After Pentecost | Friday 12 Jul 2024
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
Grant us, O Lord, we pray,
the spirit to think and do always
those things that are right, that we,
who can do no good thing apart from you,
may by you be enabled to live according to your will;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
“Be wise in the way you act toward those
who are outside ⌞the Christian faith⌟.
Make the most of your opportunities.”
(Colossians 4:5)
__________
From Psalms: Psalm 24 – Poor Bishop Hooper
who may climb the mountain of the lord
who may stand in his holy place
only those whose hands and hearts are pure
will receive the blessing of the lord
open up ancient gates
open up ancient doors
let the king of glory in
who is this king of glory
the lord strong and mighty
the lord of heaven’s armies
he is the king of glory
who may climb the mountain of the lord
such a generation
who may stand in his holy place
who seeks god
only those whose hands and hearts are pure
will be in your presence
will receive the blessing of the lord
right relationship
__________
OT Reading: Exodus 37:1-16 (GW)
The Ark
37:1 Bezalel made the ark out of acacia wood 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high. He covered it with pure gold inside and out and put a gold molding around it. He cast four gold rings for its four feet, two rings on each side. Then he made poles out of acacia wood and covered them with gold. He put them through the rings on the sides of the ark in order to carry it.
He made the throne of mercy out of pure gold 45 inches long and 27 inches wide. Then he made two angels out of hammered gold for the two ends of the throne of mercy, one on each end. He formed the angels and the throne of mercy out of one piece ⌞of gold⌟. The angels had their wings spread above the throne of mercy, overshadowing it. They faced each other, looking at the throne of mercy.
The Table
37:10 He made the table out of acacia wood 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches high. He covered it with pure gold and put a gold molding around it. He made a rim 3 inches wide around it and put a gold molding around the rim. He cast four gold rings for it and fastened the rings to the four corners, where the four legs were. The rings were put close to the rim to hold the poles for carrying the table. These poles were made out of acacia wood and were covered with gold. For the table he made plates, dishes, bowls, and pitchers to be used for pouring wine offerings. All of them were made out of pure gold.
__________
Mercy Seat / Kim Walker Smith / ChristianMusicLyrics
__________
NT Reading: Colossians 4:2-18 (GW)
Advice for All Christians
4:2 Keep praying. Pay attention when you offer prayers of thanksgiving. At the same time also pray for us. Pray that God will give us an opportunity to speak the word so that we may tell the mystery about Christ. It is because of this mystery that I am a prisoner. Pray that I may make this mystery as clear as possible. This is what I have to do.
Be wise in the way you act toward those who are outside ⌞the Christian faith⌟. Make the most of your opportunities.
Everything you say should be kind and well thought out so that you know how to answer everyone.
Greetings from Paul and His Coworkers
4:7 I’m sending Tychicus to you. He is our dear brother, trustworthy deacon, and partner in the Lord’s work. He will tell you everything that is happening to me. I’m sending him to you so that you may know how we are doing and so that he may encourage you. I’m sending Onesimus with him. Onesimus is from your city and is our faithful and dear brother. They will tell you about everything that’s happening here.
Aristarchus, who is a prisoner like me, sends greetings. So does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. You have received instructions about Mark. If he comes to you, welcome him. Jesus, called Justus, also greets you. They are the only converts from the Jewish religion who are working with me for God’s kingdom. They have provided me with comfort. Epaphras, a servant of Christ Jesus from your city, greets you. He always prays intensely for you. He prays that you will continue to be mature and completely convinced of everything that God wants. I assure you that he works hard for you and the people in Laodicea and Hierapolis. My dear friend Luke, the physician, and Demas greet you. Greet our brothers and sisters in Laodicea, especially Nympha and the church that meets in her house.
After you have read this letter, read it in the church at Laodicea. Make sure that you also read the letter from Laodicea.
Tell Archippus to complete all the work that he started as the Lord’s servant.
I, Paul, am writing this greeting with my own hand. Remember that I’m a prisoner. God’s good will be with you.
__________
Benediction (As You Go) ~ Selah / Aspire Christian Music
__________
+ Almighty God, you have not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities; grant that we, who for our evil deeds deserve to be punished, by the might of your grace may mercifully be relieved; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Julian of Norwich
+ O God, of your goodness, give me yourself, for you are enough for me. I can ask for nothing less that is completely to your honor, and if I do ask anything less, I shall always be in want. Only in you I have all. Amen.
+ Sovereign Lord: We pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
-
- 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, and 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;
- Rebuke those who would use grief for evil purposes.
- Bring swift and certain justice to all those complicit in the October 7th atrocities;
- Deliver the hostages from captivity, and restore their souls.
- 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, and healing, and hope;
- Use them in the restoration of your people to their proper place in your Kingdom.
- We pray in Jesus’ Name. 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
The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil,
and keep us in eternal life.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Because they are united in love, I work so that they may be encouraged by all the riches that come from a complete understanding of Christ. He is the mystery of God. God has hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ. I say this so that no one will mislead you with arguments that merely sound good. Although I’m absent from you physically, I’m with you in spirit. I’m happy to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.
The time for the Jewish Festival of Booths was near. So Jesus’ brothers told him, “Leave this place, and go to Judea so that your disciples can see the things that you’re doing. No one does things secretly when he wants to be known publicly. If you do these things, you should let the world see you.” Even his brothers didn’t believe in him.
Brothers and sisters, follow the example of the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. They were patient when they suffered unjustly. We consider those who endure to be blessed. You have heard about Job’s endurance. You saw that the Lord ended Job’s suffering because the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
I’ve faced dangers in the city, in the open country, on the sea, and from believers who turned out to be false friends. Because I’ve had to work so hard, I’ve often gone without sleep, been hungry and thirsty, and gone without food and without proper clothes during cold weather. Besides these external matters, I have the daily pressure of my anxiety about all the churches. When anyone is weak, I’m weak too. When anyone is caught in a trap, I’m also harmed.
The Peanut Gallery 