+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening sentence
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.
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A reading from Romans: Romans 2:5-11 (NLT)
Unknown Artist. The Last Judgement. Church of the Most Holy Mother of God ‘of Kazan’. Tolyatti RF. 2001
But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will judge everyone according to what they have done. He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil — for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good — for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.
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Reflection: On God’s Judgement (John Stott, The Message of Romans)
God ‘will give to each person according to what he has done’ (6)…. Jesus himself repeated it… so did Paul. It is the principle of exact retribution, which is the foundation of justice.
Is Paul declaring that salvation is… by good works? No… what he is affirming is that, although justification is indeed by faith, judgement will be according to works…. The divine judgement, which is a process of sifting and separating, is going on secretly all the time, as people range themselves for or against Christ, but on the last day its results will be made public.
The presence or absence of saving faith in our hearts will be disclosed by the presence or absence of good works of love in our lives…. Those who seek God and persevere in goodness will receive eternal life, while those who are self-seeking and follow evil will experience God’s wrath.
The judgement of God will be righteous (according to what we have done, 6-8) and impartial (as between Jews and Gentiles, without favoritism, 9-11).
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Canticle
Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, 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.
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening sentence
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.
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A reading from Romans: Romans 2:1-4 (NLT)
You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?
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Reflection: Romans 2:1-4
Paul uncovers in these verses a strange human foible, namely our tendency to be critical of everybody except ourselves…. We work ourselves up into a state of self-righteous indignation over the disgraceful behavior of other people, while the very same behavior seems not nearly so serious when it is ours rather than theirs. We even gain a vicarious satisfaction from condemning in others the various faults we excuse in others. Freud called this moral gymnastic ‘projection’, but Paul described it centuries before Freud. Similarly, Thomas Hobbes, the seventeenth-century political philosopher, wrote of people who ‘are forced to keep themselves in their own favor by observing the imperfections of other men’. This device enables us to simultaneously retain our own sins and our self-respect. It is a convenient arrangement, but also both slick and sick.
…This is not a call either to suspend our critical faculties or to renounce all criticism and rebuke of others as illegitimate; it is rather a prohibition of standing in judgement on other people and condemning them (which as humans we have no right to do), especially when we fail to condemn ourselves. For this is the hypocrisy of the double standard, a high standard for other people and a comfortably low one for ourselves.
…[However] God’s kindness leads us towards repentance. That is it’s goal. It is intended to give us space in which to repent, not to give us an excuse for sinning.
Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, 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.
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening sentence
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.
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A reading from Romans: Romans 1:18-32 (NLT)
But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.
Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.
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Peanut Gallery: This is the first 4th of July that I am ashamed to be an American; I cannot in good conscience fly the flag of my country. It’s not just about the Supreme Court’s decision on gay marriage (although that has been a precipitating event). It’s more about my shock and dismay at being a citizen of a country that has so blatantly abandoned God and it’s Judeo-Christian roots. This has been 50 years in the making… slow and steady. But here we are… America has lost its soul.
I think the watershed event was Roe v Wade (1973.) How can God bless a nation that murders the weakest, most defenseless, among us – the unborn. Mother Teresa Of Calcutta put abortion in perspective:
It is poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish.
The sexual revolution in America has been the driving force behind our decline. And now, it has finally driven our country off a cliff. We can no longer pretend to be a Christian nation; we can no longer claim the moral high ground. We have become another Godless nation… a powerful nation, but nevertheless Godless. Our future looks bleak.
At this time in history, I cannot invoke God’s name to bless America – not because God has abandoned us, but because we have abandoned God… “to do whatever shameful things [our] hearts desire.” And what has been the result? Are we happier? Are we living more fulfilled lives? Are we glorifying God? We are not.
Turn on the TV. Listen to the news. Watch the world at your doorstep. And what do you see? You see Romans 1:28-32 being played out before your eyes.
Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.
Where is God? Nowhere to be found on the field of public life… relegated to the sidelines as a paramedic of sorts – rushed onto the field in emergencies to fix the damage we’ve done to ourselves.
Have I lost faith in Christ to save us? Not at all. But America does not want to be saved; in fact, it believes it has been set free from the shackles of an outmoded belief system. We will have to crash as a nation before we turn again, in repentance, to God. Until then, may God have mercy on our souls.
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Salvation’s Song – Stuart Townend
Loved before the dawn of time, Chosen by my Maker, Hidden in my Saviour, I am His and He is mine, Cherished for eternity.
When I’m stained with guilt and sin, He is there to lift me, Heal me and forgive me; Gives me strength to stand again, Stronger than I was before.
So with every breath that I am given / I will sing salvation’s song; And I’ll join the chorus of creation / Giving praise to Christ alone.
All the claims of Satan’s curse / Lifted through His offering, Satisfied through suffering; All the blessings He deserves/ Poured on my unworthy soul.
Singing glory, honour, wisdom, power / To the Lamb upon the throne; Hallelujah, I will lift Him high. Hallelujah I will sing
Stars will fade and mountains fall; Christ will shine forever, Love’s unfading splendour. Earth and heaven will bow in awe, Joining in salvation’s song.
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Canticle
Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, 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.
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening sentence
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.
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A reading from Romans: Romans 1:8-17 (NLT)
Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world. God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son.
One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you. For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord. When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.
Click on picture to view photo Essay. New Republic
I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to visit you, but I was prevented until now. I want to work among you and see spiritual fruit, just as I have seen among other Gentiles. For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilized world and the rest of the world, to the educated and uneducated alike. So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach the Good News.
For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes — the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”
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Prayer:
Church leaders in Iraq have called for Christians around the world to commit to praying for an end to the spiralling crisis in Iraq and Syria, and to the violent persecution of Iraq’s ancient Christian community.
Catholic Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako, the head of Iraq’s largest church, has urged the international community to “unite our voices and hearts before the Lord of peace.”
Patriarch Sako has… composed a Prayer for Peace for the occasion:
“Lord,
The plight of our country is deep and the suffering of Christians is severe and frightening. Therefore, we ask you Lord to spare our lives, and to grant us patience, and courage to continue our witness of Christian values with trust and hope. Lord, peace is the foundation of life; Grant us the peace and stability that will enable us to live with each other without fear and anxiety, and with dignity and joy.
Glory be to you forever.”
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Canticle
Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, 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.
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening sentence
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.
__________
A reading from Romans: Romans 1:1-7 (NLT)
Soccer star Kaka falls to his knees after winning the Champions League final soccer match playing for AC Milan against Liverpool in Athens May 23, 2007. _____ Brazilian soccer star, Kaka, has become the world’s first athlete to reach 10 million followers on Twitter, making him only the sixteenth person in the world to pass the benchmark. The devout Christian soccer player is one of the most popular sports stars in the world, and is one of the most followed people on Twitter.
This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.
And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ. I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people.
May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
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Prayer:
Gracious and merciful God: I begin this new day with You. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, who lived and died and was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit… so that I might know that You love me. And thank You for all those You have chosen to proclaim this Good News throughout the world… especially those who proclaimed it to me.
As this day unfolds, may the light of Christ rise in my heart; may it shine forth – full of grace and truth – to the world around me. And may all I do and say glorify my Lord Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.
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Canticle
Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, 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.
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
The Peanut Gallery 