After Epiphany | Thursday 11 Jan 2024
+ 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.
We take every thought captive
so that it is obedient to Christ.
We are ready to punish every act
of disobedience….
(2 Corinthians 10:5b-6a)
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From Psalms: Psalm 139:1-6 – The Corner Room
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OT Reading: Judges 2:6-15 (GW)
The Death of Joshua
2:6 Now, Joshua sent the people of Israel home. So each family went to take possession of the territory they had inherited. The people served the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and throughout the lifetimes of the leaders who had outlived him and who had seen all the spectacular works the Lord had done for Israel. The Lord’s servant Joshua, son of Nun, died at the age of 110. He was buried at Timnath Heres within the territory he had inherited. This was in the mountains of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash. That whole generation had joined their ancestors in death. So another generation grew up after them. They had no personal experience with the Lord or with what he had done for Israel.
The Sin of the Next Generation
2:11 The people of Israel did what the Lord considered evil. They began to serve other gods—the Baals. The Israelites abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors, the God who brought them out of Egypt. They followed the other gods of the people around them. They worshiped these gods, and that made the Lord angry. They abandoned the Lord to serve the god Baal and the goddess Astarte. So the Lord became angry with the people of Israel. He handed them over to people who robbed them. He also used their enemies around them to defeat them. They could no longer stand up against their enemies. Whenever the Israelites went to war, the power of the Lord brought disaster on them. This was what the Lord said he would do in an oath. So he made them suffer a great deal.
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You Restore | Official Lyric Video | CRC Music
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NT Reading: 2 Corinthians 10:1-11 (GW)
The Sin of the Next Generation
10:1 I, Paul, make my appeal to you with the gentleness and kindness of Christ. I’m the one who is humble when I’m with you but forceful toward you when I’m not with you. I beg you that when I am with you I won’t have to deal forcefully with you. I expect I will have to because some people think that we are only guided by human motives. Of course we are human, but we don’t fight like humans. The weapons we use in our fight are not made by humans. Rather, they are powerful weapons from God. With them we destroy people’s defenses, that is, their arguments and all their intellectual arrogance that oppose the knowledge of God. 
We take every thought captive so that it is obedient to Christ. We are ready to punish every act of disobedience when you have become completely obedient.
Look at the plain facts! If anyone is confident he belongs to Christ, he should take note that we also belong to Christ. So, if I brag a little too much about the authority which the Lord gave us, I’m not ashamed. The Lord gave us this authority to help you, not to hurt you.
I don’t want you to think that I’m trying to frighten you with my letters. I know that someone is saying that my letters are powerful and strong, but that I’m a weakling and a terrible speaker. The person who is saying those things should take note of this fact: When we are with you we will do the things that we wrote about in our letters when we weren’t with you.
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Jesus On My Mind – Kingdom Muzic Presents Bryann T
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+ O God, without whose beauty and goodness our souls are unfed, without whose truth our reason withers: Consecrate our lives to your will, giving us such purity of heart, such depth of faith, and such steadfastness of purpose, that in time we may come to think your own thoughts after you; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
+ O God, our heavenly Father: Pour out your Spirit on your faithful people in the Middle East, that your Son’s life-giving Gospel may be preached to every tribe and nation. 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. Bring home the hostages, and deliver from bondage every person captivated by the evil death cult terrorizing the Middle East. And finally, grant heavenly wisdom to those guiding Israel militarily, politically, diplomatically, and especially to those who will restore Israel spiritually, through 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 