Tuesday Morning Prayer: 30 Jun 2020 – Psalm 150, Jeremiah 15:15-21, Matthew 24:4-14 ~ “keep on being faithful.”

Tuesday Morning Prayer, 30 Jun 2020

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

Opening:

All-powerful God, your incarnate Word commands our obedience and offers us true life. Make our ears attentive to the voice of your Son and our hearts generous in answering his call,that we may take up the cross with trust in his promises. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.Amen.

       Follow the example of good men and women of old,
and God will comfort you and help you.

[ St Columba ]

Prepare to Pray:

Holy Spirit, breath of God and fire of love, I cannot pray without your aid: Kindle in me the fire of your love, and illumine me with your light; that with a steadfast will and holy thoughts I may approach the Father in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ my Lord, who reigns with you and the Father in eternal union. Amen.

Scripture Reading (CEV)

Psalm 150 – The Lord Is Good to His People

Shout praises to the Lord! Praise God in his temple.
Praise him in heaven, his mighty fortress.

Praise our God! His deeds are wonderful, too marvelous to describe.

Praise God with trumpets and all kinds of harps.
Praise him with tambourines and dancing, with stringed instruments and woodwinds.
Praise God with cymbals, with clashing cymbals.

Let every living creature praise the Lord.
Shout praises to the Lord!

Jeremiah 15:15-21

Jeremiah Complains Again

You can see how I suffer insult after insult, all because of you, Lord. Don’t be so patient with my enemies; take revenge on them before they kill me.

When you spoke to me, I was glad to obey, because I belong to you, the Lord All-Powerful. I don’t go to parties and have a good time. Instead, I keep to myself, because you have filled me with your anger.

I am badly injured and in constant pain. Are you going to disappoint me, like a stream that goes dry in the heat of summer?

The Lord Replies

Then the Lord told me: Stop talking like a fool! If you turn back to me and speak my message, I will let you be my prophet once again.

I hope the people of Judah will accept what you say. But you can ignore their threats, because I am making you strong, like a bronze wall. They are evil and violent, but when they attack, I will be there to rescue you. I, the Lord, have spoken.

Matthew 24:4-14

Jesus answered:

Don’t let anyone fool you. Many will come and claim to be me. They will say that they are the Messiah, and they will fool many people.

You will soon hear about wars and threats of wars, but don’t be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn’t the end. Nations and kingdoms will go to war against each other. People will starve to death, and in some places there will be earthquakes. But this is just the beginning of troubles.

You will be arrested, punished, and even killed. Because of me, you will be hated by people of all nations. Many will give up and will betray and hate each other. Many false prophets will come and fool a lot of people. Evil will spread and cause many people to stop loving others. But if you keep on being faithful right to the end, you will be saved. When the good news about the kingdom has been preached all over the world and told to all nations, the end will come.

An Example*:

The Holy Fathers came together and spoke of what would happen in the last generation. One of them called Squirion said: ‘We now desire to fulfill the commandments of God.’

Then the Fathers asked him: ‘What about those who will come after us?’

He replied: ‘Perhaps half will desire to keep God’s commandments, and will seek the Eternal God.’

And the Fathers asked: ‘Those who come after these, what shall they do?’

He replied and said: ‘The men of that generation will not have the desire of God’s commandments. At that time wickedness will overflow and the charity of many will grow cold. And there shall come upon them a terrible testing. Those who shall be found worthy in this testing will be better than we are and better than our fathers.’

* Northumbria Community. Celtic Daily Prayer (Kindle Locations 11749-11751). HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Prayer for Faithfulness:

Lord God: Refine us in the fire of trouble and persecution. Fill us with the Spirit of Christ Jesus, that we may have the courage and strength to face our present circumstances, and look to the future with eager expectation and hope. Deliver us from discouragement or failure that would dishonor God. Protect us from the enemy’s temptations, and from every evil feeling and thought. And enable us to speak boldly the Good News of Christ’s love, mercy and grace. It’s in his name and for your glory that we pray. Amen.

You Make Me Brave – Bethel Music

Closing

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 the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Monday Morning Prayer: 29 Jun 2020 – Psalm 46:6-11, Matthew 5:9 ~ Blessed are the peacemakers!

