After Pentecost | Thursday 05 Oct 2023
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
O merciful Lord,
grant to your faithful people
pardon and peace,
that we may be cleansed from all our sins
and serve you with a quiet mind;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
“You have died with Christ,
and he has set you free
from the spiritual powers of this world.”
(Colossians 2:20)
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From Psalms: Psalm 19 – Jess Ray | Simple Churches
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OT Reading: Exodus 23:1-9 (NLT)
A Call for Justice
23:1 “You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand.
“You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you are called to testify in a dispute, do not be swayed by the crowd to twist justice. And do not slant your testimony in favor of a person just because that person is poor.
“If you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey that has strayed away, take it back to its owner. If you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has collapsed under its load, do not walk by. Instead, stop and help.
“In a lawsuit, you must not deny justice to the poor.
“Be sure never to charge anyone falsely with evil. Never sentence an innocent or blameless person to death, for I never declare a guilty person to be innocent.
“Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you ignore something that you clearly see. A bribe makes even a righteous person twist the truth.
“You must not oppress foreigners. You know what it’s like to be a foreigner, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.
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I Don’t Belong (Sojourner’s Song) (Buddy Greene) Gaither Music TV
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NT Reading: Colossians 2:16-23 (NLT)
2:16 So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it.
You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.
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No Condemnation – Don Moen | Charity Joy Josue
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+ 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.
+ O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch
Into your presence I come, Lord
a few moments of quietness
closeness
in a busy world
that demands my attention
Breathe on me now
that I might know your power
to see this day though
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Peanut Gallery 