After Pentecost | Thursday 21 Nov 2024
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
Stir up, O Lord,
the wills of your faithful people,
that bringing forth in abundance
the fruit of good works, they may be
abundantly rewarded when our Savior Jesus Christ
comes to restore all things;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
So Stephen said,
“Look, I see heaven opened and the Son of Man
in the honored position —
the one next to God the Father
on the throne!”
(Acts 7:56)
__________
From the Psalms: Psalm 132 | Covenant King / Psalter Project
_________
OT Reading: 2 Kings 22:1-10 (GW)
King Josiah of Judah
22:1 Josiah was 8 years old when he began to rule, and he was king for 31 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jedidah, daughter of Adaiah from Bozkath. Josiah did what the Lord considered right. He lived in the ways of his ancestor David and never stopped.
The Book of the Lord’s Teachings Found in the Temple
22:3 In Josiah’s eighteenth year as king of Judah, he sent the scribe Shaphan, son of Azaliah and grandson of Meshullam, to the Lord’s temple with these instructions: “Go to the chief priest Hilkiah. Have him count the money that has been brought into the Lord’s temple, ⌞the money⌟ that the doorkeepers have collected from the people. Give ⌞some of⌟ it to the foremen who are in charge of the Lord’s temple. They should give it to the workmen who are making repairs on the Lord’s temple. (These workers include the carpenters, builders, and masons.) Also, use ⌞the rest of⌟ the money to buy lumber and quarried stones to repair the temple. Since the workmen are honest, don’t require them to account for the money you give them.”
The chief priest Hilkiah told the scribe Shaphan, “I have found the Book of Moses’ Teachings in the Lord’s temple.” Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who then read it.
The scribe Shaphan went to the king and reported, “We have taken the money donated in the temple and have given it to the workmen who are in charge of the Lord’s temple.” Then the scribe Shaphan told the king, “The priest Hilkiah has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it to the king.
__________
Ancient Words | Michael W. Smith / 1BelovedSon
__________
NT Reading: Acts 7:54-8:1 (GW)
Stephen Is Executed
7:54 As council members listened to Stephen, they became noticeably furious. But Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit. He looked into heaven, saw God’s glory, and Jesus in the honored position—the one next to God the Father on the heavenly throne. So Stephen said, “Look, I see heaven opened and the Son of Man in the honored position—the one next to God the Father on the throne!”
But the council members shouted and refused to listen. Then they rushed at Stephen with one purpose in mind, and after they had thrown him out of the city, they began to stone him to death. The witnesses left their coats with a young man named Saul.
While council members were executing Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, welcome my spirit.” Then he knelt down and shouted, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them.” After he had said this, he died.
Saul approved of putting Stephen to death.
8:1 On that day widespread persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem. Most believers, except the apostles, were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
__________
I Saw the Lord | Dallas Holm / Emmanuel Church Eastleigh
__________
Te Deum Laudamus
+ We Praise You, O God
We praise you, O God; we acclaim you as Lord; *
all creation worships you, the Father everlasting.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, *
the cherubim and seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of power and might, *
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you. *
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you. *
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you:
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all praise, *
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
You, Christ, are the king of glory, *
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you took our flesh to set us free *
you humbly chose the Virgin’s womb.
You overcame the sting of death *
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God’s right hand in glory. *
We believe that you will come to be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people, *
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints *
to glory everlasting.
Go before us, O Lord, in all our doings with your most gracious favor, and further us with your continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in you, we may glorify your holy Name, and finally, through your mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Sovereign Lord: We pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
+ Do what only you can do to make your faithful people the blessing promised to every family on earth.
+ Protect them from the assaults of the evil one, coming from every direction and in every form.
+ Grant your heavenly wisdom to Israel’s leadership; give them the courage to do what’s right in your sight.
+ Comfort all those who mourn the loss of loved ones; deliver the hostages from captivity and restore their souls.
+ Destroy every stronghold and every expression of the evil death cult terrorizing the Middle East.
+ Protect the Israel Defense Forces and every soldier engaged in their mission to root out this evil.
+ Strengthen the Messianic communities; use them to restore your faithful people to their proper place in your kingdom.
+ Unify your faithful people around your promise to Abraham – to bless every family on earth through them.
+ Intervene in the Middle East in ways that only you can; protect the innocent and punish the guilty, that all may live in peace.
We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Gracious and holy Father, please give me intellect to understand you, reason to discern you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, a spirit to know you, a heart to meditate upon you, ears to hear you, eyes to see you, a tongue to proclaim you, a way of life pleasing to you, patience to wait for you, and perseverance to look for you. Grant me a perfect end, your holy presence, a blessed resurrection, and life everlasting. Amen. | Benedict of Nursia
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.
“Brother will hand over brother to death; a father will hand over his child. Children will rebel against their parents and kill them. Everyone will hate you because you are committed to me. But the person who endures to the end will be saved.
So don’t lose your confidence. It will bring you a great reward. You need endurance so that after you have done what God wants you to do, you can receive what he has promised.
10:26 If we go on sinning after we have learned the truth, no sacrifice can take away our sins. All that is left is a terrifying wait for judgment and a raging fire that will consume God’s enemies. If two or three witnesses accused someone of rejecting Moses’ Teachings, that person was shown no mercy as he was executed. What do you think a person who shows no respect for the Son of God deserves? That person looks at the blood of the promise (the blood that made him holy) as no different from other people’s blood, and he insults the Spirit that God gave us out of his kindness. He deserves a much worse punishment. We know the God who said,
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives facing the temple buildings, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will this happen? What will be the sign when all this will come to an end?”
The Peanut Gallery 