Month: August 2024

After Pentecost | Sunday 11 Aug 2024: Deut 8:1-10; Ps 34:8-15; Eph 4:17—5:2; John 6:37-51 ~ Every believer has eternal life.

After Pentecost | Sunday 11 Aug 2024

+ In the name the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening prayer:

Almighty God, give us the increase
of faith, hope, and love; and,
that we may obtain what you have promised,
make us love what you command;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

“I can guarantee this truth:
Every believer has eternal life.”
(John 6:47)

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Holy, Holy, Holy (Shane & Shane) / Angie Jermyn

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OT Reading: Deuteronomy 8:1-10 (GW)

Israel Told Never to Forget God

8:1 Be careful to obey every command I give you today. Then you will live, and your population will increase. You will enter and take possession of the land that the Lord promised to your ancestors with an oath.

Remember that for 40 years the Lord your God led you on your journey in the desert. He did this in order to humble you and test you. He wanted to know whether or not you would wholeheartedly obey his commands. So he made you suffer from hunger and then fed you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had seen before. He did this to teach you that a person cannot live on bread alone but on every word that the Lord speaks. Your clothes didn’t wear out, and your feet didn’t swell these past 40 years. Learn this lesson by heart: The Lord your God was disciplining you as parents discipline their children. Obey the commands of the Lord your God. Follow his directions, and fear him.

The Lord your God is bringing you into a good land. It is a land with rivers that don’t dry up. There are springs and underground streams flowing through the valleys and hills. The land has wheat and barley, grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates. The land has honey and olive trees for olive oil. The land will have enough food for you, and you will have everything you need. The land has rocks with iron ore, and you will be able to mine copper ore in the hills. When you have eaten all you want, thank the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

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From the Psalms: Psalm 34: “Taste and See the Goodness of the Lord” | Bob Hurd

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NT Reading: Eph 4:17—5:2 (GW)

Live as God’s People

4:17 So I tell you and encourage you in the Lord’s name not to live any longer like other people in the world. Their minds are set on worthless things. They can’t understand because they are in the dark. They are excluded from the life that God approves of because of their ignorance and stubbornness. Since they no longer have any sense of shame, they have become promiscuous. They practice every kind of sexual perversion with a constant desire for more.

But that is not what you learned from Christ’s teachings. You have certainly heard his message and have been taught his ways. The truth is in Jesus. You were taught to change the way you were living. The person you used to be will ruin you through desires that deceive you. However, you were taught to have a new attitude. You were also taught to become a new person created to be like God, with a life that truly has God’s approval and is holy.

So then, get rid of lies. Speak the truth to each other, because we are all members of the same body.

Be angry without sinning. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the devil any opportunity ⌞to work⌟.

Thieves must quit stealing and, instead, they must work hard. They should do something good with their hands so that they’ll have something to share with those in need.

Don’t say anything that would hurt ⌞another person⌟. Instead, speak only what is good so that you can give help wherever it is needed. That way, what you say will help those who hear you. Don’t give God’s Holy Spirit any reason to be upset with you. He has put his seal on you for the day you will be set free ⌞from the world of sin⌟.

Get rid of your bitterness, hot tempers, anger, loud quarreling, cursing, and hatred. Be kind to each other, sympathetic, forgiving each other as God has forgiven you through Christ.

Imitate God

5:1 Imitate God, since you are the children he loves. Live in love as Christ also loved us. He gave his life for us as an offering and sacrifice, a soothing aroma to God.

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Panis Angelicus (Bread of Angels) | Chet Valley Churches

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Gospel Reading: John 6:37-51 (GW)

6:37 Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me. I will never turn away anyone who comes to me. I haven’t come from heaven to do what I want to do. I’ve come to do what the one who sent me wants me to do. The one who sent me doesn’t want me to lose any of those he gave me. He wants me to bring them back to life on the last day. My Father wants all those who see the Son and believe in him to have eternal life. He wants me to bring them back to life on the last day.”

The Jews began to criticize Jesus for saying, “I am the bread that came from heaven.” They asked, “Isn’t this man Jesus, Joseph’s son? Don’t we know his father and mother? How can he say now, ‘I came from heaven’?”

Jesus responded, “Stop criticizing me! People cannot come to me unless the Father who sent me brings them to me. I will bring these people back to life on the last day. The prophets wrote, ‘God will teach everyone.’ Those who do what they have learned from the Father come to me. I’m saying that no one has seen the Father. Only the one who is from God has seen the Father. I can guarantee this truth: Every believer has eternal life.

