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Lukedoesn't go into detail about the different aspects of the Passover lamb beingeaten, or the different cups that they drink representing certain aspects ofthe Exodus and redemption, but we know several things took place at this time.The Gospel of John tells us in John 13, before the feast of the Passover, whenJesus knew that His hour had come—remember, in verse 14 of Luke 22, alsomentions when the hour had come—"Jesus knew that this hour had comethat He should depart from this world to the Father. Having loved His own, Heloved them to the end” (John 13:1). This was an expression of the love ofthe Lord Jesus Christ to the twelve disciples, who had left all to follow Him.But who still can't seem to get along with each other, and still had so much tolearn. Jesusis going to teach them a lesson about love, humility, and forgiveness. John 13:2-10goes on to say; “Supper being ended, the devil having already put it intothe heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing thatthe Father had given all things into His hands and that He had come from Godand was going to God, rose from the supper, laid aside His garments, took atowel, and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and beganto wash the disciples' feet and wipe them with the towel with which He wasgirded. He came to Simon Peter, and Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washingmy feet?” Jesus answered, “What I'm doing you do not understand now, but you'llknow after this.” Peter said, “You're never going to wash my feet.” Jesusreplied, “If I don't wash you, you have no part with Me.” Peter responded,“Well then, wash me all over.” Jesus said, “You don't need to be washed allover; only your feet are dirty, and you're clean, but not all of you.”  Jesuslater said to the disciples, “I've given you an example that you should do asI've done to you. Blessed are you if you do these things” (John 13:17). Whatwas the Lord teaching them? The Lord was teaching them the power of love,humility, and forgiveness. Jesus knew He was going to a cross, and no matterhow these disciples acted, deny Him, fail Him, or go the wrong way, He would lovethem to the end. They were going to find cleansing and forgiveness of their dailysins through His blood. And as He forgave them, they were to forgive oneanother.  Thisis very important. Jesus didn't mean that we are supposed to have a ceremony inour churches or go home and literally wash each other's feet, wash theneighbors' feet, or other believers' feet. He's speaking of the fact that ourfeet get dirty as we walk through this world. How do they get dirty? Thingshappen with people. People say and do things that offend and hurt us. We sayand do things that hurt others. And daily and we need to ask for forgivenessand give forgiveness. Ibelieve that this is what Jesus is teaching: to get rid of our pride, be humbleand love and forgive others the way we want Him to love and forgive us. At thispoint in the supper, Jesus could have displayed His glory and could have askedthe disciples to fall at His feet and worship Him, but He didn't. He took offHis garment, put on a servant's garment, washed their feet, and said, “NowI've taught you a lesson. You don't understand it now, but you'll understand itlater” (John 13:7). Later, when Jesus went to the cross and they heard Himsay, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” they knewit was about forgiveness.  Godforgives them through Christ, and they were to love and forgive one another. Andas we do that, we keep our feet clean, and honor and glorify the Lord as we loveand forgive those who hurt us. In doing this we display Jesus' love, humility,and forgiveness to the world that desperately needs it! Itrust as you look at this upper room experience, it will transform your life asyou do what Jesus has taught us by His own example. Godbless!

InLuke 20:20-26 the Jewish priests, elders, scribes, and the Herodians continueto confront Jesus seeking to find a reason to have Him killed (v.19). On thisparticular occasion, Jesus knew that the men who questioned Him were spies sentby the Pharisees and the Herodians according to Mark 12:13, but He patientlylistened and replied.  Thesetwo groups were usually fighting each other, but now they had a common enemy,and this brought them together. They wanted to discuss taxes and Romanauthority, hoping to provoke Jesus into offending either the Jews or the Romans.If Jesus said, “pay the Roman tax,” they knew that He would offend and angerthe Jews who hated the Romans ruling over them. If Jesus said, “don't pay the Romantax,” He would be considered an insurrectionist by the Roman rulers and couldbe put to death. But Jesus lifted the discussion to a much higher level andforced the spies to think about the relationship between the kingdom of God andthe kingdoms of men. TheBible teaches that governmental authority is instituted by God and must berespected (Prov. 8:15; Dan. 2:21, 37-38; Rom. 13; 1 Peter 2:11-17). Yes, ourcitizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20), and we are strangers and pilgrims onearth, but that does not mean we should ignore our earthly responsibilities.Human government is essential to a safe and orderly society, for man is asinner and must be kept under control.  Whenyou read the book of Judges you find what it is like when there is no authorityover the people. Because there was no king in Israel, “every man did what wasright in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). The land was filled with anarchy,violence, murder, stealing, confusion, and chaos! God knows we need human governmentfor peace and order. Inverses 20-26, Jesus was not suggesting that we divide our loyalties between Godand government. Since "the powers that be are ordained of God" (Rom.13:1), we live as good citizens when we obey the authorities for the Lord'ssake. When obedience to God conflicts with obedience to man, then we must putGod first (Acts 4:19-20; 5:29), but we must do it in a manner that is honorableand loving. Even if we cannot respect the people in office, we must respect theoffice.  Thecounsel that Jeremiah gave to the Jewish exiles in Babylon is a good one forGod's "strangers and pilgrims" to follow today. “And seek thepeace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and prayto the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace.” (Jeremiah 29:7) Todaywe are instructed in 1 Timothy 2:1-4, “Therefore I exhort first of all thatsupplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for allmen, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet andpeaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptablein the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come tothe knowledge of the truth.” Caesar'simage and name were on the coins, so it was basically his currency. To pay thepoll tax meant simply to give Caesar back that which belonged to him. God'simage is stamped on us; therefore, He has the right to command our lives ascitizens in His kingdom. We should seek to be such good citizens that God willbe glorified and the unsaved will be attracted to the Gospel and want to becomeChristians (1 Peter 2:9-12; 3:8-17).  Itis unfortunate that some Christians have the mistaken idea that the moreobnoxious they are as citizens, the more they please God and witness forChrist. We must never violate our conscience, but we should seek to bepeacemakers and not troublemakers. Daniel is an example to follow (Dan. 1). God bless!

Introduction: The Trustworthiness Test (Matthew 5:33-37): Do I Need to CONVINCE OTHERS of the TRUTHFULNESS of what I say? (Matt 5:33–34a) Do I Look for LOOPHOLES to GET OUT of what I say? (Matt 5:34b–36) Matthew 23:22 – And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it. 1 Peter 2:22 – He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. Do I Always FOLLOW THROUGH on what I say? (Matt 5:37) James 5:12 – But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation. John 8:44 – You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionRead Matthew 5:33-37What was your big take-away from this passage / message?How can you strengthen your reputation when it comes to honesty and trustworthiness? How can you weaken it?Do you ever make excuses or look for loopholes to get out of what you say?Do you struggle with being a “yes or no” person? How do you fail to be reliable and follow through on what you say?What does it look like to truly repent of deception and make things right with those you have lied to?BreakoutPray for one another. AUDIO TRANSCRIPT Return your Bibles to Matthew chapter 5 verses 33 through 37.Matthew chapter 5 verses 33 through 37.Is it safe to say that trust is in short supply in 2025?We are constantly bombarded with lies, conspiracies, fraud,lame excuses, propaganda, cover-ups.With each passing year, we become less and less trustingas others seem less and less trustworthy.I was going to use an object lesson to prove this point,but for the sake of unity, which you'll see in a minutewhy I'm not doing this, I'm going to have you use your imaginations instead.Imagine with me that a bunch of images are from the screens behind meof famous individuals, politicians, billionaires, tech gurus, celebrities,social media influencers, world-renowned doctors,and popular preachers who you see pop up on Spotify, YouTube, and television.And with each image, with each person, I ask this very simple question,is this person trustworthy?And with some of these famous people, the answer would be a decisive yes,while others would be a resounding no.But some examples may prove to be a bit controversial and divisive.It may be a bit of a mixed reaction, which could lead to some frustration,heated debates, and strained relationships.Hence my unwillingness to show these images in service today.What if I were to close out this slideshow with a picture of you?And for the final time, I ask this very simple question, is this person trustworthy?What would be the response?What would your family members, friends, and fellow church members say about you?Maybe you don't want to play along with my made-up scenario,because you're afraid of what other people would say about you.But you cannot be oblivious in this area of life, because your reputation,when it comes to honesty and trustworthiness, is not a throwaway issue.Your credibility with others on the outside speaks to your integrity before the Lord on the inside.We've been studying the Sermon on the Mount for the past few months,and now this is the fourth week of our latest section, "The Heart of the Law."And throughout Matthew chapter 5, Jesus doesn't lessen the Old Testament law.He elevates it. He doesn't abolish it and throw it away.He digs down deep into our hearts to show how it applies at the deepest levels of who we are.Jesus proves that obeying God's commands and displaying true righteousness are matters of the heart.Jesus cares way more about the internal than the external,because who you are internally shapes all that you say and do externally.So far, we have covered what Christ commands and expects when it comes to anger,sexuality, and marriage.In Matthew chapter 5, verses 33 through 37,the Lord turns your attention to what he has to say about making promises and keeping your word.To help you gauge your own personal credibility, Jesus assigns an important testthat you cannot afford to skip or to fail.And this test is the trustworthiness test.Before we dig into the first question, let's go to the Lord in prayer.Please pray that I will faithfully proclaim God's word.While I pray that you will faithfully and joyfully receive God's word.Father, we thank you for the gift of your word.It is a mirror that you hold up to our hearts to show us what means to change.Lord, this morning you're going to show us some very challenging and difficult things about ourselvesthat we do not want to see,but we must recognize them and we must make changes by the power of your Holy Spirit.So may you do the work that only you can.We ask all these things in Jesus' name. Amen.All right, who is ready for the trustworthiness test?Well, we're going to take it anyway. So the trustworthiness test, question one.Do I need to convince others of the truthfulness of what I say?Do I need to convince others of the truthfulness of what I say?Let's read verses 33 through 34.Jesus says, "Again, you have heard that it was said to those of old,'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.'But I say to you, do not take an oath at all."This is the fourth time in Matthew chapter 5 that Jesus repeats the same verbal pattern."You have heard that it was said, but I say to you."So let's cover what was said in the past."You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn."You will not find this exact sentence word for word in the Old Testamentbecause it is a mashup of three different passages about keeping oaths.With the Nicos 19-2, Numbers chapter 30 verse 2 and Deuteronomy 23-21.In the Old Testament, oath taking was serious business.It wasn't something to be entered into lightly or carelessly.Vows were reserved for important matters.And God put them in place as a first line of defense against dishonesty.I find it helpful to view Old Testament oaths like spiritual speed bumps.Why do speed bumps exist?To cause you to slow down and keep pedestrian safe.Let me ask you, do speed bumps always do that?No, we've all seen maniacs treat speed bumps like challenges and jumps instead of warnings.And maybe you've been that maniac from time to time.Oaths were set up by God to curb the natural tendency to be deceitful and unreliable.They were like speed bumps.By taking an oath, you were saying,"God, you can bring judgment and cursing upon me if I do not keep my side of the bargain."But these spiritual speed bumps could not stop all dishonesty.It couldn't do away with people being deceitful.So vows help provide accountability, but they could not change the human heart,which is seen most clearly in the lives of the religious leaders of Jesus' day.The rabbis, the scribes, the Pharisees misinterpreted the Old Testament commands about vowsand twisted God's word to advance their own dishonest agenda.They believe that you shall not swear falsely, only spoke to perjuring yourself in a court of law.We'll talk about this in even greater detail in a few minutes,but they also believe that the instruction you shall perform to the Lord what you have swornleft some room for coloring outside the lines when it came to keeping your word.If you weren't in a court setting or you didn't make vows directly to Godand in His name there was some wiggle room to tell some lies.It wasn't ideal, but hey, not a big deal.As long as you said the right things and as long as you kept their man-made rules.Once again, the religious leaders are taking God's word, taking His commandsand putting it into their own man-made box.Their standards were shallow and their righteousness was phony.But Jesus calls His followers to a greater righteousness, to a higher standardwhen He says, "But I say to you, do not take an oath at all."This command brings up an important question that we have to answer.Is Jesus saying that it's always sinful to make a promise or a vow of any kind at any time?Well, some Christians, some scholars and pastors certainly think so,but that's a really hard stance to defend from the rest of Scripture.The Apostle Paul kept and he made and kept a vow in Acts 18-18.In Revelation chapter 10 verses 5 through 6, the Apostle John records an angel swearing enough.In the Old Testament, God made oaths to show the seriousness of His covenant promises.God didn't do that because he had a shaky reputation.He lovingly did that to give His people a rock-solid confidence in His trustworthinessand the certainty of His purposes and His plans.God's vows were like exclamation points that highlighted His credibilitybecause we so often do not trust Him even though His track record is flawless.The Lord established the Old Covenant with Israel and He has established a new covenant with all who believein the life, death, and resurrection of His Son.And at its core, a covenant is an oath-bound relationship that is built upon promises being keptand the Bible is crystal clear that God always keeps His promises.And speaking of covenants, the Bible describes marriage as a covenant relationshipwhich means that as a good and godly thing, you swear your devotion to your spouse.You know, 11 years ago, Pastor Jeff married my wife and Iand when he asked me to repeat my vows to Kate after him, I didn't say, "Whoa, wait preacher boy,I don't make promises or take vows. Don't you study the Bible for a living?Shouldn't you know that? Pass." Did I do that? Jeff, do you remember that? I don't think I did that.Let's move from the marriage ceremony to the courtroom.I'm called to testify in a very important case and the judge tells me to raise my right handand he asked me, "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?"What should I say?Sorry, judge. I'm a Christian. I can't do that. You may as well call the next witness. I'm out of here. Deuces.Is that going to go very well with the judge?Listen, Jesus is not condemning vows in the context of a courtroom or a wedding ceremony.Jesus is forbidding the practice of taking frivolous oaths and making pointless promises in everyday life situations.He's saying, "Do not be the kind of person who needs to swear on something or someone to be believed.Do not be the kind of person who needs to clarify that you're not lying.Who needs to clarify that you're telling the truth.Be so trustworthy that your word can be taken at face value without jumping through hoops.As a follower of Christ, you shouldn't need the spiritual speed bumps of promises, oaths, and vows to be taken seriously.You should be a person of such great integrity that promises are unnecessary because your past performance speaks for itself.Others should trust you implicitly because you have proven yourself explicitly.Your heart should be so full of the truth that lying doesn't even register as a valid option to choose or path to take.For the Christian, honesty is like breathing.You inhale the truth of God's word and then you exhale the truth in every situation.You don't tell white lies because you understand that there are no such thing as white lies.Every lie, no matter how small, is a huge deal to the Lord.You don't embellish your stories or add on extra details to impress people because who cares what other people think about you.What matters most is what God thinks about you.And He knows what you're saying is not true.You don't cut corners at work because you ultimately serve the Lord of all creation who sees everything,not the human boss across the hall who cannot see into your heart.You cannot control much in this life, but you do have the ability to deepen your credibility or destroy it,to strengthen it day by day or to willingly weaken it.You have no right to be offended when someone doesn't believe you if you have a shady history of saying things that are not trueand making promises that you didn't keep.You are simply reaping the consequences of what you have sown.You are receiving the label of untrustworthy, which is a title that you have repeatedly earned.The trustworthiness test.Move on to the second question.And it will not be easier than the first.Do I look for loopholes to get out of what I say?Do I look for loopholes to get out of what I say?So Jesus pulls the rug out from underneath the religious leaders and exposes their ridiculous schemes in verses 34 through 36.But I say to you, do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,or by the earth, for it is His footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king.And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.As I said earlier, the scribes and Pharisees were experts at looking for loopholes and creating escape patches to get out of what they said,especially if what they said wasn't made in a court setting.So instead of swearing in God's name, they would swear by heaven, they would swear by the earth, the city of Jerusalem, or even their own heads.In their minds, swearing on these things was not binding like swearing in God's name.This is the verbal equivalent of crossing your fingers behind your back whenever you make a promise.They thought they were so clever. They found their own get out of oaths free card.But Jesus shows them that this line of thinking is childish and dumb.He destroys their loopholes and he closes their escape patches.Let's follow his logic.Jesus says, "Do not swear by heaven because who does heaven belong to?"All right. I know it's early. I'm going to ask that question again.Who does heaven belong to?It is His throne.And Matthew actually reinforces this later on when Jesus says,"And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits on it."He also says, "Don't swear by the earth because who does it belong to?"Once again, I'm going to try it again. Who does the earth belong to, everyone?It is His footstool. God is so awesome. He is so big.The earth is like a teeny tiny ottoman where He puts His feet up.The earth belongs to God, so don't swear by it.It's also not a great idea to swear by Jerusalem because who does it belong to?Great job, everyone.The king of Jerusalem, the king of the earth, and that is God.You swear by Jerusalem. You swear by the one who created and rules over Israel.And He also says, "Don't swear by your own head."It seems kind of weird, right? What does that even mean?Well, it means this. "If I don't keep my word, let me be decapitated."A modern day equivalent of this would be, "Cross my heart and hope to die. Stick a needle in my..."These words mean nothing and they control nothing.Jesus says, "You cannot make one hair white or black."Back in those days, people could not control their hair color with hair dye like we can today.Once your hair started going gray, there was no going back.But even today in 2025, you can't speak a change of hair color into existence, right?You can't say, "Let my hair be black. Let my hair be blonde again."You cannot do that.So Jesus is saying, "If you cannot even control the color of your hair with your words,your words definitely cannot control if you're decapitated or not."God is saying, "My words certainly control that."Which means, "I own you. I own your head. I am the one who controls all things.So do not swear by heaven, by earth, by Jerusalem, or your own head."Jesus even exposes the other things the religious leaders swore by in Matthew chapter 23 verses 16 through 22.They would swear by the gold of the temple instead of the temple itself.They would swear by the gift on the altar instead of the altar itself.Jesus doesn't actually commend them for their shrewd thinking and their creative brainstorming.He calls them blind fools who cannot see the stupidity of their own actions.He labels them as blind guides who have fallen into a sinful pitand are calling the rest of Jerusalem to join them in the darkness.I know what you may be thinking at this point.Taylor, this is an interesting history lesson at all.I just don't see how this relates to me.I haven't sworn by anything or anyone for a long time.I haven't said, "I swear on my mother's life. I swear on my grandma's grave.I swear by my life that I'm not lying."So how does this relate to me? I haven't done that for many years.Well, here's how the text relates to you."Don't be a sneaky word ninja like the scribes and Pharisees.Do not be a sneaky person.Do not look for escape hatches and loopholes to get out of what you say,because that does not honor the Lord."Let me give you some examples that may hit close to home.Husbands, you're supposed to carry out a task for your wife, but then you forget.Yeah, stretch your imagination because that never happens, right?Then your wife calls you on it and to save face you say, "Oh, I was just about to do it.You didn't give me enough time. That's sneaky. So don't do it."You commit to a small group, but on one particular night, you don't really feel like going.So you call your small group leader, "Oh, man, I'm really under the weather.I don't want anybody else to get what I have. So I'm not going to make it tonight."That's sneaky. So don't do it.Someone texts or calls, someone texts or emails youand really annoying message that you do not want to respond to.So the next time you see that person, you pretend like you accidentally missed it.That's sneaky. So don't do it.You get invited to an event that you desperately do not want to go to.So what do you say? "Yeah, maybe that might work. Let me get back to my calendar and get back to you."You ain't getting back to them about nothing. You are going to ghost this person.That's sneaky. So don't do it.Unfortunately, you do get sucked into that event that you do not want to go to.Instead of biting the bullet and attending, you call that person the day of,"I really wanted to come, but something came up."But nothing came up.That's sneaky. So don't do it.And I know what some of you are saying to yourselves right now."Taylor, this seems like really small potatoes in the grand scheme of things."Shouldn't we move on to something a bit bigger?I mean, come on. These kinds of excuses are harmless and they hurt no one.Actually, these kinds of excuses are harmful and they hurt everyone, including you.You are numbing yourself to the deceitfulness of sin.And you are paving the way to lie in bigger and bolder ways moving forward.Listen, no one starts out as a pathological liar.It starts with one compromise that you get away with.And then it's way easier to make another compromise.You cross the line, you get away with it,and then you make a habit out of pushing boundaries and testing the limits.If you keep this up, you will end up saying and doing things that you never thought you were capable of.Sneakiness is a way of slipping into your heart and taking over if you're not on guard against it.But most importantly, these kind of devious excuses are sinful and sinning against the Lord.And that alone should give you pause and cause you to cut this behavior out of your life.It is not wise, it is not right to walk in the sneaky footsteps of the scribes and Phariseeswho rejected and murdered the Son of God.Instead, walk in the footsteps of the one who committed no sin.Neither was deceit found in his mouth.Jesus always told the truth even when it cost his own life.Jesus never made excuses to get out of his mission of dying on the cross.You must always tell the truth even when it gets you into trouble.Never make excuses even when it seems like everyone else around you is.The final question of the trustworthiness test.Do I always follow through on what I say?Do I always follow through on what I say?Jesus wraps up by showing the alternative to being an undependable and sneaky person in verse 37.Let what you say be simply yes or no.Anything more than this comes from evil.Well, according to our Lord, being an honest person is not a complex concept.Say yes if you'll do something. Say no if you will not do something.That's super easy, right?Not really.It is so simple, but it is also so hard to live out.It isn't convenient to be a yes or no person, but it is the freest way to live.It is so stressful to not keep your word.It is so stressful to have all those deceitful plates spinning in your mindbecause at some point one will come crashing down and you will have to deal with the consequences.It is exhausting to put on a mask and pretend to be someone who you are not.It is painful to not be the person who you project yourself to be.It is embarrassing to be unreliableand to have the reputation of being a constant flake and not an unshakable rock.When I am closing things down in my office for the day and packing things up,I often text my wife to let her know that I am on the way home.But sometimes I get distracted with other things after I send that text.Writing down a sermon thought that I don't want to lose,wrapping up a task that I forgot to complete, or talking to Pastor Jeff.That never happens, right Jeff?Several months ago I arrived home way later than I told Kate that I would.And I profusely apologized and I will never forget her blunt response with a loving smile on her face."Oh, that's okay. I always add an extra 15 minutes to your arrival time when you text me."Ouch!That loving burn really stung my conscience.My wife gave me some extra wiggle roombecause she was aware that I often missed the target of my stated arrival time.Do people need to give you wiggle room because they know that you often missed the target of keeping your word?They know you'll be somewhere off on the board but way off-center,or maybe you'll miss the board completely.You mean well, you have good intentions but your follow-through fall short.Maybe you feel very discouraged by your unreliable reputation.You're thinking to yourself, "I don't want to be this way. I want to help everyone.I want to be there for everyone but I can't seem to keep all of my commitments."Well, it sounds like you have a no problem.You say yes to everything because you don't want to let anyone down.But in the process, you let everyone down because you cannot equally serve everyone.If you say yes to everyone, your word will not carry weight with anyone.And to be clear, saying no can be wrong and sinful.Some of you in this room say no way more than you should at home, at work, and even in this church.God may be calling you to step up more, not step back less.But at the same time, saying no can also be right and productive.Because you have to recognize that you are not God.You cannot be everywhere all the time and you cannot do everything at the same exact time.You are a limited person.You need to count the cost of what you are committing yourself to before you say yes or no.It takes great wisdom and discernment to say no to good things.So that you can say yes to the best things.And Jesus is so direct at the end of verse 37 and says that anything beyond being a yes or no person is evil.It is wicked.And this is recapt in James 512.Some translations of Matthew 537 say that this kind of behavior beyond being a yes or no person is from the evil one.Meaning if you live this kind of deceitful lifestyle, you are way worse off than just being like the scribes and Pharisees.You are also like their spiritual father, Satan.Listen to what Jesus says to religious leaders in John 844.You are of your father the devil and your will is to do your father's desires.He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him.When he lies, he speaks out of his own character for he is a liar and the father of lies.My kids bear a family resemblance to Kate and me.They have my eye color and thankfully they have her good looks.After service, you see them running around.It shouldn't come as a surprise that they belong to Kate and me because they look just like us.There are two spiritual families and it's obvious which one you belong to based on which father you resemble the most.Do you resemble Satan who lies, cheats and steals or do you resemble God who tells the truth, does the right thing in the right way and selflessly serves?Which father do you resemble the most?We've reached the end of the trustworthiness test.How did you do?Did you pass or did you fail?Did you stick the landing or did you crash into the runway?Maybe the Lord has encouraged your heart and revealed to you that you have a strong and solid reputation that is well deserved.If that's you, keep up the good work, keep your foot on the gas pedal and keep moving forward by the grace of God.Maybe you're convicted that yes, you are in the family of God, but you sure aren't acting like it right now.Instead of hiding away and keeping your lies a secret, be honest about your dishonesty to God and to those you have betrayed.It is not enough to just stop lying from now on. You also have to uncover the lies that you've already told.I know that's hard. I know that feels shameful.But remember, if you are a true believer in Christ, there is no condemnation for you.You can be honest about your sin and ask for forgiveness from others because the penalty has already been paid by Jesus Christ.We can share openly about our failures because they're no longer held against us.Maybe you've come to the realization that you resemble the evil one and belong to the wrong family.For years, you've unapologetically told bold-faced lies. You've shared half truths.You've led people on. You've been underhanded and you've covered your tracks so you can avoid getting in trouble.You may feel crushed under the weight of your own dishonesty right now.If that's you, please do not try to do better or be better on your own.Do not try to clean up your act because that will not solve the problem.Self-improvement and self-help are fools errands that lead straight to hell.Those worldly methods will not solve the problem that is truly within you, which is the problem of your heart.Please come clean and confess your sins to the Lord.Turn from your deceptive ways and throw yourself at the mercy of Jesus Christ who died on the cross and rose again to save liars like you and me.If you do that, the Lord will give you a brand new heart that loves the truth, that desires the truth.A heart that is overflowing with a desire to share the truth with everyone.Only the most trustworthy one in all of existence can truly turn you into a trustworthy person.Let's pray.Father, I am a man of unclean lips who dwells among the people of unclean lips.Lord, we have sinned against you with our deception and our lies and our half truths.Lord, on our own, we are so helpless. We are so hopeless.But we thank you for your redeeming work.We thank you that you have cleansed us.You've cast our lies away from us as far as the east is from the west.Lord, help us not to be sneaky anymore.To not be deceptive anymore. To not make untrue excuses.Lord, help us to be people of our word who don't need to make promises.Help us to be people who have a solid reputation because our reputation impacts your reputation in this world.Lord, there's someone in this room who does not know and love you.May today be the day where they finally make the most important decision of their livesand are transformed and changed forever.We thank you for your goodness. We thank you that you are unchanging even though we're constantly changing.We ask all these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

