The Lenten Season | Monday 11 Mar 2024: Psalm 107:1-16; Exodus 15:22-27; Hebrews 3:1-6 ~ Keep holding on to your confident hope.

The Lenten Season | Monday 11 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.

We are [God’s] household
if we continue to have courage
and to be proud of
the confidence we have [in Christ].
(Hebrews 3:6b)

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From Psalms: Psalm Psalm 107:1-16 – Confitemini Domino, quoniam bonus // chanted by Sarah James – Tim Smith

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OT Reading: Exodus 15:22-27 (GW)

God Provides Water for the Israelites

15:22 Moses led Israel away from the Red Sea into the desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they couldn’t drink the water because it tasted bitter. That’s why the place was called Marah [Bitter Place]. The people complained about Moses by asking, “What are we supposed to drink?”

Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.

There the Lord set down laws and rules for them to live by, and there he tested them. He said, “If you will listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what he considers right, if you pay attention to his commands and obey all his laws, I will never make you suffer any of the diseases I made the Egyptians suffer, because I am the Lord, who heals you.”

Next, they went to Elim, where there were 12 springs and 70 palm trees. They camped there by the water.

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Heal Me O Lord / I Am The God That Healeth Thee | Don Moen – Live Worship Sessions

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NT Reading: Hebrews 3:1-6 (GW)

Christ Is Superior to Moses

3:1 Brothers and sisters, you are holy partners in a heavenly calling. So look carefully at Jesus, the apostle and chief priest about whom we make our declaration of faith. Jesus is faithful to God, who appointed him, in the same way that Moses was faithful when he served in God’s house. Jesus deserves more praise than Moses in the same way that the builder of a house is praised more than the house. After all, every house has a builder, but the builder of everything is God.

Moses was a faithful servant in God’s household. He told ⌞the people⌟ what God would say in the future. But Christ is a faithful son in charge of God’s household. We are his household if we continue to have courage and to be proud of the confidence we have.

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Hold on to Jesus // First NLR Worship

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ O God, our heavenly Father, you manifested your love by sending your only-begotten Son into the world, that all might live through him: Pour out your Spirit on your Church [especially in the Holy Land], that we may fulfill his command to preach the Gospel to all people. Send forth laborers into your harvest; defend them in all dangers and temptations; and hasten the time when the fullness of the Gentiles shall be gathered in, and faithful Israel shall be saved; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ O God, almighty and merciful, you heal the broken-hearted, and turn the sadness of the sorrowful to joy, Let your fatherly goodness be upon all whom you have made. Remember in pity all those who are this day destitute, homeless, elderly, infirm, or forgotten. Lift up those who are cast down. Mightily befriend innocent sufferers, and sanctify to them the endurance of their wrongs. Though they be troubled on every side, suffer them not to be distressed; though they are perplexed, save them from despair. Grant this, O Lord, through your Son 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.

+ Heavenly Father, you have promised to hear what we ask in the Name of your Son: Accept and fulfill our petitions, we pray, not as we ask in our ignorance, nor as we deserve in our sinfulness, but as you know and love us in your Son 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 Lenten Season | 4th Sunday 10 Mar 2024: Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22; Ephesians 2:1-10; John 3:14-21 ~ God loved, Jesus died, so you can live… forever.

The Lenten Season | 4th Sunday 10 Mar 2024

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

Opening:

God loved the world this way:
He gave his only Son
so that everyone who believes in him
will not die but will have eternal life.
(John 3:16)

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Love divine all loves excelling – Kingsway Music // citrail

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From the Old Testament: Numbers 21:4-9 (GW)

The Bronze Snake

21:4 Then they moved from Mount Hor, following the road that goes to the Red Sea, in order to get around Edom. The people became impatient on the trip and criticized God and Moses. They said, “Why did you make us leave Egypt—just to let us die in the desert? There’s no bread or water, and we can’t stand this awful food!”

So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people. They bit the people, and many of the Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we criticized the Lord and you. Pray to the Lord so that he will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake, and put it on a pole. Anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole. People looked at the bronze snake after they were bitten, and they lived.