“I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert and died. This is the bread that comes from heaven so that whoever eats it won’t die. I am the living bread that came from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. The bread I will give to bring life to the world is my flesh.”

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I Am the Bread of Life | Suzanne Toolan | Catholic Communion Hymn | Sunday 7pm Choir | Catholic & Christian Choral Music

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP 2019

+ 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.

+ Lord hear our prayers for the Church and the world:

    • We pray for the peace of the whole world;
    • and for the well-being and unity of the people of God.
    • We pray for all those who proclaim the Gospel at home and abroad;
    • and for all who teach and disciple others.
    • We pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are persecuted for their faith;
    • and for all those supporting them.
    • We pray for our nation, and for those in positions of authority;
    • and for a spirit of repentance and revival throughout the land.
    • We pray for the peace of Jerusalem;
    • and for the restoration of your people to their proper place in your Kingdom.
    • We pray for all those who are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity;
    • and especially for those in the Middle East.
    • We pray for all those who have departed this life in the certain hope of the resurrection;
    • and for those who mourn their loss.

+ All this we pray in Jesus’ Name, Amen

The Lord’s Prayer | Marina S

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.

After Pentecost | Saturday 10 Aug 2024: Psalm 34:1-8; 1 Kings 2:1-9; Matthew 7:7-11 ~ Ask and you will receive.

After Pentecost | Saturday 10 Aug 2024

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

Opening:

Almighty and merciful God,
it is only by your grace that your faithful people
offer you true and laudable service:
Grant that we may run without stumbling
to obtain your heavenly promises;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

“Ask, and you will receive.
Search, and you will find.
Knock, and the door will be opened for you.”
(Matthew 7:7)

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From Psalms: Psalm 34 – The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir (Live) –

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OT Reading: 1 Kings 2:1-9  (GW)

David’s Advice to Solomon

2:1 When David was about to die, he instructed his son Solomon, “I’m about to leave this world. Be strong and mature. Fulfill your duty to the Lord your God. Obey his directions, laws, commands, rules, and written instructions as they are recorded in Moses’ Teachings. Then you’ll succeed in everything you do wherever you may go. ⌞You’ll succeed⌟ because the Lord will keep the promise he made to me: ‘If your descendants are faithful to me with all their hearts and lives, you will never fail to have an heir on the throne of Israel.’

“You know what Joab (Zeruiah’s son) did to me and to the two commanders of Israel’s army—Abner, son of Ner, and Amasa, son of Jether. Joab killed them. When there was peace, he shed blood as if it were wartime. With their blood he stained the belt around his waist and the shoes on his feet. Use your wisdom. Don’t let that gray-haired, old man go to his grave peacefully.

“Be kind to the sons of Barzillai from Gilead. Let them eat at your table. They helped me when I was fleeing from your brother Absalom.

“Shimei, son of Gera from Bahurim in Benjamin, is still with you. He cursed me repeatedly when I went to Mahanaim. But when he came to meet me at the Jordan River, I took an oath by the Lord and said, ‘As long as I’m king, I won’t have you killed.’ Now, don’t let him go unpunished. You are wise and know what to do to him: Put that gray-haired, old man into his grave by slaughtering him.”

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Prayer for Israel (composed by Meir Finkelstein, sung by Cantor Jason Green) Kehillat Beth Israel Congregation

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NT Reading: Matthew 7:7-11 (GW)

The Power of Prayer

7:7 “Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. Everyone who asks will receive. The one who searches will find, and for the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

“If your child asks you for bread, would any of you give him a stone? Or if your child asks for a fish, would you give him a snake? Even though you’re evil, you know how to give good gifts to your children. So how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him?

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If My People will Pray – Jimmy Owens / Gloria Voices

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ 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.

+ 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.

+ 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

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.

After Pentecost | Friday 09 Aug 2024: Psalm 34:1-8; 2 Samuel 17:15-29; Galatians 6:1-10 ~ Help carry your neighbor’s burden.