 Victory Within: The Pathway to an Overcoming Life   Victorious Christian Living is meant to be the norm for every true believer in Christ.       Revelation 2:7 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."   Revelation 2:11 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death."   Revelation 2:17 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it."   Revelation 2:26 "And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—"   Revelation 3:5 "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels."   Revelation 3:12 "He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name."   Revelation 3:21 "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne."   God actually expects us to overcome. To live victoriously.      #1 It starts with Intimacy.      THIS is eternal life that they might KNOWHim! (John 17:3)   Philippians 3:10 “that I may know Him and the power of His resur- rection, & the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,”    John 15:5  “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.”     If you will get this part of the Christian life right. if you will prioritize this above all, then will be well on your way to victorious Christian living!     Christians who prioritize their relationship w/ Christ through a consistent devotional life tend to live victoriously.   2 Peter 1:2-4 says “Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of Godand of Jesus our Lord.  3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. 4 Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”     As you spend time with Him you will become like Him.     The law, legalism, is contrary to faith.    The Righteous live by faith   I Jn 5:4 - “for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”   And without faith it is impossible to please God!   This is the victory that overcomes the world even our faith.   3 Simple Steps to the Victorious Christian Life -  #1 Intimacy with Christ.  #2 Christlike character #3 Faith in the Word  

Give All to Gain All - Matthew 13:44-58When the child of GodLooks into the word of GodAnd sees the Son of GodThey are transformed by the Spirit of GodInto the image of GodFor the glory of God- Warren WiersbeWhen King Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, He was offering Himself up as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.Zechariah 9:9 (ESV)9Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!Behold, your king is coming to you;righteous and having salvation is he,humble and mounted on a donkey,on a colt, the foal of a donkey.Jesus came into Jerusalem on the very day the sacrificial lambs that would become the Passover lambs were brought into Jerusalem from Bethlehem. Jesus is the Passover Lamb (1 Cor. 5:7) who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).Psalm 118:25-26a (ESV)25Save us, we pray, O Lord!O Lord, we pray, give us success!26Blessed is he who comes in the name [authority] of the Lord!Let's do the math: 10 sins a day x 365 days = 3,650 sins per person per year; Multiplying that by 30 years per person equals 109,500 sins per person in a lifetime. Multiplying that by the 117 billion people who have lived in history = 12 quadrillion, 811 trillion, 500 billion sins.- Jim Denison2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)21For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.Matthew 27:46 (ESV)46And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”John 19:30 (ESV)30When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished [Tetelestai]," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.Two little parables about the Kingdom's inestimable value - V. 44-46What is the point to us of the parables in verses 44-46? To get the greater treasure the man had to first give up everything he previously treasured. And for us to really get Jesus we have to do the same. But when we give our all to get Jesus, two things happen: we gain more than we could ever imagine, and we also gain what was ours back better than before.Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small. Love so amazing, so Divine, demands my soul, my life, my all. - Isaac Watts, Verse 4 of When I Survey the Wondrous CrossLearn to know Christ and Him crucified. Learn to sing to Him and say, “Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, I am your sin. You have taken upon Yourself what is mine and given me what is Yours. You have become what You were not so that I might become what I was not." - Martin LutherAnother parable about the great ‘sorting' to come - V. 47-50Are you ready for the ‘great sorting' to come after Christ returns?Hebrews 9:27-28 (ESV)27And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.Remember from Matthew 13 that we are called to be sowers not sorters! Catch all the people you can for Jesus – He will sort out whether they were truly saved or not. True Disciples will bring forth Scripture treasure - V. 51-52In chapter 13 Jesus spoke of making what was a mystery in the past known now. Those who love Jesus will be able to explain how New Testament truth comes out of Old Testament truth.If you don't take who Jesus is, what He has taught, and what He has done for you seriously, you won't see God do much either. But if you recognize how valuable this faith is, you will give up everything to gain Jesus!

Joel 2:18-3:21 (NASB) 18 Then the Lord will be zealous for His land,And will have compassion for His people.19 The Lord will answer and say to His people,“Behold, I am going to send you grain, new wine, and oil,And you will be satisfied in full with them;And I will never again make you a disgrace among the nations.20 But I will remove the northern army far from you,And I will drive it into a dry and desolate land,Its advance guard into the eastern sea,And its rear guard into the western sea.And its stench will ascend and its odor of decay will come up,Because it has done great things.” 21 Do not fear, land; shout for joy and rejoice,For the Lord has done great things.22 Do not fear, animals of the field,For the pastures of the wilderness have turned green,For the tree has produced its fruit,The fig tree and the vine have yielded in full.23 So shout for joy, you sons of Zion,And rejoice in the Lord your God;For He has given you the early rain for your vindication.And He has brought down for you the rain,The early and latter rain as before.24 The threshing floors will be full of grain,And the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil.25 “Then I will compensate you for the yearsThat the swarming locust has eaten,The creeping locust, the stripping locust, and the gnawing locust—My great army which I sent among you.26 You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied,And you will praise the name of the Lord your God,Who has dealt wondrously with you;Then My people will never be put to shame.27 So you will know that I am in the midst of Israel,And that I am the Lord your GodAnd there is no other;And My people will never be put to shame. 28 “It will come about after thisThat I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;And your sons and your daughters will prophesy,Your old men will have dreams,Your young men will see visions.29 And even on the male and female servantsI will pour out My Spirit in those days. 30 I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth,Blood, fire, and columns of smoke.31 The sun will be turned into darkness,And the moon into blood,Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.32 And it will come about that everyone who calls on the name of the LordWill be saved;For on Mount Zion and in JerusalemThere will be those who escape,Just as the Lord has said,Even among the survivors whom the Lord calls. Chapter 31 “For behold, in those days and at that time,When I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,2 I will gather all the nationsAnd bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.Then I will enter into judgment with them thereOn behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel,Whom they have scattered among the nations;And they have divided up My land.3 They have also cast lots for My people,Traded a boy for a prostitute,And sold a girl for wine so that they may drink. 4 Moreover, what are you to Me, Tyre, Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you repaying Me with retribution? But if you are showing Me retribution, swiftly and speedily I will return your retribution on your head! 5 Since you have taken My silver and My gold, brought My precious treasures to your temples, 6 and sold the sons of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their territory, 7 behold, I am going to stir them up from the place where you have sold them, and return your retribution on your head. 8 I will also sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the sons of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a distant nation,” for the Lord has spoken. 9 Proclaim this among the nations:Prepare for holy war; stir up the warriors!Have all the soldiers come forward, have them come up!10 Beat your plowshares into swords,And your pruning hooks into spears;Let the weak man say, “I am a warrior.”11 Hurry and come, all you surrounding nations,And gather yourselves there.Bring down, Lord, Your warriors.12 Let the nations be awakenedAnd come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat,

[teaching text]4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”Exodus 19:4-6If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:14GOD WILL INSTRUCT4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.Exodus 19:44 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.'Exodus 19:4-6Too many people read the law of Moses thinking that it shows how they can be accepted by God. They get it the wrong way around. The people of Israel were redeemed by God, then they were given the law to keep as an expression of gratitude. This principle is the same in the New Testament: Christians are redeemed and then told how to live holy lives.David PawsonI appeal to you therefore, brothers,[a] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.Romans 12:1"It is extremely important to remember that the Law of Moses was given to a redeemed people, not to redeem a people."IbidBeing a Christian isn't a spectrum; it's a position. Purpose of the Mosaic CovenantREVEALREFORMRELEASEThe Law reveals the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man“5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant,”The Law reforms the people to become holy mediators“you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;”The Law releases the blessing of Godand you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.'“Suppose that a father tells his son that, if he does his chores faithfully, he will reward him with a bicycle at Christmastime. The son is already a member of the family, so doing his chores faithfully has nothing to do with becoming a member of the family. It is simply a way by which the son can enjoy blessing in the family. Similarly, God told His children, the Israelites, that if they carried out the responsibilities that He was laying on them, they could enjoy blessings from His hand.”Thomas Watson8 All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” Exodus 19:8Man naturally believes in, and depends on, himself. And he must learn, at bitter cost often, of his own helplessness.NewellIsrael's utter failureWhen the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2 So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden[a] calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” 6 And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.Exodus 32:1-6We are naive as Christians if we think that our thinking is not shaped by the cultural currents that surround us.Carl R. Truman17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.Matthew 17:2012 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Philippians 2:12-16

Text: Proverbs 22:3 (ESV) 3 The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it. BE PRUDENT Prudence is sometimes rendered as "shrewdness." Though shrewdness carries negative implications today. Our colloquial word for this is ‘street smart.' In a good sense, he is a person who thinks about things and makes a beneficial choice accordingly. He is a man of foresight. However, the word translated "simple" does not mean a person who is not intelligent. Rather, he is a person who is unaware or inexperienced (Prov 1:4; 19:25). In some cases, it can refer to someone who is gullible or easily fooled (Prov 9:4; 14:15). The 'street smart' person sees danger coming and avoids it while the ignorant person walks right into trouble. Solomon may have in mind the kind of trap enemies set to catch unsuspecting victims. Wise believers should be wise today. He should be aware of the devil's traps and deceptions. The Lord teaches us to pray to be kept out of temptations and be delivered from evil. [Mat 6:13] Even Peter warns believers to be "sober-minded" and "watchful" for the adversary the devil "prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Pet 5:8).  Let us be like Jesus. We must repel the devil by quoting and obeying Scripture. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,“‘He will command his angels concerning you,'and“‘On their hands they will bear you up,lest you strike your foot against a stone.'”7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,“‘You shall worship the Lord your Godand him only shall you serve.'”11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. (Mat 4:1–11).Listen and FOLLOW us on our podcast -------------------------Visit and FOLLOW Gospel Light Filipino on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

