The Lenten Season | Thursday 14 Mar 2024
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
Gracious Father,
whose blessed Son Jesus Christ
came down from heaven to be
the true bread which gives life to the world:
Evermore give us this bread,
that he may live in us, and we in him;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
A time of eternal rest exists
for God’s people.
(Hebrews 4:9)
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From Psalms: Psalm 51 – A Broken Spirit and Contrite Heart // Sons of Korah | | Ed Sullivan
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OT Reading: Isaiah 30:15-18 (GW)
30:15 This is what the Almighty Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
You can be saved by returning to me.
You can have rest.
You can be strong by being quiet and by trusting me.
But you don’t want that.
You’ve said, “No, we’ll flee on horses.”
So you flee.
You’ve added, “We’ll ride on fast horses.”
So those who chase you will also be fast.
One thousand people will flee when one person threatens them,
and you will flee when five threaten you.
Then you will be left alone
like a flagpole on top of a mountain,
like a signpost on a hill.
The Lord is waiting to be kind to you.
He rises to have compassion on you.
The Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all those who wait for him.
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Wait for the Lord (Taizé) // Chet Valley Churches
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NT Reading: Hebrews 4:1-13 (GW)
We Will Enter God’s Place of Rest
4:1 God’s promise that we may enter his place of rest still stands. We are afraid that some of you think you won’t enter his place of rest. We have heard the same Good News that your ancestors heard. But the message didn’t help those who heard it in the past because they didn’t believe.
We who believe are entering that place of rest. As God said, “So I angrily took a solemn oath that they would never enter my place of rest.” God said this even though he had finished his work when he created the world. Somewhere in Scripture God has said this about the seventh day: “On the seventh day God rested from all his work.”
God also said in the same passage, “They will never enter my place of rest.” However, some people enter that place of rest. Those who heard the Good News in the past did not enter God’s place of rest because they did not obey God. So God set another day. That day is today. Many years after ⌞your ancestors failed to enter that place of rest⌟ God spoke about it through David in the passage already quoted: “If you hear God speak today, don’t be stubborn.” If Joshua had given the people rest, God would not have spoken about another day. Therefore, a time of eternal rest exists for God’s people. Those who entered his place of rest also rest from their work as God did from his.
So we must make every effort to enter that place of rest. Then no one will be lost by following the example of those who refused to obey.
God’s word is living and active. It is sharper than any two-edged sword and cuts as deep as the place where soul and spirit meet, the place where joints and marrow meet. God’s word judges a person’s thoughts and intentions. No creature can hide from God. Everything is uncovered and exposed for him to see. We must answer to him.
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There is a Place of Quiet Rest Near to the Heart of God – The Wellman
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+ O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light rises up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what you would have us do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices; that in your light we may see light, and in your straight path we may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
+ Lord of Heaven’s Armies, we pray for swift and total victory over all evil in the Holy Land. Deliver the hostages from evil and restore their souls. Release from bondage every person connected to the death cult terrorizing the Middle East. And, grant your heavenly wisdom to those guiding Israel militarily, politically, diplomatically – and especially to those who will restore Israel spiritually – through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
+ O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength: By the might of your Spirit lift us, we pray, into your presence, where we may be still and know that you are God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch
May God our Redeemer
show us compassion and love.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Peanut Gallery 