After Pentecost | Tuesday 18 Jul 2023: Psalm 142; Jeremiah 49:7-11; Ephesians 4:17-5:2 ~ follow Jesus’ example

After Pentecost | Tuesday 18 Jul 2023

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

Opening:

Let your merciful ears, O Lord,
be open to the prayers of your humble servants;
and, that we may receive what we ask,
teach us by your Holy Spirit to ask
only those things that are pleasing to you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who with you and the same Spirit
lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

Imitate God, therefore,
in everything you do,
because you are his dear children.
(Ephesians 5:1)

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From Psalms: Psalm 142 – Poor Bishop Hooper

i cry to the lord with my voice i cry out
i plead to the lord for mercy mercy
i pour out again my complaint before him
i tell him my troubles

when my spirit faints within me
you know my way you know my way
in my path where they’ve hid a trap for me
you know my way you know my way

i look to the right and see
there is no one who cares who takes notice of me
no refuge remains no one cares for my soul
so i cry out to you lord

when my spirit faints within me
you know my way you know my way
in my path where they’ve hid a trap for me
you know my way you know my way

i say you are my portion
in the land of life
won’t you come lord deliver me
would you hear my cry
bring me out of this prison
for the thanks i have to give
and the righteous will surround me
because of your goodness

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OT Reading: Jeremiah 49:7-11 (NLT)

Messages about Edom

49:7 This message was given concerning Edom. This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:

“Is there no wisdom in Teman?
Is no one left to give wise counsel?
Turn and flee!
Hide in deep caves, you people of Dedan!
For when I bring disaster on Edom,
I will punish you, too!
Those who harvest grapes
always leave a few for the poor.
If thieves came at night,
they would not take everything.
But I will strip bare the land of Edom,
and there will be no place left to hide.
Its children, its brothers, and its neighbors
will all be destroyed,
and Edom itself will be no more.
But I will protect the orphans who remain among you.
Your widows, too, can depend on me for help.”

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Orphans of God – Avalon – Sarkis Kel Oghlanian

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NT Reading: Ephesians 4:17-5:2 (NLT)

Living as Children of Light

4:17 With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Living in the Light

5:1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

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Crazy People | Casting Crowns

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

After Pentecost | Monday 17 Jul 2023: Psalm 142; Micah 1:1-5; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 ~ live holy and honorable lives

After Pentecost | Monday 17 Jul 2023

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

Opening:

God has called us to live holy lives,
not impure lives.
(1 Thessalonians 4:7)

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From Psalms: Psalm 142 | Sandesh Manuel

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OT Reading: Micah 1:1-5 (NLT)

1:1 The Lord gave this message to Micah of Moresheth during the years when Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah. The visions he saw concerned both Samaria and Jerusalem.

Grief over Samaria and Jerusalem

1:2 Attention! Let all the people of the world listen!
Let the earth and everything in it hear.
The Sovereign Lord is making accusations against you;
the Lord speaks from his holy Temple.
Look! The Lord is coming!
He leaves his throne in heaven
and tramples the heights of the earth.
The mountains melt beneath his feet
and flow into the valleys
like wax in a fire,
like water pouring down a hill.
And why is this happening?
Because of the rebellion of Israel—
yes, the sins of the whole nation.
Who is to blame for Israel’s rebellion?
Samaria, its capital city!
Where is the center of idolatry in Judah?
In Jerusalem, its capital!

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Jerusalem of Gold/ Yerushalayim Shel Zahav (SHUVU ELAI/ RETURN TO ME) – ELIHANA ELIA | אליחנה אליה

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NT Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 (NLT)

Live to Please God

4:1 Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more. For you remember what we taught you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor— not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. Never harm or cheat a fellow believer in this matter by violating his wife, for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before. God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

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Holiness – Sarah Hart | OCPmusic

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

After Pentecost| Sunday – 16 Jul 2023: Isa 55:10-13; Ps 65:11; Rom 8:7-17; Matt 13:1-9,18-23 ~ Jesus: “good seed + good soil = good fruit”

After Pentecost | Sunday – 16 Jul 2023

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

Opening:

Jesus: “The seed that fell on good soil
represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word
and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty,
or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
(Matt 13:23)

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Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee | JJ Heller

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OT Isaiah 55:10-13 (NLT)

55:10 “The rain and snow come down from the heavens
and stay on the ground to water the earth.
They cause the grain to grow,
producing seed for the farmer
and bread for the hungry.
It is the same with my word.
I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
You will live in joy and peace.
The mountains and hills will burst into song,
and the trees of the field will clap their hands!
Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow.
Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up.
These events will bring great honor to the Lord’s name;
they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.”

