After Pentecost | Friday 07 Jun 2024
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
O God, the protector of all those who trust in you,
without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy:
Increase and multiply upon us your mercy,
that, with you as our ruler and guide,
we may so pass through things temporal
that we lose not the things eternal;
grant this, heavenly Father,
for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
“God has prepared us
for [ an eternal home in heaven]
and has given us his Spirit to guarantee it.
(2 Corinthians 5:5)
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From Psalms: Psalm 138 – Harp Living Worship / Stephanie Rachel Ministry
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OT Reading: 1 Samuel 5 (GW)
The Ark in Philistia
5:1 After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. They brought it into the temple of Dagon and placed it beside Dagon. Early the next day the people of Ashdod saw that Dagon had fallen forward on the ground in front of the Lord’s ark. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place. But the next morning they saw that Dagon had ⌞again⌟ fallen forward on the ground in front of the Lord’s ark. Dagon’s head and his two hands were cut off ⌞and were lying⌟ on the temple’s threshold. The rest of Dagon’s body was intact. This is why the priests of Dagon and everyone else who comes into Dagon’s temple in Ashdod still don’t step on the temple’s threshold.
The Lord dealt harshly with the people of Ashdod. He destroyed them by striking the people in the vicinity of Ashdod with tumors. When the people of Ashdod realized what was happening, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not stay with us, because their God is dealing harshly with us and our god Dagon.” The people of Ashdod called together all the Philistine rulers. “What should we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” they asked.
“The ark of the God of Israel must be taken to Gath,” the rulers said. So the people took the ark of the God of Israel there.
But after they had moved it, the Lord threw the city into a great panic: He struck all the important and unimportant people in the city, and they were covered with tumors. So the people of Gath sent the ark of God to Ekron. But when the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They brought the ark of the God of Israel here to kill us.” They called together all the Philistine rulers. “Send the ark of the God of Israel away,” they said. “Let it go back to its own place so that it won’t kill us or our people.” There was a fear of death throughout the city, where God dealt ⌞with them⌟ very harshly. The people who didn’t die were struck with tumors. So the cry of the city went up to heaven.
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There Will Be a Day – Caroline Cobb / Trinity Fellowship
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NT Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 (GW)
Faith Guides Our Lives
5:1 We know that if the life we live here on earth is ever taken down like a tent, we still have a building from God. It is an eternal house in heaven that isn’t made by human hands. In our present tent-like existence we sigh, since we long to put on the house we will have in heaven. After we have put it on, we won’t be naked. While we are in this tent, we sigh. We feel distressed because we don’t want to take off the tent, but we do want to put on the eternal house. Then ⌞eternal⌟ life will put an end to our mortal existence. God has prepared us for this and has given us his Spirit to guarantee it.
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Hymn Of Heaven / Phil Wickham
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+ Almighty God, from whom all thoughts of truth and peace proceed: Kindle, we pray, in the hearts of all people the true love of peace, and guide with your pure and peaceable wisdom those who take counsel for the nations of the earth; that in tranquility your kingdom may go forward, till the earth is filled with the knowledge of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
+ Sovereign Lord: We pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
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- Protect Israel from the fiery darts of the evil one coming from every direction, both within and without.
- Grant your heavenly wisdom to those guiding Israel militarily, politically, and diplomatically;
- Give them hearts to receive, and the courage to do, what’s right in your sight.
- Comfort those who grieve and mourn the loss of loved ones;
- Rebuke those who would use grief for evil purposes.
- Bring swift and certain justice to all those complicit in the Oct 7th atrocities;
- Deliver the hostages from captivity, and restore their souls.
- Destroy every stronghold of the evil death cult terrorizing the Middle East.
- Strengthen the Messianic communities – Jew and Arab alike – bind them together in love, that they may be a source of help, healing, and hope;
- Use them in the restoration of your people to their proper place in your Kingdom.
- We pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Miles Coverdale
+ Lord Jesus, be mindful of your promise. Think of us, your servants, and when we shall depart, speak to our spirits these loving words: “Today you shall be with me in joy.” O Lord Jesus Christ, remember us, your servants who trust in you, when our tongues cannot speak, when the sight of our eyes fails, and when our ears are stopped. Let our spirits always rejoice in you and be joyful about our salvation, which you, through your death, have purchased for us. Amen.
Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch
The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil,
and keep us in eternal life.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Peanut Gallery 