+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
Opening Sentence
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.
Reading: Psalm 119:9-11 (NLT)
How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word. I have tried hard to find you—don’t let me wander from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
Reading: Nehemiah 8:9-10 (NLT)
Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, “Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the Lord your God.” For the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”
Reading: Romans 12:2 (NLT)
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Prayer
“Just as the young branches can easily be corrected and bent, so can beginners who are obedient.” – Abba Isaiah (Desert Father)
+ Lord, I have hidden Your word in my heart. Guide my steps to You, Lord, guide my steps to You.
+ Lord, I have hidden Your word in my heart. Guard my way to You, Lord, guard my way to You.
+ Lord, I have hidden Your word in my heart. Keep my heart for You, Lord, keep my heart for You.
Lord, I have hidden Your word in my heart – may I be strengthened by Your word, and filled with joy. Continue changing me into Your likeness and continue to cleanse me of my ingrained sinful habits and willfulness. Give me the malleability of a child – through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
“Seal It In My Heart and Mind” – Johnny Cash
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, 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.
+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Spirit of God lives in us, inspiring and guarding. In the Spirit, we worship our creator and entrust ourselves to the Lord’s loving care.
Opening Prayer:
God, the rock of our salvation, whose gifts can never fail, deepen the faith you have already bestowed and let its power be seen in your servants. 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.
__________
“The Rock Won’t Move” – Vertical Church Band
When the ground beneath my feet gives way | And I hear the sound of crashing waves | All my world is washing out to sea | I’m hidden safe in the God who never moves | Holding fast to the promise of the truth | That You are holding tighter still to me
The Rock won’t move and His word is strong | The Rock won’t move and His love can’t be undone | The Rock won’t move and His word is strong | The Rock won’t move and His love can’t be undone
The Rock of our Salvation
My hope is in the promise of Your blood | My support within the raging flood | Even in the tempest, I can sing | I’m hidden safe in the God who never moves | Holding fast to the promise of Your truth | That You are holding tighter still to me
On Christ the Solid Rock I stand | All other ground is sinking sand | The Rock won’t move, the Rock won’t move | When darkness seems to hide His face | I rest on His unchanging grace | The Rock won’t move, the Rock won’t move
Lead me to the Rock | The Rock that is higher | That is greater | The Rock of our Salvation | Lead me to the Rock | The Rock that is Stronger | That is Stronger | The Rock that is Jesus | The Rock that is Jesus | He will never move | He is faithful
__________
A Reading from the Old Testament: Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4 (NLT)
[In difficult times, faithfulness sustains people.]
How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen!
“Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save. Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight.
_____
Then the Lord said to me,
“Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.
“Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.
__________
A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9 (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.
_____
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.
__________
Psalm 95: ‘Come let us’ – Half a Mile
__________
A Reading from the Letters: 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14 (NLT)
[The Spirit is powerfully present with us.]
This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News.
_____
Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.
__________
A Reading from the Gospels: Luke 17:5-10 (NLT)
[The importance of having faith.]
The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our faith.”
The Mulberry Tree by Vincent van Gogh
The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you!
“When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me’? No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.’ And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.’”
__________
“Let Us Pray” – Tommy Walker
__________
Intercessory Prayer:
Gracious God, our Rock and our Redeemer, hear our prayers –
+ For believers everywhere, called to witness to Christ in today’s unsteady and confusing world…. Lord, hear us.
+ For believers everywhere, that they may be empowered by the Holy Spirit they have received…. Lord, hear us.
+ For the people who want to believe but find it hard, that they may receive the gift of faith…. Lord, hear us.
+ For peace in Syria and the Middle East, that its migrants may be able to return to their homelands…. Lord, hear us.
+ For respect for all human life, from its beginnings to its last moments…. Lord, hear us.
+ For all who have died in Christ, especially through war and violence, that they may be part of God’s flock forever…. Lord, hear us.
O God you are our Rock, you made us and know all our needs, listen to our prayers, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
__________
“By Faith” – Keith & Kristyn Getty
__________
Benediction:
Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love. – 2 John 3
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
Opening Sentence
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.
Reading: Psalm 119:1-4 (NLT)
Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths. You have charged us to keep your commandments carefully.
Reading: Nehemiah 8:2-6 (NLT)
So on October 8 Ezra the priest brought the Book of the Law before the assembly, which included the men and women and all the children old enough to understand. He faced the square just inside the Water Gate from early morning until noon and read aloud to everyone who could understand. All the people listened closely to the Book of the Law.
Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform that had been made for the occasion. To his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah. To his left stood Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. Ezra stood on the platform in full view of all the people. When they saw him open the book, they all rose to their feet.
Then Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and all the people chanted, “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
Reading: Matthew 22:37-38 (NLT)
Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment….”
Prayer
The word of God challenges us, Do you seek Him with all your mind?
And we respond, Amen. Lord have mercy!
Dear Lord, You alone know what my soul truly desires, and You alone can satisfy those desires.
+ My soul’s desire is to study the Scriptures and to learn the ways of God.
+ My soul’s desire is to be freed from all fear and sadness, and to share Christ’s risen life.
+ My soul’s desire is to imitate my King, and to sing His purposes always.
+ My soul’s desire is to enter the gates of heaven and to gaze upon the light that shines forever.
I trust in You, O Lord. I say, You are my God. My times are in Your hand, my times are in Your hand.
“Love The Lord” – Church of Southland Treehouse
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, 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.
+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
Opening Sentence
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.
Reading: Psalm 84:8-11 (NLT)
O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, hear my prayer. Listen, O God of Jacob.
O God, look with favor upon the king, our shield! Show favor to the one you have anointed.
A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.
Reading: I Chronicles 16:27-29 (NLT)
Honor and majesty surround him; strength and joy fill his dwelling.
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 presence. Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor.
2 Corinthians 3:18
Reading: 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT)
So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
Prayer
May everything in this my being be directed to Thy glory and may I never despair. For I am under Thy hand, and in Thee is all power and goodness. – Dag Hammarskjold, Markings
May I be equal to Your hope of me. If I am weak, I ask that You send only what I can bear. If I am strong, may I shrink from no testing that shall yield increase of strength or win security for my spirit.
I trust in You, O Lord. I say, “You are my God. My times are in Your hand, my times are in Your hand.”
“Psalm 84 ” – C3 Church Oxford Falls Campus in Sydney, Australia.
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, 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.
+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
Opening Sentence
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.
Reading: Psalm 31:14-16 (NLT)
But I am trusting you, O Lord, saying, “You are my God!” My future is in your hands. Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly. Let your favor shine on your servant. In your unfailing love, rescue me.
Reading: Exodus 3:14-15 (NLT)
“God Blessing the Earth” Garofalo Nationalmuseum Stockholm.
God replied to Moses, “I am who I am. Say this to the people of Israel: I am has sent me to you.” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.
This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations.
Reading: Revelation 22:13 (NLT)
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
Prayer
Michael and All Angels, September 29
Holy Michael, archangel, defend us in the day of battle; be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray: and do thou, prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God thrust down to Hell Satan and all wicked spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of our souls. Amen.
“The great I AM”
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, 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.
+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
The Peanut Gallery 