After Pentecost | Saturday 20 Jul 2024
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
Let your merciful ears, O Lord,
be open to the prayers of your humble servants;
and, that we may receive what we ask,
teach us by your Holy Spirit to ask
only those things that are pleasing to you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who with you and the same Spirit
lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
When the man came near, Jesus asked him,
“What do you want me to do for you?”
(Luke 18:40-41)
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From Psalms: Psalm 23 – Poor Bishop Hooper
the lord is my shepherd
there’s nothing that i lack
he lets me rest easy
and leads along right paths
it’s all for his name’s sake
and for his glory
even when i go through
the darkest valley
i will fear not
i will fear not
i will fear not
your rod and your staff will
protect and comfort me
you set my feast table
before my enemies
i’m honored anointed
my cup overflows with blessings
i will fear not
i will fear not
i will fear not
surely your goodness and your faithful love
will run after me every single day of
my life
i will live
i will live
i will live
in the house of the lord
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From Jeremiah: Jeremiah 12:1-13 (GW)
Jeremiah’s Question
12:1 O Lord, even if I would argue my case with you,
you would always be right.
Yet, I want to talk to you about your justice.
Why do wicked people succeed?
Why do treacherous people have peace and quiet?
You plant them, and they take root.
They grow, and they produce fruit.
They speak well of you with their lips, but their hearts are far from you.
You know me, O Lord.
You see me and test my devotion to you.
Drag them away like sheep to be slaughtered.
Prepare them for the day of slaughter.
How long will the land mourn?
How long will the plants in every field remain dried up?
The animals and the birds are dying,
because people are wicked.
They think that God doesn’t know what they are doing.
The Lord’s Reply
12:5 “If you have raced against others on foot, and they have tired you out,
how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble in open country,
how can you live in the jungle along the Jordan River?
Even your relatives and members of your father’s household betray you.
They have also formed a mob to find you.
Don’t trust them when they say good things about you.
“I have abandoned my nation.
I have left my own people.
I have handed the people I love over to their enemies.
My people have turned on me like a lion in the forest.
They roar at me, so I hate them.
My people are like a colorful bird of prey.
Other birds of prey surround it.
Go, gather all the animals in the field,
and bring them to devour it.
Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard.
They’ve trampled my property.
They’ve turned my pleasant property into a wasteland.
They’ve left it a wasteland.
Devastated, it mourns in my presence.
The whole land is destroyed,
but no one takes this to heart.
Looters swarm all over the bare hills in the desert.
The Lord’s sword destroys them
from one end of the land to the other.
No one will be safe.
My people planted wheat, but they harvested thorns.
They worked until they became sick, but they gained nothing by it.
They were disappointed by their harvests
because of the burning anger of the Lord.
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God Full of Mercy / El Maleh Rachamim by Sarah Liberman (Hebrew/English)
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NT Reading: Luke 18:35-43 (GW)
Jesus Gives Sight to a Blind Man
18:35 As Jesus came near Jericho, a blind man was sitting and begging by the road. When he heard the crowd going by, he tried to find out what was happening. The people told him that Jesus from Nazareth was passing by. Then the blind man shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” The people at the front of the crowd told the blind man to be quiet. But he shouted even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Jesus stopped and ordered them to bring the man to him. When the man came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”
The blind man said, “Lord, I want to see again.”
Jesus told him, “Receive your sight! Your faith has made you well.” Immediately, he could see again. He followed Jesus and praised God. All the people saw this, and they, too, praised God.
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Open My Eyes That I May See | Songs and Everlasting Joy
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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.
+ Sovereign Lord: We pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
-
- 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 October 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, and healing, and hope;
- Use them in the restoration of your people to their proper place in your Kingdom.
- We pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
+ 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
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 