Lent | Saturday 29 Mar 2025
+ In the name the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening prayer:
Heavenly Father,
you have made us for yourself,
and our hearts are restless until they rest in you:
Look with compassion
upon the heartfelt desires of your servants,
and purify our disordered affections,
that we may behold your eternal glory
in the face of Christ Jesus;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
“Just so, I tell you,
there is joy before the angels of God
over one sinner who repents.”
(Luke 15:10)
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From the Psalms: Psalm 32 | Poor Bishop Hooper
blessed the man who has been forgiven
blessed the one with sins obsolete
blessed the spirit found with no deceit
blessed
when i kept silent my bones wasted away
night and day all day and night your hand was heavy on me
my strength was sapped as in the heat of the summer
and then and then and then i confessed
and you forgave the guilt of my sin
you forgave the guilt of my sin
you forgave the guilt of my sin
i will instruct you in the way you should go
i will always watch and keep my eye steady on you
be not like the mule controlled by bit or the bridle
but trust but trust but trust in him
therefore let all the godly ones pray
therefore when the mighty waters rise you won’t be dismayed
therefore your hiding place will be safe
therefore
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OT Reading: Exodus 32:7-14 (ESV)
32:7 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.”
But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’” And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.
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Heal Our Land | Aaron Shust
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NT Reading: Luke 15:1-10 (ESV)
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
15:1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
The Parable of the Lost Coin
15:8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
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Lost And Found – Robin Mark / NewCovenant75
When the rain falls, and it some days will,
and the pavement under my feet,
sparkles silver and gold, in reflected light
that I otherwise wouldn’t have seen.
And when the storm comes and the strong wind blows
I will bow my head to push through;
And every step that I take, I will watch and pray
and be sure my foothold is true.
Jesus, don’t You keep me from that storm
I wanna walk that sacred ground;
For You are Master of it all
And I am but a lost and found.
And in the dry place, in the wilderness
when Your word seems so far away,
Oh I will think of my life, and I will bless Your name;
For Your promises never have failed.
And when the night falls, at the end of days,
I will lift my eyes to the heavens,
and we will shine like the stars, for eternal days;
In Your presence forever and e’er.
So, Jesus, don’t You keep me from that storm
I wanna walk that sacred ground;
For You are Master of it all
And I am but a lost and found.
Lost and found, lost and found
I am but a lost and found
For can there be a sweeter sound,
than singing with the lost and found?
Jesus don’t You keep me from that storm
I wanna walk that sacred ground;
For You are Master of it all
And I am but a lost and found.
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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.
Almighty God, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem: Intervene in ways that only you can, so the whole world will know that you alone are God. Protect your people from the assaults of the evil one, and grant Israel’s leaders the wisdom and courage to do what’s right in your sight. Deliver all the hostages from captivity, and restore their souls. Comfort those who grieve and mourn the loss of loved ones. Protect the innocent and punish the guilty, that all may live in peace; 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 God our Redeemer show us compassion and love.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
So Jesus told them this story: “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!
The Peanut Gallery 