Tuesday, 14 Sep 2021: Psalm 73:21-28; Proverbs 25:1-28; Colossians 3:1-11 ~ Christ reveals our new selves.

Tuesday, 14 Sep 2021:

+ 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.

“Set your minds on things that are above,
not on things that are on earth.
For you have died,
and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
(Colossians 3:2-3)

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Psalms: Psalm 73 – ForeverBeSure

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OT Reading: Proverbs 25:1-28 (ESV)

More Proverbs of Solomon

25:1  These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied.

2 It is the glory of God to conceal things,
but the glory of kings is to search things out.
3 As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth,
so the heart of kings is unsearchable.
4 Take away the dross from the silver,
and the smith has material for a vessel;
5 take away the wicked from the presence of the king,
and his throne will be established in righteousness.
6 Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence
or stand in the place of the great,
7 for it is better to be told, “Come up here,”
than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.

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What your eyes have seen
8 do not hastily bring into court,
for what will you do in the end,
when your neighbor puts you to shame?
9 Argue your case with your neighbor himself,
and do not reveal another’s secret,
10 lest he who hears you bring shame upon you,
and your ill repute have no end.

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11 A word fitly spoken
is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.
12 Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold
is a wise reprover to a listening ear.
13 Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
is a faithful messenger to those who send him;
he refreshes the soul of his masters.
14 Like clouds and wind without rain
is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.

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15 With patience a ruler may be persuaded,
and a soft tongue will break a bone.

16 If you have found honey, eat only enough for you,
lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.

17 Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor’s house,
lest he have his fill of you and hate you.

18 A man who bears false witness against his neighbor
is like a war club, or a sword, or a sharp arrow.

19 Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble
is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.

20 Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart
is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day,
and like vinegar on soda.

21 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,

22 for you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.

23 The north wind brings forth rain,
and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

24 It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.

25 Like cold water to a thirsty soul,
so is good news from a far country.

26 Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain
is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.

27 It is not good to eat much honey,
nor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory.

28 A man without self-control
is like a city broken into and left without walls.

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Call of Wisdom by Will Todd –
Nigel Short, Tenebrae & English Chamber Orchestra

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NT Reading: Colossians 3:1-11 (ESV)

Put On the New Self

3:1  If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

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Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me ~ CityAlight

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Prayer:

Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Blood
of Christ, inebriate me. Water from the side of Christ, wash
me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O good Jesus, hear me.
Within thy wounds hide me. Permit me not to be separated
from thee. From the wicked foe defend me. In the hour of my
death call me, and bid me come to thee, that with thy saints I
may praise thee for ever and ever. Amen.

+ Christ as a light, illumine and guide us. Christ as a shield, overshadow us. Christ under us; Christ over us; Christ beside us on our left and our right. This day be within and without us, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom we speak; in the mouth of each who speaks to us. This day be within and without us, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside us on our left and our right.

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Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with us, wherever He may send us.
May He guide us through the wilderness, protect us through the storm.
May He bring us home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown us.
May He bring us home rejoicing once again into our doors.

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+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Tuesday, 07 Sep 2021: Psalm 73:1-20; Proverbs 11:1-31; Hebrews 12:3-13 ~ By faith: accept God’s discipline.

Tuesday, 07 Sep 2021:

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:

O Lord God, grant your people grace to withstand the
temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and with pure
hearts and minds to follow you, the only God; through Jesus
Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”
(Hebrews 12:5)

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Psalms: Psalm 73

God Is My Strength and Portion Forever
A Psalm of Asaph.

“Psalm 73”ForeverBeSure

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OT Reading: Proverbs 11:1-31 (ESV)

11:1  A false balance is an abomination to the Lord,
but a just weight is his delight.

2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with the humble is wisdom.

3 The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.

4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
but righteousness delivers from death.

5 The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight,
but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.

6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.

7 When the wicked dies, his hope will perish,
and the expectation of wealth perishes too.

8 The righteous is delivered from trouble,
and the wicked walks into it instead.

9 With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,
but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.

10 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,
and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.

11 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown.

12 Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense,
but a man of understanding remains silent.

13 Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets,
but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.

14 Where there is no guidance, a people falls,
but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

15 Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm,
but he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure.

16 A gracious woman gets honor,
and violent men get riches.

17 A man who is kind benefits himself,
but a cruel man hurts himself.

18 The wicked earns deceptive wages,
but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward.

19 Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live,
but he who pursues evil will die.

20 Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the Lord,
but those of blameless ways are his delight.

21 Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished,
but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered.

22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman without discretion.

23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
the expectation of the wicked in wrath.

24 One gives freely, yet grows all the richer;
another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.

25 Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
and one who waters will himself be watered.

26 The people curse him who holds back grain,
but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it.

27 Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor,
but evil comes to him who searches for it.

28 Whoever trusts in his riches will fall,
but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.

29 Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind,
and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.

