After Pentecost | Saturday 05 Oct 2024: Psalm 26; Job 7:1-21; Luke 16:14-18 ~ God knows what’s in your heart.

After Pentecost | Saturday 05 Oct 2024

+ 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.

So Jesus said to them,
“You try to justify your actions in front of people.
But God knows what’s in your hearts.”
(Luke 16:15)

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From Psalms: Psalm 26 // Caryn Borland

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OT Reading: Job 7:1-21 (GW)

Job Speaks about the Futility of Human Existence

7:1 “Isn’t a mortal’s stay on earth difficult
like a hired hand’s daily ⌞work⌟?
Like a slave, he longs for shade.
Like a hired hand, he eagerly looks for his pay.
Likewise, I have been given months that are of no use,
and I have inherited nights filled with misery.
When I lie down, I ask,
‘When will I get up?’
But the evening is long,
and I’m exhausted from tossing about until dawn.
My body is covered with maggots and scabs.
My skin is crusted over with sores; then they ooze.
My days go swifter than a weaver’s shuttle.
They are spent without hope.
Remember, my life is only a breath,
and never again will my eyes see anything good.
The eye that watches over me will no longer see me.
Your eye will look for me, but I’ll be gone.
As a cloud fades away and disappears,
so a person goes into the grave and doesn’t come back again.
He doesn’t come back home again,
and his household doesn’t recognize him anymore.
So I won’t keep my mouth shut,
but I will speak from the distress that is in my spirit
and complain about the bitterness in my soul.

Job Says to God: Leave Me Alone

7:12 “Am I the sea or a sea monster
that you have set a guard over me?
When I say,
‘My couch may give me comfort.
My bed may help me bear my pain,’
then you frighten me with dreams
and terrify me with visions.
My throat would rather be choked.
My body would prefer death ⌞to these dreams⌟.
I hate my life; I do not want to live forever.
Leave me alone because my days are so brief.

“What is a mortal that you should make so much of him,
that you should be concerned about him?
⌞What is he⌟ that you should inspect him every morning
and examine him every moment?
Why don’t you stop looking at me
long enough to let me swallow my spit?
If I sin, what can I ⌞possibly⌟ do to you
since you insist on spying on people?
Why do you make me your target?
I’ve become a burden even to myself.
Why don’t you forgive my disobedience
and take away my sin?
Soon I’ll lie down in the dust.
Then you will search for me, but I’ll be gone!”

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“Rescue Story” | Zach Williams

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NT Reading: Luke 16:14-18 (GW)

16:14 The Pharisees, who love money, heard all this and were making sarcastic remarks about him. So Jesus said to them, “You try to justify your actions in front of people. But God knows what’s in your hearts. What is important to humans is disgusting to God.

“Moses’ Teachings and the Prophets were ⌞in force⌟ until the time of John. Since that time, people have been telling the Good News about God’s kingdom, and everyone is trying to force their way into it. It is easier for the earth and the heavens to disappear than to drop a comma from the Scriptures.

“Any man who divorces his wife to marry another woman is committing adultery. The man who marries a woman divorced in this way is committing adultery.

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Listen To Our Hearts – Casting Crowns | Healing For The Soul

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

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.

Thomas Aquinas
Give me, O Lord, a steadfast heart, which no unworthy thought can drag down; an unconquered heart, which no tribulation can wear out; an upright heart, which no unworthy purpose can tempt aside. Bestow upon me understanding to know you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, and faithfulness that finally may embrace you. Amen.

Sovereign Lord: We pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

+ Do what only you can do to make your faithful people the blessing promised to every family on earth.

+ Protect them from the assaults of the evil one, coming in every form and from every direction.

+ Grant your heavenly wisdom to Israel’s leadership; give them the courage to do what’s right in your sight.

+ Comfort all those who mourn the loss of loved ones; deliver the hostages from captivity and restore their souls.

+ Destroy every stronghold and every expression of the evil death cult terrorizing the Middle East.

+ Protect the Israel Defense Forces and every soldier engaged in their mission to root out this evil.

