After Pentecost | Saturday 25 May 2024
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
Almighty God, on Pentecost,
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.
“… I chose you from the world,
and that’s why the world hates you…”
(John 15:19)
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From Psalms: Psalm 29 – Poor Bishop Hooper
every angel honors you
for your glory and your strength
wrapped in endless holiness and the glory of your name
wrapped in endless holiness and the glory of your name
the voice the voice
the voice the voice of the lord
the voice the voice of the lord
echoes above the sea
the voice the voice of the lord
is power displayed
the voice the voice of the lord
falls forests and trees
the voice the voice of the lord
is thundering
the voice the voice of the lord
flashes flames of fire
the voice the voice of the lord
shakes barren the wilderness
the voice the voice of the lord
is writhing with new life and
the voice of the lord lays waste his creation
all the people
every one
in his temple cry glory glory glory glory
they cry glory glory glory glory glory
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OT Reading: Isaiah 5:15-24 (GW)
5:15 People will be brought down. Everyone will be humbled.
And the eyes of arrogant people will be humbled.
The Lord of Armies will be honored when he judges.
The holy God will show himself to be holy when he does what is right.
Then lambs will graze as if they were in their own pasture,
and foreigners will eat among the ruins of the rich.
How horrible it will be for those
who string people along with lies and empty promises,
whose lives are sinful.
They say,
“Let God hurry and quickly do his work
so that we may see what he has in mind.
Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel happen quickly
so that we may understand what he is doing.”
How horrible it will be for those
who call evil good and good evil,
who turn darkness into light and light into darkness,
who turn what is bitter into something sweet
and what is sweet into something bitter.
How horrible it will be for those
who think they are wise
and consider themselves to be clever.
How horrible it will be for those
who are heroes at drinking wine,
who are champions at mixing drinks,
who declare the guilty innocent for a bribe,
who take away the rights of righteous people.
The Lord Will Use Another Nation to Punish His People
5:24 As flames burn up straw
and dry grass shrivels in flames,
so their roots will rot,
and their blossoms will blow away like dust.
They have rejected the teachings of the Lord of Armies
and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
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Isaiah 61 PRAYER SONG to Set the Captives Free | ONE FOR ISRAEL Ministry
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NT Reading: John 15:18-20, 26-27 (GW)
15:18 “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me before it hated you. If you had anything in common with the world, the world would love you as one of its own. But you don’t have anything in common with the world. I chose you from the world, and that’s why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant isn’t greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they did what I said, they will also do what you say….
15:26 “The helper whom I will send to you from the Father will come. This helper, the Spirit of Truth who comes from the Father, will declare the truth about me. You will declare the truth, too, because you have been with me from the beginning.”
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In the Shadow of Your Wings – English & Arabic from Jerusalem / One for Israel Ministry
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+Holy Spirit, breath of God and fire of love, we cannot pray without your aid: Kindle in us the fire of your love, and illumine us with your light; that with steadfast wills and holy thoughts we may approach the Father in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who reigns with you and the Father in eternal union. Amen.
+ Sovereign Lord: We pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
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- Protect Israel from the fiery darts of the evil one coming from every direction, both within and without.
- Grant your heavenly wisdom to those guiding Israel militarily, politically, diplomatically; give them hearts to receive, and the courage to do, what’s right in your sight.
- Comfort those who grieve and mourn the loss of loved ones, and rebuke those who would use grief for evil purposes.
- Bring swift and certain justice to all those complicit in the Oct 7th atrocities; deliver the hostages from captivity, and restore their souls.
- Send your heavenly hosts to destroy every stronghold of the evil death cult terrorizing the Middle East.
- Strengthen the Messianic communities – Jew and Arab alike – bind them together in love, that they may be a source of help, healing, and hope;
- And use them in the restoration of your people to their proper place in your Kingdom.
- We pray in Jesus’ Name.
+ Heavenly Father, you have promised to hear what we ask in the Name of your Son: Accept and fulfill our petitions, we pray, not as we ask in our ignorance, nor as we deserve in our sinfulness, but as you know and love us in your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch
May the Spirit kindle in us the fire of God’s love.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
8:9 But if God’s Spirit lives in you, you are under the control of your spiritual nature, not your corrupt nature.
Those who live by the corrupt nature have the corrupt nature’s attitude. But those who live by the spiritual nature have the spiritual nature’s attitude. The corrupt nature’s attitude leads to death. But the spiritual nature’s attitude leads to life and peace. This is so because the corrupt nature has a hostile attitude toward God. It refuses to place itself under the authority of God’s standards because it can’t. Those who are under the control of the corrupt nature can’t please God.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” After he had said this, he breathed on the disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whenever you forgive sins, they are forgiven. Whenever you don’t forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
As you know, the human body is not made up of only one part, but of many parts. Suppose a foot says, “I’m not a hand, so I’m not part of the body!” Would that mean it’s no longer part of the body? Or suppose an ear says, “I’m not an eye, so I’m not a part of the body!” Would that mean it’s no longer part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how could it hear? If the whole body were an ear, how could it smell? So God put each and every part of the body together as he wanted it. How could it be a body if it only had one part? So there are many parts but one body.
The Peanut Gallery 