Praying the Psalms: Mon, 08 Oct – Psalm 86 ~ Send me a sign of your favor.

Praying the Psalms

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

Opening – (Northumbria Community)

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.
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Morning Reading: Psalm 86 (NLT) (A prayer of David)

Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help. Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God. Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly. Give me happiness, O Lord, for I give myself to you. O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help. Listen closely to my prayer, O Lord; hear my urgent cry. I will call to you whenever I’m in trouble, and you will answer me.

No pagan god is like you, O Lord. None can do what you do! All the nations you made will come and bow before you, Lord; they will praise your holy name. For you are great and perform wonderful deeds. You alone are God.

Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you. With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever, for your love for me is very great. You have rescued me from the depths of death.

O God, insolent people rise up against me; a violent gang is trying to kill me. You mean nothing to them. But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. Look down and have mercy on me. Give your strength to your servant; save me, the son of your servant. Send me a sign of your favor. Then those who hate me will be put to shame, for you, O Lord, help and comfort me.
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Morning Prayer

O Lord our God: We come to you as people who are poor and needy, regardless of our position or status in life –

+ for we need wisdom and understanding, pardon and purity, and power…
+ for we need mercy, the forgiveness of our sins, and hope of eternal life…
+ for we need faith in your essential goodness and loving-kindness…
+ for we need godliness and persistence in prayer…
+ for we need understanding of your will…
+ for we need readiness to obey…

O Lord our God: We come to you as people who are poor and needy, hear our prayers –

+ for you are incomparable – there is no one like you…
+ for you are mighty – no one who can do what you do…
+ for you are glorious – no one else is worthy of worship…
+ for you are great – no one is higher than you…

O Lord our God: We come to you as people who are poor and needy; thank you for sending us a sign of your kindness. Unite our hearts with yours, that we might live continually in your presence, seeking truth, righteousness, and justice – through your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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“Psalm 86″(Hear, O LORD, and Answer Me) – Monte Vigh


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Blessing – (Northumbrian Community)

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost – 07 Oct – Mark 10:2-16 – God’s plan: one man, one woman, one marriage, one lifetime.

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

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

Opening Prayer

Keep, O Lord, your household the Church in continual godliness; that through your protection we may be free from all adversities, and devotedly serve you in good works, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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“In All The Earth” (Psalm 8) – John Alexander Wilson, The Free Church of Scotland


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Gospel Reading: Mark 10:2-16 (NLT)

Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question: “Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife?”

Jesus answered them with a question: “What did Moses say in the law about divorce?”

“Well, he permitted it,” they replied. “He said a man can give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away.”

But Jesus responded, “He wrote this commandment only as a concession to your hard hearts. But ‘God made them male and female’ from the beginning of creation. ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.”

Later, when he was alone with his disciples in the house, they brought up the subject again. He told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries someone else, she commits adultery.”

One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.

When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.
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Prayers of Intercession:

Eternal God, creator and preserver of all life, author of salvation, and giver of all grace: Look with favor upon all men and and women whom you made one flesh in marriage, and enable us to fulfill the vows we have made –

+ Grant us wisdom and devotion in the ordering of our common life, that we may be to each other a partner in prayer, a strength in need, a counselor in perplexity, a comfort in sorrow, and a companion in joy…. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

+ Grant that our wills may be so knit together in your will, and our spirits in your Spirit, that we may grow in love and devotion to you and with one another all the days of our lives…. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

+ Give us courage, when we hurt each other, to recognize and acknowledge our faults, to seek your forgiveness, and to forgive and be reconciled to one another…. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

+ May our union in marriage be a sign of the love between Christ and his Church, and a joyful witness to the world…. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

+ Grant us, if it be your will, the gift and heritage of children, and the grace to bring them up to know you, to love you, and to serve you…. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

+ Grant that we may so love, honor, and cherish each other in faithfulness and patience, in wisdom and true godliness, that our homes may be a haven of blessing and peace…. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Eternal God, bless all men and and women whom you made one flesh in marriage, and enable us to fulfill the vows we have made through faith and trust in Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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“The Wedding Song ( There Is Love )” – Noel Paul Stookey

He is now to be among you at the calling of your hearts
Rest assured this troubadour is acting on his part
The union of your spirits here has caused him to remain
For whenever two or more of you are gathered in his name
There is love
There is love

Well a man shall leave his mother and a woman leave her home
They shall travel on to where the two shall be as one
As it was in the beginning, is now until the end
Woman draws her life from man and gives it back again
And there is love
There is love

Well then what’s to be reason for becoming man and wife
Is it love that brings you here, or love that brings you life
For if loving is the answer, then who’s the giving for?
Do you believe in something that you’ve never seen before?
Oh, there’s love
Oh there’s love

Oh the marriage of your spirits here has caused him to remain
For whenever two or more of you are gathered in his name
There is love
Ah there’s love
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Blessing – Ephesians 3:20-21

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

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

Praying the Psalms: Sat, 06 Oct – Psalm 85 ~ Revive us again, O God of our salvation.

Praying the Psalms

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

Opening – (Northumbria Community)

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.
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Morning Reading: Psalm 85 (NLT) (A psalm of the descendants of Korah)

Lord, you poured out blessings on your land! You restored the fortunes of Israel. You forgave the guilt of your people—yes, you covered all their sins. You held back your fury. You kept back your blazing anger.

Now restore us again, O God of our salvation. Put aside your anger against us once more. Will you be angry with us always? Will you prolong your wrath to all generations? Won’t you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.