After Pentecost | Friday 09 Aug 2024

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

Opening:

Almighty and merciful God,
it is only by your grace that your faithful people
offer you true and laudable service:
Grant that we may run without stumbling
to obtain your heavenly promises;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

“Help carry each other’s burdens.
In this way you will follow Christ’s teachings.”
(Galatians 6:2)

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From Psalms: Psalm 34:1-8 – (Anglican Chant) Church of the Ascension Pittsburgh

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OT Reading: 2 Samuel 17:15-29  (GW)

17:15 Then Hushai told the priests Zadok and Abiathar, “Ahithophel advised Absalom and the leaders of Israel to do one thing, but I advised them to do something else. Now send messengers quickly to tell David, ‘Don’t rest tonight in the river crossings in the desert, but make sure you cross ⌞the river⌟, or Your Majesty and all the troops with him will be wiped out.’ ”

Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En Rogel. They could not risk being seen coming into the city, so a servant girl was to go and tell them, and they were to go and tell King David. But a young man saw Jonathan and Ahimaaz and told Absalom. So both of them left quickly and came to the home of a man in Bahurim who had a cistern in his courtyard, and they went down into it. The man’s wife took a cover, spread it over the top of the cistern, and scattered some grain over it so that no one could tell it was there.

Absalom’s servants came to the woman at her home. “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” they asked.

The woman said, “They’ve crossed the stream.”

The servants looked for them but did not find them. So Absalom’s servants returned to Jerusalem.

After Absalom’s servants left, both men came out of the cistern and went and told King David. “Leave right away,” they told David. “Cross the river quickly because this is what Ahithophel has advised against you. …”

David and all the troops with him left to cross the Jordan River. When the dawn came, everyone had crossed the Jordan River.

When Ahithophel saw that his advice hadn’t been followed, he saddled his donkey, left, and went home to his own city. He gave instructions to his family. Then he hanged himself, died, and was buried in his father’s tomb.

David had ⌞already⌟ come to Mahanaim by the time Absalom and all the men of Israel with him crossed the Jordan River. Absalom appointed Amasa to take Joab’s place as commander of the army. (Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra, a descendant of Ishmael. His mother was Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and sister of Joab’s mother Zeruiah.) The Israelites and Absalom camped in the region of Gilead.

When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi, son of Nahash from Rabbah in Ammon, and Machir, son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai from Rogelim in Gilead brought ⌞supplies⌟ and food for David and his troops: bedding, bowls, pots, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, honey, buttermilk, sheep, and calves. They brought these things because they thought, “The troops in the desert are hungry, exhausted, and thirsty.”

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The Lord Will Provide | Passion, Landon Wolfe / Zion Media

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NT Reading: Galatians 6:1-10 (GW)

Help Carry Each Other’s Burdens

6:1 Brothers and sisters, if a person gets trapped by wrongdoing, those of you who are spiritual should help that person turn away from doing wrong. Do it in a gentle way. At the same time watch yourself so that you also are not tempted. Help carry each other’s burdens. In this way you will follow Christ’s teachings. So if any one of you thinks you’re important when you’re really not, you’re only fooling yourself. Each of you must examine your own actions. Then you can be proud of your own accomplishments without comparing yourself to others. Assume your own responsibility.

We Will Harvest What We Plant

6:6 The person who is taught God’s word should share all good things with his teacher. Make no mistake about this: You can never make a fool out of God. Whatever you plant is what you’ll harvest. If you plant in ⌞the soil of⌟ your corrupt nature, you will harvest destruction. But if you plant in ⌞the soil of⌟ your spiritual nature, you will harvest everlasting life. We can’t allow ourselves to get tired of living the right way. Certainly, each of us will receive ⌞everlasting life⌟ at the proper time, if we don’t give up. Whenever we have the opportunity, we have to do what is good for everyone, especially for the family of believers.

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He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother – The Hollies /  jasmine e

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ 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.

+ Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of the Israeli Defense Forces. Defend them day by day with your  heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; 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.

+ 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

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.

After Pentecost | Thursday 08 Aug 2024: Psalm 34:1-8; 1 Samuel 28:20-25; Romans 15:1-6 ~ Build up your neighbor’s faith.

After Pentecost | Thursday 08 Aug 2024

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

Opening:

Almighty and merciful God,
it is only by your grace that your faithful people
offer you true and laudable service:
Grant that we may run without stumbling
to obtain your heavenly promises;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

“We should all be concerned about
our neighbor and the good things
that will build his faith.”
(Romans 15:2)

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From Psalms: Psalm 34:1-8 – “I Will Bless the Lord” | Keep the Word

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OT Reading: 1 Samuel 28:20-25  (GW)

28:20 Immediately, Saul fell flat on the ground. He was frightened by Samuel’s words. He also had no strength left, because he hadn’t eaten anything all day or all night. The woman came over to Saul and saw that he was terrified. “I listened to you,” she told him, “and I took my life in my hands when I did what you told me to do. Now please listen to me. I will serve you something to eat. Eat it so that you will have strength when you leave.”

