Tag: jesus

The Sunday after Ascension, 24 May 2020 – John 17:1-11, Psalm 27, 1 Peter 4:13-16 ~ protect and unite us by the power of your name.

The Sunday after Ascension, 24 May 2020, 24 May 2020 

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

Opening:

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.”

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“Jesus Shall Reign” – Tarkwa Crusaders Choral -Ghana.

1 Jesus shall reign where’er the sun does its successive journeys run,
his kingdom stretch from shore to shore, till moons shall wax and wane no more.

2 To him shall endless prayer be made, and praises throng to crown his head.
His name like sweet perfume shall rise with every morning sacrifice.

3 People and realms of every tongue dwell on his love with sweetest song,
and infant voices shall proclaim their early blessings on his name.

4 Blessings abound where’er he reigns: the prisoners leap to lose their chains,
the weary find eternal rest, and all who suffer want are blest.

5 Let every creature rise and bring the highest honors to our King,
angels descend with songs again, and earth repeat the loud amen.
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A Reading from the Gospels: John 17:1-11 (NLT)

The Prayer of Jesus

After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.

“I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.

“My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are.
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Psalm 27 (One Thing) – Shane & Shane

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Prayers of Intercession:

Lord God: My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”
Hear us as we pray, O Lord. Be merciful and answer us!

+ You are our light and our salvation, guide us through the dark valleys of these days….
+ You are our light and our salvation, teach us how to live under the shadow of death….
+ You are our light and our salvation, show us how to lift our heads high and sing your praises….

+ You are our fortress, keep us on a high rock out of danger’s reach and deliver us from fear….
+ You are our fortress, fill us with faith and confidence even though we are surrounded by enemies….
+ You are our fortress, defend us, cause our enemies to stumble and fall when they attack us….

+ You are our sanctuary, hold us close to you, that we may delight in you….
+ You are our sanctuary, hold us close to you, that we may live with you forever….
+ You are our sanctuary, hold us close to you, that we may stay focused on you….

+ You are our helper, don’t leave us or reject us in these times of trouble….
+ You are our helper, heal the sick and those dying from this world-wide plague…
+ You are our helper, be ever-present with those who are isolated and alone….

Lord God: I am confident I will see your goodness while I am here in the land of the living.
Hear us as we pray, O Lord. Give us strength, courage, and patience as we wait for you.
Through Jesus Christ, your Son our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.
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A Reading from the Epistles: 1 Peter 4:13-16 (NLT)

Be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.

If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs. But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name!

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Rooftops – Jesus Culture

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Closing: John 14:1 (NLT)

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.
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+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Saturday of The 6th Week of Easter, 23 May 2020 – John 16:23-28, Acts 18:23-28, Psalm 47 ~ Jesus returns to the Father

Saturday of The 6th Week of Easter, 23 May 2020

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

Opening:

God and Father, your Son, at his ascension, promised the Holy Spirit to his apostles. They received abundant graces of wisdom from heaven: grant us, also, we pray, the gifts of your Spirit. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

“I came from the Father into the world,
and now I will leave the world and return to the Father.”

A Reading from the Gospels: John 16:23-28 (NLT)

At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.

“I have spoken of these matters in figures of speech, but soon I will stop speaking figuratively and will tell you plainly all about the Father. Then you will ask in my name. I’m not saying I will ask the Father on your behalf, for the Father himself loves you dearly because you love me and believe that I came from God. Yes, I came from the Father into the world, and now I will leave the world and return to the Father.”
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Responsorial Psalm 47:2-3, 8-9, 10 (NLT)T

+ The Lord Most High is awesome.
He is the great King of all the earth.

He subdues the nations before us,
putting our enemies beneath our feet.

+ The Lord Most High is awesome.
He is the great King of all the earth.

God reigns above the nations,
sitting on his holy throne.

+ The Lord Most High is awesome.
He is the great King of all the earth.

The rulers of the world have gathered together
with the people of the God of Abraham.

