—I am not godless.
If I were, I could not stand before him.
“Listen closely to what I am about to say.
Hear me out.
I have prepared my case;
I will be proved innocent.
Who can argue with me over this?
And if you prove me wrong, I will remain silent and die.
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My Hope – Hillsong | Salvation Studios
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NT Reading: Philippians 1:21-30 (NLT)
1:21 For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.
Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith. And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me.
Live as Citizens of Heaven
1:27 Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. 
This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.
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To Live Is Christ – Sovereign Grace Music
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+ Most loving Father, you will us to give thanks for all things, to dread nothing but the loss of you, and to cast all our care on the One who cares for us. Preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, and grant that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that love which is immortal, and which you have manifested unto us in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
+ Dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: we hold up all our weaknesses to your strength, our failures to your faithfulness, our sinfulness to your perfection, our loneliness to your compassion, our little pains to your great agony on the Cross. We pray that you will cleanse us, strengthen us, guide us, so that in all ways our lives may be lived as you would have them lived, without cowardice and for you alone. Show us how to live in true humility, true contrition, and true love. Amen.
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Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch
For those of us whose hearts are troubled
at the start of this new day,
be the voice that we hear,
the warmth that we feel,
the wisdom we seek,
the strength we require,
and the one in whose arms we rest.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Peanut Gallery 