But he refused. “I don’t want to eat,” he said. Nevertheless, his officers and the woman kept urging  him until he listened to them. So he got up from the ground and sat on the bed.

The woman immediately butchered a fattened calf that she owned. She took flour, kneaded it, and baked some unleavened bread. Then she served it to Saul and his officers. They ate and left that ⌞same⌟ night.

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You Raise Me Up – The Selah Videos

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NT Reading: Romans 15:1-6 (GW)

15:1 So those of us who have a strong ⌞faith⌟ must be patient with the weaknesses of those whose ⌞faith⌟ is not so strong. We must not think only of ourselves. We should all be concerned about our neighbor and the good things that will build his faith. Christ did not think only of himself. Rather, as Scripture says, “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”

God Gives Us Unity

15:4 Everything written long ago was written to teach us so that we would have confidence through the endurance and encouragement which the Scriptures give us. May God, who gives you this endurance and encouragement, allow you to live in harmony with each other by following the example of Christ Jesus. Then, having the same goal, you will praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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“Make Us One” – Tommy Walker Ministries

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior, the Prince of Peace: Give us grace to take to heart the grave dangers we are in through our  many divisions. Deliver your Church from all enmity and prejudice, and everything that hinders us from godly union. As there is one Body and one Spirit,  one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so make us all to be of one heart and of one mind, united in one holy  bond of truth and peace, of faith and love, that with one voice we may give you praise; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God in everlasting glory. 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.

+ 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

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.

After Pentecost | Wednesday 07 Aug 2024: Psalm 107:1-3, 33-43; Isaiah 55:1-9; Mark 8:1-10 ~ God’s ways are not our ways.

After Pentecost | Wednesday 07 Aug 2024

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

Opening:

Almighty and merciful God,
it is only by your grace that your faithful people
offer you true and laudable service:
Grant that we may run without stumbling
to obtain your heavenly promises;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

“My thoughts are not your thoughts,
and my ways are not your ways,”
declares the Lord.
(Isaiah 55:8)

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From Psalms: 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: Isaiah 55:1-9  (GW)

55:1 “Listen! Whoever is thirsty, come to the water!
Whoever has no money can come, buy, and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk. You don’t have to pay; it’s free!
Why do you spend money on what cannot nourish you
and your wages on what does not satisfy you?
Listen carefully to me:
Eat what is good, and enjoy the best foods.
Open your ears, and come to me!
Listen so that you may live!
I will make an everlasting promise  to you—
the blessings I promised to David.
I made him a witness to people,
a leader and a commander for people.
You will summon a nation that you don’t know,
and a nation that doesn’t know you will run to you
because of the Lord your God,
because of the Holy One of Israel.
He has honored you.”

Seek the Lord while he may be found.
Call on him while he is near.
Let wicked people abandon their ways.
Let evil people abandon their thoughts.
Let them return to the Lord,
and he will show compassion to them.
Let them return to our God,
because he will freely forgive them.

“My thoughts are not your thoughts,
and my ways are not your ways,” declares the Lord.
“Just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways,
and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts.”

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All Who Are Thirsty | Vineyard Worship UK & Ireland

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NT Reading: Mark 8:1-10 (GW)

Jesus Feeds Four Thousand

8:1 About that time there was once again a large crowd with nothing to eat. Jesus called his disciples and said to them, “I feel sorry for the people. They have been with me three days now and have nothing to eat. If I send them home before they’ve eaten, they will become exhausted on the road. Some of them have come a long distance.”

His disciples asked him, “Where could anyone get enough bread to feed these people in this place where no one lives?”

Jesus asked them, “How many loaves of bread do you have?”

They answered, “Seven.”

He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. He took the seven loaves and gave thanks to God. Then he broke the bread and gave it to his disciples to serve to the people. They also had a few small fish. He blessed them and said that the fish should also be served to the people. The people ate as much as they wanted. The disciples picked up the leftover pieces and filled seven large baskets. About four thousand people were there. Then he sent the people on their way.

After that, Jesus and his disciples got into a boat and went into the region of Dalmanutha.

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I Am the Bread of Life – Steve Angrisano & Tom Booth | OCP Music

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ Most loving Father, you will us to give thanks for all things, to dread nothing but the loss of you, and to cast all our care on the One who cares for us.  Preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, and grant that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that love which is  immortal, and which you have manifested unto us in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ 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.

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.

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.