+ The Lord Most High is awesome.
He is the great King of all the earth.

For all the kings of the earth belong to God.
He is highly honored everywhere.

+ The Lord Most High is awesome.
He is the great King of all the earth.
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A Reading from the Book of Acts 18:23-28 (NLT)

Apollos Instructed at Ephesus

Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. He had been taught the way of the Lord, and he taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accuracy. However, he knew only about John’s baptism. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately.

Apollos had been thinking about going to Achaia, and the brothers and sisters in Ephesus encouraged him to go. They wrote to the believers in Achaia, asking them to welcome him. When he arrived there, he proved to be of great benefit to those who, by God’s grace, had believed. He refuted the Jews with powerful arguments in public debate. Using the Scriptures, he explained to them that Jesus was the Messiah.
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The Lord Reigns – Lindell Cooley Lyrics Living Waters Ministries

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Closing: John 16:27-28 (NLT)

“The Father himself loves you dearly because you love me and believe that I came from God. Yes, I came from the Father into the world, and now I will leave the world and return to the Father.”

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

Friday of The 6th Week of Easter, 22 May 2020 – John 16:20-23, Psalm 47:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, Acts 18:9-18 ~ your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy

Friday of The 6th Week of Easter, 22 May 2020

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

Opening:

Lord God, you restore us to eternal life by our Savior’s resurrection: place us at your right hand, where he is enthroned with you. You gave us a new birth in baptism: clothe us in the garment of eternal happiness when Christ comes in his glory. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again;
then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy.”

A Reading from the Gospels: John 16:20-23 (NLT)

I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world. So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy. At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name.
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What Wonderful Joy– The Sons of the Pioneers

Wonderful home, glorious home,
Oh it is mine, surely is mine,
Where Jesus now lives,
There in that home,
And I shall see
Glory sublime
Yes I will go, yes I will go
Ever to share,
With Him up there,
What wonderful joy to be with Him there!

Sometime I shall leave for a mansion in Heaven
That Jesus has gone to prepare,
For as He was leaving, a promise was given
What wonderful joy to be with Him there!

Oh soon I shall see all it’s beauty still clearer,
No mansion can with it compare
Each hour and each moment my mansion grows nearer,
What wonderful joy to be with Him there!
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A Reading from the Book of Acts: Acts 18:9-18 (NLT)

One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.” So Paul stayed there for the next year and a half, teaching the word of God.

But when Gallio became governor of Achaia, some Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him before the governor for judgment. They accused Paul of “persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to our law.”

But just as Paul started to make his defense, Gallio turned to Paul’s accusers and said, “Listen, you Jews, if this were a case involving some wrongdoing or a serious crime, I would have a reason to accept your case. But since it is merely a question of words and names and your Jewish law, take care of it yourselves. I refuse to judge such matters.” And he threw them out of the courtroom.

The crowd then grabbed Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him right there in the courtroom. But Gallio paid no attention.

Paul Returns to Antioch of Syria

Paul stayed in Corinth for some time after that, then said good-bye to the brothers and sisters and went to nearby Cenchrea. There he shaved his head according to Jewish custom, marking the end of a vow. Then he set sail for Syria, taking Priscilla and Aquila with him.
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Responsorial Psalm 47:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 (NLT)

+ Shout to God with joyful praise!

For the Lord Most High is awesome.
He is the great King of all the earth.
He subdues the nations before us,
putting our enemies beneath our feet.

+ Shout to God with joyful praise!

He chose the Promised Land as our inheritance,
the proud possession of Jacob’s descendants, whom he loves.
God has ascended with a mighty shout.
The Lord has ascended with trumpets blaring.

+ Shout to God with joyful praise!

Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises!
For God is the King over all the earth.
Praise him with a psalm.
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Psalm 47 (Shout to God) – Mercy Worship

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Closing: John 16:22 (NLT)

So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again;
then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy. 