Introduction: John 19:28-30 - After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. 3 Things to Remind Yourself When You Feel Guilty: (Romans 3:21-28) You Are. (Romans 3:21-23) But God is Totally Satisfied by the Cross. (Romans 3:24-26) Proverbs 17:15 – He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord. Exodus 23:7 – Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked. Acts 17:30 – The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. And Justification is a Gift to Be Received By Faith. (Romans 3:27-28) Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Audio Transcript Our next four messages, including Good Friday, which I just found out is on a Friday,will be talking about one of the most profound statements Jesus Christ ever made.And it was on the cross when he cried out, "It is finished."So we're going to be examining the question, "What is finished?"Think about finishing things, right?From a very early age, hopefully we've all been taught the importance of finishing things, right?Didn't you hear that growing up?And maybe some of you now parents are saying, "That's your kids."Hey, finish your supper. Finish your chores, right?Finish your homework.And we're taught that there are consequences when we don't finish.Well, the glorious reality that we're going to be looking at over these next four messages is this.The Son of God came to this earth to do something, and he finished it.So the question is, what is finished?Now let's go to the scene, John 19, verses 28 through 30.It says, "After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said,"to fulfill the Scriptures, "I thirst.A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hissy branchand held it to his mouth when Jesus had received the sour wine.He said, 'It is finished.'And he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."What was finished?Well, today we're going to look at one thing of many that was finished.Today we're going to talk about the work of justification.Meaning our guilt is gone.I'd like you to buy your heads with me, please, and I just want to take a moment.If you would please pray for me to accurately communicate the Word of God as I should.And I will pray for you to have a heart open to receive what it is the Lord wants to teach us today from His Word.Alright? Let's pray.Father in heaven, as we turn to Your Word, it's a thought that makes us tremble to think that right nowwe are about to talk about the most important thing anyone will ever hear for their entire lives.And Father, we recognize that as no overstatement whatsoever.We can't begin to fathom how important this message is.This message has just been so distorted and twisted and changed,and we just want to get back to what Your Word actually says.See what You said, God, and we want to not align our lives with our concept of You, God,but we want to align our lives with what You actually said.So I'm asking, Father, You would open our hearts up this morningand that You would bring much glory to Yourself through the straightforward understanding of Your Word.We pray in Jesus' name, and all of God's people said,"Amen! What is finished, the work of justification, the guilt is gone."Do I have to sell anybody on guilt?We've all struggled with guilt, and some of us might be struggling with guilt right now.What is guilt? Well, guilt is just that bad feeling that we get when what I did was wrong.There's another word that's often connected to guilt, and it's the word shame.And shame's a little different.See, shame is the feeling of guilt that I have when people know what I did wrong.You know what I mean? Like, you could have a secret sin that nobody knows about,and you might feel guilt over that, but you don't feel shame because nobody knows.But if that secret sin gets made known, if people know about it, now all of a sudden,people must think of me differently. That's what shame is.How I think people think of me now because of my guilt.The point is this, my friends, we have both of those before God.We have guilt. I disobeyed. We have shame. God is surely disappointed in me.I want you to look at verse 24. We're going to back up here and get to context.I just want you to look at this first phrase in verse 24.This is Romans chapter 3, right?He says, "We are justified by His grace as a gift."That's what we're talking about today. Justification. What is that?It's the most important thing you will ever hear.Justification is God pronouncing a guilty sinner as not only being not guilty,but being perfectly righteous instead. It's a legal term.It's the opposite of condemnation.But listen, it's more than pardoned.So when you pardon someone, you're just taking away the penalty of what they did.Penalty for, excuse me, what they did wrong.Justification is so much more than that.It's not just canceling the penalty, but actually making righteous.Think of it this way. In God's justification, it's not just you won't be punished.God says you can't be punished because there are no grounds whatsoever for punishment anymore.Do you see the difference?But even as Christians, we still wrestle with guilt, don't we?I mean, look, if you've done something wrong to somebody else,you need to take steps to make that right.And Pastor Taylor did an amazing job last Wednesday at our latest workshop.So we're not talking about that today.But today we're talking about guilt before God.Am I really forgiven?Have you ever wrestled with that?Am I really a child of God?Or is God disappointed in me?Well, from God's Word today, I want you to jot some things down.Here's three things to remind yourself when you feel guilty.And if you don't feel guilty now, you will.I mean, like, eventually, I didn't mean like...In 30 seconds, you're all going to be bowing your heads.We all struggle with it from time to time, don't we?Is it just me?Okay, alright.Three things.Look, we're not trying to pile on here, okay?Here are three things to remind yourself when you feel guilty.Number one, you are.Like, wait, wait, wait, wait.I came here to feel good, Pastor Jeff.Look, listen, it has to start here.Because if you don't really think that you're guilty before God,Jesus won't really mean anything to you.Look at verse 21.He says, "But now the righteousness of God has been manifestedapart from the law."Although the law and the prophets bear witness to it.So up there, the Old Testament law was to teach us that we are sinners.That was the purpose of the Old Testament law.It was to teach us that we have broken the law of God.And even if you just reduce the Old Testament law to the Ten Commandments,just looking at those shows us adequately that we are really law sinners.I mean, let me ask you, have you always made the worship of Godand your walk with God the absolute most important thing in your life?Has it always been number one?No.Well, if not, then you've broken the first couple of commandments.You should only have one God.You shouldn't have worshiped anything else other than God.You're guilty.Have you always honored your parents perfectly?Like, no, there are times I haven't.Well, you've broken the fifth commandment,which says honor your father and mother.Have you ever hated someone?According to Jesus, you've broken the sixth commandment,which says you shouldn't murder because it starts in here.Have you ever lusted?Jesus said that's the same thing as committing adulteryand you've broken the seventh commandment.Have you ever stolen anything?That's breaking the eighth commandment.How we doing?How we doing?You're like, I'm doing pretty good.Okay, have you ever told a lie?You're like, I think maybe I just did.Well, if you've ever known the truthand intentionally said something else,then you've broken the ninth commandment.Have you ever wanted something that God gave somebody else?Like, what's the big deal?I'll tell you the big deal.That's breaking the tenth commandment.That's called coveting.So you see, that's the purpose of the law was to show us,oh, I'm not a righteous person on my own.We need to be made right with God,but the law shows us that we're sinners.We're sinners.It can't make us not guilty.The Old Testament law can't do that.Look at verse 22.He goes on.He says, "The righteousness of Godthrough faith in Jesus Christfor all who believe."Stop there for a second,because we have to make a key distinction here.Because if you miss this,you're going to be really lost here in a second.He's talking about the righteousness of God.He says it twice.That's the theme of this passage.What is the righteousness of God?Hang on.There's a distinction.In verses 25 and 26,he talks about God's righteousness.Listen, God's righteousness is differentthan the righteousness of God.Those are two different things.And it's going to be crystal clear in the contextso long as you stay tuned in to what God is saying here.Like, what's the difference?Here's the difference.Listen, God's righteousness is the righteousness that God owns.The righteousness of God is the righteousness God givesto believers.So he's saying -one other run at that one -God's righteousness is the righteousness that God owns.That's just another way of saying God's holiness.God is holy, He's perfect.That's what God's righteousness is.But when the Bible talks about here,the righteousness of God,it's talking about the righteousness that God gives to believers.And again, that's going to be very clear in the context.But I don't want us to get tripped up on the terms.So, Paul is claiming here that God makes us righteous through faith,implying that we need to be made righteous,implying that we're guilty.You see that?Look at verse 22, he goes on.He says, "For there is no distinction,for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."Look, when we talk about being guilty before God,he says there's no distinction.It doesn't matter if you grew up in a Christian home.Or if you grew up in a home that didn't even have a Bible in it.It doesn't matter.It doesn't matterif you're the most rebellious sinner in the world.Or if you're just a pretty good person.He says we all have fallen short of the glory of God.Like, what glory of God? What is that?That's God's image.That's God's intention for man.We all failed to live up to being the peoplethat God has created us to be.We've all fallen short.Listen, it doesn't matter how short we've fallen.Because we've all fallen short.Imagine, we're standing on the shore of New Jersey,facing the Atlantic Ocean.And there's me.And there's my man, Max.And there's the Steelers quarterback.Who's the quarterback for the Steelers now?Oh, I'm sorry.I pushed a hot button.Let's just say Ben Rothlessberger.So let's say we're all standing on the shore of New Jersey.All right, me, Max, and Ben Rothlessberger.And we're each given a football.And we're told that we need to throw that football and hit England.I can do that. I mean, how far is England?And I -- everything that I got, I throw it.And it goes 10 feet into the ocean.And Max was like, "Pastor Jeff, step aside."Whoo!Tight spiral, 100 feet.Whoo!Into the ocean.Ben Rothlessberger steps up.And he's like, "I'm going to show you I still got it."And whoo! He throws it 200 feet into the ocean.Which one of us hit England?Right?We all fell short, didn't we?You're like, "Well, Jeff, you fell way shorter than Ben."Okay.But we all fell short. Do you see the point?It doesn't matter how short you've fallen.We all fell short of God's glory.And that's a big deal.Listen, church, we can't minimize that by saying,"I'm not really that guilty."We can't compare to say, "Well, I'm not as guilty as other people."And we can't trivialize it to say, "Yeah, okay, I'm guilty."So what?We need to confess it.I -- and by that I mean me --I am guilty of breaking God's law by my disobedience.So if you're struggling with guilt,this is just your friendly reminder that you are guilty.But number two,but God is totally satisfied by the cross.You are guilty, but God is totally satisfied by the cross.Look at verse 24 through the first part of 25.He says, "Okay, for all of us who fall short of the glory of God,a lot of us probably have that verse memorized, right?"But He says, "And are justified by His grace as a giftthrough the redemption it is in Christ Jesus,whom God put forward as a propitiationby His blood to be received by faith."Look, the cross of Jesus Christ is God's meansof making sinners righteous.Now, there's a word here in these verses we just read.You need to underline in your Bible right now.And we're going to have people at the door handing you an Easter devotionaland checking your Bibles to make sure that you underline this.But it's one of the most beautiful words in the entire Bible.And it's the word "propitiation."I think John uses it in 1 John as well.It's a beautiful word.Like, well, what is "propitiation"?Propitiation literally means to placate anger.I know some theologians try to dance around that.Like, almost to soften the blow.But no, that's what it means.It means God is furious over sin.Propitiation means He's not angry anymore.It means that Jesus' death satisfied God.Because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross, God saw that.And He said, "The full penalty has been paid.My wrath has been fully poured out.Punishment has been fully doled out."God says, "I am satisfied."You know, when we talk about salvation,sometimes we say, in our evangelism mindset,we say, "How do we get men to accept God?"And that's really not the question we need to ask.The question is, how do we get God to accept men?Because, listen, God was the one who was offended.Not me.God was offended.So any talk about salvation and being righteousand any talk of that has to satisfy God.And you see, that's where every other religion in the world,besides Christianity as presented in God's Word,straightforwardly, every other religion teachesthat there are things that we have to do to satisfy God.There are religious works or some kind of actionthat we have to take to make God satisfied.The Bible says we can't do it.Nothing we do can satisfy God.Look at verse 25 again.It says, "Whom God," talking about Jesus,"put forward as a propitiation by His bloodto be received by faith."Look at that.The Bible says, "God put Jesus forward."Do you see what's happening here?We sinned against God.We deserve God's wrath.And God took His Son and put Him forward.That means He demonstrated some things.He put Jesus on display.God showed us something on the cross.What did God show us on the cross?Well, later in Romans 5, verse 8,it says that God demonstrated His love on the cross.So love for sure.Here, specifically, He's saying that on the cross,God showed that His Son fully paid the penaltythat the law demanded.So now, God says, "Because of my Son..."Look, I'm showing you this.I'm showing you.This is what my Son did.Now, I'm satisfied.Propitiation.Propitiation.This is where theology is important, my friends.Christian, listen.I want you to listen real close, Christian.God is not mad at you.He's not.Because of Jesus,God has no wrath left for you.And to think that He doesis to minimize what Jesus accomplished on the cross.But some Christians think thatGod poured out His wrath on Jesus.They believe that.But they think that God's still mad at them.Like, God is just like,"Yeah, I know that you received my Son,but I'm so upset with you for what you did."He's not.That's what that word "propitiation" means.There's no wrath leftfor the one in Christ Jesus.God is satisfied.Look at the end of verse 25.This gets a little technical, so look.It says,"This was to show God's righteousness."Because in His divine forbearance,He had passed over former sins.It was to show His righteousnessat the present time,so that He might be justand the justifierof the one who has faith in Jesus.We define this term in the outset,but two times here,He says that the crosswas to show God's righteousness.Do you know what He's saying?The cross provedthat God is righteous.Wait, wait, wait, wait.Time out, time out.Time out.Hang on.Why would anyoneaccuse God of not being holy?What do you mean?What possible grounds would someone haveto point to God and say,"God, you messed up here.God, what you didor what you didn't do here,that's not holy, God.That's not righteous."What grounds would somebody have for that?Listen very closely,because this is what Paul's talking about.We're going to do a little theology herefor a couple of minutes,and I know what's the point.You're going to see here in a couple of minutesthat this will change your lifeif you really understand this.So here we go.What's Paul talking about here?When he talks about his divine forbearance,passing over former sins.What's he mean?Listen, in the Old Testament times,which was before the cross, right,God justified wicked people.And that is controversial.You're like, "Why?Why is it controversialthat God would justify the wickedin Old Testament times?"Oh, I'm so glad you asked.I'll tell you why.One reason is,He forbid us to do that.Look at Proverbs 17-15."He who justifies the wickedand he who condemns the righteousare both alike in abomination to the Lord."Do you see that?Do you know what abomination is?In my Bible, I put a little exclamation pointin the margin every time I see that word.That's like something that is so wicked,it like makes God sick.God's like, "I hate that."And here God says,"I can't stomach when the wicked are justified."You're like, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a second.You're saying that we can't do that,but you did that, God,before the cross."Hmm.Is that righteous?Well, actually,it gets even worseif we're barking up this tree,because earlier in your Old Testaments,God actually saidthat He would never justify the wicked.Exodus 23-7,it's pretty self-explanatory.And God says, "I will notacquit the wicked."Do you see the problem?Somebody would say,God in the Old Testament times didwhat He forbid us to do,what He swore He would never do,what He would never do.And we're talking about God being holy,God being perfect, God so righteous.How can we say that?And Paul doesn't -I love this becausehe doesn't shy away from that.He runs right at itwhen he says this was toshow God's righteousnessbecause -look at this again -in His divine forbearance,He passed over former sins.Again, it was to show His righteousness.In other words,He's saying in the Old Testament timesGod tolerated sin.Like, whoa, whoa, whoa.How can we say God's righteous?I mean, in the Old Testament,there was no perpetuation.There was no cross of Jesus Christ yet.So when somebody sinned in the Old Testament,if God is the holy judgethat you say that He is,why didn't He immediately just judge sinners?They didn't havethe blood of Jesus Christ to proclaim.I mean, you look at the guys in the Old Testament -Abraham, Moses, David -I mean, pick one -all sinners.And yet, when you readGod's interaction with them,over and over,we see God giving them the promise of eternal life.Was that really a righteous thing to dofor people that couldn't put their faithin Jesus Christsince He hadn't come yet?How could God give them that promise?Somebody would say,"Oh, that was the Old Testament sacrifices."Couldn't do it.They covered sin,but they didn't take away sin.And somebody else might say,"Well, it was their good works."It was their good works.That's how God was able to...No.Nowhere does the Bible sayyou can earn your salvation.So what's He saying?He's saying in verses 25 and 26 here,"And God's forbearance,"another word for patience.He passed over former sins.And that word "pass over"doesn't mean forgive.It literally means He overlooked their sin.God's patiencecaused God to not punish their sin immediately.This is exactly what Paul was talking about.Very curious verse in Acts 17, verse 30,on Mars Hill,exact same thing he's talking about.The times of ignorance,God overlooked.And now He commands all peopleeverywhere to repent.So how was God able to do that?See, this is what Paul's talking about here.It was still, even in Old Testament times,it was still because of Jesus Christ.You're like, "Well, how can they believe in Jesusif they don't know about the cross?"Look, God is outside of time.And if you study your Bibles like Revelation 13.8,Jesus Christ was always the Lamb of God.That wasn't some radical ideathat God dreamed up one dayabout 2,000 years ago.Like, "Oh, I got an idea."Now, that was always the plan.So here it is.Listen close.Even before the cross happened,God overlooked sin based on what was already determinedthat His Son was going to do.So what He's saying is this,the cross of Jesus Christ reaches backto the Old Testament saints.They were pronounced righteousbecause of what Jesus was going to do,just as we are pronounced righteouslooking back based on what Jesus did in our past.And kids that haven't even been born yetthat eventually will receive Jesus Christ,their sins are already forgiven in Christ.You're like, "Okay, so what's the point?"What's the point?Well, there's two points actually.Number one, it answers one of the most commonly asked questionsthat I get as a pastor.People ask me all the time,"How are the people saved in the Old Testament?"Because if Jesus is the only means of salvation,and I believe that,then how were they saved in the Old Testament?The answer is still Jesus.Their faith was based on what God was going to do.That's why God was overlooking their sin, so to speak.But listen, here's why this theology is so important for you.What were we talking about today?Guilt, right?See, this answers the guilt question.As a Christian, when I sin,and I will,is God mad at me?No.Do I have to ask for forgiveness?Do I have to plead the blood of Jesus over my sinevery time that I sin as a Christian?The answer is no.Or how about this one?What if I sin and then I die?Can I go to heaven since I sinnedand I didn't ask for forgiveness for that particular sin?I have known,pastors, I have known pastors that have taught that,that you better die on a good day.Because let's say you're living this perfect walk with Jesus' life.And let's say you have a blow-up with your wife on the way out the door.And you sinfully speak to her.And you get in the car and go to work,and you die in a car accident, you're going to hell.Because that sin wasn't confessed and repented ofand covered under the blood of Christ.I know pastors that teach that.That is completely wrong.That's why this theology is so important.Listen, when Jesus Christ was on the cross,do you realize all of your sins were yet future?Do you realize that?All of your sins were paid for,even the sins that you haven't committed yet.So if you are in Christ,and if you sin and you will,you don't need to ask for forgiveness.Because you already have it.So listen, somebody is going to misconstrue this.So just grab the shoulder of the person next to you and shake them.And tell them to pay attention.Thank you.Because somebody is going to misconstrue this.Listen, when you sin, church,you need to confess your sin.Then you need to thank Godthat He has forgiven you in Jesus Christ.And you need to turn from your sin.Because you don't want to do anything in your lifethat would dishonor the name of your Lord.But it's not as if God just keeps forgiving you over and over.He forgave you once when you received Jesus Christ.And that lasts for all of eternity.Do you see the security in that?So listen, whether it was Moses' sinor a sin that you are going to commit tomorrow,all sins have been taken away.God is satisfied because of the one-time sacrifice of Jesusthat covers all sins of all believers.There is incredible freedom in that.Three things to remind yourself when you feel guilty.Number one, you are.Number two, but God is totally satisfied by the cross.Number three, justification is a gift to be received by faith.Look at verses 27 and 28.He says, "Then what becomes of our boasting?It is excluded by what kind of law?By a law of works? No.By the law of faith.For we hold that one is justified by faithapart from works of the law."In this passage, faith has come up,have you been counting?Six times.And yes, I'm counting when he used the word "believe"because that's what he meant.Verse 22, including the word "believe," he says it twice.Verse 25, 26, 27, 28.Faith, faith, faith.And then he's like, "So what does that do for our boasting?"Pretty dumb, right?To have the audacity to think that you have anythingto contribute to your salvation at all?What could you possibly boast about?What do your works have to do with the death of Jesus?You realize when Jesus was on the cross,when Jesus was actually on the cross,most of you weren't even born yet.I was going to say all,but I don't know how old all y'all are.So I think it's safe to say when Jesus died,most of you weren't born yet.So what did you contribute to that exactly?See, the cross of Jesus Christ eliminateseven the very possibility of salvation by human works.Faith. Faith is the only way.Faith isn't one way to be saved.It's the only way.And don't think that faith is some sort of merit.Like, okay, God did His part in salvation,and now I'm going to do my part in salvation.It's not even really like that,because earlier he was talking about grace in verse 24,and grace by its very definition is non-contributory.Do you know what that means?If you put forth anything to contribute towards it,it's no longer grace at all.So what is faith?I like how one writer put it.He says faith is simply the eye that sees.He said faith is simply the mouththat drinks from the living water.And he said faith is the hand that receives the gift.I like that, because by the way, in verse 24,he calls it a gift.It is a gift.Imagine that it's my birthday today.It's not.My birthday is September 23rd.I don't see a lot of you writing that down.I can wait. September 23rd.But we're - for today,we're pretending that it's my birthday.And imagine this afternoon,you showed up at my houseand you had a gift for me.Something you went out and you boughtand you wrapped it,and you were so excited to give me this gift.And you come to my houseand you ring the doorbell and I open it upand you say, "Happy birthday."There's four ways that I can respond to that.Right? First way is,I can slam the door in your face and say,"I don't want your stupid gifts."I wouldn't do that.But that's an option, right?I mean, I could do that.Second option is you ring the doorbell,open it up, "Happy birthday."And I look at the gift and I say,"That's awesome. Where's my wallet?"Like, "How much do I owe you for that?"Let me see how much cash I have.I can probably pay you for that right now.Or can I write you a check?How would you feelif I offered to buy the gift that you got me?Pretty lousy, huh?That's another option.Or a third option is you ring the doorbell,I open it up, "Happy birthday."And I take the gift and I'm like,"Wow, you know what?This looks great."Thank you. This looks fantastic.And I set it down by the door.And then you come to my house.Six months later, and that gift is still sitting there.Except now it has an inch of dust on it.And you would think to yourself,"You know, Jeff actually seemed excitedwhen I handed it to him,but he didn't really receive it, did he?"He didn't really do anything with it.He just kind of set it aside.Or the fourth option,you ring the doorbell, "Happy birthday."I got you a gift.The fourth option is I take the giftand I say, "Thank you."Thank you so much for this.And I receive it, and I use it.And you realize those are the same four waysthat you can respond to God's gift in Jesus Christ.You have those same four options.That God says, "I am satisfied."I have paid the price of your sinwith the blood of my son.Here is a gift.And for some people, they take the first option.They slam the door and say, "No.God, I'm not interested in your stupid gift."Some people take that option.Some people take option two,and they think they can buy it."Oh God, that's so wonderful what you did for me in Jesus.Now, let me earn that.And I'm going to start doing this at the churchand I'm going to work at the soup kitchenand they think that they have to earn the gift.And I would suggest to you that Godis probably just as insultedat that notion as I would be,or as you would be rather,if I tried to pay you for the gift that you got me."It's insulting to try to buy a gift.The third option,and I think this is the most taken option in churches, honestly.That's what most people do with the gift of Jesus Christ.They're like, "Yeah, that you're sitting hereand worshiping the Word,and you're just like all into it.You're like, "Yeah, yeah, I need this.Yeah, that's fantastic."And you set them aside.And you never really receive them.You just sort of discarded them.Not flagrant rejection, but,shall we say, practical rejection.The option that the Lord wants you to takeis that you receive the gift.To understand why you need it,and you thank God that He gave it.That Jesus bore God's wrath on the cross.God is satisfied with what Jesus did.The guilt is gone by the gift of God.Did you receive that?So worship team makes their way back up.I'd just like you to bow your heads.And I'm sure sitting here today,there are some Christians that have wrestled with guiltthat have needed to take a fresh lookat what exactly Jesus accomplished on the cross.He didn't accomplish opportunityfor us to earn favor with God.Jesus accomplished our salvation in full.Jesus accomplished the full removal of our guilt and shameby bearing God's wrath on our behalf.But there might be somebody herethat's really hearing this for the first time.Whether it's somebody sitting here,listening to this podcast,or watching the stream.Today's the day that you need to stop setting the gift aside.And receive what it is that God has for you.Father in heaven.Father, this to me is the most mind-blowing conceptin the entirety of your Word.God, I've never really wrestled with creationor the trinity or eternity, things like that.But God, the fact that you can pronounce a sinner righteousis mind-blowing.God, we thank you for the work that you accomplished on our behalfthrough the death of your Son.Father, if there's anyone herewho needs to take that step,who needs to receive Christ,who needs to make their public profession of faith and baptismhere in a few weeks.Father, I pray that you would give them the faithto not put it off,to not talk themselves out of it,but to see the value,the incomparable value of Jesus Christ.What He's done, and in so doing, Father,they would run to you.So just now, Father,we've heard from you,and now we're going to express back to youlove and thanksgivingfor what you've done on our behalf.So Father, might this worshipbe a pleasing aroma,may it be a sweet sound in your earas we revel in your love and grace.We pray in Jesus' name, amen. Small Group DiscussionRead Romans 3:21-28What was your big take-away from this passage / message?Why do you think many Christians still struggle with guilt and shame?Explain the term “propitiation” (Rom 3:25). Why is this such an important aspect of the Gospel? What does it mean for a Christian in practical terms?What does it mean that God “passed over former sins” (Rom 3:25)? How could a Holy God just overlook sin (see also Acts 17:30)?BreakoutPray for one another to be salty and bright.