Monday Morning Prayer, 29 Jun 2020

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

Opening:

All-powerful God, your incarnate Word commands our obedience and offers us true life. Make our ears attentive to the voice of your Son and our hearts generous in answering his call,that we may take up the cross with trust in his promises. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.Amen.

God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise;
God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.

1 Co 1:27 (ESV)

Preparation:

Holy Spirit, breath of God and fire of love, I cannot pray without your aid: Kindle in me the fire of your love, and illumine me with your light; that with a steadfast will and holy thoughts I may approach the Father in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ my Lord, who reigns with you and the Father in eternal union. Amen.

Scripture:

Psalm 46:6-11 (ESV)

The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.

“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”

The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Matthew 5:9 (ESV)

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

Example:

Saint Telemachus (?–391)* – was an ascetic monk deeply rooted in prayer who followed God’s leading to travel to Rome. Following the crowds to an amphitheater he was horrified to see the spectacle of violence before him. Responding the only way he could, he rushed into the arena in an effort to stop the gladiators from fighting. This response cost him his life (killed by a gladiator, or stoned by the angry mob – stories differ). But it is known that Telemachus’s martyrdom spurred Emperor Honorius to issue an historic ban on gladiator fights. The last known gladiator fight in Rome was on 1 January AD 404.

On 1 January (Telemachus’ feast day) peacemakers are honored – those who are actively engaged, and those whose lives are so shaped by the Prince of Peace that they provoke change and promote peace, simply by being themselves and following God’s leading.

The peace of all peace be mine.

* [Northumbria Community. Celtic Daily Prayer (Kindle Location 69462). HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition.]

Prayer: (By Mark and Jill Herringshaw)

Father, You have given Jesus as our teacher and guide and the Holy Spirit as our helper. I ask that you would fill me with the Holy Spirit every day so that His fruit would manifest in my life, in my relationships, and in every context in which I find myself. I especially ask that I would become a person on whom you can rely to extend, promote, and encourage peace in every encounter I have today and every day. I take the seeds of peace You have given me through your Holy Spirit, and I will with great intention sow them everywhere I go. Amen

“Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.”

Still-Be Still and Know – Don Moen

Closing

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 the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Saturday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time, 27 Jun 2020 – 2 Chronicles 7:14 Psalm 104:30~ Humble yourself, and pray!

Saturday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time, 27 Jun 2020

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

Opening:

Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name, increase in us true godliness, nourish us with all goodness, and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

“When you send out your life-giving breath, things come alive,
and the world is like new again!”

__________

A Reading from the Old Testament: 2 Chronicles 7:14 (ESV)

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

__________

Way Maker – Leeland

__________

Morning Prayer

For our Nation

Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure conduct. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom, in thy Name, we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all of which we ask
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ Lord, Send forth Your Spirit and renew the face of the earth!

For this Time of Social Conflict or Distress

Increase, O God, the spirit of neighborliness among us, that in peril we may uphold one another, in suffering tend to one another, and in homelessness, loneliness, or exile befriend one another. Grant us brave and enduring hearts that we may strengthen one another, until the disciplines and testing of these days are ended, and you again give peace in our time; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ Lord, Send forth Your Spirit and renew the face of the earth!

For our Troubled Cities and Towns

Heavenly Father, you sent your Son among us to proclaim the kingdom of God in cities, towns, villages, and lonely places. Behold and visit, we pray, the troubled inner cities of our land. Renew the bonds of charity that uphold our civic life. Send us honest and able leaders. Deliver us from poverty, prejudice, and oppression, that peace may prevail with righteousness, and justice with mercy. And at the last, bring us to your Holy City,
the new Jerusalem, where we shall know perfect unity and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ Lord, Send forth Your Spirit and renew the face of the earth!

For our President and all in Civil Authority

O Lord our Governor, whose glory fills all the world: We commend this Nation to your merciful care, that we may be guided by your providence, and dwell secure in your peace. Grant to our President Donald J Trump, the Governors of every State, and to all in authority, wisdom and strength to know and to do your will. Fill them with the love of truth and righteousness, and make them continually mindful of their calling to serve this people in reverent obedience to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

+ Lord, Send forth Your Spirit and renew the face of the earth!

