After Pentecost | Monday 26 Jun 2023: Psalm 6; Micah 7:1-7; Revelation 2:1-7 ~ Jesus: “Return to me and your first works.”

After Pentecost | Monday 26 Jun 2023

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

Opening:

Lord of all power and might,
the author and giver of all good things:
Graft in our hearts the love of your Name,
increase in us true faith and worship,
nourish us with all goodness,
and bring forth in us the fruit of good works;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Jesus: “Look how far you have fallen!
Turn back to me and
do the works you did at first.”
(Revelation 2:5)

__________

From Psalms: Psalm 6 ~ Lord, How Long? | My Soul Among Lions

__________

OT Reading: Micah 7:1-7 (NLT)

Misery Turned to Hope

7:1 How miserable I am!
I feel like the fruit picker after the harvest
who can find nothing to eat.
Not a cluster of grapes or a single early fig
can be found to satisfy my hunger.
The godly people have all disappeared;
not one honest person is left on the earth.
They are all murderers,
setting traps even for their own brothers.
Both their hands are equally skilled at doing evil!
Officials and judges alike demand bribes.
The people with influence get what they want,
and together they scheme to twist justice.
Even the best of them is like a brier;
the most honest is as dangerous as a hedge of thorns.
But your judgment day is coming swiftly now.
Your time of punishment is here, a time of confusion.
Don’t trust anyone—
not your best friend or even your wife!
For the son despises his father.
The daughter defies her mother.
The daughter-in-law defies her mother-in-law.
Your enemies are right in your own household!

As for me, I look to the Lord for help.
I wait confidently for God to save me,
and my God will certainly hear me.

__________

While I Wait ~ Lincoln Brewster
music meets heaven

__________

NT Reading: Revelation 2:1-7 (NLT)

The Message to the Church in Ephesus

2:1 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands:

“I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.

“But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do.

“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.

__________

Return to Me ~ Don Moen | Holy Spirit Music

After Pentecost| Sunday – 25 Jun 2023: Jeremiah 20:7-13; Psalm 69:1-15 (16-18); Romans 5:15b-19; Matthew 10:16-33 ~ “Sent out as sheep among wolves.”

After Pentecost | Sunday – 25 Jun 2023

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

Opening:

Lord of all power and might,
the author and giver of all good things:
Graft in our hearts the love of your Name,
increase in us true faith and worship,
nourish us with all goodness,
and bring forth in us the fruit of good works;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

“Look, I am sending you out
as sheep among wolves.
So be as shrewd as snakes and
harmless as doves.”
(Mathew 19:16)

__________

Great is Thy Faithfulness | Chet Valley Churches

__________

OT Reading: Jeremiah 20:7-13 (NLT)

Jeremiah’s Complaint

20:7 O Lord, you misled me,
and I allowed myself to be misled.
You are stronger than I am,
and you overpowered me.
Now I am mocked every day;
everyone laughs at me.
When I speak, the words burst out.
“Violence and destruction!” I shout.
So these messages from the Lord
have made me a household joke.
But if I say I’ll never mention the Lord
or speak in his name,
his word burns in my heart like a fire.
It’s like a fire in my bones!
I am worn out trying to hold it in!
I can’t do it!
I have heard the many rumors about me.
They call me “The Man Who Lives in Terror.”
They threaten, “If you say anything, we will report it.”
Even my old friends are watching me,
waiting for a fatal slip.
“He will trap himself,” they say,
“and then we will get our revenge on him.”

But the Lord stands beside me like a great warrior.
Before him my persecutors will stumble.
They cannot defeat me.
They will fail and be thoroughly humiliated.
Their dishonor will never be forgotten.
O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
you test those who are righteous,
and you examine the deepest thoughts and secrets.
Let me see your vengeance against them,
for I have committed my cause to you.
Sing to the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
For though I was poor and needy,
he rescued me from my oppressors.

__________

From Psalms:  Psalm 69, “Save Me, O God” | Marty Haugen

__________

From the Epistles: Romans 5:15b-19 (NLT)

5:15b For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.

__________

Lord You Are My Righteousness | Andy Rogers The New Celts

__________

Gospel Reading: Matthew 10:16-33 (NLT)

10:16 “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves. But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me. When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

“A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next. I tell you the truth, the Son of Man will return before you have reached all the towns of Israel.

