After Pentecost | Wednesday 23 Sep 2026
+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening prayer:
O Lord,
you have taught us that without love,
all our deeds are worth nothing:
Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts
that most excellent gift of charity,
the true bond of peace and of all virtues,
without which whoever lives is counted dead before you;
grant this for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
“Anyone who welcomes a little child
like this on my behalf is welcoming me.”
(Matthew 18:5)
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Psalms: Psalm 119:97-104 (Mem) | How I Love to Hear You Speak – Wendell Kimbrough / Cardiphonia Music
119:97 Oh, how I love your instructions!
I think about them all day long.
+ Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
for they are my constant guide.
+ Yes, I have more insight than my teachers,
for I am always thinking of your laws.
+ I am even wiser than my elders,
for I have kept your commandments.
+ I have refused to walk on any evil path,
so that I may remain obedient to your word.
+ I haven’t turned away from your regulations,
for you have taught me well.
+ How sweet your words taste to me;
they are sweeter than honey.
+ Your commandments give me understanding;
no wonder I hate every false way of life.
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OT Reading: Numbers 11:18-23, 31-32 (NLT)
11:18 “And say to the people, ‘Purify yourselves, for tomorrow you will have meat to eat. You were whining, and the Lord heard you when you cried, “Oh, for some meat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will have to eat it. And it won’t be for just a day or two, or for five or ten or even twenty. You will eat it for a whole month until you gag and are sick of it. For you have rejected the Lord, who is here among you, and you have whined to him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”
11:21 But Moses responded to the Lord, “There are 600,000 foot soldiers here with me, and yet you say, ‘I will give them meat for a whole month!’ Even if we butchered all our flocks and herds, would that satisfy them? Even if we caught all the fish in the sea, would that be enough?”
11:23 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Has my arm lost its power? Now you will see whether or not my word comes true!”
The Lord Sends Quail
18:31 Now the Lord sent a wind that brought quail from the sea and let them fall all around the camp. For miles in every direction there were quail flying about three feet above the ground. So the people went out and caught quail all that day and throughout the night and all the next day, too. No one gathered less than fifty bushels! They spread the quail all around the camp to dry.
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Servant of All – Maranatha! Music / Jesus Christ is my Lord
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NT Reading: Matthew 18:1-5 (NLT)
The Greatest in the Kingdom
18:1 About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”
18:2 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
18:5 “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.
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“Humble Yourself” – Praise And Harmony
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O Lord our heavenly Father, whose blessed Son came not to be served, but to serve: We ask you to bless all who, following in his steps, give themselves to the service of others; endue them with wisdom, patience, and courage, that they may strengthen the weak and raise up those who fall, and, being inspired by your love, may worthily minister to the suffering, the friendless, and the needy; for the sake of him who laid down his life for us, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated to you; and then use us, we pray, as you will, and always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. | William Temple
O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; 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.