30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and whoever captures souls is wise.

31 If the righteous is repaid on earth,
how much more the wicked and the sinner!

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Call of Wisdom: Will Todd / Nigel Short, Tenebrae & English Chamber Orchestra

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NT Reading: Hebrews 12:3-13 (ESV)

Do Not Grow Weary

12:3  Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. Or what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.

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I Lift my Hands – Chris Tomlin

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Prayer:

+ O merciful Father, you have taught us in your holy Word that you do not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men: Look with pity on the sorrows of your servants. Remember us, O Lord, in mercy; nourish our souls with patience; comfort us with a sense of your goodness; lift up your countenance  upon us; and give us peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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.

+ Go before us, O Lord, in all our doings with your most gracious favor, and further us with your continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in you, we may glorify your holy Name, and finally, through your mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ Christ as a light, illumine and guide us. Christ as a shield, overshadow us. Christ under us; Christ over us; Christ beside us on our left and our right. This day be within and without us, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom we speak; in the mouth of each who speaks to us. This day be within and without us, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside us on our left and our right.

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Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with us, wherever He may send us.
May He guide us through the wilderness, protect us through the storm.
May He bring us home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown us.
May He bring us home rejoicing once again into our doors.

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+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Tuesday, 31 Aug 2021: Psalm 106:1-5; Deuteronomy 4:15-20; 1 Peter 2:19-25 ~ entrust yourself to God

Tuesday, 31 Aug 2021:

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:

O Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow
after us, that we may continually be given to good works;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

“When [Christ] was reviled, he did not revile in return;
when he suffered, he did not threaten,
but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. ”
(1 Peter 2:23)

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Psalms: Psalm 106:1-5 Milton Scottish Metrical Psalter 1650

1 Give praise and thanks unto the Lord,
for bountiful is he;
His tender mercy doth endure
unto eternity.

2 God’s mighty works who can express?
or shew forth all his praise?
3 Blessed are they that judgment keep,
and justly do always.

4 Remember me, Lord, with that love
which thou to thine dost bear;
With thy salvation, O my God,
to visit me draw near:
5 That I thy chosen’s good may see,
and in their joy rejoice;
And may with thine inheritance
triumph with cheerful voice.

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OT Reading: Deuteronomy 4:15-20 (ESV)

Idolatry Forbidden

4:15  “Therefore watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth. And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven. But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people of his own inheritance, as you are this day.

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You Are God Alone – Phillips, Craig & Dean

https://youtu.be/NjKPBDbUUC4?rel=0
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NT Reading: 1 Peter 2:19-25 (ESV)

2:19  For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.  For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

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In God We Trust – OPEN HEAVEN / River Wild – Hillsong Worship

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Prayer:

+ 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.

+ Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ 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.

+ Christ as a light, illumine and guide us. Christ as a shield, overshadow us. Christ under us; Christ over us; Christ beside us on our left and our right. This day be within and without us, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom we speak; in the mouth of each who speaks to us. This day be within and without us, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside us on our left and our right.

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Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with us, wherever He may send us.
May He guide us through the wilderness, protect us through the storm.
May He bring us home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown us.
May He bring us home rejoicing once again into our doors.

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+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Tuesday, 24 Aug 2021: Psalm 11; 1 Kings 6:1-14; Ephesians 6:21-24 ~ encourage one another

Tuesday, 24 Aug 2021:

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:

Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your
Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without your
help, protect and govern it always by your goodness; through
Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

“I have sent [Tychicus] to you for this very purpose,
that you may know how we are,
and that he may encourage your hearts.”
(Ephesians 6:22)

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Psalms: Psalm 11 
The Lord Is in His Holy Temple
To the choirmaster. Of David.

Psalm 11 – Tim Ophus

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OT Reading: 1 Kings 6:1-14 (ESV)

Solomon Builds the Temple

6:1  In the four hundred and eightieth year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the house of the Lord. The house that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits long, equal to the width of the house, and ten cubits deep in front of the house. And he made for the house windows with recessed frames. He also built a structure against the wall of the house, running around the walls of the house, both the nave and the inner sanctuary. And he made side chambers all around. The lowest story was  five cubits broad, the middle one was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad. For around the outside of the house he made offsets on the wall in order that the supporting beams should not be inserted into the walls of the house.

When the house was built, it was with stone prepared at the quarry, so that neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built.

The entrance for the lowest story was on the south side of the house, and one went up by stairs to the middle story, and from the middle story to the third. So he built the house and finished it, and he made the ceiling of the house of beams and planks of cedar. He built the structure against the whole house, five cubits high, and it was joined to the house with timbers of cedar.

Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon, “Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father. And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel.”

So Solomon built the house and finished it.

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I’ll Never Forsake You – Caleb Garraway & Katie Garraway

O soul, are you weary from wave upon wave
Of grief and affliction whom no man can save?
Has sickness surrounded, or unending night?
Uncertainty stolen your joy and your might?

