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Epiphany Season | Tuesday 11 January 2022: Psalm 106:1-12; Judges 5:12-21; 1 John 5:13-21 ~ Keep away from anything evil!

Epiphany Season | Tuesday 11 January 2022

+ 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.

Dear children, keep away from anything
that might take God’s place in your hearts.
(1 John 5:21)

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Psalms: Psalm 106  (A powerful message from Psalms 106)
Amorousness

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OT Reading: Judges 5:12-21 (NLT)

5:12 “Wake up, Deborah, wake up!
Wake up, wake up, and sing a song!
Arise, Barak!
Lead your captives away, son of Abinoam!

 “Down from Tabor marched the few against the nobles.
The people of the Lord marched down against mighty warriors.
They came down from Ephraim—
a land that once belonged to the Amalekites;
they followed you, Benjamin, with your troops.
From Makir the commanders marched down;
from Zebulun came those who carry a commander’s staff.
The princes of Issachar were with Deborah and Barak.
They followed Barak, rushing into the valley.
But in the tribe of Reuben
there was great indecision.
Why did you sit at home among the sheepfolds—
to hear the shepherds whistle for their flocks?
Yes, in the tribe of Reuben
there was great indecision.
Gilead remained east of the Jordan.
And why did Dan stay home?
Asher sat unmoved at the seashore,
remaining in his harbors.
But Zebulun risked his life,
as did Naphtali, on the heights of the battlefield.

 “The kings of Canaan came and fought,
at Taanach near Megiddo’s springs,
but they carried off no silver treasures.
The stars fought from heaven.
The stars in their orbits fought against Sisera.
The Kishon River swept them away—
that ancient torrent, the Kishon.
March on with courage, my soul!

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Wake Up Deborah – Nissi Band
Justin Little

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NT Reading: 1 John 5:13-21 (NLT)

5:13 I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.

 If you see a fellow believer sinning in a way that does not lead to death, you should pray, and God will give that person life. But there is a sin that leads to death, and I am not saying you should pray for those who commit it. All wicked actions are sin, but not every sin leads to death.

 We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.

 And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.

 Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.

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Deliver Us from Evil – Eric Lee Brumley

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Prayer:

Faith & Worship

In the worst temptations nothing can help us but faith that God’s Son has put on flesh, is bone, sits at the right hand of the Father, and prays for us. There is no mightier comfort.
(Martin Luther)

Lord, be in the decisions I must make today,
open my ears to your guidance
and steer my footsteps from temptation.

In Jesus’ Name. Amen!

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Closing:

God’s love surround you, God’s Spirit guide you,
God’s whisper cheer you, God’s peace calm you,
God’s shield protect you, God’s wisdom arm you,
wherever God may lead you.

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

Epiphany Season | Monday 10 January 2022: Psalm 106:1-12; Judges 4:1-16; Ephesians 6:10-17 ~ Be strong in the Lord!

Epiphany Season | Monday 10 January 2022

+ 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.

Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Put on all of God’s armor
so that you will be able to stand firm
against all strategies of the devil.
(Ephesians 6:10-11)

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Psalms: Psalm 106 (Banks of the Nile) – Kiran Young Wimberly & The McGraths

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OT Reading: Judges 4:1-16 (NLT)

Deborah Becomes Israel’s Judge

4:1 After Ehud’s death, the Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord turned them over to King Jabin of Hazor, a Canaanite king. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-haggoyim. Sisera, who had 900 iron chariots, ruthlessly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years. Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help.

Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet who was judging Israel at that time. She would sit under the Palm of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites would go to her for judgment. One day she sent for Barak son of Abinoam, who lived in Kedesh in the land of Naphtali. She said to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: Call out 10,000 warriors from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun at Mount Tabor. And I will call out Sisera, commander of Jabin’s army, along with his chariots and warriors, to the Kishon River. There I will give you victory over him.”

Barak told her, “I will go, but only if you go with me.”

“Very well,” she replied, “I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture, for the Lord’s victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. At Kedesh, Barak called together the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, and 10,000 warriors went up with him. Deborah also went with him.