+ Strengthen the Messianic communities; use them to restore your faithful people to their proper place in your kingdom.

+ Unify your faithful people around your promise to Abraham – to bless every family on earth through them.

+ Intervene in the Middle East in ways that only you can; protect the innocent and punish the guilty, that all may live in peace.

+ We ask in Jesus’ name.

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.

After Pentecost | Friday 04 Oct 2024: Psalm 26; Job 4:1-21; Romans 8:1-11 ~ Every believer has the Holy Spirit.

After Pentecost | Friday 04 Oct 2024

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

Opening:

“Whoever doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ
doesn’t belong to him.”
(Romans 8:9b)

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From Psalms: Psalm 26 // Vindicate Me, O Lord (Psalm 26) // My Soul Among Lions

Examine me and try my heart
Inspect my mind, my inward part
I’ve set Your grace before my eyes
I love Your truth I hate their lies
I take no part with the deceiver, no
I hate the way that unbelievers go

Vindicate me, O LORD
I have walked in my integrity
I’m holding fast to You, my God
Vindicate me, O LORD
Please be gracious and deliver me
I’m standing here within Your truth

I’ve washed my hands in innocence
Redeem me, LORD, be my defense
That I may sing with thankful praise
Within Your house through all my days
Don’t take my soul away with violent men
But at Your altar let me kneel again

Vindicate me, O LORD
I have walked in my integrity
I’m holding fast to You, my God
Vindicate me, O LORD
Please be gracious and deliver me
I’m standing here within Your truth

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OT Reading: Job 4:1-21 (GW)

Eliphaz Speaks: Be Patient and Listen, Job

4:1 Then Eliphaz from Teman replied ⌞to Job⌟,

“If someone tries to talk to you, will you become impatient?
But who can keep from talking?
Certainly, you have instructed many people:
When hands were weak, you made them strong.
When someone stumbled, you lifted him up with your words.
When knees were weak, you gave them strength.
But trouble comes to you, and you’re impatient.
It touches you, and you panic.
Doesn’t your fear of God give you confidence
and your lifetime of integrity give you hope?

Only Evil People Suffer

4:7 “Now think about this:
Which innocent person ⌞ever⌟ died ⌞an untimely death⌟?
Find me a decent person who has been destroyed.
Whenever I saw those who plowed wickedness and planted misery,
they gathered its harvest.
God destroys them with his breath
and kills them with a blast of his anger.
Though the roar of the lion
and the growl of the ferocious lion ⌞is loud⌟,
the young lions have had their teeth knocked out.
The old lions die without any prey ⌞to eat⌟,
and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

“I was told something secretly
and heard something whispered in my ear.
With disturbing thoughts from visions in the night,
when deep sleep falls on people,
fear and trembling came over me,
and all my bones shook.
A spirit passed in front of me.
It made my hair stand on end.
Something stood there.
I couldn’t tell what it was.
A vague image was in front of my eyes.
I heard a soft voice:
‘Can ⌞any⌟ mortal be righteous to God?
Can ⌞any⌟ human being be pure to his maker?’

“You see, God doesn’t trust his own servants,
and he accuses his angels of making mistakes.
How much more will he accuse those who live in clay houses
that have their foundation in the dust.
Those houses can be crushed quicker than a moth!
From morning to evening, they are shattered.
They will disappear forever without anyone paying attention.
Haven’t the ropes of their tent been loosened?
Won’t they die without wisdom?

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Father Of Mercies (Acoustic Version) // Olly Knight & Ben Slee

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NT Reading: Romans 8:1-11 (GW)

God’s Spirit Makes Us His Children

8:1 So those who are believers in Christ Jesus can no longer be condemned. The standards of the Spirit, who gives life through Christ Jesus, have set you free from the standards of sin and death. It is impossible to do what God’s standards demand because of the weakness our human nature has. But God sent his Son to have a human nature as sinners have and to pay for sin. That way God condemned sin in our corrupt nature. Therefore, we, who do not live by our corrupt nature but by our spiritual nature, are able to meet God’s standards in Moses’ Teachings.