For those who Inform Public Opinion

Almighty God, your truth endures from age to age: Direct in our time, we pray, those who speak where many listen and write what many read;  that they may speak your truth to make the heart of this people wise, its mind discerning, and its will righteous; to the honor of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ Lord, Send forth Your Spirit and renew the face of the earth!

For the Discouraged and Downcast

O God, almighty and merciful, you heal the broken-hearted, and turn the sadness of the sorrowful to joy, Let your fatherly goodness be upon all whom you have made. Remember in pity all those who are this day destitute, homeless, elderly, infirm, or forgotten. Bless the multitude of your poor. Lift up those who are cast down. Mightily befriend innocent sufferers, and sanctify to them the endurance of their wrongs. Cheer with hope all who are discouraged and downcast, and by your heavenly grace preserve from falling those whose poverty tempts them to sin. Though they be troubled on every side, suffer them not to be distressed; though they are perplexed, save them from despair. Grant this, O Lord, for the love of him who for our sakes became poor, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

+ Lord, Send forth Your Spirit and renew the face of the earth!

For Families

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, you set the solitary in families: We commend to your continual care the homes in which your people dwell. Put far from them every root of bitterness, the desire of vainglory, and the pride of life. Fill them with faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, and true godliness. Knit together in constant affection those who, in holy matrimony, have been made one flesh; turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the hearts of children to their parents; and so enkindle fervent charity among us all, that we may evermore
be joined to one another with bonds of loving-kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ Lord, Send forth Your Spirit and renew the face of the earth!

For the Unrepentant

Merciful God, you desire not the death of sinners, but rather that they should turn to you and live; and through your only Son you have revealed yourself as the God who pardons iniquity. Have mercy on the unrepentant and those who do not believe. Awaken in them, by your Word and Holy Spirit, a deep sense of their sinfulness and peril. Take from them all ignorance, hardness of heart, and contempt of your Word. Grant them to know and feel that there is no other Name under heaven given among men by which they must be saved, but only the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so bring them home and number them among your children, that they may be yours for ever; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

+ Lord, Send forth Your Spirit and renew the face of the earth!

A Prayer of Self-Dedication

Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated to you; and then use us, we pray, as you will, and always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

+ Lord, Send forth Your Spirit and renew the face of the earth!
__________

Closing

The Blessing – Elevation Worship |Kari Jobe & Cody Carnes

__________

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

Friday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time, 26 Jun 2020 – Revelation 22, Psalm 148 ~ Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

Friday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time, 26 Jun 2020

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

Opening:

Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name, increase in us true godliness, nourish us with all goodness, and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

“These words are trustworthy and true: ‘I am coming soon!’
God, who tells his prophets what the future holds, has sent his angel to tell you this will happen soon.
Blessed are those who believe it and all else written in the scroll.”

__________

The Book of Revelation: Chapter 22 (TLB)

22 And he pointed out to me a river of pure Water of Life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb, coursing down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew Trees of Life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month; the leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.

There shall be nothing in the city that is evil; for the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they shall see his face; and his name shall be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will be their light; and they shall reign forever and ever.

Then the angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true: ‘I am coming soon!’ God, who tells his prophets what the future holds, has sent his angel to tell you this will happen soon. Blessed are those who believe it and all else written in the scroll.”

I, John, saw and heard all these things, and fell down to worship the angel who showed them to me; but again he said, “No, don’t do anything like that. I, too, am a servant of Jesus as you are, and as your brothers the prophets are, as well as all those who heed the truth stated in this book. Worship God alone.”

Then he instructed me, “Do not seal up what you have written, for the time of fulfillment is near. And when that time comes, all doing wrong will do it more and more; the vile will become more vile; good men will be better; those who are holy will continue on in greater holiness.”

“See, I am coming soon,* and my reward is with me, to repay everyone according to the deeds he has done. I am the A and the Z, the Beginning and the End, the First and Last. Blessed forever are all who are washing their robes, to have the right to enter in through the gates of the city and to eat the fruit from the Tree of Life.

