Thanksgiving Day, 22 Nov, 2018 – A Prayer to Ponder

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us.

+ We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love…

Q: Can you identify something beautiful, wonderful, or mysterious around you?

+ We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side.

Q: Who in your family, or among your friends, is your biggest fan? Who loves you?

+ We thank you for setting us at tasks that demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments that satisfy and delight us.

Q: What do you enjoy doing, even though it’s difficult? What have you accomplished this past year that gives you satisfaction?

+ We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.

Q: What disappointment or failure has drawn you closer to God this past year?

+ Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying, through which he conquered death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.

Q: How would you describe your relationship with Jesus Christ? Have you grown closer, or more distant, over the past year? Why?

Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know Christ and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen.
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If you would like to know more about how to have peace with God, click here.

If you would like to know more about how to grow closer to God, click here.
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Happy Thanksgiving!

Praying the Psalms: Thu, 22 Nov – Psalm 125 ~ the Lord protects his people

Praying the Psalms

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

Opening – (Northumbria Community)

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.
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Morning Reading: Psalm 125 (NLT) – A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever. Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, both now and forever. The wicked will not rule the land of the godly, for then the godly might be tempted to do wrong.

O Lord, do good to those who are good, whose hearts are in tune with you. But banish those who turn to crooked ways, O Lord . Take them away with those who do evil. May Israel have peace!
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Morning Prayer

O Lord our God: Protect all who trust in you, that we may stand firm in the face of evil –

+ secure us with your mighty power…
+ secure us with your unerring wisdom…
+ secure us with your unchanging love…

O Lord our God: Protect all who trust in you, that we may stand firm in the face of evil –

+ provide for our spiritual needs…
+ provide for our daily necessities…
+ provide for our ongoing relationships…
+ provide for our sorrows and grief…

O Lord our God: Protect all who trust in you, that we may stand firm in the face of evil, through the sure foundation of our faith in Jesus Christ, your Son, our Savior, in whose name we pray. Amen.
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“Psalm 125” (Those Who trust) – Enter the Worship Circle

Those who trust in the Lord
Are a strong mountain
They will not … not be moved

Those who trust in the Lord
Are as Mount Zion
They will not … not be moved

Though the world moves like mad
You alone are faithful
Jesus, you, you will not be changed

Christ the King, He sets my feet
On a firm foundation
They will not … not be moved
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Blessing – (Northumbrian Community)

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Praying the Psalms: Wed, 21 Nov – Psalm 124 ~ What if the Lord had not been on our side?

Praying the Psalms

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

Opening – (Northumbria Community)

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.
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Morning Reading: Psalm 124 (NLT) – A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David.

What if the Lord had not been on our side?

Let all Israel repeat: What if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us?

They would have swallowed us alive in their burning anger.
The waters would have engulfed us; a torrent would have overwhelmed us.
Yes, the raging waters of their fury would have overwhelmed our very lives.

Praise the Lord, who did not let their teeth tear us apart! We escaped like a bird from a hunter’s trap. The trap is broken, and we are free!

Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
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Morning Prayer

O Lord our God: Were it not for you, we would be lost –

+ for you delivered us from calamity…
+ for you delivered us from evil…
+ for you delivered us from bondage…
+ for you delivered us from temptation…

O Lord our God: Blessed be your holy Name; you are for us, not against us. We are forgiven and set free through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
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“Psalm 124” – UNC Wilmington’s concert choir / written by UNCW music student Kyle Miller

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Blessing – (Northumbrian Community)

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

Praying the Psalms: Tue, 20 Nov – Psalm 123 ~ Lord have mercy.

Praying the Psalms

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

Opening – (Northumbria Community)

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.
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Morning Reading: Psalm 123 (NLT) – A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

I lift my eyes to you, O God, enthroned in heaven.

We keep looking to the Lord our God for his mercy, just as servants keep their eyes on their master, as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal.

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy, for we have had our fill of contempt. We have had more than our fill of the scoffing of the proud and the contempt of the arrogant.
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Morning Prayer

O Lord our God: We look to you in our times of trouble; have mercy on us –

+ for you judge the earth in righteousness and truth…
+ for you are the hope of the downtrodden and oppressed…
+ for you are the refuge of the suffering and afflicted…
+ for you are the redeemer of our sin-sick souls…
+ for you are the giver of life, satisfying and eternal…

O Lord our God: We look to you in our times of trouble; have mercy on us, and be gracious to us – through your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives in unity with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, the same yesterday, today, and forever. Amen.
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“Psalms 123” (Unto You I Lift Up My Eyes) – Zion’s Sake

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Blessing – (Northumbrian Community)

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

Praying the Psalms: Mon, 19 Nov – Psalm 122 ~ Pray for peace in Jerusalem.

Praying the Psalms

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

Opening – (Northumbria Community)

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.
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Morning Reading: Psalm 122 (NLT) – A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David.

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” And now here we are, standing inside your gates, O Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is a well-built city; its seamless walls cannot be breached. All the tribes of Israel—the Lord’s people—make their pilgrimage here. They come to give thanks to the name of the Lord, as the law requires of Israel. Here stand the thrones where judgment is given, the thrones of the dynasty of David.

Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper. O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls and prosperity in your palaces. For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “May you have peace.” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem.
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Morning Prayer

O Lord our God: You have chosen old Jerusalem as the locus of your saving activity among us. Fill us with the joy of pilgrimage –

+ that we may delight in its holy places in spirit and in truth…
+ that we may wonder at its restoration after forfeiting its glory…
+ that we may worship with other believers from around the world…
+ that we may rest in the shadow of your justice and mercy…
+ that we may pray for its peace, and the prosperity of its people…

O Lord our God: You have chosen new Jerusalem as the locus of your return in glory. Fill us with the joy of heavenly citizenship, and prepare us to welcome our coming King, Jesus Christ – in whose name we pray. Amen.
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“Psalm 122” (Sha’alu shelom Yerushalayim) – Waltraud Rennebaum