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From Psalms: Psalm 65: 11 | You Crown The Year – Hillsong Worship | Light of the World

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From the Epistles: Romans 8:7-17 (NLT)

8:7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

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Spirit of The Living God ~ Vertical Worship

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Gospel Reading: Matthew 13:1-9,18-23 (NLT)

Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed

13:1 Later that same day Jesus left the house and sat beside the lake. A large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat there and taught as the people stood on the shore. He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:

“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

The Parable Explained

13:18 “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

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Living Sacrifice – Brandon Lake | | Modern Evangelism Lyrics

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ O God, our heavenly Father, you manifested your love by sending your only-begotten Son into the world, that all might live through him: Pour out your Spirit on your Church, that we may fulfill his command to preach the Gospel to all people. Send forth laborers into your harvest; defend them in all dangers and temptations; and hasten the time when the fullness of the Gentiles shall be gathered in, and faithful Israel shall be saved; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

+ Almighty God our Savior, you desire that none should perish, and you have taught us through your Son that there is great joy in heaven over every sinner who repents: 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.

William Temple

+ 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.

Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch

Be the Life I live
Be the Love I give

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

After Pentecost | Saturday 15 Jul 2023: Psalm 65:9-13; Isaiah 52:1-6; John 12:44-50 ~ judged by the truth

After Pentecost | Saturday 15 Jul 2023

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

Opening:

Grant us, O Lord, we pray,
the spirit to think and do always
those things that are right, that we,
who can do no good thing apart from you,
may be enabled by you to live according to your will;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Jesus: “But all who reject me and my message
will be judged on the day of judgment
by the truth I have spoken.”
(John 12:48)

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From Psalms: Psalm 65 – “Thou O God Art Praised In Sion” | The Psalms

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OT Reading: Isaiah 52:1-6 (NLT)

Deliverance for Jerusalem

52:1 Wake up, wake up, O Zion!
Clothe yourself with strength.
Put on your beautiful clothes, O holy city of Jerusalem,
for unclean and godless people will enter your gates no longer.
Rise from the dust, O Jerusalem.
Sit in a place of honor.
Remove the chains of slavery from your neck,
O captive daughter of Zion.
For this is what the Lord says:
“When I sold you into exile,
I received no payment.
Now I can redeem you
without having to pay for you.”

This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Long ago my people chose to live in Egypt. Now they are oppressed by Assyria. What is this?” asks the Lord. “Why are my people enslaved again? Those who rule them shout in exultation. My name is blasphemed all day long. But I will reveal my name to my people, and they will come to know its power. Then at last they will recognize that I am the one who speaks to them.”

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Break Every Chain | Jesus Culture

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NT Reading: John 12:44-50 (NLT)

12:44 Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken. I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say.”

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When It’s All Said And Done – Robin Mark (

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

After Pentecost | Friday 14 Jul 2023: Psalm 65:9-13; Isaiah 48:6-11; Romans 15:14-21 ~ see and understand

After Pentecost | Friday 14 Jul 2023

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

Opening:

Paul: “I have been following the plan
spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says,
“Those who have never been told about him will see,
and those who have never heard of him will understand.”

(Romans 15:21)

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From Psalms: Psalm 65 – “What A Savior” | Melanie Waldman

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OT Reading: Isaiah 48:6-11 (NLT)

48:6 You have heard my predictions and seen them fulfilled,
but you refuse to admit it.
Now I will tell you new things,
secrets you have not yet heard.
They are brand new, not things from the past.
So you cannot say, ‘We knew that all the time!’

“Yes, I will tell you of things that are entirely new,
things you never heard of before.
For I know so well what traitors you are.
You have been rebels from birth.
Yet for my own sake and for the honor of my name,
I will hold back my anger and not wipe you out.
I have refined you, but not as silver is refined.
Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.
I will rescue you for my sake—
yes, for my own sake!
I will not let my reputation be tarnished,
and I will not share my glory with idols!

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Refiners Fire | Vineyard Worship feat. Kate Cooke (Vineyard Worship UK & Ireland)

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NT Reading: Romans 15:14-21 (NLT)

Paul’s Reason for Writing

15:14 I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them. Even so, I have been bold enough to write about some of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder. For by God’s grace, I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit. So I have reason to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God. Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me, bringing the Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I worked among them. They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum.

My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else. I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says,