After Pentecost | Monday 16 Sep 2024
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
O Lord,
you have taught us that without love,
all our deeds are worth nothing:
Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts
that most excellent gift of charity,
the true bond of peace and of all virtues,
without which whoever lives is counted dead before you;
grant this for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
“Not one person can have God’s approval
by any effort to follow the laws
in the Scriptures.”
(Romans 3:20)
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From Psalms: Psalm 73:21-28 // “Whom Have I in Heaven but You?”(NKJV) (Esther Mui)
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OT Reading: Proverbs 22:1-21 (GW)
22:1 A good name is more desirable than great wealth.
Respect is better than silver or gold.
The rich and the poor have this in common:
the Lord is the maker of them all.
Sensible people foresee trouble and hide ⌞from it⌟,
but gullible people go ahead and suffer ⌞the consequence⌟.
On the heels of humility (the fear of the Lord)
are riches and honor and life.
A devious person has thorns and traps ahead of him.
Whoever guards himself will stay far away from them.
Train a child in the way he should go,
and even when he is old he will not turn away from it.
A rich person rules poor people,
and a borrower is a slave to a lender.
Whoever plants injustice will harvest trouble,
and this weapon of his own fury will be destroyed.
Whoever is generous will be blessed
because he has shared his food with the poor.
Drive out a mocker, and conflict will leave.
Quarreling and abuse will stop.
Whoever loves a pure heart and whoever speaks graciously
has a king as his friend.
The Lord’s eyes watch over knowledge,
but he overturns the words of a treacherous person.
A lazy person says,
“There’s a lion outside!
I’ll be murdered in the streets!”
The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit.
The one who is cursed by the Lord will fall into it.
Foolishness is firmly attached to a child’s heart.
Spanking will remove it far from him.
Oppressing the poor for profit
⌞or⌟ giving to the rich
certainly leads to poverty.
Listen to My Advice
22:17 Open your ears, and hear the words of wise people,
and set your mind on the knowledge I give you.
It is pleasant if you keep them in mind
⌞so that⌟ they will be on the tip of your tongue,
so that your trust may be in the Lord.
Today I have made them known to you, especially to you.
Didn’t I write to you previously with advice and knowledge
in order to teach you the words of truth
so that you can give an accurate report to those who send you?
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Speak O Lord – Keith & Kristyn Getty
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NT Reading: Romans 3:9-20 (GW)
3:9 What, then, is the situation? Do we have any advantage? Not at all. We have already accused everyone (both Jews and Greeks) of being under the power of sin, as Scripture says,
“Not one person has God’s approval.
No one understands.
No one searches for God.
Everyone has turned away.
Together they have become rotten to the core.
No one does anything good,
not even one person.
Their throats are open graves.
Their tongues practice deception.
Their lips hide the venom of poisonous snakes.
Their mouths are full of curses and bitter resentment.
They run quickly to murder people.
There is ruin and suffering wherever they go.
They have not learned to live in peace.
They are not terrified of God.”
We know that whatever the Scriptures say applies to everyone under their influence, and no one can say a thing. The whole world is brought under the judgment of God. Not one person can have God’s approval by any effort to follow the laws in the Scriptures. These laws show what sin is.
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“Grace Alone” – Joyful Noise
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Benedict of Nursia
+ 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.
+ Sovereign Lord: We pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
-
- 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 October 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 Lord our God, accept the fervent prayers of your people; in the multitude of your mercies, look with compassion upon us and all who turn to you for help; for you are gracious, O lover of souls, and to you we give glory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and for ever. 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.
21:28 “What do you think about this? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go to work in the vineyard today.’
The Peanut Gallery 