Those who live by the corrupt nature have the corrupt nature’s attitude. But those who live by the spiritual nature have the spiritual nature’s attitude. The corrupt nature’s attitude leads to death. But the spiritual nature’s attitude leads to life and peace. This is so because the corrupt nature has a hostile attitude toward God. It refuses to place itself under the authority of God’s standards because it can’t. Those who are under the control of the corrupt nature can’t please God. But if God’s Spirit lives in you, you are under the control of your spiritual nature, not your corrupt nature.

Whoever doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ doesn’t belong to him. However, if Christ lives in you, your bodies are dead because of sin, but your spirits are alive because you have God’s approval. Does the Spirit of the one who brought Jesus back to life live in you? Then the one who brought Christ back to life will also make your mortal bodies alive by his Spirit who lives in you.

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I Belong To Jesus (Oh Hallelujah) – Selah [Integrity Music]

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

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.

Sovereign Lord: We pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

+ Do what only you can do to make your faithful people the promised blessing to every family on earth.

+ Protect them from the assaults of the evil one, coming in every form and from every direction.

+ Grant your heavenly wisdom to Israel’s leadership; give them the courage to do what’s right in your sight.

+ Comfort all those who mourn the loss of loved ones; deliver the hostages from captivity and restore their souls.

+ Destroy every stronghold and every expression of the evil death cult terrorizing the Middle East.

+ Protect the Israel Defense Forces and every soldier engaged in their mission to root out this evil.

+ Strengthen the Messianic communities; use them to restore your faithful people to their proper place in your kingdom.

+ Unify your faithful people around your promise to Abraham – to bless every family on earth through them.

+ Intervene in the Middle East in ways that only you can; protect the innocent and punish the guilty, that all may live at peace.

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.

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.

After Pentecost | Thursday 03 Oct 2024: Psalm 26; Job 2:11-3:26; Galatians 3:23-29 ~ All believers are descendants of Abraham.

After Pentecost | Thursday 03 Oct 2024

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

Opening:

“If you belong to Christ,
then you are Abraham’s descendants
and heirs, as God promised.”
(Galatians 3:29)

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From Psalms: Psalm 26 // Psalm Musicals – Christian Music Channel

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OT Reading: Job 2:11-3:26 (GW)

2:11 When Job’s three friends heard about all the terrible things that had happened to him, each of them came from his home—Eliphaz of Teman, Bildad of Shuah, Zophar of Naama. They had agreed they would go together to sympathize with Job and comfort him.

When they saw him from a distance, they didn’t even recognize him. They cried out loud and wept, and each of them tore his own clothes in grief. They threw dust on their heads. Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him because they saw that he was in such great pain.

Job Speaks: Job Curses the Day He Was Born

3:1 After all this, Job ⌞finally⌟ opened his mouth and cursed the day he was born. Job said,

“Scratch out the day I was born
and the night that said, ‘A boy has been conceived!’

“That day—
let it be pitch-black.
Let God above not ⌞even⌟ care about it.
Let no light shine on it.
Let the darkness and long shadows claim it as their own.
Let a dark cloud hang over it.
Let the gloom terrify it.

“That night—
let the blackness take it away.
Let it not be included in the days of the year
or be numbered among the months.
Let that night be empty.
Let no joyful singing be heard in it.
Let those who curse the day
(those who know how to wake up Leviathan)
curse that night.
Let its stars turn dark before dawn.
Let it hope for light and receive none.
Let it not see the first light of dawn
because it did not shut the doors of the womb ⌞from which I came⌟
or hide my eyes from trouble.

Why Did I Survive at Birth?

