Category: Life in Our Family

After Pentecost – 2nd Sunday: 19 June 2022 – 2 Sam 11:26—12:15; Ps 32:1-6; Gal 2:11-21; Luke 7:36—8:3 ~ Love in proportion to forgiveness.

After Pentecost – 2nd Sunday: 19 June 2022

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

Opening:

Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good
things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name, increase in
us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and bring forth in
us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.

“I tell you, her sins—and they are many—
have been forgiven,
so she has shown me much love.
But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.”
Then Jesus said to the woman,
“Your sins are forgiven.”
(Luke 7:47-48)

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Love divine all loves excelling –
citrail

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OT Reading: 2 Sam 11:26—12:15 (NLT)

11:26 When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. When the period of mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her to the palace, and she became one of his wives. Then she gave birth to a son. But the Lord was displeased with what David had done.

Nathan Rebukes David

12:1 So the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story: “There were two men in a certain town. One was rich, and one was poor. The rich man owned a great many sheep and cattle. The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. He raised that little lamb, and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man’s own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter. One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing an animal from his own flock or herd, he took the poor man’s lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guest.”

David was furious. “As surely as the Lord lives,” he vowed, “any man who would do such a thing deserves to die! He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity.”

Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife. From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own.

“This is what the Lord says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man before your very eyes, and he will go to bed with them in public view. You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in the sight of all Israel.”

David Confesses His Guilt

Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin. Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the word of the Lord by doing this, your child will die.”

After Nathan returned to his home, the Lord sent a deadly illness to the child of David and Uriah’s wife.

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Psalm Reading: Psalm Ps 32 – “I won’t be silent anymore” (Psalm 32)
Three Sixteen Music

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NT Reading: Gal 2:11-21 (NLT)

Paul Confronts Peter

2:11 But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?

“You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles. Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”

But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

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To live is Christ – Sidewalk Prophets

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Gospel Reading: Luke 7:36—8:3 (NLT)

Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman

7:36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!”

Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.”

“Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied.

Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?”

Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.”

“That’s right,” Jesus said. Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.

“I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”

The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?”

And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Women Who Followed Jesus

8:3 Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons; Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples.

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Forgiven – Crowder

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

+ Almighty God, our heavenly Father, in your great mercy you have promised forgiveness of sins to all those who sincerely repent and with true faith  turn to you have mercy upon us, pardon and deliver us from all our sins, confirm and strengthen us in all goodness, and bring us to everlasting life;  through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

1 Timothy 1:15

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners.

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Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch

Grant us the strength, Lord,
of body and of spirit,
to offer you the sacrifice
of our lives.

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

Trinity Sunday : 12 June 2022 – Isa 6:1-7; Ps 29; Rev 4:1-11; John 16:12-15 ~ Holy! Holy! Holy!

Trinity Sunday : 12 June 2022

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

Opening:

Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your
servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge
the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine
Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith
and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and
eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit
live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

“All that belongs to the Father is mine;
this is why I said,
‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’”
(John 16:15)

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Holy, Holy, Holy – Altar of Praise Chorale
SE Samonte

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OT Reading: Isa 6:1-7 (NLT)

Isaiah’s Cleansing and Call

6:1 It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They were calling out to each other,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies!
The whole earth is filled with his glory!”

Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.

Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”

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Psalm Reading: Psalm 29 | Exodus Road Band

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NT Reading: Rev 4:1-11 (NLT)

Worship in Heaven

4:11 Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow. Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God. In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal.

In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—
the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”

Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say,

“You are worthy, O Lord our God,
to receive glory and honor and power.
For you created all things,
and they exist because you created what you pleased.”

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Revelation Song – ZOE Group
Littleton Church

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Gospel Reading: John 16:12-15 (NLT)

16:12 “There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’

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This I Believe (The Creed) – Hillsong Worship
[Thanks to our creative team in Hillsong Kiev for making this lyric video.]

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Prayer: thisischurch.com

Let us remember the Creator God

+ O God the Father, we thank you that your are a creator God. We thank you that you have made all things and have made them well. That you have given to us all things richly to enjoy. For the beauty and the bounty of this fair earth. We thank you, O Father who has made all things and all people.

