After Pentecost | Saturday 31 Aug 2024
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
Let your continual mercy, O Lord,
cleanse and defend your Church; and,
because it cannot continue in safety without your help,
protect and govern it always by your goodness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
“In this way what Jesus had predicted
about how he would die
came true.”
(John 18:32)
__________
From Psalms: Psalm 15 | Poor Bishop Hooper
who may worship in your sanctuary
who may find you on your holy hill
who may enter in your presence
who may see your glory and still stand
still stand…
make us those whose lives are blameless
make us those with sincere hearts
make us those who keep their promise
even when it hurts
and hurts…
__________
OT Reading: Exodus 34:8-28 (GW)
34:8 Immediately, Moses knelt, bowing with his face touching the ground. Then he said, “Lord, please go with us! Even though we are impossible to deal with, forgive our sin and the wrong we have done, and accept us as your own people.”
The Lord Makes His Promise with Israel Again
34:10 The Lord said, “I’m making my promise again. In front of all your people I will perform miracles that have never been done in any other nation in all the world. All the people around you will see how awesome these miracles are that I will perform for you. Do everything that I command today. Then I will force the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites out of your way. Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you’re going. This will prove to be a trap to you. But tear down their altars, crush their sacred stones, and cut down their poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah. (Never worship any other god, because the Lord is a God who does not tolerate rivals. In fact, he is known for not tolerating rivals.) Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in that land. When they chase after their gods as though they were prostitutes and sacrifice to them, they may invite you to eat the meat from their sacrifices with them. Then your sons will end up marrying their daughters. When their daughters chase after their gods as though they were prostitutes, they’ll lead your sons to do the same thing.
“Never make an idol.
“You must celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you must eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, because in that month you came out of Egypt.
“Every first male offspring is mine, even the firstborn males of all your livestock, whether cattle, sheep, or goats. It will cost you a sheep or a goat to buy back the firstborn donkey. If you don’t buy it back, then you must break the donkey’s neck. You must buy back every firstborn of your sons.
“No one may come into my presence without an offering.
“You may work six days, but on the seventh day you must not work. Even during the time of plowing or harvesting you must not work ⌞on this day⌟.
“You must celebrate the Festival of Weeks with the first grain from your wheat harvest, and the Festival of the Final Harvest at the end of the season.
“Three times a year all your men must come into the presence of the Master, the Lord God of Israel. I will force nations out of your way and will expand ⌞your country’s⌟ borders. No one will want to take away your land while you’re gone three times a year to the Lord’s festivals.
“Never offer the blood of a sacrifice to me at the same time you offer anything containing yeast. No part of the sacrifice at the Passover Festival should be left over in the morning.
“You must bring the first and best of the produce harvested from your soil to the house of the Lord your God.
“Never cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, because on the basis of these words I’m making a promise to Israel and to you.”
Moses was there with the Lord 40 days and 40 nights without food or water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the promise, the ten commandments.
__________
Take My Yoke Upon You | Shayla Sipilä
__________
NT Reading: John 18:28-32 (GW)
Pilate Questions Jesus
18:28 Early in the morning, Jesus was taken from Caiaphas’ house to the governor’s palace.
The Jews wouldn’t go into the palace. They didn’t want to become unclean, since they wanted to eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What accusation are you making against this man?”
The Jews answered Pilate, “If he weren’t a criminal, we wouldn’t have handed him over to you.”
Pilate told the Jews, “Take him, and try him by your law.”
The Jews answered him, “We’re not allowed to execute anyone.” In this way what Jesus had predicted about how he would die came true.
__________
Man of Sorrows – Shane & Shane | Hadleigh Baptist Church
__________
Thomas Aquinas
+ Give me, O Lord, a steadfast heart, which no unworthy thought can drag down; an unconquered heart, which no tribulation can wear out; an upright heart, which no unworthy purpose can tempt aside. Bestow upon me understanding to know you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, and faithfulness that finally may embrace you. Amen.
Thomas à Kempis
+ 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. 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.
Blessed are those who endure when they are tested. When they pass the test, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. When someone is tempted, he shouldn’t say that God is tempting him. God can’t be tempted by evil, and God doesn’t tempt anyone. Everyone is tempted by his own desires as they lure him away and trap him. Then desire becomes pregnant and gives birth to sin. When sin grows up, it gives birth to death.
“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me before it hated you. If you had anything in common with the world, the world would love you as one of its own. But you don’t have anything in common with the world. I chose you from the world, and that’s why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant isn’t greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they did what I said, they will also do what you say. Indeed, they will do all this to you because you are committed to me, since they don’t know the one who sent me. If I hadn’t come and spoken to them, they wouldn’t have any sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin. The person who hates me also hates my Father. If I hadn’t done among them what no one else has done, they wouldn’t have any sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. In this way what is written in their Scriptures has come true: ‘They hate me for no reason.’
6:21 I’m sending Tychicus to you. He is our dear brother and a faithful deacon in the Lord’s work. He will tell you everything that is happening to me so that you will know how I’m getting along. That’s why I’m sending him to you so that you may know how we’re doing and that he may encourage you.
The Peanut Gallery 