Tag: jesus

Easter Week | Wednesday 03 Apr 2024: Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; Song of Solomon 3:1-11; Mark 16:1-8 ~ Don’t be afraid: I am going ahead of you.

Easter Week | Wednesday 03 Apr 2024

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

Opening:

O God, whose blessed Son
made himself known to his disciples
in the breaking of bread:
Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him
in the fullness of his redeeming work;
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and for ever. Amen.

“Go and tell his disciples and Peter
that he’s going ahead of them to Galilee.
There they will see him, just as he told them.”
(Mark 16:7)

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From Psalms: Psalm 118 | “His Steadfast Love Endures Forever” – Jason Silver

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OT Reading: Song of Solomon 3 (GW)

The Young Woman Dreams about Searching for Her Beloved
[ BRIDE ]
3:1 Night after night on my bed
I looked for the one I love.
I looked for him but did not find him.
I will get up now and roam around the city,
in the streets, and in the squares.
I will look for the one I love.
I looked for him but did not find him.
The watchmen making their rounds in the city found me.
⌞I asked,⌟ “Have you seen the one I love?”
I had just left them when I found the one I love.
I held on to him and would not let him go
until I had brought him into my mother’s house,
into the bedroom of the one who conceived me.

Young women of Jerusalem, swear to me
by the gazelles
or by the does in the field,
that you will not awaken love
or arouse love before its proper time.

A Description of the Royal Procession
[ THE CHORUS OF YOUNG WOMEN ]

3:6 Who is this young woman coming up from the wilderness
like clouds of smoke?
She is perfumed with myrrh and incense
made from the merchants’ scented powders.
Look! Solomon’s sedan chair!
Sixty soldiers from the army of Israel surround it.
All of them are skilled in using swords,
experienced in combat.
Each one has his sword at his side
and guards against the terrors of the night.
King Solomon had a carriage made for himself
from the wood of Lebanon.
He had its posts made out of silver,
its top out of gold,
its seat out of purple fabric.
Its inside—with inlaid scenes of love—
was made by the young women of Jerusalem.
Young women of Zion, come out and look at King Solomon!
Look at his crown,
the crown his mother placed on him on his wedding day,
his day of joyful delight.

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Dance With Me/Glory Come Down: Jewish & Gentile artists worshipping Jesus from rooftop in Jerusalem

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NT Reading: Mark 16:1-8 (GW)

Jesus Comes Back to Life

16:1 When the day of rest—a holy day, was over, Mary from Magdala, Mary (the mother of James), and Salome bought spices to go and anoint Jesus.

On Sunday they were going to the tomb very early when the sun had just come up. They said to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away. It was a very large stone. As they went into the tomb, they saw a young man. He was dressed in a white robe and sat on the right side. They were panic-stricken.

The young man said to them, “Don’t panic! You’re looking for Jesus from Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been brought back to life. He’s not here. Look at the place where they laid him. Go and tell his disciples and Peter that he’s going ahead of them to Galilee. There they will see him, just as he told them.”

They went out of the tomb and ran away. Shock and trembling had overwhelmed them. They didn’t say a thing to anyone, because they were afraid.

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Be not afraid I go before you always – St Laurence’s Church Chorley

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ O God, our heavenly Father, you manifested your love by sending your only-begotten Son into the world, that all might live through him: Pour out your Spirit on your Church, that we may fulfill his command to preach the Gospel to all people. Send forth laborers into your harvest; defend them in all dangers and temptations; and hasten the time when the fullness of the Gentiles shall be gathered in, and faithful Israel shall be saved; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ Lord of Heaven’s Armies, we pray for swift justice and total victory over all evil in the Holy Land. Deliver the hostages from captivity and restore their souls. Destroy every stronghold of the evil death cult terrorizing the Middle East. And grant your heavenly wisdom to those guiding Israel militarily, politically, diplomatically – and especially to those who will restore Israel spiritually – through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ Almighty God our Savior, you desire that none should perish, and you have taught us through your Son that there is great joy in heaven over every sinner who repents: Grant that our hearts may ache for a lost and broken world. May your Holy Spirit work through our words, deeds, and prayers, that the lost may be found and the dead made alive, and that all your redeemed may rejoice around your throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch

May the risen Christ grant us the joys of eternal life.

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

Easter Week | Tuesday 02 Apr 2024: Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; Genesis 1:20-2:4; 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 ~ Our risen bodies will live forever.

