After the Lord’s Ascension | Thursday 16 May 2024:
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
O God, the King of glory,
you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ
with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven:
Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit
to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place
where our Savior Christ has gone before;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
“As we have worn the likeness of the man
who was made from the dust of the earth,
we will also wear the likeness
of the man who came from heaven.”
(1 Corinthians 15:49)
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From Psalms: Psalm 33 – “Rejoice In The LORD O You Righteous” / Karl Kohlhase
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OT Reading: Genesis 2:4b-7 (GW)
The Creation of Man and Woman
2:4 This is the account of heaven and earth when they were created, at the time when the Lord God made earth and heaven.
Wild bushes and plants were not on the earth yet because the Lord God hadn’t sent rain on the earth. Also, there was no one to farm the land. Instead, underground water would come up from the earth and water the entire surface of the ground.
Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the earth and blew the breath of life into his nostrils. The man became a living being.
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Breathe on me, Breath of God / St Laurence’s Church Chorley
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NT Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:42b-49 (GW)
15:42 When the body is planted, it decays. When it comes back to life, it cannot decay. When the body is planted, it doesn’t have any splendor and is weak. When it comes back to life, it has splendor and is strong. It is planted as a physical body. It comes back to life as a spiritual body. As there is a physical body, so there is also a spiritual body.
This is what Scripture says: “The first man, Adam, became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. The spiritual does not come first, but the physical and then the spiritual. The first man was made from the dust of the earth. He came from the earth. The second man came from heaven. The people on earth are like the man who was made from the dust of the earth. The people in heaven are like the man who came from heaven. As we have worn the likeness of the man who was made from the dust of the earth, we will also wear the likeness of the man who came from heaven.
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In the Likeness of Jesus – Unceasing Prayers and Hymns
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+ Most loving Father, you will us to give thanks for all things, to dread nothing but the loss of you, and to cast all our care on the One who cares for us. Preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, and grant that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that love which is immortal, and which you have manifested unto us in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
+ Lord of Heaven’s Armies, we pray for swift justice and total victory over all evil in the Holy Land. Deliver the hostages from captivity and restore their souls. Destroy every stronghold of the evil death cult terrorizing the Middle East. And grant your heavenly wisdom to those guiding Israel militarily, politically, diplomatically – and especially to those who will restore Israel spiritually – through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Benedict of Nursia
+ Gracious and holy Father, please give us intellect to understand you, reason to discern you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, a spirit to know you, hearts to meditate upon you, ears to hear you, eyes to see you, tongues to proclaim you, ways of life pleasing to you, patience to wait for you, and perseverance to look for you. Grant us a perfect end, your holy presence, a blessed resurrection, and life everlasting. Amen.
Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch
May the Spirit kindle in us the fire of God’s love.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Peanut Gallery 