After Pentecost | Tuesday 21 Jul 2026
+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening prayer:
O God, you declare your almighty power
chiefly in showing mercy and pity:
Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we,
running to obtain your promises,
may become partakers of your heavenly treasure;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
“Christ has truly set us free.”
(Galatians 5:1)
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Psalms: Psalm 75 – Poor Bishop Hooper
we give thanks god
we give thanks for your name is near
we give thanks god
we give thanks for your name is near
as men tell of
all your wonderful works
as men tell of
all your wonderful wonderful works
at the set time that i appoint
i will come and judge with equity
when the earth totters and the people shake
it is i who keep its pillars steady
it is i who keep its pillars steady
not from the east or from the west
not from the wilderness comes lifting up
but it is god who is tho only judge
putting down one and lifting up another
for in his hand there is a cup
full of wine and spices foaming up
it is well mixed and when he pours this
surely the wicked will drink
but as for me i will declare it
i will sing praise praise to the god of jacob
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OT Reading: Zephaniah 3:1-13 (NLT)
Jerusalem’s Rebellion and Redemption
3:1 What sorrow awaits rebellious, polluted Jerusalem,
the city of violence and crime!
+ No one can tell it anything;
it refuses all correction.
It does not trust in the Lord
or draw near to its God.
+ Its leaders are like roaring lions
hunting for their victims.
Its judges are like ravenous wolves at evening time,
who by dawn have left no trace of their prey.
+ Its prophets are arrogant liars seeking their own gain.
Its priests defile the Temple by disobeying God’s instructions.
+ But the Lord is still there in the city,
and he does no wrong.
Day by day he hands down justice,
and he does not fail.
But the wicked know no shame.
3:6 “I have wiped out many nations,
devastating their fortress walls and towers.
Their streets are now deserted;
their cities lie in silent ruin.
There are no survivors—
none at all.
+ I thought, ‘Surely they will have reverence for me now!
Surely they will listen to my warnings.
Then I won’t need to strike again,
destroying their homes.’
But no, they get up early
to continue their evil deeds.
+ Therefore, be patient,” says the Lord.
“Soon I will stand and accuse these evil nations.
For I have decided to gather the kingdoms of the earth
and pour out my fiercest anger and fury on them.
All the earth will be devoured
by the fire of my jealousy.
3:9 “Then I will purify the speech of all people,
so that everyone can worship the Lord together.
+ My scattered people who live beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
will come to present their offerings.
+ On that day you will no longer need to be ashamed,
for you will no longer be rebels against me.
I will remove all proud and arrogant people from among you.
There will be no more haughtiness on my holy mountain.
+ Those who are left will be the lowly and humble,
for it is they who trust in the name of the Lord.
+ The remnant of Israel will do no wrong;
they will never tell lies or deceive one another.
They will eat and sleep in safety,
and no one will make them afraid.”
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Teshuvah (We Return To You) – A Song of Repentance | Teresa Thomas Music
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NT Reading: Galatians 4:21-5:1 (NLT)
Abraham’s Two Children
4:21 Tell me, you who want to live under the law, do you know what the law actually says? The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife. The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise.
4:24 These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them. And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law. But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother. As Isaiah said,
“Rejoice, O childless woman,
you who have never given birth!
Break into a joyful shout,
you who have never been in labor!
For the desolate woman now has more children
than the woman who lives with her husband!”
4:28 And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit.
4:30 But what do the Scriptures say about that? “Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.
Freedom in Christ
5:1 So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.
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I Am Free – New Life Worship / Jesus Christ is my Lord
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Almighty God, you have not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities; grant that we, who for our evil deeds deserve to be punished, by the might of your grace may mercifully be relieved; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Gracious and holy Father, please give me intellect to understand you, reason to discern you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, a spirit to know you, a heart to meditate upon you, ears to hear you, eyes to see you, a tongue to proclaim you, a way of life pleasing to you, patience to wait for you, and perseverance to look for you. Grant me a perfect end, your holy presence, a blessed resurrection, and life everlasting. Amen. | Benedict of Nursia
O God, our heavenly Father: Pour out your Spirit on your Church, that we may fulfill Christ’s 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.
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 