The Sower the Seed and the SoilWhen the child of GodLooks into the word of GodAnd sees the Son of GodThey are transformed by the Spirit of GodInto the image of GodFor the glory of God-Warren WiersbeEvery one of the seeds in the pack I gave you can become the flower it was meant to be if it finds receptive soil as it is planted. In today's passage we see Jesus tell a little story about the different responses there will be to His gospel during the church age we now find ourselves in.Matthew 13:1-23 Introducing the parables of the Kingdom - V. 1-3, 10-17But Matthew 13 features the first occurrence of the word parable(s) in the New Testament, and the most occurrences of the word in the Bible. The word Parable(s) occurs 48 times in the Bible, 12 in this chapter alone.The 35 Parables that Jesus told in the New Testament are little stories with big meaning comparing God's activity in the present age to everyday matters we can relate to. Jesus' parables often paint a picture of a wrong response from His critics and a right response by His followers.In the 7 parables of the Kingdom in Matthew 13, Jesus for the first time reveals the secret (the mysterion) of the spiritual kingdom that will grow between His first coming and His return to set up a physical kingdom. The secret includes the church age we are now in where local churches become spiritual ‘embassies' of the coming Kingdom.The word for secret is the Greek word musterion (G3466-27x); it means that which is known to the ‘initiated' (mustos). That which was not fully revealed to O.T. saints has now been revealed to Jesus' followers.Matthew 13:13-17 uses the Hebrew poetry device of chiastic structure, where the first and last points echo each other and so on toward the big point in the middle.Jesus explains the parable of the Sower - V. 3b-9,18-23The 4 different responses to the gospel:The Not-now response (rejection) - V. 19The Shallow response (belief without repentance) - V. 20-21The double-minded response (distraction) - V. 22The Devil got the wayside folk, the flesh took care of the rocky-ground folk, but the world chokes out the word for the thorny ground folk.” - J. Vernon McGeeThe fruit-bearing response (this one understands) - V. 23The Jewish poetic device of chiastic structure in Matthew 13:13-17:

Reading IExodus 17:3-7In those days, in their thirst for water,the people grumbled against Moses,saying, “Why did you ever make us leave Egypt?Was it just to have us die here of thirst with our children and our livestock?”So Moses cried out to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people?a little more and they will stone me!”The LORD answered Moses,“Go over there in front of the people, along with some of the elders of Israel, holding in your hand, as you go, the staff with which you struck the river.I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb.Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it for the people to drink.”This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel.The place was called Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled thereand tested the LORD, saying,“Is the LORD in our midst or not?”Reading IIRomans 5:1-2, 5-8Brothers and sisters:Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God.And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.For Christ, while we were still helpless, died at the appointed time for the ungodly.Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die.But God proves his love for usin that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.GospelJohn 4:5-42Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.Jacob's well was there.Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.It was about noon.A woman of Samaria came to draw water.Jesus said to her,“Give me a drink.”His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.The Samaritan woman said to him,“How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—Jesus answered and said to her,“If you knew the gift of Godand who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”The woman said to him, “Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water?Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?”Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in hima spring of water welling up to eternal life.”The woman said to him,“Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”Jesus said to her,“Go call your husband and come back.”The woman answered and said to him,“I do not have a husband.”Jesus answered her,“You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.'For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband.What you have said is true.”The woman said to him,“Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”Jesus said to her,“Believe me, woman, the hour is comingwhen you will worship the Fatherneither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews.But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.God is Spirit, and those who worship himmust worship in Spirit and truth.”The woman said to him,“I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ; when he comes, he will tell us everything.”Jesus said to her,“I am he, the one speaking with you.”At that moment his disciples returned, and were amazed that he was talking with a woman, but still no one said, “What are you looking for?” or “Why are you talking with her?”The woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people, “Come see a man who told me everything I have done.Could he possibly be the Christ?”They went out of the town and came to him.Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat.”But he said to them,“I have food to eat of which you do not know.”So the disciples said to one another, “Could someone have brought him something to eat?”Jesus said to them,“My food is to do the will of the one who sent meand to finish his work.Do you not say, ‘In four months the harvest will be here'?I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest.The reaper is already receiving payment and gathering crops for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together.For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.'I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the work, and you are sharing the fruits of their work.” Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in himbecause of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me everything I have done.”When the Samaritans came to him,they invited him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days.Many more began to believe in him because of his word, and they said to the woman, “We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”

The Greatest Sign - Matthew 12:38-50The Greatest SignWhen the child of GodLooks into the word of GodAnd sees the Son of GodThey are transformed by the Spirit of GodInto the image of GodFor the glory of God-Warren WiersbeSigns are important because they give us the information we need to make right choices. When the meaning of the sign is obvious, we don't need another sign, we need to act on the information the sign conveys. - Matthew 12:38-50The Sign that saves - V. 38-42They asked for a sign, Jesus gave them a sermon – about the greatest sign to come – His resurrection.Matthew's first audience was his fellow Jews, and only he repeats the Jewish idiom Jesus used, “three days and three nights.” The other gospels use the other way Jesus said it, speaking of rising on the “third day.” The accounts complement one another.It must have irked these Pharisees to hear Jesus preach that God had justified pagans from what is now Iraq and Arabia because they had repented and believed, yet they would be condemned for their unbelief!Crucifixes emphasize a perpetually suffering savior; but empty crosses emphasize our victorious risen Lord!“My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me!” - Matthew 27:46“It is finished!” (Tetelestai) - John 19:30Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. - Hebrews 7:25The Situation that doesn't save - V. 43-45The key to understanding verses 43-45 is that last statement – so also will it be with this evil generation. Jesus is saying this situation adequately describes that generation in Israel who rejected Jesus.To their credit, the Jews had rejected pagan idolatry when they came back from the Babylonian captivity hundreds of years before. That idolatry had been fueled by the kind of demonic spirit that had left the house. Like the house in the story, they had put in order matters of external worship, but still had not filled the house with true internal worship of God. When the spirit of idolatry came back, it brought different demonic spirits with it: pride, unbelief, ingratitude, self-righteousness, a judgmental spirit, contempt of others, and lack of love. Their condition was worse than the days of overt idolatry.Changes you make on your outside will not help you in the long run if Jesus is not on your inside!The Sibling that sticks closest - V. 46-50John 7:5 says that Jesus' brothers did not believe in Him. Mark 6:3 tells us some of Jesus' brothers' names – James, Joses, Judas (Jude) and Simon, and also tells us he had sisters. Just before Mark tells us the same thing Matthew 12 does, it says, “When his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they said, “He is out of his mind” (Mark 3:21).As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” - Luke 11:27-28Jesus is not telling us here not to take care of family priorities, but He is making clear that believing in Him and doing what He says is every believer's highest priority.If you part of God's family through faith in Jesus, begin regularly praying “Yes, Lord,” in every area that is clear in the Bible.

Fr. Jim teaches on the living water of Christ based on this passage from the Gospel of John extolling us to recognize God's gift.from John 4:5-42Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.Jacob's well was there.Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.It was about noon.A woman of Samaria came to draw water.Jesus said to her,"Give me a drink."His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.The Samaritan woman said to him, "How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?"—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—Jesus answered and said to her,"If you knew the gift of Godand who is saying to you, 'Give me a drink, 'you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."Read the full scripture: bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032325-YearA.cfmHeart to Heart Catholic Media MinistryEvangelize Seekers. Inspire Believers. Foster Disciples.--Join Heart to Heart: htoh.us/subscribeSupport Heart to Heart: htoh.us/donate

March 12, 2025 Daily Devotion:"A Savior is Born: Unveiling the Promise" Isaiah 9:6 New Living Translation  6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will becalled: Wonderful Counselor,[a] Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 proclaims, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." This verse encapsulates the essenceof Jesus Christ's birth and His divine nature. In this prophecy, we see the expectation of a Savior. The titles given to Him reveal His multifaceted roles. As the"Wonderful Counselor," He provides wisdom and guidance (James 1:5). As "Mighty God," He embodies strength and sovereignty (Philippians 2:10-11). The "Everlasting Father" shows His eternal relationship with humanity, offering us a connection to the divine (John 10:30). Lastly, "Prince of Peace" signifies His ability to restore peace between Godand man (Romans 5:1). Reflect on the significance of these titles in your life. Jesus' birth was the fulfillment of God's promise to be our Redeemer, and He continues to offer hope and salvation today.

The Upper FixerWhen the child of GodLooks into the word of GodAnd sees the Son of GodThey are transformed by the Spirit of GodInto the image of GodFor the glory of God-Warren WiersbeIn today's passage we will see that Jesus loves to fix “fixer uppers” who know they need Him. Instead of rejecting and blaspheming Him, we need to turn to Him as the ultimate “Upper Fixer.”Matthew 12:15-37Jesus came to fix people, not to argue with them - V. 15-23Verse 15 tells us that Jesus was aware of what they were thinking about Him. Jesus is also aware of what you and I are thinking, because He knows all things (John 2:25).In instructing them not to make Him known (we might add ‘yet') Jesus was buying Himself more time to meet needs and teach His disciples what they needed to know to serve Him.The word for justice in verses 18 and 20 is krisis (G 2920). It the word used to describe the judgment (Heb. 9:27) and judgment to come (Jn. 16:8). In other words, Messiah will proclaim the need for sinners to be ready for the coming judgment (v. 18) and gives victory over judgment (v. 20).Jesus wants you if you are broken – He won't break you any more – with Him the healing will begin!He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. - Heb. 7:25The one who comes to Me, I will by no means cast out. - John 6:37bThe Pharisees hated Jesus and blasphemed Him - V. 24-30God was on earth, lovingly working restorative miracles right in front of them, bringing joy to the multitudes. But they had the nerve to say, “The Devil made Him do it!” In other words, they were attributing the very work of God to Satan. Their hatred of Jesus made them guilty of blasphemy.Judgment day is coming for those who continue to reject Jesus - V. 31-37Do you see God's grace in verse 31? God would much rather save you from your sins than judge you for your sins rooted in pride and unbelief.To understand what the unforgiveable sin is, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, we first have to understand God the Holy Spirit's main role now.To blaspheme the Spirt is to remain an unbeliever despite all the ways the Spirit has convicted you of your sinful rebellion against God and your need to turn to Jesus for salvation. Every other sin is forgivable, but the sin of unbelief is unpardonable.Though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. - 1 Timothy 1:13-14When sinful words come out of your mouth it shows the sinful stuff in your heart. Get it forgiven through Jesus and let Him keep changing what comes out of your mouth!So everyone who acknowledges Me before men, I also will acknowledge before My Father who is in Heaven, but whoever denies Me before men, I also will deny before My Father who is in Heaven. - Matthew 10:32-33

In this sermon, Rev. Pedram Shirmast takes us into the story of 12-year-old Jesus in the temple, where his response to Mary and Joseph"Why were you searching for me? Didnt you know I had to be in my Fathers house?"challenges us to reflect on where we seek hope. As we journey through Lent, we are invited to slow down, allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts, and ask: What do we need to let go of to follow Jesus more fully? To catch up on the latest sermons from Deep Creek, go to iTunes, Spotify ordeepcreekanglican.comand check out the website for more info about whats happening. We are a welcoming and growing multigenerational church in Doncaster East in Melbourne with refreshing faith in Jesus Christ. We think that looks like being life-giving to the believer, surprising to the world, and strengthening to the weary and doubting. Read the transcript This morning, the word of the Lord is being read from the Gospel of Luke, chapter two, commencing at verse 41: Every year Jesus parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. When he was 12 years old, they went up to the festival according to the custom. After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they travelled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days, they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you. Why were you searching for me? he asked. Didnt you know that I had to be in my Fathers house? But they did not understand what he was saying to them. Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. The Lenten Journey: Hoping for Change Good morning again. My name is Pedram, one of the ministers here, and it's such a privilege to go through this Lent series togetherQuestions of Hope. As was mentioned earlier, we have entered the season of Lent, and in the midst of our busy lives, Jesus invites us to slow down. Its a hard thing to do: to slow down and allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts. But more important than merely observing this season is understanding why we do so. Why do we slow down? Why do we invite the Holy Spirit to search our hearts? Well, because we are hoping for changefor growth. Not just any change, but a deep change in our spiritual journey, in our relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ, and in our Christian character, to be more like Jesus. If we go through this season of Lent without this desire, then like any other season it will simply pass, and next year it will come again unchanged. I want to ask you a question: Where will you be in your faith and your relationship with Jesus this time next year? Some of us will definitely experience changes in lifeeither growing in appearance or height, or even sideways. Some will move to new places, new homes, or new job opportunities. Some will become grandparents. I wasnt expecting to share this, but since I already shared it at the 8:00 a.m. service: Lily and I will be becoming parents soon. So... thank you. This time next year, lots of changes for everybody in different ways. But what about our faith, our understanding of God's character and His will in our lives? Will we be growing in our trust and love for Jesus? Will we grow in the hope that we have in Jesus? This is why we hold this season. This is why we have faith in Jesusour sins are forgiven, and every day we walk through this journey to become more like our Savior. This is why we search our hearts, we repent, we fast. And it is not just about the tradition, but about the hope of transformation. We surrender to Jesus, asking him to shape us, renew us, and bring us closer to him as we prepare our hearts for the joy of this upcoming Easter, when we celebrate his resurrection. Mary and Josephs Search for Jesus This year, we are walking through Lent by exploring Questions of Hope the questions that Jesus asked people and the questions that people asked Jesus. Today we begin with a question Jesus asked as a 12-year-old in the temple: Why were you searching for me? Didnt you know I had to be in my Fathers house? His words challenge us today. Where are we searching for hope? Where are we searching for Jesus? Do we recognize where Jesus truly is? Jesus visit to the temple is a familiar story. From the time Jesus was an eight-day-old baby until he was a 30-year-old man at his baptism, we are told very little about his life except for this story in the Gospel of Luke. Among all four Gospels, only Luke gives us a glimpse of Jesus as a youth. He tells us the story of 12-year-old Jesus staying behind in the temple, amazing the teachers with his wisdom. This story is placed in Luke chapter 2 for a purpose, because we believe that every single storyevery single wordin the Word of God has a purpose for us. The story takes place 12 years after the first Christmas. Mary and Joseph were righteous, devout Jews who followed the Jewish laws. In verse 41, Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover each year to celebrate God's deliverance of His people from Egypt. The journey to Jerusalem from Nazareth (about 145 km away) would have taken 3 or 4 days on foot. It was a long journey, but their participation shows their deep faith. The Jewish law required men to attend the festival each year, but whole families werent obligatedyet Mary and Joseph chose to bring Jesus along every year. But why did Luke include only this particular story of Jesus childhood here (and not, say, one from when Jesus was age 11 or 10 or 15)? Its because Jesus was 12 years old herea significant age in Jewish culture. At 13, a Jewish boy became a son of the commandment, a full member of the synagogue (essentially considered an adult). By that age, many boys had memorized much of the Old Testament. This may seem surprising to us today in Australia, because 13-year-olds today are not considered mature enough for such responsibility. But in many cultures and past generations, children had to grow quickly because their livelihoods depended on it. After the feast, Mary and Joseph began their journey home, assuming Jesus was with their caravan of relatives and friends. After a day of traveling, they realized he was missing. It may seem unbelievable that they lost track of him, but traveling in large groups was common at that time. Women and children often went ahead of the caravan while men followed behind. Mary likely thought Jesus was with his father Joseph, and Joseph assumed he was with Marybut in reality, Jesus had stayed behind in Jerusalem. Imagine the panic of these parents. They searched for him for three days, with questions in their minds: Where is he sleeping? What is he eating? Is he safe? It took three days for Mary and Joseph to find Jesus. Do you recall another important three days of absence in the Bible? Yesthis foreshadows another three-day period: the time between Jesus death and his resurrection. This is the only other time that three days appears significantly in the Gospels. Mary and Joseph finally found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone was amazed at his understanding. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, but also frustrated. Mary spoke first: Child, why have you done this to us? You can hear the emotion in her words. Its the same way a parent might react after finding a lost childrelief mixed with frustration. Well, I wonder if you have ever been lost as a child. (Raise your hand if you have!) A lot of you... and Im thankful that you were found, finally. Or have you ever experienced the fear of losing your own child, even for a couple of minutes in a playground or in a crowd? If you have, then you understand the fear and anxiety that comes with itespecially in an unsafe environment. Thirty-five years ago, this was me at five years old. My mother took me to a crowded bazaar in Tehran, about a 25-minute walk (for an adult) from my father's shop. In the middle of shopping, I let go of her hand and got lost easily in the crowd. My mom searched but couldn't find me, so she ran to my father's shop for help (of course, she didnt have a mobile phone at that time). My father sent his friend on a motorcycle to search for me in that area while I wandered the bazaar trying to find my mom. After about 15 minutes of searching for my mother, I became disappointed and lost hope of finding her. Eventually, I decided to walk back to my father's shop, which was a huge task for a five-year-old. The neighborhood was unsafe and child abductions were common in that area, so my parents were terrifiedand so was I. When my parents finally returned to the shop and saw me sitting on a small chair in the shop, I still remember the pure relief on their faces. But I could also sense their overwhelming worry and exhaustion. My mom said to me, I thought I would never find you and had lost you forever. Jesus Mission Revealed in the Temple So in my story, my parents were filled with the same fear and anxiety because they didn't know where I was or what had happened to me. But with Jesus, it was different. Mary and Joseph were filled with worry; however, Jesus knew exactly where he was and what his purpose was, even at 12 years old. While his parents searched anxiously, he was confidently engaging in his mission, even though his parents didnt fully understand it. He showed a deep desire to know God's Word. He wasn't passively sitting in the temple listening to others, but actively engagingasking thoughtful questions. When Mary asked her son, Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you, Jesus responded, Why were you searching for me? Didnt you know that I had to be in my Fathers house? Jesus responded not with an explanation, but with another questionwhich is the key to this passage: Why were you searching for me? Didnt you know I had to be in my Fathers house? His response wasnt meant to dismiss his parents or ignore their feelings; it was to point them toward a deeper understanding of who he was and why he was there. He gently corrected Mary. She had said your father and I, referring to Joseph, but Jesus made it clear that his true Father was God. His mission, even at 12 years old, was to be about his Fathers business. Mary and Joseph did not fully understand his words at the time, but Mary treasured them in her heart, just as she had done when the shepherds and angels spoke of her newborn baby. So Jesus returned home with them and was obedient to them. He grew in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and people. In fact, Jesus was never losthe knew exactly where he belonged, and it was Mary and Joseph who needed to grow in their understanding. Stepping into the Fathers House Growing up isnt just about our size or age; its about discovering who we are and where we belong. Its also about deepening our relationship with God and reordering our priorities in life. Jesus led his parents to see beyond their earthly home and their earthly expectations. As parents, he calls us to move beyond our comfort zone into the Fathers house and into the expectations that God has for us. Jesus invites each of us to leave our earthly hope behind and step into Gods home every day. Let me ask you a question: What do you need to let go of to follow Jesus more fully during this season of Lent? (This is something personal between you and God.) What do you need to let go of to show your true heart for Jesus? Jesus doesnt just ask us to follow him; he finds us even when we are lost and leads us into the Fathers house. You know why? Yes, you do because he loves us. Because that is where we belong. Mary and Josephs anxious search for Jesus reflects the deep longing that many believers experience when seeking clarity and reassurance in their faith journey. Yet in Jesus response, we find hope hope that even in our confusion, God's plan is unfolding and he is where he is meant to be. Embracing Questions in Our Faith Journey In many cultures (like Iranian or other Middle Eastern cultures), questioningespecially in matters of faith, authority, or traditionis considered uncomfortable, sometimes disrespectful, or even a sign of weakness. Im not sure if you have felt this, but often you hesitate to ask a question because you fear being judged for asking it, and so you stop. In Australias individualistic and independent society, people often hesitate to ask deep questions about the purpose of life or hope for the future because they fear appearing weak. Rather than admitting uncertainty, they prefer to present themselves as strong and self-sufficient. This can leave people struggling in silence when faced with doubt or hardship. Research from Beyond Blue and the R U OK? campaign highlights that many people struggle in silence rather than opening up about their doubts and challenges. A 2015 survey by Beyond Blue found that 1 in 5 Australians thought people with anxiety were just faking it. One in five. This shows the negative attitudes and stereotypes towards getting help. People are scared to ask for help, to open their hearts. And Christians, of course, are not excluded from this struggle. Many believers hesitate to ask deep questionsespecially if they have been believers for more than five or ten years. They hesitate to ask questions about faith, suffering, or the future hope that they have. I have personally seen many Christians who struggle deeply with their faith, not because they didn't love God, but because they had unresolved questions. Some had no one to walk with them, no one to help them process their struggles. Others closed their own hearts, afraid to seek help and answers. Fearing judgment from others or worrying that it may show a lack of faith is common, and this leads some to lose their hope altogether. Over time, their hope faded not because God was absent, but because they didnt have the support or courage to seek answers. However, just as Jesus engaged in deep conversation in the temple, we too should embrace questioning as a path to greater faith and hope. Its not a sign of weakness. If we dont bring our questions or concerns to Godand to those God has placed in our liveswe risk becoming spiritually isolated. And you know what? The enemy wants us to believe that we are alone, that we are isolated. He wants us to feel that nobody understands us. He wants us to feel that questioning is a sign of weakness. But the Bible shows us that questioning God is not a lack of faithits actually part of the journey. David cried out to God in his pain and uncertainty. Job questioned God in his suffering, yet God met him in the midst of those challenges. The disciples often doubted and asked questions, and Jesus patiently guided them through their journey. Here in the temple, Jesus himself is engaging in conversation, asking and answering questions. The way that we live out our Christian faith is directly connected to our understanding of GodHis ways, His plans for us, and the hope that we have for the future. If we refuse to seek understanding, we risk living a faith that is shallow, superficial, and easily shaken by lifes circumstances. And of course, we wont always have all the answers, because some mysteries belong to God alone. But we can strengthen our faith by opening our hearts to the Lord and to those whom God has put in our lives to help and support us. Addressing doubts and uncertainties is part of our Christian journey; its part of the beauty of this journey. When we face difficult questionsnot just theologically complex questions, but deep questions about who we are, who God is, and what His role and plan are in our livesit is the hope we have in Jesus that anchors us and allows us to face uncertainty with faith. There are certain seasons in life when, like Mary, we might ask God, Why have you treated me (or my family) like this? And Jesus responds, Because I love you. Because I love you enough to grow you up, to find you where you are lost, and to bring you with me into the Fathers home. Well, asking questions and seeking answers shapes our faith and the way that we live out our faith. In our reading today, we see 12-year-old Jesus asking questions of the teachers; the teachers asking him questions; Mary asking Jesus a question; and Jesus asking Mary a deep, reflective question. Growing in Faith and Hope Now, let me ask you again: Where will you be in your journey with God this time next year? We dont want to be the same people a year from now. How do you hope to grow in your faith? In the Apostles Creed that we sometimes say together at church to affirm our faith, we declare: Jesus ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father, and one day he will come to judge the living and the dead. Knowing that Jesus reigns at the right hand of the Father, and that one day he will judge the living and the dead, how will this shape our faith? How will this shape our relationships today? How will it shape our perspective in our lives? When we are at work, at school or university, when we are among our colleagueshow will this shape our faith? Well, it should fill us with hope and shape how we live. The promise of Christs return gives us hope in times of hardship and uncertainty, knowing that one day he will bring justice, peace, and restoration. Growing in Wisdom, Stature, and Favor So in verse 52, the last verse of this passage, we read that And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. Jesus himself, being fully God and fully human, grew in wisdom, in physical stature, and in favor with God and people. And today we can grow in these areas as well. Growing in Wisdom: This means deepening our understanding of God. It might involve investing more time in reading the Bible (the Word of God), praying, and learning from others with humilityallowing God to change us. Growing in Stature: This isnt just about physical growth, but also emotional and personal growth. It involves facing challenges with faith and taking care of ourselves as the temple of God. Growing in Favor with God and People: This means strengthening our relationship with God through prayer and worship, while also showing love and kindness to those around us in our daily lives. So, brothers and sisters, no matter where you are in your faith journey right now, remember that God is with us every step of the way. We are not alone. He is faithful to guide us, to lead us, to encourage us, to strengthen us, and to help us grow into the people hes called us to be. Finding True Hope in Jesus Where are you searching for hope right now? What is on your mind? What are you hoping for during this season of Lent? What might God challenge us with today as we search for hope in our lives? Mary and Joseph searched anxiously for their missing 12-year-old, hoping to find him safe. That was their hope. But Jesus was hoping they would truly find out who he is, who he belongs to, and what his mission is. We know that every child is a source of hope for their parents, but it was Jesus mission and identity as the Son of the Father that was the true hope for his parentsand of course, for humanity and for us today. In the same way, we often search for hope in lifes uncertainties. And yet, Jesus invites us to find true and lasting hope in him, knowing who he is and trusting in his purpose for us. Preparing for Communion In a moment, we are going to prepare to come to the Holy Communion table together as a reminder that Jesus died for us, that Jesus was resurrected from the dead, and that Jesus is alive and with us today. But I want to invite you to take a moment to reflect on the passage we read today and the message we heard. We are going to prepare our hearts for the confession prayer that we will say together. I invite you to let the Holy Spirit search your heart right now, especially in this season of Lent. If God reveals something that needs to change in your life, whether its: a sin, a habit that distances you from God, a disappointment, a broken relationship that needs restoration, or even a deep question in your heart, bring it before him with an open heart. Confession is not just about admitting our sins before God; its about drawing near to God with the assurance that our sins are forgiven, that God is merciful and compassionate. As we come to confess, we hold on to this assurance. We come to the table not with fear or disappointment, but in faithreceiving his mercy, his presence, and the hope that we have in Jesus. Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord our God. Though we have rebelled and wandered far off, let us then ask for mercy, confessing our sins in penitence and faith. Let us say together: Merciful God, our maker and our judge,we have sinned against youin thought, word, and deed,and in what we have failed to do.We have not loved you with our whole heart.We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.We repent and are sorry for all our sins.Father, forgive us.Strengthen us to love and obey you in newness of life;through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Almighty God, who has promised forgiveness to all who turn to him in faith,pardon you and set you free from all your sins.Strengthen you in all goodness and keep you in eternal life;through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Making the Most of SONdays - Matthew 12:1-14When the child of GodLooks into the word of GodAnd sees the Son of GodThey are transformed by the Spirit of GodInto the image of GodFor the glory of God-Warren WiersbeMatthew 12:1-14Jesus gets hassled on the way to worship - V. 1-2If you go into your neighbor's standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor's standing grain. - Deut. 23:25You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; but it is they that bear witness about Me. - John 5:39The Old Testament said the Sabbath was to be a day of solemn rest. No work or gathering was to be done on that day. (Ex. 16:25-26). It was to be kept holy, or set apart for worship of God (Ex. 20:8-11).Jesus answers their criticism from Scripture - V. 3-5For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. - Romans 15:4There was no common bread available for David and his men to eat, but there was the holy showbread that only the priests could consume. The priest recognized this was a time for an exception to the rule based on necessity, and let David and his men eat the holy bread, as long as they were not currently sexually impure (1 Samuel 21).Jesus states that the priests on duty work every Sabbath they serve. They labor by removing the showbread, preparing fire for the sacrifices, and performing all their Temple service. The point Jesus is making here is that the Law ordains labor for some on the Sabbath as a duty.Jesus makes 3 key statements about worship day - V. 6-81. From verse 6 we see that God is greater than the buildings He is worshipped in during our SONday gatherings!For I desire steadfast love (HESED) and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. - Hosea 6:62. From verse 7 we see that loving God and others must be prioritized in our SONday gatherings!And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” - Mark 2:273. From verse 8 we learn that Jesus is also the Lord over the realm of time – He is Lord over the rhythm in our lives involving cycles of work and rest. The misuse of the Sabbath by the Pharisees should not keep us from honoring God's seventh day rest principle.Note that God commemorated a day of rest and worship to bless mankind BEFORE He gave Israel the Law. The Sabbath was the way Israel was commanded to observe the 7th day principle; Most Christians observe it on Sundays, the day Jesus rose from the dead!Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. - Matt. 28:1On the first day of the week, when we were gathered to break bread, Paul talked with them… - Acts 20:7aNow concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you are also to do. On the first day of EVERY week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I arrive. - 1 Cor. 16:1-2Jesus makes the most of His SONday - V. 9-14I love Jesus' statement in verse 12 – Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So then it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” People then and far too many people now treat their animals and their possessions as more important than people God calls them to minister to. But Jesus places the highest value on seeing people get ministered to. “When it came to his own glory, Liddell would surrender it all rather than run on Sunday. But when it came to the good of children in a prison camp, he would referee on Sunday. Liddell would sacrifice a gold medal for himself in the name of truth but would bend over backward for others in the name of grace.” - Randy Alcorn, page 79, The Grace and Truth Paradox

