After Pentecost | Sunday 02 Jun 2024
+ In the name the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening prayer:
O God, the protector of all those who trust in you,
without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy:
Increase and multiply upon us your mercy,
that, with you as our ruler and guide,
we may so pass through things temporal
that we lose not the things eternal;
grant this, heavenly Father,
for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Then [Jesus] added,
“The day of rest—a holy day,
was made for people, not people
for the day of rest.”
(Mark 2:2)
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The Sabbath Song – Derrol Sawyer / Mabe line
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OT Reading: Deuteronomy 5:12-15 (GW)
5:12 “Observe the day of rest as a holy day. This is what the Lord your God has commanded you. You have six days to do all your work. The seventh day is the day of rest—a holy day dedicated to the Lord your God. You, your sons, your daughters, your male and female slaves, your oxen, your donkeys—all of your animals—even the foreigners living in your city must never do any work ⌞on that day⌟. In this way your male and female slaves can rest as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God used his mighty hand and powerful arm to bring you out of there. This is why the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the day of rest as a holy day.
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From the Psalms: Psalm 81 – Hymn “Sing for joy to God our Saviour” / Psalm Musicals – Christian Music Channel
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NT Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:5-12 (GW)
4:5 Our message is not about ourselves. It is about Jesus Christ as the Lord. We are your servants for his sake. We are his servants because the same God who said that light should shine out of darkness has given us light. For that reason we bring to light the knowledge about God’s glory which shines from Christ’s face.
Our bodies are made of clay, yet we have the treasure of the Good News in them. This shows that the superior power of this treasure belongs to God and doesn’t come from us. In every way we’re troubled, but we aren’t crushed by our troubles. We’re frustrated, but we don’t give up. We’re persecuted, but we’re not abandoned. We’re captured, but we’re not killed. We always carry around the death of Jesus in our bodies so that the life of Jesus is also shown in our bodies. While we are alive, we are constantly handed over to death for Jesus’ sake so that the life of Jesus is also shown in our mortal nature. Death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
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All about Jesus – Taya / GoodnsMusic
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Gospel Reading: Mark 2:23-3:6 (GW)
Jesus Has Authority over the Day of Rest—a Holy Day
2:23 Once on a day of rest—a holy day, Jesus was going through the grainfields. As the disciples walked along, they began to pick the heads of grain.
The Pharisees asked him, “Look! Why are your disciples doing something that is not permitted on the day of rest—a holy day?”
Jesus asked them, “Haven’t you ever read what David did when he and his men were in need and were hungry? Haven’t you ever read how he went into the house of God when Abiathar was chief priest and ate the bread of the presence? He had no right to eat those loaves. Only the priests have that right. Haven’t you ever read how he also gave some of it to his men?”
Then he added, “The day of rest—a holy day, was made for people, not people for the day of rest. For this reason the Son of Man has authority over the day of rest—a holy day.”
Jesus Heals on the Day of Rest—a Holy Day
3:1 Jesus went into a synagogue again. A man who had a paralyzed hand was there. The people were watching Jesus closely. They wanted to see whether he would heal the man on the day of rest—a holy day, so that they could accuse him of doing something wrong.
So he told the man with the paralyzed hand, “Stand in the center ⌞of the synagogue⌟.” Then he asked them, “Is it right to do good or to do evil on the day of rest—a holy day, to give a person back his health or to let him die?”
But they were silent. Jesus was angry as he looked around at them. He was deeply hurt because their minds were closed. Then he told the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man held it out, and his hand became normal again.
The Pharisees left, and with Herod’s followers they immediately plotted to kill Jesus.
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In Jesus’ Name (God of Possible) | FBA Worship
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+ O God, the creator and preserver of all mankind, we humbly plead for all sorts and conditions of men; that you would be pleased to make your ways known unto them, your saving health unto all nations. More especially we pray for your holy Church universal, that it may be so guided and governed by your good Spirit, that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life. Finally, we commend to your fatherly goodness all those who are in any ways afflicted or distressed, in mind, body, or estate, [especially in the Holy Land]; that it may please you to comfort and relieve them according to their several necessities, giving them patience under their sufferings, and a happy issue out of all their afflictions. And this we pray for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.
+ Sovereign Lord: We pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
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- Protect Israel from the fiery darts of the evil one coming from every direction, both within and without.
- Grant your heavenly wisdom to those guiding Israel militarily, politically, diplomatically; and
- Give them hearts to receive, and the courage to do, what’s right in your sight.
- Comfort those who grieve and mourn the loss of loved ones; and
- Rebuke those who would use grief for evil purposes.
- Bring swift and certain justice to all those complicit in the Oct 7th atrocities; and
- Deliver the hostages from captivity, and restore their souls.
- Destroy every stronghold of the evil death cult terrorizing the Middle East.
- Strengthen the Messianic communities – Jew and Arab alike – bind them together in love, that they may be a source of help, healing, and hope; and
- Use them in the restoration of your people to their proper place in your Kingdom.
- We pray 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.
Jesus said to them, “Suppose one of you has a sheep. If it falls into a pit on a day of rest—a holy day, wouldn’t you take hold of it and lift it out? Certainly, a human is more valuable than a sheep! So it is right to do good on the day of rest—a holy day.”
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