After Pentecost | Wednesday 03 Jul 2024
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
O God, your never-failing providence
sets in order all things both in heaven and on earth:
Put away from us all hurtful things,
and give us those things that are profitable for us;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Jesus said to him, “As far as possibilities go,
everything is possible for the person who believes.”
(Mark 9:23)
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From Psalms: Psalm 18 – “Overcome” – James Block
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OT Reading: 1 Chronicles 10:1-14 (GW)
The Death of Saul
10:1 When the Philistines fought against Israel, the men of Israel fled from the Philistines and were killed in battle on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines caught up to Saul and his sons. They killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons. The heaviest fighting was against Saul. When the archers got him in their range, he was wounded by them.
Saul told his armorbearer, “Draw your sword! Stab me, or these godless men will come and make fun of me.” But his armorbearer refused because he was terrified. So Saul took the sword and fell on it. When the armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on the sword and died. So Saul, his three sons, and his dynasty died together.
When all the people of Israel in the valley saw that ⌞their army⌟ had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities. So the Philistines came to live in these cities.
The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his sons lying on Mount Gilboa. They stripped him and took his head and his armor. Then they sent men throughout Philistine territory to tell their idols and the people this good news. They put his armor in the temple of their gods and fastened his head to the temple of Dagon.
When all the people of Jabesh Gilead heard about everything the Philistines had done to Saul, all the fighting men came and took away the dead bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. They buried the bones under the oak tree in Jabesh. Then they fasted seven days.
So Saul died because of his unfaithfulness to the Lord: He did not obey the Lord’s word. He asked a medium to request information ⌞from a dead person⌟. He didn’t request information from the Lord. So the Lord killed him and turned the kingship over to David, Jesse’s son.
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King David – Yamma Ensemble / biblical Hebrew translated and pronunciation subtitles
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NT Reading: Mark 9:14-29 (GW)
Jesus Cures a Demon-Possessed Boy
9:14 When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them. Some experts in Moses’ Teachings were arguing with them. All the people were very surprised to see Jesus and ran to welcome him.
Jesus asked the experts in Moses’ Teachings, “What are you arguing about with them?”
A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son. He is possessed by a spirit that won’t let him talk. Whenever the spirit brings on a seizure, it throws him to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes exhausted. I asked your disciples to force the spirit out, but they didn’t have the power to do it.”
Jesus said to them, “You unbelieving generation! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to me!”
They brought the boy to him. As soon as the spirit saw Jesus, it threw the boy into convulsions. He fell on the ground, rolled around, and foamed at the mouth.
Jesus asked his father, “How long has he been like this?”
The father replied, “He has been this way since he was a child. The demon has often thrown him into fire or into water to destroy him. If it’s possible for you, put yourself in our place, and help us!”
Jesus said to him, “As far as possibilities go, everything is possible for the person who believes.”
The child’s father cried out at once, “I believe! Help my lack of faith.”
When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he gave an order to the evil spirit. He said, “You spirit that won’t let him talk, I command you to come out of him and never enter him again.”
The evil spirit screamed, shook the child violently, and came out. The boy looked as if he were dead, and everyone said, “He’s dead!”
Jesus took his hand and helped him to stand up.
When Jesus went into a house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we force the spirit out of the boy?”
He told them, “This kind of spirit can be forced out only by prayer.”
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Only Believe – Elvis Presley | Jesus Christ is my Lord
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+ O Almighty God, you pour out on all who desire it the spirit of grace and of supplication: Deliver us, when we draw near to you, from coldness of heart and wanderings of mind, that with steadfast thoughts and kindled affections we may worship you in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
+ 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.
+ 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, and diplomatically;
- 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;
- Rebuke those who would use grief for evil purposes.
- Bring swift and certain justice to all those complicit in the Oct 7th atrocities;
- 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, and healing, and hope;
- Use them in the restoration of your people to their proper place in your Kingdom.
- We pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
+ O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength: By the might of your Spirit lift us, we pray, into your presence, where we may be still and know that you are God; through 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.
With him we have sent our Christian brother whom all the churches praise for the way he tells the Good News. More than that, the churches elected him to travel with us and bring this gift of God’s kindness. We are administering it in a way that brings glory to the Lord and shows that we are doing it willingly. We don’t want anyone to find fault with the way we are administering this generous gift. We intend to do what is right, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of people.
In the crowd was a woman who had been suffering from chronic bleeding for twelve years. Although she had been under the care of many doctors and had spent all her money, she had not been helped at all. Actually, she had become worse. Since she had heard about Jesus, she came from behind in the crowd and touched his clothes. She said, “If I can just touch his clothes, I’ll get well.” Her bleeding stopped immediately. She felt cured from her illness.
In the synagogue was a man possessed by a spirit, an evil demon. He shouted very loudly, “Oh, no! What do you want with us, Jesus from Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
The Peanut Gallery 