Choose Rest not Wrath - Matthew 11:20-30When the child of GodLooks into the word of GodAnd sees the Son of GodThey are transformed by the Spirit of GodInto the image of GodFor the glory of God-Warren WiersbeI brought up Warner Sallman's “Head of Christ” to point out that our image of Christ needs to be shaped by what we read of Jesus in the Bible, not in popular images of Jesus. In today's passage we find images that remind us that the Bible speaks of Him as being like BOTH a Lamb and a Lion.“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned – every one – to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him (the Messiah) the iniquity of us all.” - Isaiah 53:6Jesus speaks stern words to those who won't repent - V. 20-24The people of this triangle of cities had seen Jesus work many mighty miracles, but Jesus denounced them because they did not repent and turn to Him. They wanted physical blessings, not Jesus' rule in their life.Woe is a judgment word making us think of how unbelievers will fare on the Day of Judgment. In Matthew 23 Jesus “ROARS” woe to the hard-hearted Pharisees – but here it is used of people who had more exposure to His teaching and miracles than anyone else during His earthly ministry. His ROAR still needs to be heard by those who have often heard the gospel but refused to believe in Jesus and follow Him.The day that is coming to destroy all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper that remains. - Jer. 47:4 (see also Ezekiel 26).Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and all surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. - Jude 1:7Earlier in Matthew we saw that God promises degrees of reward for Christians who love and serve God now. Remember Matthew 6:20, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven.” Now we see that there will be degrees of punishment in Hell for those who never repent based on how much teaching they rejected (Revelation 20:11-15).Jesus speaks comforting words to those who come to Him - V. 25-30God would rather save people than judge them. God has to judge unrepentant rebels, but He would rather transfer their sins to the cross and forgive them.

Pastor Rick uses 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 to teach us what God says about our bodies and his prescription for good health. Did you know that you can honor Godand benefit yourselfby managing your body well? When you make healthy choices, you're honoring God by taking care of the body he created. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1103/29

Starting the morning off with God is the key to strength and success in your day!Join me in praying the Catholic morning offering, as well as hear meditations, learn about the saint of the day,  and hear today's Scripture readings from Holy Mass. Today's Meditation of the Day:My God, I Love TheeBy St Francis Xavier (1506-1552) (Attri)Transr: Fr Edward Caswall CO (1814-1878)My God, I love Thee, not becauseI hope for heav'n thereby,nor yet for fear, that loving not,I might forever diebut for that Thou didst all mankindupon the Cross embrace;for us didst bear the nails and spearand manifold disgrace.And griefs and torments numberlessand sweat of agony;e'en death itself and all for man,who was Thine enemy.Then why, most loving Jesus Christ,should I not love Thee well?Not for the sake of winning heav'n,nor any fear of hell.Not with the hope of gaining aught,nor seeking a rewardbut as Thyself hast loved me,O ever loving Lord!E'en so I love Thee and will loveand in Thy praise will sing,solely because Thou art my Godand my eternal King!AmenExcerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.The Morning Glory Consecration Prayer is excerpted from "33 Days to Morning Glory:  A Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Marian Consecration" by Michael E. Gaitley, MIC, © 2011 Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M., p. 137.If you have any comments, please email me at Deanna.pierre25@gmail.com.Support the show

Reading I Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11Comfort, give comfort to my people,            says your God.Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her            that her service is at an end,            her guilt is expiated;indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD            double for all her sins.            A voice cries out:In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!            Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!Every valley shall be filled in,            every mountain and hill shall be made low;the rugged land shall be made a plain,            the rough country, a broad valley. Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,            and all people shall see it together;            for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.Go up on to a high mountain,            Zion, herald of glad tidings;cry out at the top of your voice,            Jerusalem, herald of good news!Fear not to cry out            and say to the cities of Judah:            Here is your God!Here comes with power            the Lord GOD,            who rules by a strong arm;here is his reward with him,            his recompense before him.Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;            in his arms he gathers the lambs,carrying them in his bosom,            and leading the ewes with care.Reading II Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7Beloved:The grace of God has appeared, saving alland training us to reject godless ways and worldly desiresand to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age,as we await the blessed hope,the appearance of the glory of our great Godand savior Jesus Christ,who gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessnessand to cleanse for himself a people as his own,eager to do what is good.            When the kindness and generous love                        of God our savior appeared,            not because of any righteous deeds we had done                        but because of his mercy,            He saved us through the bath of rebirth                        and renewal by the Holy Spirit,            whom he richly poured out on us                        through Jesus Christ our savior,            so that we might be justified by his grace                        and become heirs in hope of eternal life.GospelLuke 3:15-16, 21-22The people were filled with expectation,and all were asking in their heartswhether John might be the Christ.John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water,but one mightier than I is coming.I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon himin bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son;with you I am well pleased.”

Dr Claudia Welch delves into the holistic health benefits of Ayurveda, focusing on stress relief, pregnancy nourishment, and balancing modern life with ancient wisdom. She shares personal experiences and expert insights on the interplay between physical, mental, and spiritual health. We explore topics ranging from the importance of a balanced lifestyle to managing thyroid issues and enhancing lactation naturally. The conversation also touches on possession, metaphysics, and how foundational beliefs impact overall well-being. Tune in for a comprehensive guide to incorporating Ayurvedic principles into everyday life. 01:22 Discussing Art and Metaphysics 02:41 Exploring Cosmic Religion and Metaphysics 07:28 Ayurveda and Metaphysical Connections 15:25 Stress, Courage, and Life Balance 18:04 Possession, Belief Systems, and Courage 28:46 Desire, Ignorance, and Enlightenment 07:26 Understanding Lifestyle Diseases 32:21 Women's Health and Thyroid Issues 35:46 Endocrine Disruptors and Environmental Impact 36:18 Solutions for Thyroid Problems 39:08 Hormonal Changes After 35 41:38 Postpartum Depression and Oxytocin 49:05 Pregnancy Cravings and Their Significance 52:07 Increasing Milk Production 55:18 Final Thoughts and Reflections 57:41 Closing Remarks and Song www.podsongs.com https://ffm.to/ayurvedalifestyleblues I've been trying to live an Ayurvedic lifeWith the wisdom of the ancient mindsBut I wonder if they'd have been so wiseIf they had to live in these timesCan't sit cross-legged in the restaurantCan't lie down on the aeroplaneCan't do what your urges wantAnd it all adds up to painI've been having an oil massage every dayOil in my hair and enemasFootprints on the stairsMy girlfriend's in despairAnd the only food I cook is KitchariNow she's thinking about leaving meToo many turmeric stainsShe thinks that I'm insaneI've got the Ayurveda bluesThe Ayurveda bluesChlorine in the waterPlastic everywhereEMF from everything No one seems to careParticles in the airPesticides in foodModified and fertilised To a malevolent magnitudeAnd I'm on my guardBut health these days is so hardAnd you I'd know to like to sleep from 8-4But then my friends all feel ignoredI gotta keep the balance right But I belong in bed at nightTo meditate in the Brahama MuhurtaIs it to take a step closer to GodAnd every day that I fail to prayI take another step further awayThe secret is the seasonsBut nobody wants the reasonsAs the last sane man aliveIt's a very lonely driveI know I gotta be a guiding lightLiving the life I know is rightI can't change the world just meSo I'll be the change I want to seeI've got the Ayurveda bluesThe Ayurveda bluesChlorine in the waterPlastic everywhereEMF from everything No one seems to careParticles in the airPesticides in foodModified and fertilised To a malevolent magnitudeAnd I'm on my guardBut health these days is so hard The sages foresawAll these problems beforeAnd predicted the rise of the citiesWhile they studied usWe know so little of themOnly how poorly we compare to these menBut their Sutras surviveAnd they make perfect senseAll we needIs obedienceHanded downFrom enlightened mindsAnd been proved rightA million timesI don't need no AIAin't gonna relyOn no computersI've faith in SutrasI don't need no AICharaka's my guyYou keep computersI've faith in Sutras // SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL // Newsletter, donations and download the song for €/$1 @ https://podsongs.com // LINKS // Website: https://podsongs.com Podcast episodes: https://podsongs.com/podcast-episodes Songs: https://podsongs.com/music Spotify artist: https://open.spotify.com/artist/32FYyRx1y1ex3jHHAgLMC7?si=4Nv7WW85SbSPZvCsj1o7Ig Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6sN1viy82HPiNTVX2YBxpq?si=1b84c2b9bdea4656 // SOCIAL // Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsongs Instagram: https://instagram.com/podsongs Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsongs

Youre not really forgiven until youre forgiven by Godand he is a great forgiver. The post A Great Forgiver appeared first on Key Life. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1543/29

In our final episode with Zach King he discusses how he eventually exited the world church of satan after holding its highest position as wizard and eventually found Godand the love of Christ.--------------------------------SPONSORS FOR THIS VIDEO❤️ Cardio Miracle - Boost your energy, help support your immune system, and improve your mental clarity-plus use promo code GRIT and save 10% on your order https://cardiomiracle.myshopify.com/discount/GRIT

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Monday morning, the 25th of November, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in Job 38:1-4:"Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:"Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?"We are not to question God, folks. We must remember who we are and we must remember who He is! I listened to the most beautiful song last night, sung by a young lady named Phillipa Hanna. It's called: 'You're still God', the words go something like this:"When all foundations have been shakenWhen I'm left standing in the darkAnd all I feel is my heart breakingYou still reign, and You're still GodAnd when it feels all hope has fadedThe heavy questions hit so hardAnd though my soul may feel forsakenYou still reign and You're still GodThough I can't see what's before meI know that I can trust Your heartAnd this one truth will be my storyYou still reign, and You're still God."You know folks, I remember, like yesterday, my old dad came to stay with us for the last few years of his life because my mother passed away before him. He lived in the little cottage behind us, and then he took sick, and eventually, we had to put him in a home for the frail because my wife couldn't take care of him. He's just such a big man that she couldn't turn him over and handle him. I used to visit him every single day, sometimes twice a day. I'd go to town to get spares for fixing my tractors, and I'd pop in and see Dad. I was so close to him. He became more than a father to me; in those senior years, he became my friend. One day, I came in, and he didn't look so good, and I said: "Dad, I'll see you this afternoon." I came back to the farm; in those days, we had the old party line - two shorts, one long, that was your call sign or one long and two shorts. Now, the young people with cell phones won't understand that. You had to pick that receiver up and crank that thing to get the operator to answer. We were all connected together. When I returned to the farm, I walked up to my farm office. I had a telephone there and one down at our little house. As I walked in the door, I heard the phone ringing. I picked it up and didn't say anything; my wife Jill picked up the phone at the house. It was the old age home saying: "We just wanted to tell you, please give a message to Angus; his old dad has passed away and gone home to be with Jesus." When all your foundations have been shaken, remember He is still God. You know, Job could say, right at the end in Job 13:15:"Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him."Maybe you are there today. Lean hard on the Lord and He will take care of you because He knows all things and He has a plan for your life.Jesus bless you and goodbye.