3:11 “Why didn’t I die as soon as I was born
and breathe my last breath when I came out of the womb?
Why did knees welcome me?
Why did breasts let me nurse?
Instead of being alive,
I would now be quietly lying down.
I would now be sleeping peacefully.
I would be with the kings and the counselors of the world
who built for themselves ⌞what are now⌟ ruins.
I would be with princes
who had gold,
who filled their homes with silver.
I would be buried like a stillborn baby.
I would not exist.
I would be like infants who never saw the light.
There the wicked stop their raging.
There the weary are able to rest.
There the captives have no troubles at all.
There they do not hear the shouting of the slave driver.
There ⌞you find⌟ both the unimportant and important people.
There the slave is free from his master.

Why Do I Go on Living?

3:20 “Why give light to one in misery
and life to those who find it so bitter,
to those who long for death but it never comes—
though they dig for it more than for buried treasure?
They are ecstatic,
delighted to find the grave.
Why give light to those whose paths have been hidden,
to those whom God has fenced in?

“When my food is in front of me, I sigh.
I pour out my groaning like water.
What I fear most overtakes me.
What I dread happens to me.
I have no peace!
I have no quiet!
I have no rest!
And trouble keeps coming!”

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Ana Bekoach – Hila Ben David (Halo) | אנא בכח – הילה בן דוד | for the HOSTAGES and for redemption.

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NT Reading: Galatians 3:23-29 (GW)

3:23 We were kept under control by Moses’ laws until this faith came. We were under their control until this faith which was about to come would be revealed.

Before Christ came, Moses’ laws served as our guardian. Christ came so that we could receive God’s approval by faith. But now that this faith has come, we are no longer under the control of a guardian. You are all God’s children by believing in Christ Jesus. Clearly, all of you who were baptized in Christ’s name have clothed yourselves with Christ. There are neither Jews nor Greeks, slaves nor free people, males nor females. You are all the same in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants and heirs, as God promised.

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I Belong to Jesus (Dylan’s Song) | Brooke Ligertwood (live)

It is written in the book of life
And on the palm of Jesus’ hand
In the story of redeeming love
There I recognize my name

On the day I chose to trust in Him
When I turned from death to life
He was waiting with a robe and ring
And now I can testify

I belong, I belong
I belong to Jesus
He is my Rock
My strength, my song
Yes I belong to Jesus

When it’s clear the world is not my home
Or if I forget it’s not
May He turn my eyes upon Himself
So it’s Him for whom I long

When the brokenness of sin surrounds
When people fail and leaders fall
Still the Lord will be my Hiding Place
I am safe upon the Rock

I belong, I belong
I belong to Jesus
He is my Rock
My strength, my song
Yes I belong to Jesus

Everything the Father gives
Everything that Jesus paid for
Is my inheritance
All because I belong to Him

Anything the world could give
Anything that earth can offer
Has no comparison
All because I know

I belong, I belong
I belong to Jesus
He is my Rock
My strength, my song
Yes I belong to Jesus

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

Sovereign Lord: We pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

+ Do what only you can do to make your faithful people the promised blessing to every family on earth.

+ Protect them from the assaults of the evil one, coming in every form and from every direction.

+ Grant your heavenly wisdom to Israel’s leadership; give them the courage to do what’s right in your sight.

+ Comfort all those who mourn the loss of loved ones; deliver the hostages from captivity and restore their souls.

+ Destroy every stronghold and every expression of the evil death cult terrorizing the Middle East.

+ Protect the Israel Defense Forces and every soldier engaged in their mission to root out this evil.

+ Strengthen the Messianic communities; use them to restore your faithful people to their proper place in your kingdom.

+ Unify your faithful people around your promise to Abraham to bless every family on earth through them.

+ Intervene in the Middle East in ways that only you can; protect the innocent and punish the guilty, that all may live at peace.

Julian of Norwich

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.

After Pentecost | Wednesday 02 Oct 2024: Psalm 140; Esther 8:1-17; Matthew 18:6-9 ~ Destroy anything that causes loss of faith.

After Pentecost | Wednesday 02 Oct 2024

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

Opening:

“How horrible it will be for
the person who causes someone
to lose his faith!”
(Matthew 18:7)

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From Psalms: Psalm 140 // chris kopko

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OT Reading: Esther 8:1-17 (GW)

8:1 On that same day King Xerxes gave the property of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, to Queen Esther. Also, Mordecai came to the king because Esther had told him how Mordecai was related to her. Then the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther put Mordecai in charge of Haman’s property.