Forgive us if in pride and selfishness and in anger we have misused your gifts and have used for death that which was meant for life.

Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer

Let us remember the Redeemer God

+ O Lord Jesus Christ, the Son, we thank you for your redeeming power. You love us and we see your love shown most clearly on the cross where you gave of your life to conquer death and to make well the brokenness of the universe. We thank you Son of God who loves us with a never ending love.

Forgive us if we have treated your love lightly as a little thing and if we have shown little love in return

Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer

Let us remember the Spirit of God

+ O Holy Spirit of God we thank you that your are with us at all times and in all places. For the guidance which you give to us, for the knowledge which you have given to us for your continual upholding, strengthening and protecting power. We thank you that you are with us Spirit of God

Forgive us if we have tried to live alone, and have been reluctant to walk with you or draw strength from you.

Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who in your great mercy has promised forgiveness of sins to all those who sincerely repent and with true faith turn to you, have mercy upon us, pardon and deliver us from all our sins, confirm and strengthen us in all goodness, and bring us to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Closing: faithandworship | John Birch

The blessing of Father, Spirit, Son
Holy Trinity, Three in One,
be in our living
and our breathing,
that through our hearts and our words
your truth may be heard.

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

Day of Pentecost : 05 June 2022 – Acts 2:1-12; Ps 104:24-35; 1 Cor 12:4-13; John 14:8-17 ~ The Holy Spirit will never leave you!

Day of Pentecost : 05 June 2022

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

Opening:

Almighty God, on this day, through the outpouring of the
Holy Spirit, you revealed the way of eternal life to every race
and nation: Pour out this gift anew, that by the preaching of
the Gospel your salvation may reach to the ends of the earth;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in
the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

“If you love me, obey my commandments.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate,
who will never leave you.
He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.”
(John 14:15-17)

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Holy Spirit Living Breath of God – Keith & Kristyn Getty

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NT Reading: Acts 2:1-12 (NLT)

The Holy Spirit Comes

2:1 On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.

At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.

They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other.

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Pentecost Hymn – Edvard Grieg

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Psalm: Ps 104:30 (NLT)  

When you give them your breath, life is created,
and you renew the face of the earth.

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Renew the Face of the Earth – Couples for Christ

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NT Reading: 1 Cor 12:4-13 (NLT)

12:4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.

A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.

One Body with Many Parts

12:12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.

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One Spirit, One Church
The Orchard Enterprises

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Gospel Reading: John 14:8-17 (NLT)

14:8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

14:15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.

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Prayer:

Veni Sancte Spiritus – Taizé

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Closing: faithandworship | John Birch

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your people
and kindle in us the fire of your love.

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

Easter | The Resurrection of the Lord 17 April 2022: Colossians 3:1-4, Luke 24:1-12 ~ He is risen from the dead!

Easter | The Resurrection of the Lord 17 April 2022

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

Opening Prayer:

Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus
Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting
life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord’s
resurrection, may, by your life-giving Spirit, be delivered from
sin and raised from death; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now
and for ever. Amen.

“Why are you looking among the dead
for someone who is alive?
He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!”
(Luke 24:5-6)

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“Arise, My Love” with Larry Pearce, Leona Rupert, Kathy Gilliland | Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021
First Baptist Dallas

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A Reading from the Letters: Colossians 3:1-4 (NLT)

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
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“Endless Alleluia” – Bethel Music | VICTORY

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A Reading from the Gospels: Luke 24:1-12 (NLT)

But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.

The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”

Then they remembered that he had said this. So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it. However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.

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“Easter Song” – Glad – Acappella

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Intercessions:

O God our Savior and Redeemer: Your love for us never ends.
As we celebrate your power to make all that is dead come to life, hear our prayers….

+ For all who have been newly baptized around the world, that they may always walk in the light of Christ…
Lord, guide them.

+ For all believers around the world in every circumstance, that we may live in hope and love….
Lord, empower us.

+ For all believers who are suffering the effects of war, especially in the Ukraine, that they may live in security and peace….
Lord protect them.