Click to watchWe affirm the blessing and the curse of covenant with Godand choose to follow him with our lives

Support Common Prayer Daily @ PatreonVisit our Website for more www.commonprayerdaily.com_______________Opening Words:“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”Psalm 19:14 (ESV) Confession:Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God. Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen. Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen. The InvitatoryLord, open our lips.And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Venite (Psalm 95:1-7)Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: Come let us adore him. Come, let us sing to the Lord; * let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving * and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.For the Lord is a great God, * and a great King above all gods.In his hand are the caverns of the earth, * and the heights of the hills are his also.The sea is his, for he made it, * and his hands have molded the dry land.Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, * and kneel before the Lord our Maker.For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice! Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: Come let us adore him. The PsalterPsalm 97Dominus regnavit1The Lord is King;let the earth rejoice; *let the multitude of the isles be glad.2Clouds and darkness are round about him, *righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne.3A fire goes before him *and burns up his enemies on every side.4His lightnings light up the world; *the earth sees it and is afraid.5The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, *at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.6The heavens declare his righteousness, *and all the peoples see his glory.7Confounded be all who worship carved imagesand delight in false gods! *Bow down before him, all you gods.8Zion hears and is glad, and the cities of Judah rejoice, *because of your judgments, O Lord.9For you are the Lord,most high over all the earth; *you are exalted far above all gods.10The Lord loves those who hate evil; *he preserves the lives of his saintsand delivers them from the hand of the wicked.11Light has sprung up for the righteous, *and joyful gladness for those who are truehearted.12Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, *and give thanks to his holy Name.Psalm 99Dominus regnavit1The Lord is King;let the people tremble; *he is enthroned upon the cherubim;let the earth shake.2The Lord is great in Zion; *he is high above all peoples.3Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; *he is the Holy One.4“O mighty King, lover of justice,you have established equity; *you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.”5Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our Godand fall down before his footstool; *he is the Holy One.6Moses and Aaron among his priests,and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, *they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.7He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; *they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.8“O Lord our God, you answered them indeed; *you were a God who forgave them,yet punished them for their evil deeds.”9Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our Godand worship him upon his holy hill; *for the Lord our God is the Holy One. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Lessons1 Maccabees 3:25-41New Revised Standard Version Catholic EditionThen Judas and his brothers began to be feared, and terror fell on the Gentiles all around them. His fame reached the king, and the Gentiles talked of the battles of Judas.When King Antiochus heard these reports, he was greatly angered; and he sent and gathered all the forces of his kingdom, a very strong army. He opened his coffers and gave a year's pay to his forces, and ordered them to be ready for any need. Then he saw that the money in the treasury was exhausted, and that the revenues from the country were small because of the dissension and disaster that he had caused in the land by abolishing the laws that had existed from the earliest days. He feared that he might not have such funds as he had before for his expenses and for the gifts that he used to give more lavishly than preceding kings. He was greatly perplexed in mind; then he determined to go to Persia and collect the revenues from those regions and raise a large fund.He left Lysias, a distinguished man of royal lineage, in charge of the king's affairs from the river Euphrates to the borders of Egypt. Lysias was also to take care of his son Antiochus until he returned. And he turned over to Lysias half of his forces and the elephants, and gave him orders about all that he wanted done. As for the residents of Judea and Jerusalem, Lysias was to send a force against them to wipe out and destroy the strength of Israel and the remnant of Jerusalem; he was to banish the memory of them from the place, settle aliens in all their territory, and distribute their land by lot. Then the king took the remaining half of his forces and left Antioch his capital in the one hundred and forty-seventh year. He crossed the Euphrates river and went through the upper provinces.Lysias chose Ptolemy son of Dorymenes, and Nicanor and Gorgias, able men among the Friends of the king, and sent with them forty thousand infantry and seven thousand cavalry to go into the land of Judah and destroy it, as the king had commanded. So they set out with their entire force, and when they arrived they encamped near Emmaus in the plain. When the traders of the region heard what was said to them, they took silver and gold in immense amounts, and fetters, and went to the camp to get the Israelites for slaves. And forces from Syria and the land of the Philistines joined with them.Revelation 21:1-8English Standard VersionThen I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” The Word of the Lord.Thanks Be To God. Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; * he has come to his people and set them free.He has raised up for us a mighty savior, * born of the house of his servant David.Through his holy prophets he promised of old, that he would save us from our enemies, * from the hands of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers * and to remember his holy covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, * to set us free from the hands of our enemies, Free to worship him without fear, * holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, * for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, To give his people knowledge of salvation * by the forgiveness of their sins.In the tender compassion of our God * the dawn from on high shall break upon us, To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, * and to guide our feet into the way of peace.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The Apostles CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The PrayersLord, have mercy.Christ, have mercyLord, have mercyOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. The SuffragesO Lord, show your mercy upon us;And grant us your salvation.O Lord, guide those who govern usAnd lead us in the way of justice and truth.Clothe your ministers with righteousnessAnd let your people sing with joy.O Lord, save your peopleAnd bless your inheritance.Give peace in our time, O LordAnd defend us by your mighty power.Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgottenNor the hope of the poor be taken away.Create in us clean hearts, O GodAnd take not your Holy Spirit from us. Take a moment of silence at this time to reflect and pray for others. The CollectsProper 28Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Daily Collects:A Collect for PeaceO God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.A Collect for GraceO Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us safely to the beginning of this day: Defend us by your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin nor run into any danger; and that, guided by your Spirit, we may do what is righteous in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Collect of Saint BasilO Christ God, Who art worshipped and glorified at every place and time; Who art long-suffering, most merciful and compassionate; Who lovest the righteous and art merciful to sinners; Who callest all to salvation with the promise of good things to come: receive, Lord, the prayers we now offer, and direct our lives in the way of Thy commandments. Sanctify our souls, cleanse our bodies, correct our thoughts, purify our minds and deliver us from all affliction, evil and illness. Surround us with Thy holy angels, that guarded and instructed by their forces, we may reach unity of faith and the understanding of Thine unapproachable glory: for blessed art Thou unto ages of ages. Amen. General ThanksgivingAlmighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; Through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen. A Prayer of St. John ChrysostomAlmighty God, you have given us grace at this time, with one accord to make our common supplications to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will grant their requests: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. DismissalLet us bless the LordThanks be to God!Alleluia, Alleluia! BenedictionThe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen

Support Common Prayer Daily @ PatreonVisit our Website for more www.commonprayerdaily.com_______________Opening Words:“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”Psalm 19:14 (ESV) Confession:Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God. Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen. Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen. The InvitatoryLord, open our lips.And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Venite (Psalm 95:1-7)Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: Come let us adore him. Come, let us sing to the Lord; * let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving * and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.For the Lord is a great God, * and a great King above all gods.In his hand are the caverns of the earth, * and the heights of the hills are his also.The sea is his, for he made it, * and his hands have molded the dry land.Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, * and kneel before the Lord our Maker.For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice! Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: Come let us adore him. The PsalterPsalm 97Dominus regnavit1The Lord is King;let the earth rejoice; *let the multitude of the isles be glad.2Clouds and darkness are round about him, *righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne.3A fire goes before him *and burns up his enemies on every side.4His lightnings light up the world; *the earth sees it and is afraid.5The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, *at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.6The heavens declare his righteousness, *and all the peoples see his glory.7Confounded be all who worship carved imagesand delight in false gods! *Bow down before him, all you gods.8Zion hears and is glad, and the cities of Judah rejoice, *because of your judgments, O Lord.9For you are the Lord,most high over all the earth; *you are exalted far above all gods.10The Lord loves those who hate evil; *he preserves the lives of his saintsand delivers them from the hand of the wicked.11Light has sprung up for the righteous, *and joyful gladness for those who are truehearted.12Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, *and give thanks to his holy Name.Psalm 99Dominus regnavit1The Lord is King;let the people tremble; *he is enthroned upon the cherubim;let the earth shake.2The Lord is great in Zion; *he is high above all peoples.3Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; *he is the Holy One.4“O mighty King, lover of justice,you have established equity; *you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.”5Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our Godand fall down before his footstool; *he is the Holy One.6Moses and Aaron among his priests,and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, *they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.7He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; *they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.8“O Lord our God, you answered them indeed; *you were a God who forgave them,yet punished them for their evil deeds.”9Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our Godand worship him upon his holy hill; *for the Lord our God is the Holy One.Psalm 100Jubilate Deo1Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; *serve the Lord with gladnessand come before his presence with a song.2Know this: The Lord himself is God; *he himself has made us, and we are his;we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.3Enter his gates with thanksgiving;go into his courts with praise; *give thanks to him and call upon his Name.4For the Lord is good;his mercy is everlasting; *and his faithfulness endures from age to age. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Lessons2 Chronicles 29:1-3English Standard Version29 Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them.2 Chronicles 30English Standard Version30 Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel. 2 For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to keep the Passover in the second month— 3 for they could not keep it at that time because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient number, nor had the people assembled in Jerusalem— 4 and the plan seemed right to the king and all the assembly. 5 So they decreed to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that the people should come and keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem, for they had not kept it as often as prescribed. 6 So couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his princes, as the king had commanded, saying, “O people of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were faithless to the Lord God of their fathers, so that he made them a desolation, as you see. 8 Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you. 9 For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.”10 So the couriers went from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. 11 However, some men of Asher, of Manasseh, and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12 The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord.13 And many people came together in Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month, a very great assembly. 14 They set to work and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for burning incense they took away and threw into the brook Kidron. 15 And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were ashamed, so that they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings into the house of the Lord. 16 They took their accustomed posts according to the Law of Moses the man of God. The priests threw the blood that they received from the hand of the Levites. 17 For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. Therefore the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean, to consecrate it to the Lord. 18 For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord pardon everyone 19 who sets his heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary's rules of cleanness.” 20 And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. 21 And the people of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness, and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, singing with all their might to the Lord. 22 And Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good skill in the service of the Lord. So they ate the food of the festival for seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the Lord, the God of their fathers.23 Then the whole assembly agreed together to keep the feast for another seven days. So they kept it for another seven days with gladness. 24 For Hezekiah king of Judah gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for offerings, and the princes gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. And the priests consecrated themselves in great numbers. 25 The whole assembly of Judah, and the priests and the Levites, and the whole assembly that came out of Israel, and the sojourners who came out of the land of Israel, and the sojourners who lived in Judah, rejoiced. 26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. 27 Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy habitation in heaven.1 Corinthians 7:32-40English Standard Version32 I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. 33 But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, 34 and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. 35 I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.36 If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin. 37 But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. 38 So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better.39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. 40 Yet in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God. The Word of the Lord.Thanks Be To God. Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; * he has come to his people and set them free.He has raised up for us a mighty savior, * born of the house of his servant David.Through his holy prophets he promised of old, that he would save us from our enemies, * from the hands of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers * and to remember his holy covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, * to set us free from the hands of our enemies, Free to worship him without fear, * holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, * for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, To give his people knowledge of salvation * by the forgiveness of their sins.In the tender compassion of our God * the dawn from on high shall break upon us, To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, * and to guide our feet into the way of peace.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The Apostles CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The PrayersLord, have mercy.Christ, have mercyLord, have mercyOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. The SuffragesO Lord, show your mercy upon us;And grant us your salvation.O Lord, guide those who govern usAnd lead us in the way of justice and truth.Clothe your ministers with righteousnessAnd let your people sing with joy.O Lord, save your peopleAnd bless your inheritance.Give peace in our time, O LordAnd defend us by your mighty power.Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgottenNor the hope of the poor be taken away.Create in us clean hearts, O GodAnd take not your Holy Spirit from us. Take a moment of silence at this time to reflect and pray for others. The CollectsProper 21O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Daily Collects:A Collect for PeaceO God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.A Collect for GraceO Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us safely to the beginning of this day: Defend us by your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin nor run into any danger; and that, guided by your Spirit, we may do what is righteous in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Collect of Saint BasilO Christ God, Who art worshipped and glorified at every place and time; Who art long-suffering, most merciful and compassionate; Who lovest the righteous and art merciful to sinners; Who callest all to salvation with the promise of good things to come: receive, Lord, the prayers we now offer, and direct our lives in the way of Thy commandments. Sanctify our souls, cleanse our bodies, correct our thoughts, purify our minds and deliver us from all affliction, evil and illness. Surround us with Thy holy angels, that guarded and instructed by their forces, we may reach unity of faith and the understanding of Thine unapproachable glory: for blessed art Thou unto ages of ages. Amen. General ThanksgivingAlmighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; Through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen. A Prayer of St. John ChrysostomAlmighty God, you have given us grace at this time, with one accord to make our common supplications to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will grant their requests: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. DismissalLet us bless the LordThanks be to God!Alleluia, Alleluia! BenedictionThe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men.You do not enter yourselves,nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.You traverse sea and land to make one convert,and when that happens you make him a child of Gehennatwice as much as yourselves.“Woe to you, blind guides, who say,‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing,but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.'Blind fools, which is greater, the gold,or the temple that made the gold sacred?And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing,but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.'You blind ones, which is greater, the gift,or the altar that makes the gift sacred?One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;one who swears by the temple swears by itand by him who dwells in it;one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of Godand by him who is seated on it.”

Matthew 13:24-30; 1 Corinthians 6:2-3Greetings, if you would like to support Free Gospel Church and our ministries, you can make a donation at FreeGospelAssembly.com.  Thank you for listening. If this message has blessed you please share it, that others may hear! God bless you.This parable is only found in Matthew along with its eschatological explanation. Itpresents the kingdom of heaven that's trying to be established in a world full of wheatand weeds. They grow together and God has permitted an enemy gardener to infest thefield with weeds. Ephesians 2:2 describes Satan as the originator of the “ways of thisworld.” & “...ruler of the Kingdom of the air” The spirits who is now at work in those whoare disobedient(The weeds); 1 John 5:19 states, “We know that we are children of Godand that the whole world (we are growing in) is under the control of the evil one.”, full of“weeds”. For some reason God permits the weeds(evil) and wheat (His Kingdom) to beentangled in a complex way, beyond human understanding and ability to separate them.It's not until God sends His own reapers(angels) as part of the harvest at His Parousiaor 2nd coming that they will gather out of His Kingdom all cause of sin & all evil doers...Matthew 13:41. Our job is never to do the son's job, to rightly clear the field of this fallen world, but rather keep planting the wheat. It will grow with God's help even in the midst of the weeds.

The Seventh Tuesday of EasterSupport Common Prayer Daily @ PatreonVisit our Website for more www.commonprayerdaily.com_________________EasterChrist has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. ~ Hebrews 9:24 ConfessionOfficiant: Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.People: Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against your holy laws.We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and apart from your grace, there is no health in us. O Lord, have mercy upon us. Spare all those who confess their faults. Restore all those who are penitent, according to your promises declared to all people in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may now live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of your holy Name. Amen.Officiant: Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen. Invitatory & PsalmsOfficiant: O God, make speed to save us. People: O Lord, make haste to help us. Officiant & People: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Christ our PassoverPascha Nostrum - BCP p. 83Alleluia.Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us; *therefore let us keep the feast,Not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, *but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Alleluia.Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; *death no longer has dominion over him.The death that he died, he died to sin, once for all; *but the life he lives, he lives to God.So also consider yourselves dead to sin, *and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Alleluia.Christ has been raised from the dead, *the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.For since by a man came death, *by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.For as in Adam all die, *so also in Christ shall all be made alive. Alleluia. Psalm 97Dominus regnavitThe Lord is King;let the earth rejoice; *let the multitude of the isles be glad.Clouds and darkness are round about him, *righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne.A fire goes before him *and burns up his enemies on every side.His lightnings light up the world; *the earth sees it and is afraid.The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, *at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.The heavens declare his righteousness, *and all the peoples see his glory.Confounded be all who worship carved imagesand delight in false gods! *Bow down before him, all you gods.Zion hears and is glad, and the cities of Judah rejoice, *because of your judgments, O Lord.For you are the Lord,most high over all the earth; *you are exalted far above all gods.The Lord loves those who hate evil; *he preserves the lives of his saintsand delivers them from the hand of the wicked.Light has sprung up for the righteous, *and joyful gladness for those who are truehearted.Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, *and give thanks to his holy Name. Psalm 99Dominus regnavitThe Lord is King;let the people tremble; *he is enthroned upon the cherubim;let the earth shake.The Lord is great in Zion; *he is high above all peoples.Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; *he is the Holy One.“O mighty King, lover of justice,you have established equity; *you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.”Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our Godand fall down before his footstool; *he is the Holy One.Moses and Aaron among his priests,and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, *they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; *they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.“O Lord our God, you answered them indeed; *you were a God who forgave them,yet punished them for their evil deeds.”Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our Godand worship him upon his holy hill; *for the Lord our God is the Holy One.Psalm 100Jubilate DeoBe joyful in the Lord, all you lands; *serve the Lord with gladnessand come before his presence with a song.Know this: The Lord himself is God; *he himself has made us, and we are his;we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.Enter his gates with thanksgiving;go into his courts with praise; *give thanks to him and call upon his Name.For the Lord is good;his mercy is everlasting; *and his faithfulness endures from age to age. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The Lessons1 Sam. 16:1-13aA Reading from the First Book of Samuel.The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the Lord said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.' Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you." Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" He said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed is now before the Lord." But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen any of these." Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here." He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one." Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.Officiant: The Word of the LordPeople: Thanks be to God. 21. You are GodTe Deum laudamusYou are God: we praise you;You are the Lord; we acclaim you;You are the eternal Father:All creation worships you.To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,heaven and earth are full of your glory.The glorious company of apostles praise you.The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you;Father, of majesty unbounded,your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.You, Christ, are the king of glory,the eternal Son of the Father.When you became man to set us freeyou did not shun the Virgin's womb.You overcame the sting of deathand opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.You are seated at God's right hand in glory.We believe that you will come and be our judge.Come then, Lord, and help your people,bought with the price of your own blood,and bring us with your saintsto glory everlasting. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Eph. 3:14-21A Reading from the Letter to the Ephesians.For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.Officiant: The Word of the LordPeople: Thanks be to God. 16. The Song of ZechariahBenedictus Dominus Deus - Luke 1: 68-79Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *he has come to his people and set them free.He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *born of the house of his servant David.Through his holy prophets he promised of old,that he would save us from our enemies, *from the hands of all who hate us.He promised to show mercy to our fathers *and to remember his holy covenant.This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, *to set us free from the hands of our enemies,Free to worship him without fear, *holy and righteous in his sightall the days of our life.You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, *for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,To give his people knowledge of salvation *by the forgiveness of their sins.In the tender compassion of our God *the dawn from on high shall break upon us,To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, *and to guide our feet into the way of peace. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The PrayersOfficiant: The Lord be with you.People: And also with you.Officiant: Let us pray The Lord's PrayerOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. The SuffragesShow us your mercy, O Lord;And grant us your salvation.Clothe your ministers with righteousness;Let your people sing with joy.Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;For only in you can we live in safety. Lord, keep this nation under your care;And guide us in the way of justice and truth. Let your way be known upon earth; Your saving health among all nations. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten; Nor the hope of the poor be taken away. Create in us clean hearts, O God; And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.Take a moment at this time to reflect and pray for the needs of others. Seventh Sunday of EasterO God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.A Collect for PeaceO God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.A Collect for GraceLord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.For MissionAlmighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. ThanksgivingsThe General ThanksgivingAlmighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.A Prayer of St. ChrysostomAlmighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. ConclusionLet us bless the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia. Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen.Ephesians 3:20,21

Reading 1 Acts 9:26-31 When Saul arrived in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples,but they were all afraid of him,not believing that he was a disciple.Then Barnabas took charge of him and brought him to the apostles,and he reported to them how he had seen the Lord,and that he had spoken to him,and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.He moved about freely with them in Jerusalem,and spoke out boldly in the name of the Lord.He also spoke and debated with the Hellenists,but they tried to kill him.And when the brothers learned of this,they took him down to Caesareaand sent him on his way to Tarsus.The church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace.It was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord,and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit it grew in numbers.Reading 2 1 Jn 3:18-24 Children, let us love not in word or speechbut in deed and truth.Now this is how we shall know that we belong to the truthand reassure our hearts before himin whatever our hearts condemn,for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything.Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us,we have confidence in Godand receive from him whatever we ask,because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.And his commandment is this:we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,and love one another just as he commanded us.Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them,and the way we know that he remains in usis from the Spirit he gave us.Gospel Jn 15:1-8 Jesus said to his disciples:"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.Remain in me, as I remain in you.Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its ownunless it remains on the vine,so neither can you unless you remain in me.I am the vine, you are the branches.Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,because without me you can do nothing.Anyone who does not remain in mewill be thrown out like a branch and wither;people will gather them and throw them into a fireand they will be burned.If you remain in me and my words remain in you,ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.By this is my Father glorified,that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."

