After Pentecost | Tuesday 18 Jun 2024
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
O Lord, from whom all good proceeds:
Grant us the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may always think those things that are good,
and by your merciful guidance may accomplish the same;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
“The angel showed me a river
filled with the water of life, as clear as crystal.
It was flowing from the throne of God and the lamb.”
(Revelation 22:1)
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From Psalms: Psalm 53 – Poor Bishop Hooper
the lord looks down from heaven
to see any who understand
but all have turned away
the evil man eats men as bread
but they will soon be filled with dread
though there is none to fear
oh come desired salvation
come out come forth from zion
that jacob could rejoice
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OT Reading: 1 Samuel 15:10-23 (GW)
The Lord Rejects Saul
15:10 Then the Lord spoke to Samuel: “I regret that I made Saul king. He turned away from me and did not carry out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he prayed to the Lord all night. Early in the morning he got up to meet Saul. Samuel was told, “Saul went to Carmel to set up a monument in his honor. Then he left there and went to Gilgal.”
Samuel came to Saul, who said, “The Lord bless you. I carried out the Lord’s instructions.”
However, Samuel asked,
“But what is this sound of sheep in my ears
and this sound of cows that I hear?”
Saul answered, “The army brought them from the Amalekites. They spared the best sheep and cows to sacrifice to the Lord your God. But the rest they claimed for God and destroyed.”
“Be quiet,” Samuel told Saul, “and let me tell you what the Lord told me last night.”
“Speak,” Saul replied.
Samuel said, “Even though you don’t consider yourself great, you were the head of Israel’s tribes. The Lord anointed you king of Israel. And the Lord sent you on a mission. He said, ‘Claim those sinners, the Amalekites, for me by destroying them. Wage war against them until they’re wiped out.’ Why didn’t you obey the Lord? Why have you taken their belongings and done what the Lord considers evil?”
“But I did obey the Lord,” Saul told Samuel. “I went where the Lord sent me, brought ⌞back⌟ King Agag of Amalek, and claimed the Amalekites for God. The army took some of their belongings—the best sheep and cows were claimed for God—in order to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”
Then Samuel said,
“Is the Lord as delighted with burnt offerings and sacrifices
as he would be with your obedience?
To follow instructions is better than to sacrifice.
To obey is better than sacrificing the fat of rams.
The sin of black magic is rebellion.
Wickedness and idolatry are arrogance.
Because you rejected the Lord’s word,
he rejects you as king.”
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O Holy One | by Rodney Howard-Browne (feat. Raymond Cilliers)
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NT Reading: Revelation 21:22-22:5 (GW)
21:22 I did not see any temple in it, because the Lord God Almighty and the lamb are its temple. The city doesn’t need any sun or moon to give it light because the glory of God gave it light. The lamb was its lamp. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will be open all day. They will never close because there won’t be any night there. They will bring the glory and wealth of the nations into the holy city. Nothing unclean, no one who does anything detestable, and no liars will ever enter it. Only those whose names are written in the lamb’s Book of Life will enter it.
22:1 The angel showed me a river filled with the water of life, as clear as crystal. It was flowing from the throne of God and the lamb. Between the street of the city and the river there was a tree of life visible from both sides. It produced 12 kinds of fruit. Each month had its own fruit. The leaves of the tree will heal the nations. There will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and the lamb will be in the city. His servants will worship him and see his face. His name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night, and they will not need any light from lamps or the sun because the Lord God will shine on them. They will rule as kings forever and ever.
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Revelation Song | Maranatha! Music
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+ O God, without whose beauty and goodness our souls are unfed, without whose truth our reason withers: Consecrate our lives to your will, giving us such purity of heart, such depth of faith, and such steadfastness of purpose, that in time we may come to think your own thoughts after you; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
+ O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light rises up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what you would have us do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices; that in your light we may see light, and in your straight path we may not stumble; through 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.
Thomas à Kempis
+ Our God, in whom we trust: Strengthen us not to regard overmuch who is for us or who is against us, but to see to it that we be with you in everything we do. 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.
And Samuel said,
The Peanut Gallery 