The Lenten Season | Saturday 09 Mar 2024
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
Heavenly Father,
you have made us for yourself,
and our hearts are restless until they rest in you:
Look with compassion
upon the heartfelt desires of your servants,
and purify our disordered affections,
that we may behold your eternal glory
in the face of Christ Jesus;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Jesus replied to Nicodemus,
“I can guarantee this truth:
No one can see God’s kingdom
without being born from above.”
(John 3:5)
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From Psalms: Psalm Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 // St. John’s Music, Mpls
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OT Reading: Numbers 20:22-29 (GW)
Aaron’s Death
20:22 The whole community of Israel left Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom, the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Aaron must now join his ancestors ⌞in death⌟, since he cannot enter the land I’m giving the Israelites. This is because you both rebelled against my command at the oasis of Meribah. Bring Aaron and his son Eleazar up on Mount Hor. Take off Aaron’s priestly clothes, and put them on his son Eleazar. Then Aaron will die there and join ⌞his ancestors⌟.”
Moses did as the Lord commanded. The whole community saw them go up on Mount Hor. Moses took off Aaron’s priestly clothes and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. The whole community saw that Aaron had died, and all the Israelites mourned for Aaron 30 days.
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Kehilos Hakodesh – Shulem Lemmer | קהילות הקודש – שלום למר
The merciful Father who dwells upon high
will mercifully judge the pious and the upright and pure,
the holy congregations who gave up their lives in holy martyrship.
Remember them for good, O our G-d.
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NT Reading: John 3:1-13 (GW)
A Conversation with Nicodemus
3:1 Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish council. He came to Jesus one night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that God has sent you as a teacher. No one can perform the miracles you perform unless God is with him.”
Jesus replied to Nicodemus, “I can guarantee this truth: No one can see God’s kingdom without being born from above.”
Nicodemus asked him, “How can anyone be born when he’s an old man? He can’t go back inside his mother a second time to be born, can he?”
Jesus answered Nicodemus, “I can guarantee this truth: No one can enter God’s kingdom without being born of water and the Spirit. Flesh and blood give birth to flesh and blood, but the Spirit gives birth to things that are spiritual. Don’t be surprised when I tell you that all of you must be born from above. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you don’t know where the wind comes from or where it’s going. That’s the way it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
Nicodemus replied, “How can that be?”
Jesus told Nicodemus, “You’re a well-known teacher of Israel. Can’t you understand this? I can guarantee this truth: We know what we’re talking about, and we confirm what we’ve seen. Yet, you don’t accept our message. If you don’t believe me when I tell you about things on earth, how will you believe me when I tell you about things in heaven? No one has gone to heaven except the Son of Man, who came from heaven.
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Born Again – Third Day – brotherearl1944
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+ O God, our heavenly Father, you manifested your love by sending your only-begotten Son into the world, that all might live through him: Pour out your Spirit on your Church [especially in the Holy Land], that we may fulfill his command to preach the Gospel to all people. Send forth laborers into your harvest; defend them in all dangers and temptations; 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.
+ Lord of Heaven’s Armies, we pray for swift and total victory over all evil in the Holy Land. Deliver the hostages from evil and restore their souls. Release from bondage every person connected to the death cult terrorizing the Middle East. And, grant your heavenly wisdom to those guiding Israel militarily, politically, diplomatically – and especially to those who will restore Israel spiritually – through Jesus Christ our Lord.
+ O merciful Father: Look with pity on the sorrows of your servants who have lost loved ones in the Holy Land; nourish their souls with patience; comfort them with a sense of your goodness; lift up your countenance upon them; and give them peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
+ 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 God our Redeemer
show us compassion and love.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
He planned all of this so that we who had already focused our hope on Christ would praise him and give him glory.
1:3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Through Christ, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing that heaven has to offer. Before the creation of the world, he chose us through Christ to be holy and perfect in his presence. Because of his love he had already decided to adopt us through Jesus Christ. He freely chose to do this so that the kindness he had given us in his dear Son would be praised and given glory.
But now, at the end of the ages, he has appeared once to remove sin by his sacrifice. People die once, and after that they are judged. Likewise, Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of humanity, and after that he will appear a second time. This time he will not deal with sin, but he will save those who eagerly wait for him.
The Peanut Gallery 