Support Common Prayer Daily @ PatreonVisit our Website for more www.commonprayerdaily.com_______________EasterIf then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ConfessionOfficiant: Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.People: Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against your holy laws.We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and apart from your grace, there is no health in us. O Lord, have mercy upon us. Spare all those who confess their faults. Restore all those who are penitent, according to your promises declared to all people in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may now live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of your holy Name. Amen.Officiant: Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen. Invitatory & PsalmsOfficiant: O God, make speed to save us. People: O Lord, make haste to help us. Officiant & People: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Christ our PassoverPascha Nostrum - BCP p. 83Alleluia.Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us; *therefore let us keep the feast,Not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, *but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Alleluia.Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; *death no longer has dominion over him.The death that he died, he died to sin, once for all; *but the life he lives, he lives to God.So also consider yourselves dead to sin, *and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Alleluia.Christ has been raised from the dead, *the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.For since by a man came death, *by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.For as in Adam all die, *so also in Christ shall all be made alive. Alleluia. Psalm 97Dominus regnavit - BCP p. 726The Lord is King;let the earth rejoice; *let the multitude of the isles be glad.Clouds and darkness are round about him, *righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne.A fire goes before him *and burns up his enemies on every side.His lightnings light up the world; *the earth sees it and is afraid.The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, *at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.The heavens declare his righteousness, *and all the peoples see his glory.Confounded be all who worship carved imagesand delight in false gods! *Bow down before him, all you gods.Zion hears and is glad, and the cities of Judah rejoice, *because of your judgments, O Lord.For you are the Lord,most high over all the earth; *you are exalted far above all gods.The Lord loves those who hate evil; *he preserves the lives of his saintsand delivers them from the hand of the wicked.Light has sprung up for the righteous, *and joyful gladness for those who are truehearted.Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, *and give thanks to his holy Name. Psalm 99Dominus regnavit - BCP p. 728The Lord is King;let the people tremble; *he is enthroned upon the cherubim;let the earth shake.The Lord is great in Zion; *he is high above all peoples.Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; *he is the Holy One.“O mighty King, lover of justice,you have established equity; *you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.”Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our Godand fall down before his footstool; *he is the Holy One.Moses and Aaron among his priests,and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, *they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; *they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.“O Lord our God, you answered them indeed; *you were a God who forgave them,yet punished them for their evil deeds.”Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our Godand worship him upon his holy hill; *for the Lord our God is the Holy One. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The LessonsExod. 12:40-51The time that the Israelites had lived in Egypt was four hundred thirty years. At the end of four hundred thirty years, on that very day, all the companies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. That was for the Lord a night of vigil, to bring them out of the land of Egypt. That same night is a vigil to be kept for the Lord by all the Israelites throughout their generations. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: This is the ordinance for the passover: no foreigner shall eat of it, but any slave who has been purchased may eat of it after he has been circumcised; no bound or hired servant may eat of it. It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the animal outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones. The whole congregation of Israel shall celebrate it. If an alien who resides with you wants to celebrate the passover to the Lord, all his males shall be circumcised; then he may draw near to celebrate it; he shall be regarded as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it; there shall be one law for the native and for the alien who resides among you. All the Israelites did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. That very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, company by company. Officiant: The Word of the LordPeople: Thanks be to God. 21. You are GodTe Deum laudamusYou are God: we praise you;You are the Lord; we acclaim you;You are the eternal Father:All creation worships you.To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,heaven and earth are full of your glory.The glorious company of apostles praise you.The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you;Father, of majesty unbounded,your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.You, Christ, are the king of glory,the eternal Son of the Father.When you became man to set us freeyou did not shun the Virgin's womb.You overcame the sting of deathand opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.You are seated at God's right hand in glory.We believe that you will come and be our judge.Come then, Lord, and help your people,bought with the price of your own blood,and bring us with your saintsto glory everlasting. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. 1 Cor. 15:[29]30-41[ Otherwise, what will those people do who receive baptism on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? ] And why are we putting ourselves in danger every hour? I die every day! That is as certain, brothers and sisters, as my boasting of you-- a boast that I make in Christ Jesus our Lord. If with merely human hopes I fought with wild animals at Ephesus, what would I have gained by it? If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." Do not be deceived: "Bad company ruins good morals." Come to a sober and right mind, and sin no more; for some people have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame. But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?" Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. Not all flesh is alike, but there is one flesh for human beings, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one thing, and that of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; indeed, star differs from star in glory.Officiant: The Word of the LordPeople: Thanks be to God. 16. The Song of ZechariahBenedictus Dominus Deus - Luke 1: 68-79Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *he has come to his people and set them free.He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *born of the house of his servant David.Through his holy prophets he promised of old,that he would save us from our enemies, *from the hands of all who hate us.He promised to show mercy to our fathers *and to remember his holy covenant.This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, *to set us free from the hands of our enemies,Free to worship him without fear, *holy and righteous in his sightall the days of our life.You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, *for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,To give his people knowledge of salvation *by the forgiveness of their sins.In the tender compassion of our God *the dawn from on high shall break upon us,To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, *and to guide our feet into the way of peace. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The PrayersOfficiant: The Lord be with you.People: And also with you.Officiant: Let us pray The Lord's PrayerOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. The SuffragesShow us your mercy, O Lord;And grant us your salvation.Clothe your ministers with righteousness;Let your people sing with joy.Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;For only in you can we live in safety. Lord, keep this nation under your care;And guide us in the way of justice and truth. Let your way be known upon earth; Your saving health among all nations. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten; Nor the hope of the poor be taken away. Create in us clean hearts, O God; And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.Take a moment at this time to reflect and pray for the needs of others. Wednesday in Easter WeekO God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.A Collect for PeaceO God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.A Collect for GraceLord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.For MissionAlmighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. ThanksgivingsThe General ThanksgivingAlmighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.A Prayer of St. ChrysostomAlmighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. ConclusionLet us bless the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia. Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen.Ephesians 3:20,21

Support Common Prayer Daily @ PatreonVisit our Website for more www.commonprayerdaily.com_______________LentLet my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.Psalm 141:2 ConfessionOfficiant: Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.People: Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against your holy laws.We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and apart from your grace, there is no health in us. O Lord, have mercy upon us. Spare all those who confess their faults. Restore all those who are penitent, according to your promises declared to all people in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may now live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of your holy Name. Amen.Officiant: Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen. The Lord's PrayerOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. Invitatory & PsalmsOfficiant: O God, make speed to save us. People: O Lord, make haste to help us. Officiant & People: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. O Gracious Light Phos hilaronO gracious Light, pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven, O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!Now as we come to the setting of the sun, and our eyes behold the vesper light, we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices, O Son of God, O Giver of life,and to be glorified through all the worlds. Psalm 99Dominus regnavit1The Lord is King;let the people tremble; *he is enthroned upon the cherubim;let the earth shake.2The Lord is great in Zion; *he is high above all peoples.3Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; *he is the Holy One.4“O mighty King, lover of justice,you have established equity; *you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.”5Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our Godand fall down before his footstool; *he is the Holy One.6Moses and Aaron among his priests,and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, *they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.7He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; *they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.8“O Lord our God, you answered them indeed; *you were a God who forgave them,yet punished them for their evil deeds.”9Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our Godand worship him upon his holy hill; *for the Lord our God is the Holy One.Psalm 100Jubilate Deo1Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; *serve the Lord with gladnessand come before his presence with a song.2Know this: The Lord himself is God; *he himself has made us, and we are his;we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.3Enter his gates with thanksgiving;go into his courts with praise; *give thanks to him and call upon his Name.4For the Lord is good;his mercy is everlasting; *and his faithfulness endures from age to age. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The LessonsJeremiah 15:10-21English Standard Version10 Woe is me, my mother, that you bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land! I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me. 11 The Lord said, “Have I not set you free for their good? Have I not pleaded for you before the enemy in the time of trouble and in the time of distress? 12 Can one break iron, iron from the north, and bronze?13 “Your wealth and your treasures I will give as spoil, without price, for all your sins, throughout all your territory. 14 I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do not know, for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn forever.”15 O Lord, you know;    remember me and visit me,    and take vengeance for me on my persecutors.In your forbearance take me not away;    know that for your sake I bear reproach.16 Your words were found, and I ate them,    and your words became to me a joy    and the delight of my heart,for I am called by your name,    O Lord, God of hosts.17 I did not sit in the company of revelers,    nor did I rejoice;I sat alone, because your hand was upon me,    for you had filled me with indignation.18 Why is my pain unceasing,    my wound incurable,    refusing to be healed?Will you be to me like a deceitful brook,    like waters that fail?19 Therefore thus says the Lord:“If you return, I will restore you,    and you shall stand before me.If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless,    you shall be as my mouth.They shall turn to you,    but you shall not turn to them.20 And I will make you to this people    a fortified wall of bronze;they will fight against you,    but they shall not prevail over you,for I am with you    to save you and deliver you,declares the Lord.21 I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked,    and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.” Officiant: The Word of the LordPeople: Thanks be to God. The Song of Mary - MagnificatMy soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; * for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant From this day all generations will call me blessed: * the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him * in every generation.He has shown the strength of his arm, * he has scattered the proud in their conceit.He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, * and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, * and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel, * for he has remembered his promise of mercy, The promise he made to our fathers, * to Abraham and his children for ever.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *as It was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Mark 13:1-13English Standard Version13 And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” 2 And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”3 And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5 And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!' and they will lead many astray. 7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.9 “But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. 10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11 And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12 And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. 13 And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Officiant: The Word of the LordPeople: Thanks be to God. The Song of Simeon - Nunc dimittisLord, you now have set your servant free * to go in peace as you have promised; For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, * whom you have prepared for all the world to see: A Light to enlighten the nations, * and the glory of your people Israel.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: * as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The PrayersOfficiant: The Lord be with you.People: And also with you.Officiant: Let us pray The SuffragesThat this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful, We entreat you, O Lord.That your holy angels may lead us in paths of peace and goodwill, We entreat you, O Lord.That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our sins and offenses, We entreat you, O Lord.That there may be peace to your Church and to the whole world, We entreat you, O Lord.That we may depart this life in your faith and fear, and not be condemned before the great judgment seat of Christ, We entreat you, O Lord.That we may be bound together by your Holy Spirit in the communion of all your saints, entrusting one another and all our life to Christ, We entreat you, O Lord.Take a moment at this time to reflect and pray for the needs of others. Fourth Sunday in LentGracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.A Collect for PeaceMost holy God, the source of all good desires, all right judgments, and all just works: Give to us, your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, so that our minds may be fixed on the doing of your will, and that we, being delivered from the fear of all enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through the mercies of Christ Jesus our Savior. Amen.A Collect for Aid against PerilsBe our light in the darkness, O Lord, and in your great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of your only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.For MissionKeep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love's sake. Amen. ThanksgivingsThe General ThanksgivingAlmighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.A Prayer of St. ChrysostomAlmighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. ConclusionMay the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. - Romans 15:13

Do you ever find yourself feeling paralyzed when it comes to prayer? You certainly wouldn't be alone! However, what if prayer could be as effortless as chatting with a friend? Many of us struggle to understand prayer because we've only witnessed it modeled in a formal way before meals, at bedtime, or at church.What if we could learn to engage in regular, honest conversation with God?In today's episode, we're diving into how we can cultivate a personal prayer life and discover our unique prayer styles. Joining me for this conversation is Janet McHenry, a national speaker and the author of 27 books, including Praying Personalities: Finding Your Natural Prayer Style.In this episode, we'll explore:The difference between having a "prayer life" and a "praying life"Examples we see in the Bible of various styles of prayerHow understanding your prayer personality can enhance your relationship with GodAnd more!I'm praying you'll find value in this conversation with Janet!Show Notes: https://jillsavage.org/janet-mchenry-187Check out our other resources: Mark and Jill's Marriage Story Marriage Coaching Marriage 2.0 Intensives Speaking Schedule Book Mark and Jill to Speak Online Courses Books Marriage Resources: Infidelity Recovery For Happy Marriages For Hurting Marriages For Marriages Where You're the Only One Wanting to Get Help Mom Resources: New/Preschool Moms Moms with Gradeschoolers Moms with Teens and Tweens Moms with Kids Who Are Launching Empty Nest...

Support Common Prayer Daily @ PatreonVisit our Website for more www.commonprayerdaily.com_______________Ash WednesdayLet my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.Psalm 141:2 ConfessionOfficiant: Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.People: Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against your holy laws.We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and apart from your grace, there is no health in us. O Lord, have mercy upon us. Spare all those who confess their faults. Restore all those who are penitent, according to your promises declared to all people in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may now live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of your holy Name. Amen.Officiant: Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen. The Lord's PrayerOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. Invitatory & PsalmsOfficiant: O God, make speed to save us. People: O Lord, make haste to help us. Officiant & People: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. O Gracious Light Phos hilaronO gracious Light, pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven, O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!Now as we come to the setting of the sun, and our eyes behold the vesper light, we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices, O Son of God, O Giver of life,and to be glorified through all the worlds. Psalm 34 Benedicam Dominum1I will bless the Lord at all times; *his praise shall ever be in my mouth.2I will glory in the Lord; *let the humble hear and rejoice.3Proclaim with me the greatness of the Lord; *let us exalt his Name together.4I sought the Lord, and he answered me *and delivered me out of all my terror.5Look upon him and be radiant, *and let not your faces be ashamed.6I called in my affliction and the Lord heard me *and saved me from all my troubles.7The angel of the Lord encompasses those who fear him, *and he will deliver them.8Taste and see that the Lord is good; *happy are they who trust in him!9Fear the Lord, you that are his saints, *for those who fear him lack nothing.10The young lions lack and suffer hunger, *but those who seek the Lord lack nothing that is good.11Come, children, and listen to me; *I will teach you the fear of the Lord.12Who among you loves life *and desires long life to enjoy prosperity?13Keep your tongue from evil-speaking *and your lips from lying words.14Turn from evil and do good; *seek peace and pursue it.15The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, *and his ears are open to their cry.16The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, *to root out the remembrance of them from the earth.17The righteous cry, and the Lord hears them *and delivers them from all their troubles.18The Lord is near to the brokenhearted *and will save those whose spirits are crushed.19Many are the troubles of the righteous, *but the Lord will deliver him out of them all.20He will keep safe all his bones; *not one of them shall be broken.21Evil shall slay the wicked, *and those who hate the righteous will be punished.22The Lord ransoms the life of his servants, *and none will be punished who trust in him.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The LessonsJeremiah 3:11-18 English Standard Version11 And the Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say,“‘Return, faithless Israel,declares the Lord.I will not look on you in anger,    for I am merciful,declares the Lord;I will not be angry forever.13 Only acknowledge your guilt,    that you rebelled against the Lord your Godand scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree,    and that you have not obeyed my voice,declares the Lord.14 Return, O faithless children,declares the Lord;    for I am your master;I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,    and I will bring you to Zion.15 “‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16 And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the Lord, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the Lord.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again. 17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers for a heritage.Officiant: The Word of the LordPeople: Thanks be to God. The Song of Mary - MagnificatMy soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; * for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant From this day all generations will call me blessed: * the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him * in every generation.He has shown the strength of his arm, * he has scattered the proud in their conceit.He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, * and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, * and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel, * for he has remembered his promise of mercy, The promise he made to our fathers, * to Abraham and his children for ever.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *as It was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. John 8:45-59 English Standard Version45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” 52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.' 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.' 55 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.Officiant: The Word of the LordPeople: Thanks be to God. The Song of Simeon - Nunc dimittisLord, you now have set your servant free * to go in peace as you have promised; For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, * whom you have prepared for all the world to see: A Light to enlighten the nations, * and the glory of your people Israel.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: * as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The PrayersOfficiant: The Lord be with you.People: And also with you.Officiant: Let us pray The SuffragesThat this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful, We entreat you, O Lord.That your holy angels may lead us in paths of peace and goodwill, We entreat you, O Lord.That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our sins and offenses, We entreat you, O Lord.That there may be peace to your Church and to the whole world, We entreat you, O Lord.That we may depart this life in your faith and fear, and not be condemned before the great judgment seat of Christ, We entreat you, O Lord.That we may be bound together by your Holy Spirit in the communion of all your saints, entrusting one another and all our life to Christ, We entreat you, O Lord.Take a moment at this time to reflect and pray for the needs of others. Ash Wednesday (BCP 1979)Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.A Collect for PeaceMost holy God, the source of all good desires, all right judgments, and all just works: Give to us, your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, so that our minds may be fixed on the doing of your will, and that we, being delivered from the fear of all enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through the mercies of Christ Jesus our Savior. Amen.A Collect for Aid against PerilsBe our light in the darkness, O Lord, and in your great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of your only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.For MissionKeep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love's sake. Amen. ThanksgivingsThe General ThanksgivingAlmighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.A Prayer of St. ChrysostomAlmighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. ConclusionMay the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. - Romans 15:13

So far in this series from Judges 6 & 7, we see example of Gideon:Soley depending on GodBeing truly obedient to Godand waiting to hear God's great encouragementIn this episode of Today with Jeff Vines, Pastor Jeff is talking about ‘staying off God's throne'.

Support Common Prayer Daily @ PatreonVisit our Website for more www.commonprayerdaily.com_______________EpiphanyAnd nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.Isaiah 60:3 ConfessionOfficiant: Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.People: Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against your holy laws.We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and apart from your grace, there is no health in us. O Lord, have mercy upon us. Spare all those who confess their faults. Restore all those who are penitent, according to your promises declared to all people in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may now live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of your holy Name. Amen.Officiant: Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen. The Lord's PrayerOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. Invitatory & PsalmsOfficiant: O God, make speed to save us. People: O Lord, make haste to help us. Officiant & People: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. O Gracious Light Phos hilaronO gracious Light, pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven, O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!Now as we come to the setting of the sun, and our eyes behold the vesper light, we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices, O Son of God, O Giver of life,and to be glorified through all the worlds. Psalm 29 Afferte Domino1Ascribe to the Lord, you gods, *ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.2Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his Name; *worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.3The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;the God of glory thunders; *the Lord is upon the mighty waters.4The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice; *the voice of the Lord is a voice of splendor.5The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees; *the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;6He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, *and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox.7The voice of the Lord splits the flames of fire;the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; *the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.8The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe *and strips the forests bare.9And in the temple of the Lord *all are crying, “Glory!”10The Lord sits enthroned above the flood; *the Lord sits enthroned as King for evermore.11The Lord shall give strength to his people; *the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace. Psalm 99 Dominus regnavit1The Lord is King;let the people tremble; *he is enthroned upon the cherubim;let the earth shake.2The Lord is great in Zion; *he is high above all peoples.3Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; *he is the Holy One.4“O mighty King, lover of justice,you have established equity; *you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.”5Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our Godand fall down before his footstool; *he is the Holy One.6Moses and Aaron among his priests,and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, *they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.7He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; *they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.8“O Lord our God, you answered them indeed; *you were a God who forgave them,yet punished them for their evil deeds.”9Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our Godand worship him upon his holy hill; *for the Lord our God is the Holy One. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The LessonsEzekiel 34:11-16 English Standard Version“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.Officiant: The Word of the LordPeople: Thanks be to God. The Song of Mary - MagnificatMy soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; * for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant From this day all generations will call me blessed: * the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him * in every generation.He has shown the strength of his arm, * he has scattered the proud in their conceit.He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, * and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, * and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel, * for he has remembered his promise of mercy, The promise he made to our fathers, * to Abraham and his children for ever.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *as It was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. John 6:30-40 English Standard VersionSo they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”Officiant: The Word of the LordPeople: Thanks be to God. The Song of Simeon - Nunc dimittisLord, you now have set your servant free * to go in peace as you have promised; For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, * whom you have prepared for all the world to see: A Light to enlighten the nations, * and the glory of your people Israel.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: * as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The PrayersOfficiant: The Lord be with you.People: And also with you.Officiant: Let us pray The SuffragesThat this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful, We entreat you, O Lord.That your holy angels may lead us in paths of peace and goodwill, We entreat you, O Lord.That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our sins and offenses, We entreat you, O Lord.That there may be peace to your Church and to the whole world, We entreat you, O Lord.That we may depart this life in your faith and fear, and not be condemned before the great judgment seat of Christ, We entreat you, O Lord.That we may be bound together by your Holy Spirit in the communion of all your saints, entrusting one another and all our life to Christ, We entreat you, O Lord.Take a moment at this time to reflect and pray for the needs of others. Epiphany 3 (Anglican Prayer Book)ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our weaknesses and, in all dangers and needs, stretch out your right hand to help and defend us; through Jesus Christ our LORD. Amen.A Collect for PeaceMost holy God, the source of all good desires, all right judgments, and all just works: Give to us, your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, so that our minds may be fixed on the doing of your will, and that we, being delivered from the fear of all enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through the mercies of Christ Jesus our Savior. Amen.A Collect for Aid against PerilsBe our light in the darkness, O Lord, and in your great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of your only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.For MissionKeep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love's sake. Amen. ThanksgivingsThe General ThanksgivingAlmighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.A Prayer of St. ChrysostomAlmighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. ConclusionMay the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. - Romans 15:13

Today's TreasureHe established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel,which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children,that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn,and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in Godand not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.Psalm 78:5-7Support the show

