Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost – 04 Nov – Mark 12:28-34 ~ “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.”

Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost

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

Opening Prayer

O Lord our God, you are the one God and there is no other. Give us grace to hear and heed the great commandment of your kingdom, that we may love you with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.
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“The Greatest Commands” – Exposure Youth Camp 2015

Alto: Love one another, for love is of God. He who loves is born of God; and knows God. He who does not love, does not know God. For God is love, God is love.

Bass: Love bears all things, Believes all things. Love hopes all things, Endures all things.

Tenor: God is love, God is love, God is love. God is love, God is love, God is love. God is love, God is love, God is love, God is love, God is love, God is love.

Soprano: Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, all thy strength,all thy might. Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, for God is love, God is love, God is love.
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Gospel Reading: Mark 12:28-34 (NLT)

One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

The teacher of religious law replied, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other. And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law.”

Realizing how much the man understood, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.
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Prayers of Intercession:

Almighty God, you are our Fortress, our Savior, our Ever-present Help in times of trouble. Hear our prayers –

+ For all who follow Christ – that love of God and neighbor may mark our lives….
+ For all church leaders – that they may show Christ’s courage and compassion….
+ For the peacemakers – that the language of love may prevail over the language of conflict….
+ For the Jewish people – that they may follow the path that Moses and the prophets set before them….
+ For all who grieve and mourn – that they may experience Christ’s comfort….
+ For all who suffer violence – that Christ may heal their broken bodies, minds, and hearts….
+ For all who have died in Christ – that they may rest forever in the peace of Christ….

Almighty God, you are our Rock and our Strength, in you we take refuge: hear our prayers and give us the help we need, we ask you, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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“Psalm 18” (Overcome) – James Block

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Blessing – Ephesians 3:20-21

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

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

Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost – 28 Oct – Mark 10:46-52 ~ your faith has made you well

Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost

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

Opening Prayer

Have pity on us, God our Savior. Grant us grace and courage to cast off our sins and turn to you for healing and new life. Show us in Christ the sure path of salvation and strengthen us to follow him gladly. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.
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“All My Hope” – Tauren Wells / Crowder

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Gospel Reading: Mark 10:46-52 (NLT)

Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

“Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him.

But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.”

So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!” Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.

“My Rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!”

And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.
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Prayers of Intercession:

O Lord our God: Thank you for welcoming us into your presence through faith in your Son, Jesus Christ. Hear our prayers, Lord, and help us in our time of need –

+ for all who gather in your name throughout the world – that we may be one in Christ Jesus…
+ for all who are persecuted because of their faith – that we may be delivered from evil by Christ Jesus…
+ for all who are suffering – physically, emotionally, spiritually – that we may be healed by faith in Christ Jesus…
+ for all who cannot see – physically and spiritually – that our eyes may be opened by Christ Jesus…
+ for all who are young in faith – that we may become rooted in the grace and truth of Christ Jesus…
+ for all who have died in faith – that they may forever live peacefully in the presence of Christ Jesus…

O Lord our God: We rejoice in your loving-kindness as we present our needs to you. May those who plant the seeds of your Kingdom in weeping be restored with great shouts of joy at your Kingdom harvest, through Christ Jesus our Savior. Amen.
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“Psalm 126” – Sojourn Music

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Blessing – Ephesians 3:20-21

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

Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost – 21 Oct – Mark 10:35-45 ~ the servant of all

Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost

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

Opening Prayer

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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“This I Believe” (The Creed) – Hillsong Kiev

Gospel Reading: Mark 10:35-45 (NLT)

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do us a favor.”

“What is your request?” he asked.

They replied, “When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”

But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?”

“Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!”

Then Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup and be baptized with my baptism of suffering. But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. God has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.”