“Students are not greater than their teacher, and slaves are not greater than their master. Students are to be like their teacher, and slaves are to be like their master. And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons, the members of my household will be called by even worse names!

“But don’t be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything that is covered will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear!

“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin. But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

“Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.

__________

You Raise Me UpSelah | GloryToFatherGod

__________

Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ O God, you desire that all people be saved and come to knowledge of the truth: Prosper all those who live, preach, and teach the Gospel at home and in distant lands; protect them in all perils, support them in their loneliness, sustain them in the hour of trial; give them your abundant grace to bear faithful witness; and endue them with burning zeal and love, that they may turn many to righteousness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ Dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: I hold up all my weakness to your strength, my failure to your faithfulness, my sinfulness to your perfection, my loneliness to your compassion, my little pains to your great agony on the Cross. I pray that you will cleanse me, strengthen me, guide me, so that in all ways my life may be lived as you would have it lived, without cowardice and for you alone. Show me how to live in true humility, true contrition, and true love. Amen.

+ O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength: By the might of your Spirit lift us, we pray, into your presence, where we may be still and know that you are God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch

Be the Life I live
Be the Love I give

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

After Pentecost | Saturday 24 Jun 2023: Psalm 69:7-10, 16-18; Jeremiah 20:1-6; Luke 11:53-12:3 ~ The time is coming when everything will be revealed.

After Pentecost | Saturday 24 Jun 2023

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

Opening:

O Lord, from whom all good proceeds: Grant us the inspiration
of your Holy Spirit, that we may always think those things that
are good, and by your merciful guidance may accomplish the
same; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Jesus: “The time is coming
when everything that is covered up will be revealed,
and all that is secret will be made known to all.”
(Luke 12:2)

__________

From Psalms: Psalm 69 (Lord, in Your Great Love, Answer Me) – Francesca LaRosa 

__________

OT Reading: Jeremiah 20:1-6 (NLT)

Jeremiah and Pashhur

20:1 Now Pashhur son of Immer, the priest in charge of the Temple of the Lord, heard what Jeremiah was prophesying. So he arrested Jeremiah the prophet and had him whipped and put in stocks at the Benjamin Gate of the Lord’s Temple.

The next day, when Pashhur finally released him, Jeremiah said, “Pashhur, the Lord has changed your name. From now on you are to be called ‘The Man Who Lives in Terror.’ For  this is what the Lord says: ‘I will send terror upon you and all your friends, and you will watch as they are slaughtered by the swords of the enemy. I will hand the people of Judah over to the king of Babylon. He will take them captive to Babylon or run them through with the sword. And I will let your enemies plunder Jerusalem. All the famed treasures of the city—the precious jewels and gold and silver of your kings—will be carried off to Babylon. As for you, Pashhur, you and all your household will go as captives to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you prophesied that everything would be all right.’”

__________

God is in Control | Twila Paris (legendado)

__________

NT Reading: Luke 11:53-12:3 (NLT)

11:53 As Jesus was leaving, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees became hostile and tried to provoke him with many questions. They wanted to trap him into saying something they could use against him.

A Warning against Hypocrisy

12:1 Meanwhile, the crowds grew until thousands were milling about and stepping on each other. Jesus turned first to his disciples and warned them, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees—their hypocrisy. The time is coming when everything that is covered up will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!

__________

Slow Fade  | Oh, be careful little eyes what you see | Casting Crowns | Heavenly Sound

After Pentecost | Friday 23 Jun 2023: Psalm 69:7-10, 16-18; Jeremiah 18:18-23; Acts 5:17-26 ~ Give people the message of life.

After Pentecost | Friday 23 Jun 2023

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

Opening:

O Lord, from whom all good proceeds: Grant us the inspiration
of your Holy Spirit, that we may always think those things that
are good, and by your merciful guidance may accomplish the
same; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Angel of the Lord: “Go to the Temple
and give the people this message of life!”
(Acts 5:20)