Now Heber the Kenite, a descendant of Moses’ brother-in-law Hobab, had moved away from the other members of his tribe and pitched his tent by the oak of Zaanannim near Kedesh.

When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, he called for all 900 of his iron chariots and all of his warriors, and they marched from Harosheth-haggoyim to the Kishon River.

Then Deborah said to Barak, “Get ready! This is the day the Lord will give you victory over Sisera, for the Lord is marching ahead of you.” So Barak led his 10,000 warriors down the slopes of Mount Tabor into battle. When Barak attacked, the Lord threw Sisera and all his chariots and warriors into a panic. Sisera leaped down from his chariot and escaped on foot. Then Barak chased the chariots and the enemy army all the way to Harosheth-haggoyim, killing all of Sisera’s warriors. Not a single one was left alive.

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See A Victory – Elevation Worship

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NT Reading: Ephesians 6:10-17 (NLT)

The Whole Armor of God

6:10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

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Stand up Stand up For Jesus – Stuart Townend
Grace Bible Church – Adell

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Prayer:

A Prayer to Put on the Armor of God
By Debbie McDaniel

Dear God, today we put on the full armor to guard our lives against attack. We put on the belt of truth to protect against lies and deception. We put on the breastplate of righteousness to protect our hearts from the temptations we battle. We put the gospel of peace on our feet, so we’re ready to take your light wherever you send us this day. We choose to walk in the peace and freedom of your Spirit and not be overcome with fear and anxious thoughts. We take up your shield of faith that will extinguish all the darts and threats hurled our way by the enemy. We believe in your power to protect us and choose to trust in you. We put on the helmet of salvation, which covers our minds and thoughts, reminding us we are children of the day, forgiven, set free, saved by the grace of Christ Jesus. We take up the sword of the Spirit, your very Word, the one offensive weapon given to us for battle, which has the power to demolish strongholds, alive, active, and sharper than any double-edged sword.

We ask for your help in remembering to put on your full armor every day, for you give us all that we need to stand firm in this world. Forgive us God for the times we’ve been unprepared, too busy to care, or trying to fight and wrestle in our own strength.

Thank you that we never fight alone, for you are constantly at work on our behalf, shielding, protecting, strengthening, exposing deeds of darkness, bringing to light what needs to be known, covering us from the cruel attacks we face even when we’re unaware. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

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Closing:

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.

Christmas Day: Saturday 25 Dec 2021: Isa 62:6-12; Ps 97; Titus 3:4-7; Luke 2:15-20 ~ Astonishing! Think about it.

Christmas Day: Saturday 25 Dec 2021
[Revised Common Lectionary Year C]

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

Opening:

Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take
our nature upon him, and to be born this day of a pure virgin:
Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children
by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with you and the same
Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

After seeing [the baby, lying in the manger],
the shepherds told everyone what had happened
and what the angel had said to them about this child.
All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished.
(Luke 2:17-18)

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O Come All Ye Faithful – Martina McBride
[worship4christ2012]

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OT Reading: Isaiah 62:6-12 (NLT)

62:6 O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls;
they will pray day and night, continually.
Take no rest, all you who pray to the Lord.
7 Give the Lord no rest until he completes his work,
until he makes Jerusalem the pride of the earth.
8 The Lord has sworn to Jerusalem by his own strength:
“I will never again hand you over to your enemies.
Never again will foreign warriors come
and take away your grain and new wine.
9 You raised the grain, and you will eat it,
praising the Lord.
Within the courtyards of the Temple,
you yourselves will drink the wine you have pressed.”

10 Go out through the gates!
Prepare the highway for my people to return!
Smooth out the road; pull out the boulders;
raise a flag for all the nations to see.
11 The Lord has sent this message to every land:
“Tell the people of Israel,
‘Look, your Savior is coming.
See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.’”
12 They will be called “The Holy People”
and “The People Redeemed by the Lord.”
And Jerusalem will be known as “The Desirable Place”
and “The City No Longer Forsaken.”

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Psalms: Psalm 97- “All The Ends of the Earth”
[Frederick Lau]

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NT Reading: Titus 3:4-7 (NLT)

3:4 When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.