+ For all who are in need of support and love, especially the sick and dying, that believers everywhere may care for them….
Lord comfort them.

+ For all who are deprived of the basic necessities of life – food, clothing, and shelter, that believers everywhere may help them….
Lord provide for them.

+ For all who are estranged from families, friends and loved ones, that they may be reconciled….
Lord unite them.

O God our Savior and Redeemer: You lead your people from defeat to triumph, from death to life; hear our prayers and grant us your peace, through Christ our risen Lord. Amen.

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Easter Medley : Living Hope / Because He Lives / O Praise the Name / Forever
The Movement Worship

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Closing:

May Almighty God, who is making all things new through Jesus Christ our Lord – resurrect everything that is dead in our lives through the power of his Spirit that is at work within us; until at last we enter into the peace and joy of everlasting life.

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

Epiphany Season | 1st Sunday 09 Jan 2022 – Isa 42:1-9; Ps 89:20-29; Acts 10:34-38; Luke 3:15-22 ~ God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power.

Epiphany Season | 1st Sunday 09 Jan 2022 | The Baptism of the Lord

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

Opening:

Eternal Father, at the baptism of Jesus you revealed him to be
your Son, and your Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove:
Grant that we, who are born again by water and the Spirit, may
be faithful as your adopted children; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and for ever. Amen.

One day when the crowds were being baptized,
Jesus himself was baptized.
As he was praying,
the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form,
descended on him like a dove.
And a voice from heaven said,
“You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”
(Luke 3:21-22)

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“God Came Down To Us” | Jonathan and Emily Martin

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OT Reading: Isa 42:1-9 (NLT)

The Lord’s Chosen Servant

42:1 “Look at my servant, whom I strengthen.
He is my chosen one, who pleases me.
I have put my Spirit upon him.
He will bring justice to the nations.
He will not shout
or raise his voice in public.
He will not crush the weakest reed
or put out a flickering candle.
He will bring justice to all who have been wronged.
He will not falter or lose heart
until justice prevails throughout the earth.
Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction.”

 God, the Lord, created the heavens and stretched them out.
He created the earth and everything in it.
He gives breath to everyone,
life to everyone who walks the earth.
And it is he who says,
“I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness.
I will take you by the hand and guard you,
and I will give you to my people, Israel,
as a symbol of my covenant with them.
And you will be a light to guide the nations.
You will open the eyes of the blind.
You will free the captives from prison,
releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.

 “I am the Lord; that is my name!
I will not give my glory to anyone else,
nor share my praise with carved idols.
Everything I prophesied has come true,
and now I will prophesy again.
I will tell you the future before it happens.”

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Psalms: Ps 89 – Via Christus Choir

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NT Reading: Acts 10:34-38 (NLT)

The Gentiles Hear the Good News

10:34 Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right. This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism. And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

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I Speak Jesus | Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
Shalom Music

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Gospel Reading: Luke 3:15-22 (NLT)

3:15 Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah. John answered their questions by saying, “I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.” John used many such warnings as he announced the Good News to the people.

 John also publicly criticized Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, for marrying Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for many other wrongs he had done. 20 So Herod put John in prison, adding this sin to his many others.

The Baptism of Jesus

3:21 One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”

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 Baptized – Zach Williams

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Prayer: ACNA / BCP2019

Renewal o f B a p t i s m a l V o w s (adapted)

In the presence of God and His people, I renew the solemn promises and vows I made at my Baptism and commit to keep them.

+ I renounce the devil and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God!

+ I renounce the empty promises and deadly deceits of this world that corrupt and destroy the creatures of God!

+ I renounce the sinful desires of the flesh that draw me from the love of God!

+ I turn again to Jesus Christ and confess him as my Lord and Savior!

+ I joyfully receive the Christian Faith, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments!

With God’s help I will obediently keep God’s holy will and commandments and walk in them all the days of my life!

And now may the Holy Spirit, who has begun a good work in us, direct and empower us by his grace, that we may continue in the service of our Lord Jesus Christ all the days of our life.

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