Easter Week | Tuesday 02 Apr 2024

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

Opening:

O God, who by the glorious resurrection
of your Son Jesus Christ destroyed death
and brought life and immortality to light:
Grant that we, who have been raised with him,
may abide in his presence and rejoice
in the hope of eternal glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

This mortal body must be changed
into a body that will live forever.
(1 Corinthians 15:53b)

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From Psalms: Psalm 118 – This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad (Responsorial Psalm) | EVA

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OT Reading: Genesis 1:20-2:4 (GW)

The Creation (continued)

+ 1:20 Then God said, “Let the water swarm with swimming creatures, and let birds fly through the sky over the earth.” So God created the large sea creatures, every type of creature that swims around in the water and every type of flying bird. God saw that they were good. God blessed them and said, “Be fertile, increase in number, fill the sea, and let there be many birds on the earth.” There was evening, then morning—a fifth day.

+ Then God said, “Let the earth produce every type of living creature: every type of domestic animal, crawling animal, and wild animal.” And so it was. God made every type of wild animal, every type of domestic animal, and every type of creature that crawls on the ground. God saw that they were good.

Then God said, “Let us make humans in our image, in our likeness. Let them rule the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the domestic animals all over the earth, and all the animals that crawl on the earth.”

So God created humans in his image.
In the image of God he created them.
He created them male and female.

God blessed them and said, “Be fertile, increase in number, fill the earth, and be its master. Rule the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that crawl on the earth.”

God said, “I have given you every plant with seeds on the face of the earth and every tree that has fruit with seeds. This will be your food. I have given all green plants as food to every land animal, every bird in the sky, and every animal that crawls on the earth—every living, breathing animal.” And so it was.

And God saw everything that he had made and that it was very good. There was evening, then morning—the sixth day.

+ Heaven and earth and everything in them were finished. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing. On the seventh day he stopped the work he had been doing. Then God blessed the seventh day and set it apart as holy, because on that day he stopped all his work of creation.

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Creation Sings (live) – ICF Worship

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NT Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 (GW)

15:50 Brothers and sisters, this is what I mean: Flesh and blood cannot inherit God’s kingdom. What decays cannot inherit what doesn’t decay.

I’m telling you a mystery. Not all of us will die, but we will all be changed. It will happen in an instant, in a split second at the sound of the last trumpet. Indeed, that trumpet will sound, and then the dead will come back to life. They will be changed so that they can live forever. This body that decays must be changed into a body that cannot decay. This mortal body must be changed into a body that will live forever. When this body that decays is changed into a body that cannot decay, and this mortal body is changed into a body that will live forever, then the teaching of Scripture will come true:

“Death is turned into victory!
Death, where is your victory?
Death, where is your sting?”

Sin gives death its sting, and God’s standards give sin its power. Thank God that he gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

So, then, brothers and sisters, don’t let anyone move you off the foundation ⌞of your faith⌟. Always excel in the work you do for the Lord. You know that the hard work you do for the Lord is not pointless.

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I Will Rise – Chris Tomlin

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ O heavenly Father, you have filled the world with beauty: Open our eyes to behold your gracious hand in all your works; that, rejoicing in your whole creation, we may learn to serve you with gladness; for the sake of him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ 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.

+ Lord of Heaven’s Armies, we pray for swift justice and total victory over all evil in the Holy Land. Deliver the hostages from captivity and restore their souls. Destroy every stronghold of the evil death cult terrorizing the Middle East. And grant your heavenly wisdom to those guiding Israel militarily, politically, diplomatically – and especially to those who will restore Israel spiritually – through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ Hasten, O Father, the coming of your kingdom; and grant that we your servants, who now live by faith, may with joy behold your Son at his coming in glorious majesty; even Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.

Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch

May the risen Christ grant us the joys of eternal life.

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

Easter Week | Monday 01 Apr 2024: Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; Genesis 1:1-19; 1 Corinthians 15:35-49 ~ What will our risen bodies be like?

Easter Week | Monday 01 Apr 2024

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

Opening:

Grant, we pray, Almighty God,
that we who celebrate with reverence the Paschal feast
may be made worthy to attain to everlasting joys;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

But someone will ask,
“How do the dead come back to life?
With what kind of body will they come back?”
(1 Corinthians 15:35)

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From Psalms: Psalm 118: Alleluia | Bob Hurd and Ken Canedo [Official Lyric Video]

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OT Reading: Genesis 1:1-19 (GW)

The Creation

1:1 In the beginning God created heaven and earth.

The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep water. The Spirit of God was hovering over the water.

+ Then God said, “Let there be light!” So there was light. God saw the light was good. So God separated the light from the darkness. God named the light day, and the darkness he named night. There was evening, then morning—the first day.