“Outside the city are those who have strayed away from God, and the sorcerers and the immoral and murderers and idolaters, and all who love to lie, and do so.

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to you to tell the churches all these things. I am both David’s Root and his Descendant. I am the bright Morning Star. The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ Let each one who hears them say the same, ‘Come.’ Let the thirsty one come—anyone who wants to; let him come and drink the Water of Life without charge. And I solemnly declare to everyone who reads this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God shall add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone subtracts any part of these prophecies, God shall take away his share in the Tree of Life, and in the Holy City just described.

“He who has said all these things declares: Yes, I am coming soon!”*

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen!
__________

All Who Are Thirsty – Brenton Brown

__________

Morning Prayer – Psalm 148 (TLB)

Praise the Lord, O heavens! Praise him from the skies! Praise him, all his angels, all the armies of heaven. Praise him, sun and moon and all you twinkling stars. Praise him, skies above. Praise him, vapors high above the clouds.

Let everything he has made give praise to him. For he issued his command, and they came into being; he established them forever and forever. His orders will never be revoked.

And praise him down here on earth, you creatures of the ocean depths. Let fire and hail, snow, rain, wind, and weather all obey. Let the mountains and hills, the fruit trees and cedars, the wild animals and cattle, the snakes and birds, the kings and all the people with their rulers and their judges, young men and maidens, old men and children— all praise the Lord together. For he alone is worthy. His glory is far greater than all of earth and heaven. He has made his people strong, honoring his godly ones—the people of Israel, the people closest to him.

Hallelujah! Yes, praise the Lord!
__________

Psalm 148 (Highly Exalted) – Sixteen Cities

__________

Closing Revelation 22:16-17, 20 (TLB)

I Jesus, have sent my angel to you to tell the churches all these things. I am both David’s Root and his Descendant. I am the bright Morning Star. The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ Let each one who hears them say the same, ‘Come.’ Let the thirsty one come—anyone who wants to; let him come and drink the Water of Life without charge.

“He who has said all these things declares: Yes, I am coming soon!”
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

__________

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

Thursday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time, 25 Jun 2020 – Revelation 21, Psalm 147 ~ “See, I am making all things new!”

Thursday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time, 25 Jun 2020

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

Opening:

Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name, increase in us true godliness, nourish us with all goodness, and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

“Everyone who conquers will inherit all these blessings,
and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

__________

The Book of Revelation: Chapter 21 (TLB)

21 Then I saw a new earth (with no oceans!) and a new sky, for the present earth and sky had disappeared. And I, John, saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven. It was a glorious sight, beautiful as a bride at her wedding.

I heard a loud shout from the throne saying, “Look, the home of God is now among men, and he will live with them and they will be his people; yes, God himself will be among them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever.”

And the one sitting on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true: It is finished! I am the A and the Z—the Beginning and the End. I will give to the thirsty the springs of the Water of Life—as a gift! Everyone who conquers will inherit all these blessings, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But cowards who turn back from following me, and those who are unfaithful to me, and the corrupt, and murderers, and the immoral, and those conversing with demons, and idol worshipers and all liars—their doom is in the Lake that burns with fire and sulphur. This is the Second Death.”

Then one of the seven angels who had emptied the flasks containing the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come with me and I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”

In a vision he took me to a towering mountain peak, and from there I watched that wondrous city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of the skies from God. It was filled with the glory of God and flashed and glowed like a precious gem, crystal clear like jasper. Its walls were broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates. There were three gates on each side—north, south, east, and west. The walls had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The angel held in his hand a golden measuring stick to measure the city and its gates and walls. When he measured it, he found it was a square as wide as it was long; in fact it was in the form of a cube, for its height was exactly the same as its other dimensions—1,500 miles each way. Then he measured the thickness of the walls and found them to be 216 feet across (the angel called out these measurements to me, using standard units).

The city itself was pure, transparent gold like glass! The wall was made of jasper, and was built on twelve layers of foundation stones inlaid with gems: the first layer with jasper; the second with sapphire; the third with chalcedony; the fourth with emerald; the fifth with sardonyx; the sixth layer with sardus; the seventh with chrysolite; the eighth with beryl; the ninth with topaz; the tenth with chrysoprase; the eleventh with jacinth; the twelfth with amethyst.