Esther Brings Her Request to the King

8:3 Esther spoke again to the king. She fell down at his feet crying and begged him to have mercy and to undo the evil plot of Haman, who was from Agag, and his conspiracy against the Jews. The king held out his golden scepter to Esther, and Esther got up and stood in front of the king. She said, “Your Majesty, if it pleases you, and if I have found favor with you, if you consider my cause to be reasonable and if I am pleasing to you, cancel the official orders ⌞concerning⌟ the plot of Haman (who was the son of Hammedatha and was from Agag). He signed ⌞the order⌟ to destroy the Jews in all your provinces, Your Majesty. I cannot bear to see my people suffer such evil. And I simply cannot bear to see the destruction of my relatives.”

King Xerxes said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, “I have given Haman’s property to Esther, and Haman’s ⌞dead body⌟ was hung on the pole because he tried to kill the Jews. You write what you think is best for the Jews in the king’s name. Seal it also with the king’s signet ring, because whatever is written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet ring cannot be canceled.”

Mordecai Uses His Position to Save the Jews

8:9 At that time on the twenty-third day of Sivan, the third month, the king’s scribes were summoned. What Mordecai had ordered was written to the Jews and to the satraps, governors, and officers of the 127 provinces from India to Sudan. It was written to each province in its own script, to each people in their own language, and to the Jews in their own script and their own language.

Mordecai wrote in King Xerxes’ name and sealed the official documents with the king’s signet ring. Then he sent them by messengers who rode special horses bred for speed. ⌞He wrote⌟ that the king had given permission for the Jews in every city to assemble, to defend themselves, to wipe out, to kill, and to destroy every armed force of the people and province that is hostile to them, even women and children, and to seize their goods. ⌞This was permitted⌟ on one day in all the provinces of King Xerxes, on the thirteenth day of Adar, the twelfth month. The copy of the document was made public in a decree to every province for all people. On that day the Jews were to be ready to take revenge on their enemies.

The messengers rode the king’s fastest horses. They left quickly, in keeping with the king’s command. The decree was issued also in the fortress of Susa.

Mordecai went out from the presence of the king wearing the royal violet and white robe, a large gold crown, and a purple outer robe of fine linen. And the city of Susa cheered and rejoiced.

So the Jews were cheerful, happy, joyful, and successful. In every province and every city where the king’s message and decree arrived, the Jews were happy and joyful, feasting and enjoying a holiday. Then many common people pretended to be Jews because they were terrified of the Jews.

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What Makes Rosh Hashanah Beautiful // AishJewish

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NT Reading: Matthew 18:6-9 (GW)

Causing Others to Lose Faith

18:6 “These little ones believe in me. It would be best for the person who causes one of them to lose faith to be drowned in the sea with a large stone hung around his neck. How horrible it will be for the world because it causes people to lose their faith. Situations that cause people to lose their faith will arise. How horrible it will be for the person who causes someone to lose his faith!

“If your hand or your foot causes you to lose your faith, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life disabled or injured than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into everlasting fire. If your eye causes you to lose your faith, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hellfire.

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– Al Kol Eleh | The Israel Philharmonic with the IDF Orchestra

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

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.

Sovereign Lord: We pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

+ Do what only you can do to make your faithful people the promised blessing to every family on earth.

+ Protect your faithful people from the assaults of the evil one coming in every form and from every direction.

+ Grant your heavenly wisdom to Israel’s leadership; give them hearts to receive and the courage to do what’s right in your sight.

+ Destroy every stronghold of the evil death cult terrorizing the Middle East, especially in Israel and Lebanon.

+ Bring swift and certain justice to all those complicit in this atrocious evil; separate from them and protect those who are truly innocent.

+ Comfort all those who grieve and mourn the loss of loved ones; deliver the hostages from captivity and restore their souls.