+ Then God said, “Let there be a horizon in the middle of the water in order to separate the water.” So God made the horizon and separated the water above and below the horizon. And so it was. God named ⌞what was above⌟ the horizon sky. There was evening, then morning—a second day.

+ Then God said, “Let the water under the sky come together in one area, and let the dry land appear.” And so it was. God named the dry land earth. The water which came together he named sea. God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth produce vegetation: plants bearing seeds, each according to its own type, and fruit trees bearing fruit with seeds, each according to its own type.” And so it was. The earth produced vegetation: plants bearing seeds, each according to its own type, and trees bearing fruit with seeds, each according to its own type. God saw that they were good. There was evening, then morning—a third day.

+ Then God said, “Let there be lights in the sky to separate the day from the night. They will be signs and will mark religious festivals, days, and years. They will be lights in the sky to shine on the earth.” And so it was. God made the two bright lights: the larger light to rule the day and the smaller light to rule the night. He also made the stars. God put them in the sky to give light to the earth, to dominate the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good. There was evening, then morning—a fourth day.

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Creation Song – Fernando Ortega (Live) / cri

He wraps Himself in Light
As with a garment,
He spreads out the Heavens
And walks on the wings of the wind.
He sends forth the springs from the valleys
The flow between mountains
The birds of the air dwell by the waters,
Lifting their voices in song…

Singing Glory, Glory,
Glory to the Lamb!
All Praises and Honor forever.

He made the moon for its season,
The sun knows it setting
He looks at the Earth and it trembles,
He touches the mountains and they smoke.
I will sing to the Lord all my Life,
I will sing praises to my God –
As long as I live,
Praises to the Lord, oh my Soul…

Singing Glory, Hallelujah!
Glory to our God!
All Praises and Honor forever.

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NT Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:35-49 (GW)

We Will Have Bodies That Will Not Decay

15:35 But someone will ask, “How do the dead come back to life? With what kind of body will they come back?”

You fool! The seed you plant doesn’t come to life unless it dies first. What you plant, whether it’s wheat or something else, is only a seed. It doesn’t have the form that the plant will have. God gives the plant the form he wants it to have. Each kind of seed grows into its own form. Not all flesh is the same. Humans have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds have another, and fish have still another. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. Heavenly bodies don’t all have the same splendor, neither do earthly bodies. The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon has another kind of splendor, and the stars have still another kind of splendor. Even one star differs in splendor from another star.

That is how it will be when the dead come back to life. When the body is planted, it decays. When it comes back to life, it cannot decay. When the body is planted, it doesn’t have any splendor and is weak. When it comes back to life, it has splendor and is strong. It is planted as a physical body. It comes back to life as a spiritual body. As there is a physical body, so there is also a spiritual body.

This is what Scripture says: “The first man, Adam, became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. The spiritual does not come first, but the physical and then the spiritual. The first man was made from the dust of the earth. He came from the earth. The second man came from heaven. The people on earth are like the man who was made from the dust of the earth. The people in heaven are like the man who came from heaven. As we have worn the likeness of the man who was made from the dust of the earth, we will also wear the likeness of the man who came from heaven.

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I Will Rise | Easter and Ascension Song | Chris Tomlin | Choir w/Lyrics SATB | Sunday 7pm Choir

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ Most loving Father, you will us to give thanks for all things, to dread nothing but the loss of you, and to cast all our care on the One who cares for us. Preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, and grant that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that love which is  immortal, and which you have manifested unto us in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ Lord of Heaven’s Armies, we pray for swift justice and total victory over all evil in the Holy Land. Deliver the hostages from captivity and restore their souls. Destroy every stronghold of the evil death cult terrorizing the Middle East. And grant your heavenly wisdom to those guiding Israel militarily, politically, diplomatically – and especially to those who will restore Israel spiritually – through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ 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

May the risen Christ grant us the joys of eternal life.

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

Holy Week | Holy Saturday 30 Mar 2024: Job 14:1-14; Psalm 130; 1 Peter 4:1-8; Matthew 27:57-66 ~ Jesus: dead, buried and secured.

Holy Week | Holy Saturday 30 Mar 2024

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

Opening:

O God, Creator of heaven and earth:
Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son
was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath,
so we may await with him the coming of the third day,
and rise with him to newness of life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

So [the Chief Priests and Pharisees] went to secure the tomb.
They placed a seal on the stone
and posted the soldiers on guard duty.
(Matthew 27:66)

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Reading from the OT: Job 14:1-14 (GW)

Job Continues: Consider My Frail Human Nature, God

14:1 “A person who is born of a woman is short-lived and is full of trouble.
He comes up like a flower; then he withers.
He is like a fleeting shadow; he doesn’t stay long.
You observe this
and call me to account to you.