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From the Psalms: Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 – Lenten Psalms // Steven Zielke

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From the Epistles: Ephesians 2:1-10 (GW)

God Saved Us because of His Great Love for Us

2:1 You were once dead because of your failures and sins. You followed the ways of this present world and its spiritual ruler. This ruler continues to work in people who refuse to obey God. All of us once lived among these people, and followed the desires of our corrupt nature. We did what our corrupt desires and thoughts wanted us to do. So, because of our nature, we deserved God’s anger just like everyone else.

But God is rich in mercy because of his great love for us. We were dead because of our failures, but he made us alive together with Christ. (It is God’s kindness that saved you.) God has brought us back to life together with Christ Jesus and has given us a position in heaven with him. He did this through Christ Jesus out of his generosity to us in order to show his extremely rich kindness in the world to come. God saved you through faith as an act of kindness. You had nothing to do with it. Being saved is a gift from God. It’s not the result of anything you’ve done, so no one can brag about it. God has made us what we are. He has created us in Christ Jesus to live lives filled with good works that he has prepared for us to do.

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The Love of God (Live) | The Worship Initiative feat. Bethany Barnard and Dinah Wright

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell
It goes beyond the highest star
And reaches to the lowest hell

The guilty pair, bowed down with care
God gave His Son to win
His erring child He reconciled
And pardoned from his sin

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song

Could we with ink the ocean fill
And were the skies of parchment made
Were every tree on earth a quill
And every man a scribe by trade

To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song

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Gospel Reading: John 3:14-21 (GW)

3:14 “As Moses lifted up the snake ⌞on a pole⌟ in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up. Then everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.”

God loved the world this way: He gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but to save the world. Those who believe in him won’t be condemned. But those who don’t believe are already condemned because they don’t believe in God’s only Son.

This is why people are condemned: The light came into the world. Yet, people loved the dark rather than the light because their actions were evil. People who do what is wrong hate the light and don’t come to the light. They don’t want their actions to be exposed. But people who do what is true come to the light so that the things they do for God may be clearly seen.

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Lift High the Cross | The Master’s Seminary Chorus

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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.

Prayer of Belief
+ Lord Jesus Christ, I admit that I am weaker and more sinful than I ever dared admit, but through you I am more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope. I thank you for paying my debt on the cross, taking what I deserved in order to offer me complete forgiveness. Knowing that you have been raised from the dead, I turn from my sins and receive you as my Savior and Lord. Please come into my life through the power of your Holy Spirit. Thank you.

+ Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who in your great mercy has promised forgiveness of sins to all those who sincerely repent and with true faith turn to you, have mercy upon us, pardon and deliver us from all our sins, confirm and strengthen us in all goodness, and bring us to everlasting life; 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.

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 Lenten Season | Saturday 09 Mar 2024: Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22; Numbers 20:22-29; John 3:1-13 ~ You must be born from above.

The Lenten Season | Saturday 09 Mar 2024

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

Opening:

Heavenly Father,
you have made us for yourself,
and our hearts are restless until they rest in you:
Look with compassion
upon the heartfelt desires of your servants,
and purify our disordered affections,
that we may behold your eternal glory
in the face of Christ Jesus;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Jesus replied to Nicodemus,
“I can guarantee this truth:
No one can see God’s kingdom
without being born from above.”
(John 3:5)

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From Psalms: Psalm Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 // St. John’s Music, Mpls

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OT Reading: Numbers 20:22-29 (GW)

Aaron’s Death

20:22 The whole community of Israel left Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom, the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Aaron must now join his ancestors ⌞in death⌟, since he cannot enter the land I’m giving the Israelites. This is because you both rebelled against my command at the oasis of Meribah. Bring Aaron and his son Eleazar up on Mount Hor. Take off Aaron’s priestly clothes, and put them on his son Eleazar. Then Aaron will die there and join ⌞his ancestors⌟.”

Moses did as the Lord commanded. The whole community saw them go up on Mount Hor. Moses took off Aaron’s priestly clothes and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. The whole community saw that Aaron had died, and all the Israelites mourned for Aaron 30 days.