The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure, transparent gold, like glass.

No temple could be seen in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are worshiped in it everywhere. And the city has no need of sun or moon to light it, for the glory of God and of the Lamb illuminate it. Its light will light the nations of the earth, and the rulers of the world will come and bring their glory to it. Its gates never close; they stay open all day long—and there is no night! And the glory and honor of all the nations shall be brought into it. Nothing evil will be permitted in it—no one immoral or dishonest—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
__________

The Holy City – Jessye Norman

Last night I lay asleeping
There came a dream so fair
I stood in old Jerusalem
Beside the temple there
I heard the children singing
And ever as they sang
Methought the voice of Angels
From Heaven in answer rang

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem!
Lift up your gates and sing,
Hosanna in the highest.
Hosanna to your King!”

And then methought my dream was chang’d
The streets no longer rang
Hushed were the glad Hosannas
The little children sang
The sun grew dark with mystery
The morn was cold and chill
As the shadow of a cross arose
Upon a lonely hill

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem!
Hark! How the Angels sing,
Hosanna in the highest,
Hosanna to your King!”

And once again the scene was changed
New earth there seemed to be
I saw the Holy City
Beside the tideless sea
The light of God was on its streets
The gates were open wide
And all who would might enter
And no one was denied
No need of moon or stars by night
Or sun to shine by day
It was the new Jerusalem
That would not pass away

“Jerusalem! Jerusalem
Sing for the night is o’er
Hosanna in the highest
Hosanna for evermore!”
__________

Morning Prayer – Psalm 147

 Hallelujah! Yes, praise the Lord! How good it is to sing his praises! How delightful, and how right!

+ God is rebuilding Jerusalem and bringing back the exiles.

  • He heals the brokenhearted, binding up their wounds.
  • He counts the stars and calls them all by name.
  • How great he is! His power is absolute! His understanding is unlimited.
  • The Lord supports the humble, but brings the wicked into the dust.

+ Sing out your thanks to him; sing praises to our God, accompanied by harps.

  • He covers the heavens with clouds, sends down the showers, and makes the green grass grow in mountain pastures.
  • He feeds the wild animals, and the young ravens cry to him for food.
  • The speed of a horse is nothing to him. How puny in his sight is the strength of a man.
  • But his joy is in those who reverence him, those who expect him to be loving and kind.

+ Praise him, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!

  • For he has fortified your gates against all enemies and blessed your children.
  • He sends peace across your nation and fills your barns with plenty of the finest wheat.
  • He sends his orders to the world. How swiftly his word flies.
  • He sends the snow in all its lovely whiteness, scatters the frost upon the ground, and hurls the hail upon the earth.
  • Who can stand before his freezing cold? But then he calls for warmer weather, and the spring winds blow and all the river ice is broken.
  • He has made known his laws and ceremonies of worship to Israel — something he has not done with any other nation; they have not known his commands.

+ Hallelujah! Yes, praise the Lord!
__________

New Jerusalem – Michael Card

I saw the Holy City,
Descending from the sky
So brilliant with the light of God
The city is His bride
There is no temple in this town
No sun, no moon, no lamp
For God’s own glory is it’s light
Illuminated by the Lamb
And God Himself will wipe the tears
From every weeping eye
No death, no pain, no mourning cry
And every tear made dry

And now our God will dwell with them
The new Jerusalem
And He Himself will walk with them
The new Jerusalem

And so let all of those who thirst
Come now and drink for free
And to the one who overcomes
Come now and you will see
Behold the old has passed away
Now everything is new
The Alpha and Omega’s words
Are trustworthy and so true
And God Himself will wipe the tears
From every weeping eye
No death, no pain, no mourning cry
And every tear made dry

And now our God will dwell with them
The new Jerusalem
And He Himself will walk with them
The new Jerusalem
And now our God will dwell with them
The new Jerusalem
And He Himself will walk with them
The new Jerusalem

And He Himself will walk with them
The new Jerusalem
__________

Closing Revelation 21:3-4 (TLB)

“Look, the home of God is now among men, and he will live with them and they will be his people; yes, God himself will be among them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever.”

__________

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