When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
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Prayers of Intercession:

Gracious God: Hear the cries of our hearts as we come before you with our needs for help and mercy –

+ For church leaders around the world – humility and integrity … Lord, hear us.
+ For missionaries in difficult situations – protection and wisdom … Lord, hear us.
+ For believers suffering persecution – deliverance and restoration … Lord, hear us.
+ For peacemakers around the world- justice and truth … Lord, hear us.
+ For the lonely or depressed – companionship and hope … Lord, hear us.
+ For churches around the world – an outpouring of your Spirit … Lord, hear us.
+ For every believer who has died – eternal peace and rest … Lord, hear us.

Gracious God, the creator of all, you fill the earth with your love: we rejoice in your faithfulness and trust in your mercy, as we present these prayers to you, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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“Are Ye Able,” Said the Master(십자가를 질 수 있나) – The choir of London Church

“Are ye able,” said the Master, “to be crucified with me?” “Yea,” the sturdy dreamers answered, “to the death we follow thee.”

Lord, make us able. Our spirits are thine. Remold them, make us, like thee, divine. Thy guiding radiance above us shall be a beacon to God, to love, and loyalty.

Are ye able to remember, when a thief lifts up his eyes, that his pardoned soul is worthy of a place in paradise?

Are ye able when the shadows close around you with the sod, to believe that spirit triumphs, to commend your soul to God?

Are ye able? Still the Master whispers down eternity, and heroic spirits answer, now as then in Galilee.
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Blessing – Ephesians 3:20-21

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

Praying the Psalms: Fri, 19 Oct – Psalm 96 ~ Rejoice! He is coming to judge the earth.

Praying the Psalms

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

Opening – (Northumbria Community)

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.
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Morning Reading: Psalm 96 (NLT)

Sing a new song to the Lord! Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Sing to the Lord; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods. The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens! Honor and majesty surround him; strength and beauty fill his sanctuary.

O nations of the world, recognize the Lord; recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong. Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor. Let all the earth tremble before him. Tell all the nations, “The Lord reigns!” The world stands firm and cannot be shaken. He will judge all peoples fairly.

Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he is coming! He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with his truth.
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Morning Prayer

O Lord our God: We join with the voices of heaven and earth to praise your great Name –

+ for you are matchless in power, wisdom, and love…
+ for you made everything in heaven and earth, you made us…
+ for you are matchless in faithfulness and loving-kindness…
+ for you reign over heaven and earth with justice and truth…

O Lord our God: Give us songs to sing, arising from our experience of your saving grace –

+ refresh in us the joy of sins forgiven, and new life begun…
+ refresh in us words to express your loving-kindness and mercy…
+ refresh in us an all-pervading spirit of worship throughout our day…
+ refresh in us the commission to go into all the world and make disciples…

O Lord our God: Give us new songs to sing to welcome Jesus, our coming King. Prepare our hearts to receive him at a moment’s notice for he comes to reveal your glory, and to judge the earth in righteousness and truth. It’s in his Name we pray. Amen.
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” Psalm 96″ [Let The Earth Rejoice] – Robbie Seay Band

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Blessing – (Northumbrian Community)

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Praying the Psalms: Thu, 18 Oct – Psalm 95 ~ Come, let us sing to the Lord!

Praying the Psalms

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

Opening – (Northumbria Community)

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.
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Morning Reading: Psalm 95 (NLT)

Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him. For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains. The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land, too.

Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today!

The Lord says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Massah in the wilderness. For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw everything I did. For forty years I was angry with them, and I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’ So in my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”
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Morning Prayer

O Lord our God: To you belong our worship and joy-filled praise –

+ for you are the Rock of our salvation…
+ for you are our shade and defense…
+ for you are our home, our resting place…

O Lord our God: To you belong our reverence and awe –

+ for you reign supreme over the false gods of unbelievers…
+ for you reign supreme over the earth and all it contains…
+ for you have claimed us as your own, to watch over us…

O Lord our God: Still the tumult within us, that we may listen to your voice and be guided by your Word and Spirit. Strengthen us in Christ Jesus that we might walk in his way, and never know a day apart from you – it’s in his Name we pray. Amen.
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“Psalm 95” (Come let us) – Half a Mile