O doubting, o fearful– remember His care,
The helpless and hopeless need never despair
For from your afflictions His glory shall spring–
The deeper your sorrow, the louder you’ll sing!
Remember Your Father– His promise, His love:

“I’ll never forsake you, this pain will not break you,
For I will remake you for unending joy;
My promise is faithful though now it is painful;
No power can trample My covenant love.”

Remember your Savior– His grief and His pain,
The lonely affliction, unmerited shame.
Though you had betrayed Him, He died in your place;
The joy set before Him He offers by grace.
Remember Your Father– His promise, His love:

“I’ll never forsake you, this pain will not break you,
For I will remake you for unending joy;
My promise is faithful though now it is painful;
No power can trample My covenant love.”

“I’ll never forsake you, this pain will not break you,
For I will remake you for unending joy;
My promise is faithful though now it is painful;
No power can trample My covenant love.”

Remember Your Father– His promise, His love.

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NT Reading: Ephesians 6:21-24 (ESV)

6:21  So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts.

Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.

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Benediction (As You Go) ~ Selah

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Prayer:

+ Lord, make us instruments of your peace: where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is error, truth; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that we may seek not so much to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

+ Christ as a light, illumine and guide us. Christ as a shield, overshadow us. Christ under us; Christ over us; Christ beside us on our left and our right. This day be within and without us, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom we speak; in the mouth of each who speaks to us. This day be within and without us, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside us on our left and our right.

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Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with us, wherever He may send us.
May He guide us through the wilderness, protect us through the storm.
May He bring us home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown us.
May He bring us home rejoicing once again into our doors.

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+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Tuesday, 17 Aug 2021: Psalm 101; 1 Kings 7:1-12; Acts 7:9-16 ~ rescued by God to rule

Tuesday, 17 Aug 2021:

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:

Keep your Church, O Lord, by your perpetual mercy; and because
without you the frailty of our nature causes us to fall, keep us
from all things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable for our
salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

God was with [Joseph] and rescued him out of all his afflictions
and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt,
who made him ruler over Egypt
and over all his household.
(Acts 7:9-10)

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Psalms: Psalm 101 

“When Will You Come, O Lord?”, inspired by Psalm 101
Chuck Marohnic (pianist/composer) and sung by Anthony Payton
[Cathedral of the Assumption, Louisville, Kentucky]

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OT Reading: 1 Kings 7:1-12 (ESV)

Solomon Builds His Palace

7:1  Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished his entire house.

2 He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon. Its length was a hundred cubits and its breadth fifty cubits and its height thirty cubits, and it was built on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on the pillars. And it was covered with cedar above the chambers that were on the forty-five pillars, fifteen in each row. There were window frames in three rows, and window opposite window in three tiers. All the doorways and windows had square frames, and window was opposite window in three tiers.

And he made the Hall of Pillars; its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth thirty cubits. There was a porch in front with pillars, and a canopy in front of them.

And he made the Hall of the Throne where he was to pronounce judgment, even the Hall of Judgment. It was finished with cedar from floor to rafters. His own house where he was to dwell, in the other court back of the hall, was of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter whom he had taken in marriage.

All these were made of costly stones, cut according to measure, sawed with saws, back and front, even from the foundation to the coping, and from the outside to the great court. The foundation was of costly stones, huge stones, stones of eight and ten cubits. And above were costly stones, cut according to measurement, and cedar. The great court had three courses of cut stone all around, and a course of cedar beams; so had the inner court of the house of the Lord and the vestibule of the house.

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Mercy SeatShores of Grace
[Recife, Brazil, led by Nic and Rachael Billman]

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NT Reading: Acts 7:9-16 (ESV)

7:9  “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit. And on the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all. And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers, and they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

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Rescue – Lauren Daigle

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Prayer:

+ O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

+ O God, you desire that all people be saved and come to knowledge of the truth: Prosper all those who live, preach, and teach the Gospel at home and in distant lands; protect them in all perils, support them in their loneliness, sustain them in the hour of trial; give them your abundant grace to bear faithful witness; and endue them with burning zeal and love, that they may turn many to righteousness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ Almighty God our Savior: Grant that our hearts may ache for a lost and broken world. May your Holy Spirit work through our words, deeds, and prayers, that the lost may be found and the dead made alive, and that all your redeemed may rejoice around your throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ Christ as a light, illumine and guide us. Christ as a shield, overshadow us. Christ under us; Christ over us; Christ beside us on our left and our right. This day be within and without us, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom we speak; in the mouth of each who speaks to us. This day be within and without us, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside us on our left and our right.

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Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with us, wherever He may send us.
May He guide us through the wilderness, protect us through the storm.
May He bring us home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown us.
May He bring us home rejoicing once again into our doors.

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+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.