__________

From Psalms: Psalm 69 Poor Bishop Hooper

save me god for the waters are up to my neck
sinking mud and i can’t rise above the flood
i am weary and my eyes grow dim
save me god in the waiting

i’m outnumbered more than hairs on my head
by the hate by the power by the lies my enemies said
what’d i ever steal still i must restore
save me god from the hidden things that i know you know

all this because
zeal for your house has consumed me
zeal for your house has consumed me

don’t let those who hope in you
be disgraced because of what i do
lord of hosts answer them in their plea
save me god lord would you answer me

all this because
zeal for your house has consumed me
zeal for your house has consumed me
all i’ve endured
shame on my face in my mourning
shame on my face in my mourning
still as for me Lord
i pray for a time of your favor
i pray would you rescue me

as for me i am poor and in pain
save me god by your salvation
still i’ll praise him with a song
that will please please save me god save me god

__________

OT Reading: Jeremiah 18:18-23 (NLT)

A Plot against Jeremiah

18:18 Then the people said, “Come on, let’s plot a way to stop Jeremiah. We have plenty of priests and wise men and prophets. We don’t need him to teach the word and give us advice and prophecies. Let’s spread rumors about him and ignore what he says.”

Lord, hear me and help me!
Listen to what my enemies are saying.
Should they repay evil for good?
They have dug a pit to kill me,
though I pleaded for them
and tried to protect them from your anger.
So let their children starve!
Let them die by the sword!
Let their wives become childless widows.
Let their old men die in a plague,
and let their young men be killed in battle!
Let screaming be heard from their homes
as warriors come suddenly upon them.
For they have dug a pit for me
and have hidden traps along my path.
Lord, you know all about their murderous plots against me.
Don’t forgive their crimes and blot out their sins.
Let them die before you.
Deal with them in your anger.

__________

Lord Have MercyMichael W. Smith ft. Amy Grant | Humber UBF

__________

NT Reading: Acts 5:17-26 (NLT)

The Apostles Meet Opposition

5:17 The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them, “Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!”

So at daybreak the apostles entered the Temple, as they were told, and immediately began teaching.

When the high priest and his officials arrived, they convened the high council—the full assembly of the elders of Israel. Then they sent for the apostles to be brought from the jail for trial. But when the Temple guards went to the jail, the men were gone. So they returned to the council and reported, “The jail was securely locked, with the guards standing outside, but when we opened the gates, no one was there!”

When the captain of the Temple guard and the leading priests heard this, they were perplexed, wondering where it would all end. Then someone arrived with startling news: “The men you put in jail are standing in the Temple, teaching the people!”

The captain went with his Temple guards and arrested the apostles, but without violence, for they were afraid the people would stone them.

__________

Wonderful Words of LifeJoslin Grove Choral Society | Christian Gospel Hymnal

After Pentecost | Thursday 22 Jun 2023: Psalm 69:7-10, 16-18; Jeremiah 18:12-17; Hebrews 2:5-9 ~ Jesus suffered and died for everyone.

After Pentecost | Thursday 22 Jun 2023

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

Opening:

O Lord, from whom all good proceeds: Grant us the inspiration
of your Holy Spirit, that we may always think those things that
are good, and by your merciful guidance may accomplish the
same; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

“Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone.”
(Hebrews 2:9b)

__________

From Psalms: Psalm 69 –  Mary Munson

__________

OT Reading: Jeremiah 18:12-17 (NLT)

18:12 But the people replied, “Don’t waste your breath. We will continue to live as we want to, stubbornly following our own evil desires.”

So this is what the Lord says:

“Has anyone ever heard of such a thing,
even among the pagan nations?
My virgin daughter Israel
has done something terrible!
Does the snow ever disappear from the mountaintops of Lebanon?
Do the cold streams flowing from those distant mountains ever run dry?
But my people are not so reliable, for they have deserted me;
they burn incense to worthless idols.
They have stumbled off the ancient highways
and walk in muddy paths.
Therefore, their land will become desolate,
a monument to their stupidity.
All who pass by will be astonished
and will shake their heads in amazement.
I will scatter my people before their enemies
as the east wind scatters dust.
And in all their trouble I will turn my back on them
and refuse to notice their distress.”

__________

You Deliver MeSelah | brotherearl1944

__________

NT Reading: Hebrews 2:5-9 (NLT)

Jesus, the Man

2:5 And furthermore, it is not angels who will control the future world we are talking about. For in one place the Scriptures say,

“What are mere mortals that you should think about them,
or a son of man that you should care for him?
Yet for a little while you made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You gave them authority over all things.”

Now when it says “all things,” it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority. What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone.

__________

And Can It Be That I Should GainSovereign Grace Music
The Commissioned