After Pentecost | Saturday 29 Jul 2023

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:

O God, you declare your almighty power
chiefly in showing mercy and pity:
Grant us the fullness of your grace,
that we, running to obtain your promises,
may become partakers of your heavenly treasure;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

“For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish 
for three days and three nights,
so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth
for three days and three nights.”
(Matthew 12:40)

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From Psalms: Psalm 105 – Poor Bishop Hooper

give thanks give thanks to god and
call on his name so the nations may know
sing to him sing praises due him
tell of his wonder glory his name

remember remember

when israel was few
and strangers in the land to be given
they wandered in nations
god allowed no one to oppress them
but when he called down famine on the land
he sent joseph as a slave before
with shackles on feet and hand
all foretold came to pass as god planned

give thanks give thanks to god and
call on his name so the nations may know
sing to him sing praises due him
tell of his wonder glory his name

when israel was in egypt
strangers strong in the land of ham
the lord made them fruitful
too numerous for foes and their hearts turned against
but god sent his servants
moses and his brother aaron
they displayed miracles and signs miracles and wonders in the land

remember remember remember

darkness waters
frogs and swarms of flies and gnats everywhere
hail and lightning
locust and grasshopper
the lord took all of egypt’s firstborn
the firstfruits of their manhood
before israel left with silver and gold

give thanks give thanks to god and
call on his name so the nations may know
sing to him sing praises due him
tell of his wonder glory his name

remember remember remember

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OT Reading: Genesis 29:31-30:24 (NLT)

Jacob’s Many Children

29:31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to have children, but Rachel could not conceive. So Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “The Lord has noticed my misery, and now my husband will love me.”

She soon became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She named him Simeon, for she said, “The Lord heard that I was unloved and has given me another son.”

Then she became pregnant a third time and gave birth to another son. He was named Levi, for she said, “Surely this time my husband will feel affection for me, since I have given him three sons!”

Once again Leah became pregnant and gave birth to another son. She named him Judah, for she said, “Now I will praise the Lord!” And then she stopped having children.

30:1 When Rachel saw that she wasn’t having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She pleaded with Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

Then Jacob became furious with Rachel. “Am I God?” he asked. “He’s the one who has kept you from having children!”

Then Rachel told him, “Take my maid, Bilhah, and sleep with her. She will bear children for me, and through her I can have a family, too.” So Rachel gave her servant, Bilhah, to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her. Bilhah became pregnant and presented him with a son. Rachel named him Dan, for she said, “God has vindicated me! He has heard my request and given me a son.” Then Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son. Rachel named him Naphtali, for she said, “I have struggled hard with my sister, and I’m winning!”

Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn’t getting pregnant anymore, so she took her servant, Zilpah, and gave her to Jacob as a wife. Soon Zilpah presented him with a son. Leah named him Gad, for she said, “How fortunate I am!” Then Zilpah gave Jacob a second son. And Leah named him Asher, for she said, “What joy is mine! Now the other women will celebrate with me.”

One day during the wheat harvest, Reuben found some mandrakes growing in a field and brought them to his mother, Leah. Rachel begged Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

But Leah angrily replied, “Wasn’t it enough that you stole my husband? Now will you steal my son’s mandrakes, too?”

Rachel answered, “I will let Jacob sleep with you tonight if you give me some of the mandrakes.”

So that evening, as Jacob was coming home from the fields, Leah went out to meet him. “You must come and sleep with me tonight!” she said. “I have paid for you with some mandrakes that my son found.” So that night he slept with Leah. And God answered Leah’s prayers. She became pregnant again and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob. She named him Issachar, for she said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband as a wife.” Then Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob. She named him Zebulun, for she said, “God has given me a good reward. Now my husband will treat me with respect, for I have given him six sons.” Later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

Then God remembered Rachel’s plight and answered her prayers by enabling her to have children. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. “God has removed my disgrace,” she said. And she named him Joseph, for she said, “May the Lord add yet another son to my family.”

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The Blessing in Hebrew! HA BRACHA הברכה  Jerusalem, Israel | Joshua Aaron

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NT Reading: Matthew 12:38-42 (NLT)

The Sign of Jonah

12:38 One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority.”

But Jesus replied, “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.

“The people of Nineveh will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here—but you refuse to repent. The queen of Sheba will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but you refuse to listen.

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Speak Lord I am Listening – South Edinburgh RC Cluster

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019