Tag: Worship

Friday of 3rd Week of Easter, 05 May – John 6:52-59 ~ true food and drink

Friday of the Third Week of Easter

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

Opening Prayer

Our living and loving God, how could we know the depth of your love if your Son had not become flesh of our flesh and blood of our blood? How could we ever have the courage to live for one another and if necessary to die if he had not given up his body and shed his blood for us?

Thank you for his presence wth us in the eucharist and for making himself our daily bread. Let this bread be the food that empowers us to live and die as he did, for one another and for you, our living God, for ever and ever.
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Reading: John 6:52-59 (NLT)

Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked.

So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever.”

He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
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Reflection & Prayer:

O merciful Father; in your great goodness, we ask you to bless and sanctify, with your Word and Holy Spirit, these gifts of bread and wine, that we, receiving them according to your Son our Savior Jesus Christ’s holy institution, in remembrance of his death and passion, may be partakers of his most blessed Body and Blood.
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We do not presume to come to this your table, merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in your abundant and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your table. But you are the same Lord, who always delights in showing mercy.

Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of your dear Son Jesus Christ and to drink his blood, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body, and our souls washed through his most precious blood, and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us.
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Heavenly Father, we thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food of the most precious body and blood of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ: and for assuring us in these holy mysteries that we are living members of the body of your Son, and heirs of your eternal Kingdom. And now Father, send us out into the world to do the work you have given us to do, to love and serve you as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord. To him, to you, and to the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.
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“Remembrance” – Matt Redman

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Concluding Prayer

Praise the Lord, all you nations. Praise him, all you people of the earth. For his unfailing love for us is powerful; the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever. Praise the Lord! – Psalm 117:1-2 (NLT)
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Thursday of 3rd Week of Easter, 04 May – John 6:44-51 ~ Word and Sacrament

Thursday of the Third Week of Easter

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

Opening Prayer

Father, you draw all people to you who believe in your Son Jesus Christ. Faith, Lord, is what I need. Give me a living faith that I may encounter Jesus Christ, your Son, today –

  • in your word that you speak to me,
  • in the bread that you offer me,
  • and in the food that I can give and can be to another.

Through Jesus Christ, your Son and my Lord, who lives with you and the Holy Spirit now and for ever.
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Reading: John 6:44-51 (NLT)

For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. As it is written in the Scriptures, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. Yes, I am the bread of life! Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”
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Reflection & Prayer:

Heavenly Father:

+ you have given me your written Word in the Scriptures; teach me what it means – that I may listen and learn from you.

+ you have given me your incarnate Word in your Son; draw me continually to him – that I may be raised up on the last day.

+ you have given me your enacted Word in the Sacraments; give me the bread of life – that I may live forever.

Almighty, ever-living God, you alone offer eternal life to the world. Stay close to me and reveal your loving-kindness in my life that I may be a faithful, compelling witness to your mercy and grace. Through my Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
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“Christ Be All Around Me” – All Sons & Daughters


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Concluding Prayer

Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me. For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke. – Psalm 66:16-17 (NLT)
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Wednesday of 3rd Week of Easter, 03 May – John 14:6-14 ~ one God

Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter

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

Opening Prayer

Lord God, I praise and thank you for your apostles. Through them I have come to know that Jesus is alive and risen. May I too be a witness to the risen Jesus by the way I live his risen life, even though I am flawed and weak, that people may find through me the way to the Father of Jesus my Lord.
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Reading: John 14:6-14 (NLT)

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!
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Reflection & Prayer:

Father God: thank you for giving me your Son. I believe that you are in the Son, and the Son is in you. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to you except through him.

+ Without Jesus, I am homeless – I have no Way to come to you
+ Without Jesus, I am confused – I have no Truth to guide me.
+ Without Jesus, I am dead – I have no Life ahead of me.

Lord Jesus: thank you for showing me the Father.

+ You have spoken his life-giving words to me.
+ You have shown his wondrous works to me.
+ You have demonstrated his unfailing love for me.

Holy Spirit: thank you for living within me through belief and baptism.

+ You are always with me and will never leave me or forsake me.
+ You teach me and remind me of everything Jesus has said and done.
+ You empower me to become the person I was always meant to be.

Almighty God: send me out to do the work you have given me to do, to love and serve you as a faithful witness of Christ my Lord. To him, to you, and to the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever.
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“Here’s My Heart Lord” – Lauren Daigle


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Concluding Prayer

The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. – Psalm 19:1-2 (NLT)
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Tuesday of 3rd Week of Easter, 02 May – John 6:30-35 ~ the bread of life

Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter

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

Opening Prayer

Lord our God, generous Father, you have given us your Son Jesus that we may relive with him and like him his passion and his resurrection. Through Jesus, give us the courage to place ourselves into your hands in the trials of life and in death, that one day we may see your glory and at your right hand your Son Jesus Christ, who lives with you for ever.
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Reading: John 6:30-35 (NLT)

They answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

“Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.”

Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
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Reflection & Prayer:

“Give us today the food we need….” – Matthew 6:11 (NLT)

  • Thank you heavenly Father for providing for my daily temporal needs.

“I am the bread of life.” – John 6:35 (NLT)

  • Thank you Lord Jesus for providing for my eternal spiritual needs.

“The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” – John 6:63 (NLT)

  • Thank you gracious Holy Spirit for giving me eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Continue your transforming work in me that I may become more like him.

Soli Deo gloria.
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“Guide Me, Oh Thou Great Jehovah” – Tabernacle Welsh Baptist Church, Cardiff


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Concluding Prayer

O Lord, I have come to you for protection; don’t let me be disgraced. Save me, for you do what is right. Turn your ear to listen to me; rescue me quickly. Be my rock of protection, a fortress where I will be safe. – Psalm 31:1-2 (NLT)
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Monday of 3nd Week of Easter, 01 May – John 6:22-29 ~ your job is to believe

Monday of the Third Week of Easter

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

Opening Prayer

Our living God, we hunger for lasting life and happiness and the fulfillment of all our hopes. Satisfy all our hungers through your Son Jesus Christ, who is our bread of life. And when he has filled us with himself, may he lead and strengthen us to bring to a waiting world the food of reconciliation and joy, which you alone can give to the full. We ask this thorough Christ our Lord.
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Reading: John 6:22-29 (NLT)

The next day the crowd that had stayed on the far shore saw that the disciples had taken the only boat, and they realized Jesus had not gone with them. Several boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the Lord had blessed the bread and the people had eaten. So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him. They found him on the other side of the lake and asked, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”

They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”

Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”
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Reflection & Prayer:

Lord Jesus: I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

As the week unfolds, help me to better understand the significance of my confession of faith.

+ Take me deeper into the mystery and wonder of who you are.

+ Satisfy the hunger of my soul with every Word that you speak.

+ Implant your Kingdom within me that it may become my heart’s desire.

+ Show me what it costs to follow you wherever you lead me.

Lord Jesus: you alone have the Words of eternal life; set my sights on the realities of heaven. My life is hidden in you – who lives and reigns with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.
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“This I Believe” – Hillsong Kiev


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Concluding Prayer

I told you my plans, and you answered. Now teach me your decrees. Help me understand the meaning of your commandments, and I will meditate on your wonderful deeds. – Psalm 119:26-27 (NLT)
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!