I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people. But let them not return to their foolish ways. Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, so our land will be filled with his glory.

Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed! Truth springs up from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven. Yes, the Lord pours down his blessings. Our land will yield its bountiful harvest. Righteousness goes as a herald before him, preparing the way for his steps.
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Morning Prayer

O Lord our God: Our ever-present help in times past –

+ for you have forgiven our sin and set us free from its bondage…
+ for you have restored our souls and set us on your path of life…
+ for you have allayed our fears and shown us your loving-kindness…

O Lord our God: Our ever-present help in these evil times –

+ expose our sin that we may repent and receive your mercy…
+ expose our disobedience that we may repent and receive your blessing…
+ expose our apostasy that we may repent and receive your salvation…

O Lord our God: Our ever-present help in times to come –

+ grant us your peace in our hearts, our homes, and our country…
+ grant us your mercy and truth in the administration of justice…
+ grant us your righteousness as revealed in your Son, Jesus Christ…

O Lord our God: Restore us as “One Nation Under God” – we ask in Jesus’ name and for his glory. Amen.
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“Psalm 85” – The David/Asaph Project (KJV lyrics)

Lord, thou hast been favorable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.

Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger. Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease. Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? Wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?

Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation.

I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.

Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase. Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.
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Blessing – (Northumbrian Community)

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Praying the Psalms: Fri, 05 Oct – Psalm 84 ~ O God, I want to live with you!

Praying the Psalms

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

Opening – (Northumbria Community)

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.
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Morning Reading: Psalm 84 (NLT) (A psalm of the descendants of Korah)

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies. I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young at a place near your altar, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God! What joy for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises. Interlude

What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs. The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings. They will continue to grow stronger, and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.

O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, hear my prayer. Listen, O God of Jacob. Interlude

O God, look with favor upon the king, our shield! Show favor to the one you have anointed.

A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, what joy for those who trust in you.
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Morning Prayer

O Lord our God: Our souls long for you in this world of sin and corruption…

+ for you alone feed us with the word of life…
+ for you alone forgive us and set us free from sin and death…
+ for you alone fill our sin-sick souls with songs of praise…

O Lord our God: Our souls long for your comfort in this world of sin and corruption…

+ that we might share with others the blessings we have received…
+ that all might receive refreshment by living in your presence…
+ that all might be strengthened and encouraged by your loving-kindness…

O Lord our God: Our souls long for your protection in this world of sin and corruption…

+ for you alone are the healer of broken hearts…
+ for you alone are the hope of broken dreams…
+ for you alone are the help of broken lives…

 O Lord our God: Thank you for your gift of life, abundant and eternal, through your Son, Jesus Christ. It’s in his name we pray that our joy and trust in you may know no bounds – all to the glory of your name. Amen.
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“Psalm 84” (How Lovely Is Your Dwelling Place) – Himig Heswita


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Blessing – (Northumbrian Community)

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Praying the Psalms: Thu, 04 Oct – Psalm 83 ~ O God, do not be silent!

Praying the Psalms

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

Opening – (Northumbria Community)

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.
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Morning Reading: Psalm 83 (NLT) (A Psalm of Asaph)

O God, do not be silent! Do not be deaf. Do not be quiet, O God. Don’t you hear the uproar of your enemies? Don’t you see that your arrogant enemies are rising up? They devise crafty schemes against your people; they conspire against your precious ones.

“Come,” they say, “let us wipe out Israel as a nation. We will destroy the very memory of its existence.”

Yes, this was their unanimous decision. They signed a treaty as allies against you—these Edomites and Ishmaelites; Moabites and Hagrites; Gebalites, Ammonites, and Amalekites; and people from Philistia and Tyre. Assyria has joined them, too, and is allied with the descendants of Lot. Interlude

Do to them as you did to the Midianites and as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River. They were destroyed at Endor, and their decaying corpses fertilized the soil. Let their mighty nobles die as Oreb and Zeeb did. Let all their princes die like Zebah and Zalmunna, for they said,

“Let us seize for our own use these pasturelands of God!”

O my God, scatter them like tumbleweed, like chaff before the wind! As a fire burns a forest and as a flame sets mountains ablaze, chase them with your fierce storm; terrify them with your tempest. Utterly disgrace them until they submit to your name, O Lord. Let them be ashamed and terrified forever. Let them die in disgrace. Then they will learn that you alone are called the Lord, that you alone are the Most High, supreme over all the earth.
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Morning Prayer

O Lord our God: Hear the cries of your faithful people as your enemies besiege us, hijacking our joy and soiling our souls –

+ for they are arrayed against us, confronting us at every turn…
+ for they are overwhelming us, utilizing the world, the flesh and the devil…
+ for they are united against us, allied only by their blind hatred…
+ for they are relentless against us, pursuing our total destruction…
+ for they are ambushing us, using lies and deceit to malign us…

O Lord our God: Hear the cries of your faithful people over the uproar of your enemies as they claim victory over us –

+ for you are the Sovereign One – over both the godly and the godless…
+ for you are the Almighty One – the godless are powerless against you…
+ for you are the Victorious One – the godless cannot overthrow you…

O Lord our God: Hear the cries of your faithful people and strengthen us with uncompromising resolve to love and serve you, regardless of the consequences, and to bear witness to the glory of your name – through your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.
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“Psalm 83” (Hold not thy tongue, O God.) – Anglican Parish Psalter


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Blessing – (Northumbrian Community)

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.