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Kehilos Hakodesh – Shulem Lemmer | קהילות הקודש – שלום למר

The merciful Father who dwells upon high
will mercifully judge the pious and the upright and pure,
the holy congregations who gave up their lives in holy martyrship.
Remember them for good, O our G-d.

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NT Reading: John 3:1-13 (GW)

A Conversation with Nicodemus

3:1 Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish council. He came to Jesus one night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that God has sent you as a teacher. No one can perform the miracles you perform unless God is with him.”

Jesus replied to Nicodemus, “I can guarantee this truth: No one can see God’s kingdom without being born from above.”

Nicodemus asked him, “How can anyone be born when he’s an old man? He can’t go back inside his mother a second time to be born, can he?”

Jesus answered Nicodemus, “I can guarantee this truth: No one can enter God’s kingdom without being born of water and the Spirit. Flesh and blood give birth to flesh and blood, but the Spirit gives birth to things that are spiritual. Don’t be surprised when I tell you that all of you must be born from above. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you don’t know where the wind comes from or where it’s going. That’s the way it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus replied, “How can that be?”

Jesus told Nicodemus, “You’re a well-known teacher of Israel. Can’t you understand this? I can guarantee this truth: We know what we’re talking about, and we confirm what we’ve seen. Yet, you don’t accept our message. If you don’t believe me when I tell you about things on earth, how will you believe me when I tell you about things in heaven? No one has gone to heaven except the Son of Man, who came from heaven.

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Born Again – Third Day – brotherearl1944

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ O merciful Father: Look with pity on the sorrows of your servants who have lost loved ones in the Holy Land; nourish their souls with patience; comfort them with a sense of your goodness; lift up your countenance upon them; and give them peace; 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 Lenten Season | Friday 08 Mar 2024: Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22; Daniel 12:5-13; Ephesians 1:7-14 ~ You were chosen to glorify God.

The Lenten Season | Friday 08 Mar 2024

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

Opening:

“[God] planned all of this
so that we who had already
focused our hope on Christ
would praise him and give him glory.”
(Ephesians 1:12)

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From Psalms: Psalm Psalm 107 | Poor Bishop Hooper

give thanks to the lord
for he is good
let the redeemed of the Lord say so
from the north and from the south
from the east and from the west
those he has redeemed he has gathered them

some wandered in desert wastes
hungry thirsty their souls faint
when they cried to the Lord in their trouble
he delivered them
some sat in dark and death
the words of god they rebelled against
when they cried to the Lord in their trouble
he delivered them

let them thank the lord
his love is steadfast
his works are wondrous
to the children of man

some were fools through sinful ways
suffering in their iniquities
then they cried to the Lord in their trouble
he delivered them
then they cried to the Lord in their trouble
he delivered them

some went down to the sea
where they saw gods deeds his works in the deep
there he commanded raised up the wind
lifted the waves mounted them to heaven
their courage melted staggered drunken
they cried to the lord and he delivered them
he made the storm be quiet the waves of the sea were silenced
and they were glad that the waters sat in stillness

let them thank the lord
his love is steadfast
his works are wondrous
to the children of man

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OT Reading: Daniel 12:5-13 (GW)

The Words Are Sealed Up

12:5 When I, Daniel, looked up, I saw two men standing there. One man stood on one side of the river, and the other one stood on the other side. One of them asked the man dressed in linen clothes who was above the river, “How long will it be until these miracles are over?” I heard the man dressed in linen clothes who was above the river. He raised his right hand and left hand to heaven and swore an oath by the one who lives forever. He said, “It will be for a time, times, and half of a time. When the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, then all these things will be finished.”

I heard him, but I did not understand. So I asked him, “Sir, how will these things end?”

He replied, “Go, Daniel. These words are to be kept secret and sealed until the end times. Many will be purified, made white, and refined. But wicked people will do wicked things, and none of them will understand. Only wise people will understand. From the time the daily burnt offering is taken away and the disgusting thing that causes destruction is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed are those who wait until they reach 1,335 days. But go on until the end. You will rest, and you will rise for your inheritance at the end of time.”