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

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Gospel Reading: Luke 2:15-20 (NLT)

2:15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

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Angels We Have Heard On High – Third Day
Lance Tucker

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Prayer: (Universalis)

God our Father, this morning we eagerly greet the birth of Jesus, our brother and Saviour. He is the Daystar from on high, the light-bearer who brings the dawn to us, who wait patiently for his coming.
– Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men.

Father, bless on this holy day the Church all over the world. May she light afresh in men’s hearts the lamps of hope and peace.
– Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men.

Your Son has come to us in the fullness of time: let those who wait for him recognize his coming.
– Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men.

His birth bound heaven to earth in harmony and peace. Establish that same peace among nations and men of today.
– Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men.

With Mary and Joseph we rejoice in the birth of Jesus. May we welcome Christ as they did.
– Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men.

Almighty God, your incarnate Word fills us with the new light he brought to men. Let the light of faith in our hearts shine through all that we do and say.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

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Benediction: 

The Lord bless us,
and keep us from all evil,
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

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

Morning Prayer: Thu, 20 Oct – Psalm 119:118-120; Nehemiah 8:9; James 3:3-8 ~ when trembling is a good thing

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

Opening Sentence

I have come to seek You, O God, just as I am I come.
I have come to be sought by You, just as I am I come.

I will wait for the Lord. My soul waits, and in His word do I hope.

Reading: Psalm 119:118-120 (NLT)

You have rejected all who stray from your decrees. They are only fooling themselves. You skim off the wicked of the earth like scum; no wonder I love to obey your laws! I tremble in fear of you; I stand in awe of your regulations.

Reading: Nehemiah 8:9 (NLT)

Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, “Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the Lord your God.” For the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

Reading: James 3:3-8 (NLT)

words-on-fire

Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.

We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.

But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison.
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The fear of the Lord can help us… to be directed in the particular path that will best help us in our own journey with God. The paths may be as varied as the people! Specific obedience us what is required.

Celtic Daily Prayer – Aidan Readings for 20 Oct.

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Prayer – Saint Piran (sixth century) “A Call to New Beginnings”

Dare me to follow You, and I will obey Your truth. Always keep me faithful.

+ When things seem good and all my work yields harvest, and service at last is crowned with rich success, when all my work is bathed in earthly glory, help me to remember my beginning and my end is You.

Set me to following You. I will obey Your truth. Always keep me faithful.

+ Help me remember, Lord, that You are Alpha and Omega, that all the story lies within Your hands. You are at my beginning and ending.

Calling me on… and on.
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“Here In Your Presence” – New Life Worship

Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, 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.

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

Daily Reading: 29 March – The Fall – Genesis 3 ~ paradise lost

First Tuesday of Easter

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

This is the day which was made by the Lord: let us rejoice and be glad, alleluia.

E100:1.b In the Beginning: The Fall – Genesis 3 (NLT)

The Man and Woman Sin

Genesis 3 The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”

2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”

4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

AdamEveApple1

6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”

11 “Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”

12 The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”

13 Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?”

“The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”

14 Then the Lord God said to the serpent,

power_crushserpent

“Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live. 15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

16 Then he said to the woman,

“I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.”

17 And to the man he said,

drought_1

“Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. 18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. 19 By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”

Paradise Lost: God’s Judgment

20 Then the man—Adam—named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all who live. 21 And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.

22 Then the Lord God said, “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!” 23 So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. 24 After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Prayer

Lord God, Maker of heaven and earth – nothing is hidden from your sight; all is exposed. Against you have I sinned.

+ Forgive me – for doubting your Word.
+ Forgive me – for thinking that I know what’s best for me.
+ Forgive me – for participating in the schemes of the evil one.
+ Forgive me – for overstepping the boundaries you have established for me.
+ Forgive me – for compounding the effects of Adam and Eve’s sin.

Heavenly Father – Forgive me my trespasses as I forgive those who trespass against me; and deliver me from evil. Alert me to the temptations around me, and lead me in the path of righteousness for your name’s sake. Lord, have mercy – through Jesus Christ, your Son and my Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever. Amen.

“The Lords Prayer” – Andrea Bocelli

Closing Sentence

The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.

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