“If only an unclean person could become clean!
It’s not possible.
If the number of his days
and the number of his months are determined by you,
and you set his limit,
then he cannot go past it.
Look away from him, and he will cease to be.
Meanwhile, he loves life as a laborer loves work.
There is hope for a tree when it is cut down.
It will sprout again.
Its shoots will not stop sprouting.
If its roots grow old in the ground
and its stump dies in the soil,
merely a scent of water will make it sprout
and grow branches like a plant.
But a human dies and is powerless.
A person breathes his last breath, and where is he?
⌞As⌟ water drains out of a lake,
or ⌞as⌟ a river dries up completely,
so each person lies down
and does not rise until the heavens cease to exist.
He does not wake up.
He is not awakened from his sleep.
I wish you would hide me in Sheol
and keep me hidden there until your anger cools.
Set a specific time for me when you will remember me.

“If a person dies, will he go on living?
I will wait for my relief to come
as long as my hard labor continues.

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From the Psalms: Psalm 130 – Poor Bishop Hooper

out of the depths i cry to you oh lord
hear my voice let your ears hear my cry
if you oh lord kept a record of wrong
who could stand oh my god who could stand

but with you there is forgiveness
therefore you you are feared

wait for the lord oh my soul waits
and in his word only do i put my hope
my soul waits for the lord more than the watchmen
wait for the bright morning to come

israel hope in the lord
he himself will redeem

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Reading from the NT Letters: 1 Peter 4:1-8 (GW)

4:1 Since Christ has suffered physically, take the same attitude that he had. (A person who has suffered physically no longer sins.) That way you won’t be guided by sinful human desires as you live the rest of your lives on earth. Instead, you will be guided by what God wants you to do. You spent enough time in the past doing what unbelievers like to do. You were promiscuous, had sinful desires, got drunk, went to wild parties, and took part in the forbidden worship of false gods. Unbelievers insult you now because they are surprised that you no longer join them in the same excesses of wild living. They will give an account to the one who is ready to judge the living and the dead. After all, the Good News was told to people like that, although they are now dead. It was told to them so that they could be judged like humans in their earthly lives and live like God in their spiritual lives.

The end of everything is near. Therefore, practice self-control, and keep your minds clear so that you can pray. Above all, love each other warmly, because love covers many sins.

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Reading from the Gospels: Matthew 27:57-66 (GW)

Jesus Is Placed in a Tomb

27:57 In the evening a rich man named Joseph arrived. He was from the city of Arimathea and had become a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate ordered that it be given to him.

Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. Then he laid it in his own new tomb, which had been cut in a rock. After rolling a large stone against the door of the tomb, he went away. Mary from Magdala and the other Mary were sitting there, facing the tomb.

The Chief Priests and Pharisees Secure Jesus’ Tomb

27:62 The next day, which was the day of rest—a holy day, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together and went to Pilate. They said, “Sir, we remember how that deceiver said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will be brought back to life.’ Therefore, give the order to make the tomb secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may steal him and say to the people, ‘He has been brought back to life.’ Then the last deception will be worse than the first.”

Pilate told them, “You have the soldiers you want for guard duty. Go and make the tomb as secure as you know how.”

So they went to secure the tomb. They placed a seal on the stone and posted the soldiers on guard duty.

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The Lord’s Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

+ Give us this day our daily bread.

+ And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those a who trespass against us.

+ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Closing: ACNA | BCP2019

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore.
Amen.

Holy Week | Good Friday 29 Mar 2024: John 18-19 ~ “The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Holy Week | Good Friday 29 Mar 2024

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

Opening:

Almighty God, we beseech you graciously to behold this your
family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be
betrayed and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death
upon the Cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

[ On Good Friday, believers remember
the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, with all its solemnity and sorrow.

On that day:
The Lord of Life was rejected, mocked, scourged, and then put to death on the Cross. Christ took all sin upon himself, in obedience to his Father’s will.

By the Cross we are redeemed, set free from bondage to sin and death. The Cross is a sign of God’s never-ending love for us. It is a sign of life, in the midst of death.]

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The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ | St. John Sung Gospel | Good Friday | 20 Art Masterpieces (30 min)

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The Lord’s Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

+ Give us this day our daily bread.

+ And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

+ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Closing: ACNA | BCP2019

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, we pray you to set your passion, Cross, and death between your judgment and our souls, now and in the hour of our death. Give mercy and grace to the living; peace and rest to the dead; to your holy Church unity and concord; and to us sinners everlasting life and glory; for with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, one God, now and for ever. Amen.