Easter Season | Tuesday 07 May 2024
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
O God,
you have prepared for those who love you
such good things as surpass our understanding:
Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we,
loving you in all things and above all things,
may obtain your promises,
which exceed all that we can desire;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
“Love the Lord your God,
and do what he wants you to do.
Always obey his laws, rules, and commands.”
(Deuteronomy 11:1)
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From Psalms: Psalm 93 – “The Seas Have Lifted Up” / The Sons of Korah | Trinity Fellowship
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OT Reading: Deuteronomy 11:1-17 (GW)
11:1 Love the Lord your God, and do what he wants you to do. Always obey his laws, rules, and commands. Remember today the discipline you learned from the Lord your God. (⌞I’m not talking⌟ to your children. They didn’t see or experience any of this.) You saw and experienced his great power—his mighty hand and powerful arm. You saw the miraculous signs and deeds he did in Egypt to Pharaoh (the king of Egypt) and to his whole country. You saw what he did to the Egyptian army, its horses and chariots. He drowned them in the Red Sea when they pursued you. So the Lord destroyed them forever. You saw what he did for you in the desert until you came here. You also saw what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, from the tribe of Reuben. In the middle of all the Israelites the ground opened up and swallowed them, their families, their tents, and every living creature with them. You saw with your own eyes all these spectacular things that the Lord did.
Obey all the commands I’m giving you today. Then you will have the strength to enter and take possession of the land once you’ve crossed ⌞the Jordan River⌟. Then you will also live for a long time in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors and their descendants—a land flowing with milk and honey.
The land you’re about to enter and take possession of isn’t like the land you left in Egypt. There you used to plant your seed, and you had to water it like a vegetable garden. The land you’re about to enter is a land with hills and valleys, watered by rain from the sky. It is a land the Lord your God cares about. He watches over it all year long.
If you faithfully obey the commands that I’m giving you today, love the Lord your God, and serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, I will send rain on your land at the right time, both in the fall and in the spring. Then you will gather your own grain, new wine, and olive oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your animals, and you will be able to eat all you want.
Be careful, or you’ll be tempted to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. The Lord will become angry with you. He’ll shut the sky so that there’ll be no rain. Then the ground won’t grow any crops, and you’ll quickly disappear from this good land the Lord is giving you.
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Only a Holy God / The Worship Initiative
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NT Reading: 1 Timothy 6:13-16 (GW)
6:13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and in the sight of Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony in front of Pontius Pilate, I insist that, until our Lord Jesus Christ appears, you obey this command completely.
Then you cannot be blamed for doing anything wrong. At the right time God will make this known. God is the blessed and only ruler. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the only one who cannot die. He lives in light that no one can come near. No one has seen him, nor can they see him. Honor and power belong to him forever! Amen.
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Here I Am Promise Keepers / The Refuge in Stow
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+ O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light rises up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what you would have us do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices; that in your light we may see light, and in your straight path we may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
+ Lord of Heaven’s Armies, we pray for swift justice and total victory over all evil in the Holy Land. Deliver the hostages from captivity and restore their souls. Destroy every stronghold of the evil 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. Amen.
William Temple
+ Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated to you; and then use us, we pray, as you will, and always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch
May the risen Christ grant us the joys of eternal life.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
6:11 But you, man of God, must avoid these things. Pursue what God approves of: a godly life, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the Christian faith. Take hold of everlasting life to which you were called and about which you made a good testimony in front of many witnesses.
10:42 Jesus called the apostles and said, “You know that the acknowledged rulers of nations have absolute power over people and their officials have absolute authority over people. But that’s not the way it’s going to be among you. Whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant. Whoever wants to be most important among you will be a slave for everyone. It’s the same way with the Son of Man. He didn’t come so that others could serve him. He came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”
Jesus went everywhere and did good things, such as healing everyone who was under the devil’s power. Jesus did these things because God was with him. We can testify to everything Jesus did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. People hung him on a cross and killed him, but God brought him back to life on the third day. God didn’t show him to all the people. He showed Jesus to witnesses, apostles he had already chosen. We apostles are those men who ate and drank with Jesus after he came back to life. He ordered us to warn the people, ‘God has appointed Jesus to judge the living and the dead.’ In addition, all the prophets testify that people who believe in the one named Jesus receive forgiveness for their sins through him.”
As Peter talked, he entered Cornelius’ house and found that many people had gathered. He said to them, “You understand how wrong it is for a Jewish man to associate or visit with anyone of another race. But God has shown me that I should no longer call anyone impure or unclean. That is why I didn’t object to coming here when you sent for me. I want to know why you sent for me.”
The Peanut Gallery 