+ Use the Messianic communities – Jew and Arab alike – to restore your people to their proper place in your kingdom.

+ Unify your faithful people around your promise to bless every family on earth through them.

+ Intervene in Lebanon in ways only you can; protect the innocent and punish the guilty, and enable the people of Lebanon to live at peace with its neighbor Israel.

Thomas à Kempis
Our God, in whom we trust: Strengthen us not to regard overmuch who is for us or who is against us, but to see to it that we be with you in everything we do. 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.

After Pentecost | Tuesday 01 Oct 2024: Psalm 140; Esther 5:1-14; 1 John 2:18-25 ~ Live in Christ’s promise of eternal life.

After Pentecost | Tuesday 01 Oct 2024

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

Opening:

“Make sure that
the message you heard from the beginning
lives in you.”
(1 John 2:24)

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From Psalms: Psalm 140 // Show Me Mercy (Psalm 140) – Melanie Waldman · Jesse Isley

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OT Reading: Esther 5:1-14 (GW)

Esther Brings Her Request to the King

5:1 On the third day Esther put on her royal robes. She stood in the courtyard of the king’s palace, facing the king’s throne room. The king was sitting on the royal throne inside the palace, facing the entrance.

When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the entrance, she won his favor. So the king held out the golden scepter that was in his hand to Esther. Esther went up to him and touched the top of the scepter.

Then the king asked her, “What is troubling you, Queen Esther? What would you like? Even if it is up to half of the kingdom, it will be granted to you.”

So Esther answered, “If it pleases you, Your Majesty, come today with Haman to a dinner I have prepared for you.”

The king replied, “Bring Haman right away, and do whatever Esther asks.” So the king and Haman came to the dinner that Esther had prepared.

While they were drinking wine, the king asked Esther, “What is your request? It will be granted to you. What would you like? Even if it is up to half of the kingdom, it will be granted.”

Esther answered, “My request? What would I like? Your Majesty, come with Haman to a dinner I will prepare for you. And tomorrow I will answer you, Your Majesty. If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, Your Majesty, may you ⌞then⌟ grant my request and do what I would like.”

Meanwhile, Haman Is Disgraced because of Mordecai

5:9 When Haman left that day, he was happy and feeling good. But when Haman saw Mordecai at the king’s gate, neither getting up nor trembling in his presence, Haman was furious with Mordecai. However, Haman controlled himself. He went home and sent for his friends and his wife Zeresh.

Then Haman began to relate in detail to them how very rich he was, the many sons he had, and all about how the king promoted him to a position over the officials and the king’s advisers. Haman went on to say, “What’s more, Queen Esther allowed no one except me to come with the king to the dinner she had prepared. And again tomorrow I am her invited guest together with the king. Yet, all this is worth nothing to me every time I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”

Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a pole set up, 75 feet high, and in the morning ask the king to have Mordecai’s ⌞dead body⌟ hung on it. Then go with the king to the dinner in good spirits.”

Haman liked the idea, so he had the pole set up.

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Defender // Francesca Battistelli – (feat. Steffany Gretzinger) – Prayer Warriors

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NT Reading: 1 John 2:18-25 (GW)

Live in Christ

2:18 Children, it’s the end of time. You’ve heard that an antichrist is coming. Certainly, many antichrists are already here. That’s how we know it’s the end of time. They left us. However, they were never really part of us. If they had been, they would have stayed with us. But by leaving they made it clear that none of them were part of us.

The Holy One has anointed you, so all of you have knowledge. I’m writing to you because you know the truth, not because you don’t know the truth. You know that no lie ever comes from the truth.

Who is a liar? Who else but the person who rejects Jesus as the Messiah? The person who rejects the Father and the Son is an antichrist. Everyone who rejects the Son doesn’t have the Father either. The person who acknowledges the Son also has the Father. Make sure that the message you heard from the beginning lives in you. If that message lives in you, you will also live in the Son and in the Father. Christ has given us the promise of eternal life.

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Alive In You | Jesus Culture // Patrick Phiaphakdy