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𝑳𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒂 𝒅𝒐𝒅𝒊 – 𝒂 𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒃𝒃𝒂𝒕 | לְכָה דוֹדִי – פיוט לשבת 𝒃𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝑯𝒆𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒘 – 𝑴𝒂𝒂𝒚𝒂𝒏 𝑻𝒛𝒂𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒓 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏 | 12 Tribes Music

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NT Reading: Ephesians 1:7-14 (GW)

1:7 Through the blood of his Son, we are set free from our sins. God forgives our failures because of his overflowing kindness. He poured out his kindness by giving us every kind of wisdom and insight when he revealed the mystery of his plan to us. He had decided to do this through Christ. He planned to bring all of history to its goal in Christ. Then Christ would be the head of everything in heaven and on earth. God also decided ahead of time to choose us through Christ according to his plan, which makes everything work the way he intends. He planned all of this so that we who had already focused our hope on Christ would praise him and give him glory.

You heard and believed the message of truth, the Good News that he has saved you. In him you were sealed with the Holy Spirit whom he promised. This Holy Spirit is the guarantee that we will receive our inheritance. We have this guarantee until we are set free to belong to him. God receives praise and glory for this.

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Is He Worthy? (Andrew Peterson) – by Highrock Church

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ 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. (Thomas à Kempis)

+ Gracious and holy Father, please give me intellect to understand you, reason to discern you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, a spirit to know you, a heart to meditate upon you, ears to hear you, eyes to see you, a tongue to proclaim you, a way of life pleasing to you, patience to wait for you, and perseverance to look for you. Grant me a perfect end, your holy presence, a blessed resurrection, and life everlasting. (Benedict of Nursia)

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 Lenten Season | Thursday 07 Mar 2024: Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22; Genesis 9:8-17; Ephesians 1:3-6 ~ You were chosen through Christ.

The Lenten Season | Thursday 07 Mar 2024

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

Opening:

“Before the creation of the world,
he chose us through Christ
to be holy and perfect in his presence.”
(Ephesians 1:4)

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From Psalms: Psalm 107 – “Praise the Name” // Melanie Waldman (Official Lyric Video)

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OT Reading: Genesis 9:8-17 (GW)

God’s Promise—the Sign of the Rainbow

9:8 God also said to Noah and his sons, “I am going to make my promise to you, your descendants, and every living being that is with you—birds, domestic animals, and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ship—every living thing on earth. I am making my promise to you. Never again will all life be killed by floodwaters. Never again will there be a flood that destroys the earth.”

God said, “This is the sign of the promise I am giving to you and every living being that is with you for generations to come. I will put my rainbow in the clouds to be a sign of my promise to the earth. Whenever I form clouds over the earth, a rainbow will appear in the clouds. Then I will remember my promise to you and every living animal. Never again will water become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember my everlasting promise to every living animal on earth.”

So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the promise I am making to all life on earth.”

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Promise Keeper // Hope Darst (Official Lyric Video)

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NT Reading: Ephesians 1:3-6 (GW)

God Chose Us Through Christ

1:3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Through Christ, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing that heaven has to offer. Before the creation of the world, he chose us through Christ to be holy and perfect in his presence. Because of his love he had already decided to adopt us through Jesus Christ. He freely chose to do this so that the kindness he had given us in his dear Son would be praised and given glory.

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Chosen // Sidewalk Prophets (Official Lyric Video)

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ O God, you desire that all people be saved and come to knowledge of the truth: Prosper all those who live, preach, and teach the Gospel at home and in distant lands [especially in the Middle East]; protect them in all perils, support them in their loneliness, sustain them in the hour of trial; give them your abundant grace to bear faithful witness; and endue them with burning zeal and love, that they may turn many to righteousness; 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. Bring home the hostages, and deliver from bondage every person captivated by the evil death cult terrorizing the Middle East. And finally, grant heavenly wisdom to those guiding Israel militarily, politically, diplomatically, and especially to those who will restore Israel spiritually, 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.

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