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

The Ascension of the Lord, 21 May 2020 – Matthew 28:16-20, Acts 1:1-11, Psalm 47, Ephesians 1:17-23 ~ you will receive power

The Ascension of the Lord, 21 May 2020

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

Opening:

Almighty God, fill us with a holy joy; teach us how to thank you with reverence and love on account of the ascension of Christ your Son. You have raised us up with him: where he, the head, has preceded us in glory, there we, the body, are called in hope. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

“God has put all things under the authority of Christ”

A Reading from the Gospels: Matthew 28:16-20 (NLT)

The Great Commission

Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Psalm 47 (Psalm Project Africa)

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A Reading from the Book of Acts 1:1-11 (NLT)

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit. During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.

Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

The Ascension of Jesus

So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”

He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”
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Responsorial Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 (NLT)

+ God has ascended with a mighty shout.
The Lord has ascended with trumpets blaring.

For the Lord Most High is awesome.
He is the great King of all the earth.
He subdues the nations before us,
putting our enemies beneath our feet.

+ God has ascended with a mighty shout.
The Lord has ascended with trumpets blaring.

Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises!
For God is the King over all the earth.
Praise him with a psalm.

+ God has ascended with a mighty shout.
The Lord has ascended with trumpets blaring.

God reigns above the nations,
sitting on his holy throne.
The rulers of the world have gathered together
with the people of the God of Abraham.
For all the kings of the earth belong to God.
He is highly honored everywhere.

+ God has ascended with a mighty shout.
The Lord has ascended with trumpets blaring.

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Most High (Psalm 47) – James Block

Closing: Ephesians 1:17-23 (NLT)

I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.
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+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Wednesday of The 6th Week of Easter, 20 May 2020 – John 16:12-15, Acts 17:15, 22—18:1, Psalm 148 ~ The Holy Spirit brings glory to Jesus.

Wednesday of The 6th Week of Easter, 20 May 2020

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

Opening:

O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

“The Holy Spirit will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.”

A Reading from the Gospels: John 16:12-15 (NLT)

There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’

A Reading from the Book of Acts 17:15, 22—18:1 (NLT)

Those escorting Paul went with him all the way to Athens; then they returned to Berea with instructions for Silas and Timothy to hurry and join him.
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So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about.

“He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.

“His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone.

“God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.”

When they heard Paul speak about the resurrection of the dead, some laughed in contempt, but others said, “We want to hear more about this later.” That ended Paul’s discussion with them, but some joined him and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the council, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
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Then Paul left Athens and went to Corinth
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Responsorial Psalm Psalm 148:1-2, 11-12, 13, 14  (NLT)

+ Let every created thing give praise to the Lord,
for he issued his command, and they came into being.

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens!
Praise him from the skies!
Praise him, all his angels!
Praise him, all the armies of heaven!

+ Let every created thing give praise to the Lord,
for he issued his command, and they came into being.

Praise him, sun and moon!
Praise him, all you twinkling stars!
Praise him, skies above!
Praise him, vapors high above the clouds!
He set them in place forever and ever.
His decree will never be revoked.

+ Let every created thing give praise to the Lord,
for he issued his command, and they came into being.

Praise the Lord from the earth,
you creatures of the ocean depths,
fire and hail, snow and clouds,
wind and weather that obey him,
mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
wild animals and all livestock,
small scurrying animals and birds,
kings of the earth and all people,
rulers and judges of the earth,
young men and young women,
old men and children.

+ Let every created thing give praise to the Lord,
for he issued his command, and they came into being.

Let them all praise the name of the Lord.
For his name is very great;
his glory towers over the earth and heaven!
He has made his people strong,
honoring his faithful ones—
the people of Israel who are close to him.

+ Let every created thing give praise to the Lord,
for he issued his command, and they came into being.

Praise the Lord!
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Psalm 148 (Highly Exalted) – Sixteen Cities

Closing: Acts 17:28

For in God we live and move and exist.

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