After Pentecost | Monday 23 Sep 2024
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
O God,
because without you we are not able to please you,
mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit
may in all things direct and rule our hearts;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Instead, you should say,
“If the Lord wants us to,
we will live and carry out our plans.”
(James 4:15)
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From Psalms: Psalm 128 // Blessed Are Those (Psalm 128) | WorshipNOW Modern Psalms
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OT Reading: Proverbs 27:1-27 (GW)
All about Life
27:1 Do not brag about tomorrow,
because you do not know what another day may bring.
Praise should come from another person
and not from your own mouth,
from a stranger and not from your own lips.
A stone is heavy, and sand weighs a lot,
but annoyance caused by a stubborn fool is heavier than both.
Anger is cruel, and fury is overwhelming,
but who can survive jealousy?
27:5 Open criticism is better than unexpressed love.
Wounds made by a friend are intended to help,
but an enemy’s kisses are too much to bear.
One who is full despises honey,
but to one who is hungry,
even bitter food tastes sweet.
Like a bird wandering from its nest,
so is a husband wandering from his home.
27:9 Perfume and incense make the heart glad,
but the sweetness of a friend is a fragrant forest.
Do not abandon your friend or your father’s friend.
Do not go to a relative’s home when you are in trouble.
A neighbor living nearby is better than a relative far away.
27:11 Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad
so that I can answer anyone who criticizes me.
Sensible people foresee trouble and hide.
Gullible people go ahead ⌞and⌟ suffer.
Hold on to the garment of one who guarantees a stranger’s loan,
and hold responsible the person
who makes a loan in behalf of a foreigner.
Whoever blesses his friend early in the morning with a loud voice—
his blessing is considered a curse.
27:5 Constantly dripping water on a rainy day is like a quarreling woman.
Whoever can control her can control the wind.
He can even pick up olive oil with his right hand.
27:17 ⌞As⌟ iron sharpens iron,
so one person sharpens the wits of another.
Whoever takes care of a fig tree can eat its fruit,
and whoever protects his master is honored.
As a face is reflected in water,
so a person is reflected by his heart.
Hell and decay are never satisfied,
and a person’s eyes are never satisfied.
27:21 The crucible is for refining silver and the smelter for gold,
but a person ⌞is tested⌟ by the praise given to him.
If you crush a stubborn fool in a mortar with a pestle along with grain,
⌞even then⌟ his stupidity will not leave him.
Be fully aware of the condition of your flock,
and pay close attention to your herds.
Wealth is not forever.
Nor does a crown last from one generation to the next.
27:25 ⌞When⌟ grass is cut short, the tender growth appears,
and vegetables are gathered on the hills.
Lambs ⌞will provide⌟ you with clothing,
and the money from the male goats will buy a field.
There will be enough goat milk to feed you,
to feed your family,
and to keep your servant girls alive.
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I Know Who Holds Tomorrow | Hymns of the Heart
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NT Reading: James 4:8-17 (GW)
4:8 Come close to God, and he will come close to you. Clean up your lives, you sinners, and clear your minds, you doubters. Be miserable, mourn, and cry. Turn your laughter into mourning and your joy into gloom. Humble yourselves in the Lord’s presence. Then he will give you a high position.
Stop Slandering Each Other
4:11 Brothers and sisters, stop slandering each other. Those who slander and judge other believers slander and judge God’s laws. If you judge God’s teachings, you are no longer following them. Instead, you are judging them. There is only one who creates laws and judges on the basis of them. He is able to save or destroy you. So who are you to judge your neighbor?
Don’t Brag about Your Plans for the Future
4:13 Pay attention to this! You’re saying, “Today or tomorrow we will go into some city, stay there a year, conduct business, and make money.” You don’t know what will happen tomorrow. What is life? You are a mist that is seen for a moment and then disappears. Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and carry out our plans.” However, you brag because you’re arrogant. All such bragging is evil.
Whoever knows what is right but doesn’t do it is sinning.
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Be Thou My Vision | Celtic Worship ft. Steph Macleod
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord
Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one
Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art
High King of Heaven, my victory won
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all
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+ Almighty God, from whom all thoughts of truth and peace proceed: Kindle, we pray, in the hearts of all people the true love of peace, and guide with your pure and peaceable wisdom those who take counsel for the nations of the earth; that in tranquility your kingdom may go forward, till the earth is filled with the knowledge of your love; 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 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.
+ Heavenly Father, you have promised to hear what we ask in the Name of your Son: Accept and fulfill our petitions, we pray, not as we ask in our ignorance, nor as we deserve in our sinfulness, but as you know and love us in your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 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.
There is only one who creates laws and judges on the basis of them. He is able to save or destroy you. So who are you to judge your neighbor?
The Peanut Gallery 