After Epiphany | Saturday 07 Feb 2026
+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening prayer:
O God, you know
that we are set in the midst of many grave dangers,
and because of the frailty of our nature
we cannot always stand upright:
Grant that your strength and protection
may support us in all dangers
and carry us through every temptation;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Jesus replied, “You hypocrites!
Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you,
‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.”
Mark 7:6)
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From the Psalms: Psalm 112:1-9 – Tune: Woodlands | Falkirk Free Church / Tryst with Christ
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OT Reading: Isaiah 29:13-16 (NLT)
29:13 And so the Lord says,
“These people say they are mine.
They honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
And their worship of me
is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.
+ Because of this, I will once again astound these hypocrites
with amazing wonders.
The wisdom of the wise will pass away,
and the intelligence of the intelligent will disappear.”
29:15 What sorrow awaits those who try to hide their plans from the Lord,
who do their evil deeds in the dark!
“The Lord can’t see us,” they say.
“He doesn’t know what’s going on!”
+ How foolish can you be?
He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay!
Should the created thing say of the one who made it,
“He didn’t make me”?
Does a jar ever say,
“The potter who made me is stupid”?
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Change My Heart Oh God ~ Maranatha! Music / Easy Worship Resources
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NT Reading: Mark 7:1-8 (NLT)
Jesus Teaches about Inner Purity
7:1 One day some Pharisees and teachers of religious law arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They noticed that some of his disciples failed to follow the Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating. (The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands, as required by their ancient traditions. Similarly, they don’t eat anything from the market until they immerse their hands in water. This is but one of many traditions they have clung to—such as their ceremonial washing of cups, pitchers, and kettles.)
+ So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, “Why don’t your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony.”
7:6 Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,
‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
+ Their worship is a farce,
for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’
7:8 For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”
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With All My Heart | Echo Harbor & Sarah Kroger
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Gracious and holy Father, please give me intellect to understand you, reason to discern you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, a spirit to know you, a heart to meditate upon you, ears to hear you, eyes to see you, a tongue to proclaim you, a way of life pleasing to you, patience to wait for you, and perseverance to look for you. Grant me a perfect end, your holy presence, a blessed resurrection, and life everlasting. Amen. | Benedict of Nursia
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, 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.
Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch
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.
The Peanut Gallery 