After Epiphany | Wednesday 15 Jan 2025
+ In the name the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening prayer:
O God, by the leading of a star
you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth:
Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence,
where we may see your glory face to face;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
“Your eye is the lamp of your body.”
(Luke 11:34)
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From the Psalms: Psalm 106 | Poor Bishop Hooper
praise the lord give thanks
for he is good his steadfast love endures
we with our fathers have sinned in wickedness
forgot your wondrous works when they were in egypt
nevertheless he saved them and for his name’s sake own
that he might make his power known
he led them through the sea at his command the waters dried
then they covered every enemy not one was left alive
though they sang his praise believed his words
they soon forgot his works
praise the lord give thanks
for he is good his steadfast love endures
wanton craving in the wilderness jealousy and envious
the earth it opened swallowing then plague and fire and flame
they made a calf in horeb they traded glorious god
for a man-made metal image for a grass-eating ox
they forgot God their savior then he said he would destroy them
had not moses his chosen stood in breach before him
to turn away his wrath they despised the pleasant land
having no faith in his promise they murmured in their tents
they angered him at meribah they sacrificed their sons
the land it was polluted with the blood of innocents
so god’s anger burned against them an abhorred inheritance
nevertheless he pitied them and listened
remembering his covenant he relented
according to the greatness of his love
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OT Reading: Numbers 27:1-11 (ESV)
The Daughters of Zelophehad
27:1 Then drew near the daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of Manasseh the son of Joseph. The names of his daughters were: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. And they stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the chiefs and all the congregation, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, saying, “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah, but died for his own sin. And he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father’s brothers.”
Moses brought their case before the Lord. And the Lord said to Moses, “The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You shall give them possession of an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer the inheritance of their father to them. And you shall speak to the people of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter. And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. And if he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to the nearest kinsman of his clan, and he shall possess it. And it shall be for the people of Israel a statute and rule, as the Lord commanded Moses.’”
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Inheritance – Bethel Music, Emmy Rose | LyricsForJesus
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NT Reading: Luke 11:33-36 (ESV)
The Light in You
11:33 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”
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Shine Jesus Shine | Vineyard Music / DarleneBAZ
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O God, without whose beauty and goodness our souls are unfed, without whose truth our reason withers: consecrate our lives to your will, giving us such purity of heart, such depth of faith, and such steadfastness of purpose, that in time we may come to think your own thoughts after you; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
O God, our heavenly Father, you manifested your love by sending your only-begotten Son into the world, that all might live through him: Pour out your Spirit on your Church, that we may fulfill his command to preach the Gospel to all people. Send forth laborers into your harvest; defend them in all dangers and temptations; and hasten the time when the fullness of the Gentiles shall be gathered in, and faithful Israel shall be saved; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Almighty God our Savior, grant that our hearts may ache for a lost and broken world. May your Holy Spirit work through our words, deeds, and prayers, that the lost may be found and the dead made alive, and that all your redeemed may rejoice around your throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch
May Christ, who sends us to the nations,
give us the power of his Spirit.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Peanut Gallery 