Easter Season | Saturday 20 Apr 2024
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
Almighty God, you gave your only Son to be for us both a
sacrifice for sin and an example of godly living: Give us grace
thankfully to receive his inestimable benefits, and daily to follow
the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
When Jesus got out of the boat,
he saw a large crowd and felt sorry for them.
They were like sheep without a shepherd….
(Mark 6:34)
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From Psalms: Psalm 23 – MIQEDEM – Psalm 23 (Live in Studio) תהילים כ״ג
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OT Reading: Genesis 48:8-19 (GW)
48:8 When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he asked, “Who are they?”
“They are my sons, whom God has given me here in Egypt,” Joseph answered his father.
Then Israel said, “Please bring them to me so that I may bless them.”
Israel’s eyesight was failing because of old age, and he could hardly see. So Joseph brought his sons close to his father, and Israel hugged them and kissed them.
Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see you again, and now God has even let me see your sons.”
Joseph took them off his father’s lap and bowed with his face touching the ground. Then Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right, facing Israel’s left, and Manasseh on his left, facing Israel’s right, and brought them close to him. But Israel crossed his hands and reached out. He put his right hand on Ephraim’s head, although Ephraim was the younger son. He put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, although Manasseh was older.
Then Jacob blessed Joseph,
“May God, in whose presence my grandfather Abraham
and my father Isaac walked,
may God, who has been my shepherd all my life to this very day,
may the Messenger, who has rescued me from all evil,
bless these boys.
May they be called by my name
and by the names of my grandfather Abraham and my father Isaac.
May they have many children on the earth.”
When Joseph saw that his father had put his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he didn’t like it. So he took his father’s hand in order to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s. Then he said to his father, “That’s not right, Father! This is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”
His father refused and said, “I know, Son, I know! Manasseh, too, will become a nation, and he, too, will be important. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be more important than he, and his descendants will become many nations.”
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The Blessing (Symphonic Version) – Passion City Church
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NT Reading: Mark 6:30-34 (GW)
6:30 The apostles gathered around Jesus. They reported to him everything they had done and taught. So he said to them, “Let’s go to a place where we can be alone to rest for a while.” Many people were coming and going, and Jesus and the apostles didn’t even have a chance to eat.
So they went away in a boat to a place where they could be alone. But many people saw them leave and recognized them. The people ran from all the cities and arrived ahead of them. When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw a large crowd and felt sorry for them. They were like sheep without a shepherd. So he spent a lot of time teaching them.
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Beatitude | Blessed are the poor in spirit / Yaz Williams / I worship Eveyday
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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 justice and total victory over all evil in the Holy Land. Deliver the hostages from captivity and restore their souls. Destroy every stronghold of the evil 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.
+ Hasten, O Father, the coming of your kingdom; and grant that we your servants, who now live by faith, may with joy behold your Son at his coming in glorious majesty; even Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.
Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch
May the risen Christ grant us the joys of eternal life.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Peanut Gallery 