With God, all things are possible. ALL THINGS!Even an event like THE VIRGIN BIRTH.Some 2,000 years ago, an angel was sent by God to the tiny town of Nazareth in the Galilee area. The area was small, the inhabitants few, and a popular saying of the day was:CAN ANY GOOD THING COME OUT OF NAZARETH?Perhaps not before, but after the visit by the angel Gabriel to an unknown Mary, from Nazareth would come the Savior of the world.Mary the Virgin was pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The angel Gabriel said to her:GREETINGS, YOU WHO ARE HIGHLY FAVORED! THE LORD IS WITH YOU.Gabriel went on to say:DO NOT BE AFRAID, MARY. YOU HAVE FOUND FAVOR WITH GOD. YOU WILL BE WITH CHILD AND GIVE BIRTH TO A SON. YOU ARE TO GIVE HIM THE NAME JESUS.HE WILL BE GREAT AND WILL BE CALLED THESON OF THE MOST HIGH.THE LORD GOD WILL GIVE HIM THE THRONE OF HIS FATHER DAVID AND HE WILL REIGN OVER THE HOUSE OF JACOB FOREVER. HIS KINGDOM WILL NEVER END!And, rightly so, Mary was troubled and she said to the angel:“How will this come about since I am a virgin?”To which the angel responded:THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL COME UPON YOU AND THE POWER OF THE MOSTHIGH WILL OVERSHADOW YOU.So the Holy One to be born would be called the SON OF GOD.The natural man scoffs at angels but the spiritual man knows that with God all thingsare possible, including angels.Mary, now with child, the Holy Ghost having come upon her, went to the home ofZechariah and Elizabeth, relatives, and when she arrived, Elizabeth knew of thisImmaculate Conception and Elizabeth said to Mary:BLESSED ARE YOU AMONG WOMEN, AND BLESSED IS THE CHILD YOU WILLBEAR!Elizabeth knew that Mary would be the mother of her Lord and ours as well.So, the world was about to change because of that event in Nazareth. Jesus ofNazareth would soon be born in Bethlehem of Judea and this Nazarene, this SON OFTHE MOST HIGH would soon be known as THE SAVIOR, the Prince of Peace, theChrist of Glory.When Elizabeth had finished, Mary began her very own song of praise:MY SOUL MAGNIFIES THE LORDAND MY SPIRIT REJOICES IN GOD MY SAVIOR!FOR HE HAS BEEN MINDFUL OF THE HUMBLE STATE OF HIS SERVANT.FROM NOW ON ALL GENERATIONS WILL CALL ME BLESSEDFOR THE MIGHTY ONE HAS DONE GREAT THINGS FOR MEHOLY IS HIS NAME!Such powerful praise and adoration this Magnificat of Mary was. Mary, the virgin, sohumble in spirit, thought of herself as the HANDMAIDEN of the Lord, perhaps stillpuzzled as to why she was chosen to bear the King of Kings, but willing and obedientto do the will of God.And the Babe of Bethlehem grew within her. Fiancé Joseph, of the lineage of David,sought to put her away but again, an angelic message explained to him what hadhappened, foretold the birth of this Son and the instructions to him that His namewould be Jesus. Thereafter, Mary would be wife and mother for Joseph. It is incrediblydifficult to imagine how this man 2,000 years ago would react. Nothing like this inhuman history had ever happened before. He, Joseph was chosen to supervise andsupport the birth of the Savior of the world. That would be impossible for any man tocomprehend but Joseph, obedient like Mary, accepted the angelic explanation and thisdivine drama proceeded.Surely, Joseph could see the remarkable changes in Mary. For those precious months,Mary's soul glorified the Lord. She told all that her spirit rejoices in God my Savior.Surely that glorifying and rejoicing was well noticed, even participated in by Joseph.Mary, the humble servant of the Lord knew what great things God had done for herand she was perhaps the first to live in a brand new, revolutionary state of praise andworship. Soon, that would be available to all mankind.Then came the decree from Caesar Augustus that a census should be taken of theentire Roman world. Joseph, who belonged to the house and lineage of David thereforewent to Bethlehem of Judea to register with Mary, since Bethlehem was the City ofDavid. But the town was full and there was no room in the inn so that Mary andJoseph slept in a manger. And there, in that manger, Mary gave birth to a son and asa proud and loving mother, she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in amanger. Such were the humble circumstances of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, theBabe of Bethlehem, the Prince of Peace, and the Savior of the world.AND THAT IS THE REAL MEANING OF CHRISTMAS! That birth of the Savior of theworld is what we celebrate at Christmas! This rabidly secular world of ours wishes tode-spiritualize this event and take CHRIST OUT OF CHRISTMAS. We who believe mustnever let that happen but rather band together in glorious praise and worship to theBabe and especially to the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let not, my fellowChristians, the secularists abandon the Christ of Christmas.So, Christ was born and there began the spreading of the Word:AND THERE WERE SHEPHERDS ABIDING IN THE FIELDSKEEPING WATCH OVER THEIR FLOCKS BY NIGHTAND LO THE ANGEL OF THE LORD APPEARED TO THEMAND THE GLORY OF THE LORD SHONE ROUND ABOUT THEMAND THEY WERE SORE AFRAIDBUT THE ANGEL SAID TO THEMDO NOT BE AFRAIDI BRING YOU GOOD TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY THAT WILL BE FOR ALL PEOPLETHIS DAY IN THE CITY OF DAVIDA SAVIOR HAS BEEN BORN FOR YOUHE IS CHRIST THE LORDTHIS WILL BE A SIGN UNTO YOUYOU WILL FIND THE BABE WRAPPED IN SWADDLING CLOTHESAND LYING IN A MANGERAND SUDDENLY THERE WAS WITH THE ANGELSA HEAVENLY HOST OF ANGELSPRAISING GOD AND SAYINGGLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHESTAND ON EARTH PEACE AND GOODWILL TO ALL MANKINDHow interesting that shepherds were chosen as the first to hear this angelicenunciation. Shepherds were watchmen, observant, especially at night as they madecertain to protect their sheep. They knew the heavens, the stars and their movements.They were familiar with the night and they could, like wise men and kings, identify andfollow the STAR OF WONDER, the star which shone brightly that night over the City ofDavid, the blessed Bethlehem of Judea, where the Prince of Peace was born.And those shepherds left immediately and they found Mary and Joseph and the Babelying in the manger. And when they had seen him, they were the very first evangelists,spreading the word of this miraculous and marvelous birth, the message they hadbeen told by the angel about this Babe. And that was the beginning of the Gospel ofJesus Christ. From then on, the shepherds glorified and praised God for all the thingsthey had heard and seen even as we who believe do so today. We well say today as theshepherds and angels did then:GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHESTAND ON EARTH PEACE, GOODWILL TOWARD ALL MANKINDMen and women search today for truth even as the shepherds did. The search iseverywhere but the truth, the ultimate truth was revealed to mankind in a manger inBethlehem 2,000 years ago. Wise men and women, who truly seek him, will find himthere. Those who scoff, mock a virgin birth, the concept of angels, and the creation of aGod–man will never, ever know that:NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GODNothing.But to find HIM is a most joyous, wondrous discovery. It is an epiphany like no other.The finding of the Babe is the finding of the world's greatest treasure. The power, thelove, and the understanding which results from finding HIM is life–changing then andforevermore. That finding allows us to become as a little child, open and transparent,filled with love and compassion, fully understanding the GRACE of God and thatgracious gift which changed the world 2,000 years ago. That faith in the Babe ofBethlehem is the key to entering the Kingdom of God, humbly trusting and believingeven as Mary did of old. Women become handmaidens of the Lord as Mary did. Menbecome servants of the Lord as the shepherds did.So that, on Christmas Day, we discover the greatest present, the greatest gift onecould ever find:THE BABE OF BETHLEHEMThe gifts we give to others at Christmastime can never begin to equal the gift of God tous. We should celebrate that gift FIRST and wherever possible, give the love of that giftto others. That is what Christmas is all about and that should never change.And we, like the shepherds should spread the news, the Good News. That is trueevangelism and we who believe must never let that message die not only at Christmasbut every day. The wise men of old found Him and the wise men and women of today,the truly wise who search will find Him. For in Him, it is all that God is. And that, asthe angels well said, are indeed the glad tidings and the great joy for all.For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son to all humankind so that thosewho believe could have life abundant here and life eternal there. For those whoreceived this gift of God, there comes the power of God making them sons of God anddaughters, life all brand new. Women praise the Lord like Mary of old. Men glorify theLord as the shepherds of old. And that, and only that can bring peace to the world.The message of that Babe is the only message which can spread the goodwill of Godand transform the lives of all mankind. May it be yours.We the Crawford Broadcasting Company, all of us, wish you a very happy, merry,blessed Christmas centered around the Babe of Bethlehem, and may the love of God inJesus Christ be your very special gift this Christmas season. Glory to God in thehighest and on earth, peace and goodwill for all.CHRIST IS BORN!

Support Common Prayer Daily @ PatreonVisit our Website for more www.commonprayerdaily.com_______________The Third Week of AdventThe glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.Isaiah 40:5 ConfessionOfficiant: Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.People: Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against your holy laws.We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and apart from your grace, there is no health in us. O Lord, have mercy upon us. Spare all those who confess their faults. Restore all those who are penitent, according to your promises declared to all people in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may now live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of your holy Name. Amen.Officiant: Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen. The Lord's PrayerOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. Invitatory & PsalmsOfficiant: O God, make speed to save us. People: O Lord, make haste to help us. Officiant & People: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. In AdventOur King and Savior now draws near: Come let us adore him. Venite Psalm 95:1-7Come, let us sing to the Lord; *let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving * and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.For the Lord is a great God, *and a great King above all gods.In his hand are the caverns of the earth, * and the heights of the hills are his also.The sea is his, for he made it, *and his hands have molded the dry land.Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, * and kneel before the Lord our Maker.For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. * Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice! Psalm 2223For he does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty;neither does he hide his face from them; *but when they cry to him he hears them.24My praise is of him in the great assembly; *I will perform my vows in the presence of those who worship him.25The poor shall eat and be satisfied,and those who seek the Lord shall praise him: *“May your heart live for ever!”26All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, *and all the families of the nations shall bow before him.27For kingship belongs to the Lord; *he rules over the nations.28To him alone all who sleep in the earth bow down in worship; *all who go down to the dust fall before him.29My soul shall live for him;my descendants shall serve him; *they shall be known as the Lord's for ever.30They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn *the saving deeds that he has done. Psalm 99 Dominus regnavit1The Lord is King;let the people tremble; *he is enthroned upon the cherubim;let the earth shake.2The Lord is great in Zion; *he is high above all peoples.3Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; *he is the Holy One.4“O mighty King, lover of justice,you have established equity; *you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.”5Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our Godand fall down before his footstool; *he is the Holy One.6Moses and Aaron among his priests,and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, *they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.7He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; *they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.8“O Lord our God, you answered them indeed; *you were a God who forgave them,yet punished them for their evil deeds.”9Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our Godand worship him upon his holy hill; *for the Lord our God is the Holy One. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The Lessons1 Corinthians 4:1-5 English Standard VersionThis is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.Officiant: The Word of the LordPeople: Thanks be to God. You are God(Te Deum laudamus)You are God: we praise you;You are the Lord: we acclaim you;You are the eternal Father:All creation worships you.To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,heaven and earth are full of your glory.The glorious company of apostles praise you.The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.The white-robed army of martyrs praise you. Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you;Father, of majesty unbounded,your true and only Son, worthy of all worship, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.You, Christ, are the king of glory, the eternal Son of the Father.When you became man to set us free you did not shun the Virgin's womb. You overcame the sting of death and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You are seated at God's right hand in glory.We believe that you will come and be our judge.Come then, Lord, and help your people, bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting. Matthew 11:2-10 English Standard VersionNow when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written,“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,    who will prepare your way before you.'Officiant: The Word of the LordPeople: Thanks be to God. A Song of Praise(Benedictus es, Domine Song of the Three Young Men, 29-34)Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; * you are worthy of praise; glory to you.Glory to you for the radiance of your holy Name; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.Glory to you in the splendor of your temple; * on the throne of your majesty, glory to you.Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.Glory to you, beholding the depths; * in the high vault of heaven, glory to you.Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever. The CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The PrayersOfficiant: The Lord be with you.People: And also with you.Officiant: Let us pray The SuffragesShow us your mercy, O Lord;And grant us your salvation.Clothe your ministers with righteousness;Let your people sing with joy.Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;For only in you can we live in safety. Lord, keep this nation under your care;And guide us in the way of justice and truth. Let your way be known upon earth; Your saving health among all nations. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten; Nor the hope of the poor be taken away. Create in us clean hearts, O God; And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.Take a moment at this time to reflect and pray for the needs of others. The Third Week of AdventO Lord Jesus Christ, you sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Grant that the ministers and stewards of your mysteries may likewise make ready your way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient toward the wisdom of the just, that at your second coming to judge the world, we may be found a people acceptable in your sight; for with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, one God, now and for ever. Amen.A Collect for PeaceO God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.A Collect for GraceLord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.For MissionAlmighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. ThanksgivingsThe General ThanksgivingAlmighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.A Prayer of St. ChrysostomAlmighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. ConclusionThe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14

Self-care has become an increasingly popular topic! One of my free ebooks is all about ten self-care strategies to help reduce stress and it just so happens to be the most downloaded.While most of us can agree that we need to take better care of our mental and physical health, too often we overlook the care of our souls. The truth is that without soul care there is no self-care.That's why I invited Amber Albee Swenson to join me for a conversation all about taking better care of our souls. Amber is a wife, mother, speaker, and author of seven books including Soul Care: Nurturing Your Spiritual Wellness.In this conversation, you'll hear:Why soul care makes a difference in our daily livesPractical ways we can care for our soulsHelpful tips to receive nourishment from GodAnd so much more!Thank you for joining in as we discuss how you can better care for your soul!Show Notes: https://jillsavage.org/amber-swenson-175

Support Common Prayer Daily @ PatreonVisit our Website for more www.commonprayerdaily.com_______________Opening Words:“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”Psalm 19:14 (ESV) Confession:Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God. Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen. Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen. The InvitatoryLord, open our lips.And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Venite (Psalm 95:1-7)Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: Come let us adore him. Come, let us sing to the Lord; * let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving * and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.For the Lord is a great God, * and a great King above all gods.In his hand are the caverns of the earth, * and the heights of the hills are his also.The sea is his, for he made it, * and his hands have molded the dry land.Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, * and kneel before the Lord our Maker.For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice! Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: Come let us adore him. The PsalterPsalm 97Dominus regnavit1The Lord is King;let the earth rejoice; *let the multitude of the isles be glad.2Clouds and darkness are round about him, *righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne.3A fire goes before him *and burns up his enemies on every side.4His lightnings light up the world; *the earth sees it and is afraid.5The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, *at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.6The heavens declare his righteousness, *and all the peoples see his glory.7Confounded be all who worship carved imagesand delight in false gods! *Bow down before him, all you gods.8Zion hears and is glad, and the cities of Judah rejoice, *because of your judgments, O Lord.9For you are the Lord,most high over all the earth; *you are exalted far above all gods.10The Lord loves those who hate evil; *he preserves the lives of his saintsand delivers them from the hand of the wicked.11Light has sprung up for the righteous, *and joyful gladness for those who are truehearted.12Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, *and give thanks to his holy Name.Psalm 99Dominus regnavit1The Lord is King;let the people tremble; *he is enthroned upon the cherubim;let the earth shake.2The Lord is great in Zion; *he is high above all peoples.3Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; *he is the Holy One.4“O mighty King, lover of justice,you have established equity; *you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.”5Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our Godand fall down before his footstool; *he is the Holy One.6Moses and Aaron among his priests,and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, *they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.7He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; *they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.8“O Lord our God, you answered them indeed; *you were a God who forgave them,yet punished them for their evil deeds.”9Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our Godand worship him upon his holy hill; *for the Lord our God is the Holy One. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Lessons1 Maccabees 3:25-41New Revised Standard Version Catholic EditionThen Judas and his brothers began to be feared, and terror fell on the Gentiles all around them. His fame reached the king, and the Gentiles talked of the battles of Judas.When King Antiochus heard these reports, he was greatly angered; and he sent and gathered all the forces of his kingdom, a very strong army. He opened his coffers and gave a year's pay to his forces, and ordered them to be ready for any need. Then he saw that the money in the treasury was exhausted, and that the revenues from the country were small because of the dissension and disaster that he had caused in the land by abolishing the laws that had existed from the earliest days. He feared that he might not have such funds as he had before for his expenses and for the gifts that he used to give more lavishly than preceding kings. He was greatly perplexed in mind; then he determined to go to Persia and collect the revenues from those regions and raise a large fund.He left Lysias, a distinguished man of royal lineage, in charge of the king's affairs from the river Euphrates to the borders of Egypt. Lysias was also to take care of his son Antiochus until he returned. And he turned over to Lysias half of his forces and the elephants, and gave him orders about all that he wanted done. As for the residents of Judea and Jerusalem, Lysias was to send a force against them to wipe out and destroy the strength of Israel and the remnant of Jerusalem; he was to banish the memory of them from the place, settle aliens in all their territory, and distribute their land by lot. Then the king took the remaining half of his forces and left Antioch his capital in the one hundred and forty-seventh year. He crossed the Euphrates river and went through the upper provinces.Lysias chose Ptolemy son of Dorymenes, and Nicanor and Gorgias, able men among the Friends of the king, and sent with them forty thousand infantry and seven thousand cavalry to go into the land of Judah and destroy it, as the king had commanded. So they set out with their entire force, and when they arrived they encamped near Emmaus in the plain. When the traders of the region heard what was said to them, they took silver and gold in immense amounts, and fetters, and went to the camp to get the Israelites for slaves. And forces from Syria and the land of the Philistines joined with them.Revelation 21:1-8English Standard VersionThen I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” The Word of the Lord.Thanks Be To God. Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; * he has come to his people and set them free.He has raised up for us a mighty savior, * born of the house of his servant David.Through his holy prophets he promised of old, that he would save us from our enemies, * from the hands of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers * and to remember his holy covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, * to set us free from the hands of our enemies, Free to worship him without fear, * holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, * for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, To give his people knowledge of salvation * by the forgiveness of their sins.In the tender compassion of our God * the dawn from on high shall break upon us, To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, * and to guide our feet into the way of peace.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The Apostles CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The PrayersLord, have mercy.Christ, have mercyLord, have mercyOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. The SuffragesO Lord, show your mercy upon us;And grant us your salvation.O Lord, guide those who govern usAnd lead us in the way of justice and truth.Clothe your ministers with righteousnessAnd let your people sing with joy.O Lord, save your peopleAnd bless your inheritance.Give peace in our time, O LordAnd defend us by your mighty power.Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgottenNor the hope of the poor be taken away.Create in us clean hearts, O GodAnd take not your Holy Spirit from us. Take a moment of silence at this time to reflect and pray for others. The CollectsProper 28Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Daily Collects:A Collect for PeaceO God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.A Collect for GraceO Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us safely to the beginning of this day: Defend us by your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin nor run into any danger; and that, guided by your Spirit, we may do what is righteous in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Collect of Saint BasilO Christ God, Who art worshipped and glorified at every place and time; Who art long-suffering, most merciful and compassionate; Who lovest the righteous and art merciful to sinners; Who callest all to salvation with the promise of good things to come: receive, Lord, the prayers we now offer, and direct our lives in the way of Thy commandments. Sanctify our souls, cleanse our bodies, correct our thoughts, purify our minds and deliver us from all affliction, evil and illness. Surround us with Thy holy angels, that guarded and instructed by their forces, we may reach unity of faith and the understanding of Thine unapproachable glory: for blessed art Thou unto ages of ages. Amen. General ThanksgivingAlmighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; Through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen. A Prayer of St. John ChrysostomAlmighty God, you have given us grace at this time, with one accord to make our common supplications to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will grant their requests: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. DismissalLet us bless the LordThanks be to God!Alleluia, Alleluia! BenedictionThe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen

Friends of the Rosary: The Spirit of the Truth dwells within us. Therefore, we have to behave accordingly to this revelation. In the words of St. Paul in 1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17, we're God's building, as we read yesterday. "Do you not know that you are the temple of Godand that the Spirit of God dwells in you?If anyone destroys God's temple,God will destroy that person;for the temple of God, which you are, is holy." Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Virgin of Almudena Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠November 10, 2023, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Support Common Prayer Daily @ PatreonVisit our Website for more www.commonprayerdaily.com_______________Opening Words:“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”Psalm 19:14 (ESV) Confession:Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God. Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen. Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen. The InvitatoryLord, open our lips.And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Venite (Psalm 95:1-7)Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: Come let us adore him. Come, let us sing to the Lord; * let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving * and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.For the Lord is a great God, * and a great King above all gods.In his hand are the caverns of the earth, * and the heights of the hills are his also.The sea is his, for he made it, * and his hands have molded the dry land.Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, * and kneel before the Lord our Maker.For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice! Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: Come let us adore him. The PsalterPsalm 97Dominus regnavit1The Lord is King;let the earth rejoice; *let the multitude of the isles be glad.2Clouds and darkness are round about him, *righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne.3A fire goes before him *and burns up his enemies on every side.4His lightnings light up the world; *the earth sees it and is afraid.5The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, *at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.6The heavens declare his righteousness, *and all the peoples see his glory.7Confounded be all who worship carved imagesand delight in false gods! *Bow down before him, all you gods.8Zion hears and is glad, and the cities of Judah rejoice, *because of your judgments, O Lord.9For you are the Lord,most high over all the earth; *you are exalted far above all gods.10The Lord loves those who hate evil; *he preserves the lives of his saintsand delivers them from the hand of the wicked.11Light has sprung up for the righteous, *and joyful gladness for those who are truehearted.12Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, *and give thanks to his holy Name.Psalm 99Dominus regnavit1The Lord is King;let the people tremble; *he is enthroned upon the cherubim;let the earth shake.2The Lord is great in Zion; *he is high above all peoples.3Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; *he is the Holy One.4“O mighty King, lover of justice,you have established equity; *you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.”5Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our Godand fall down before his footstool; *he is the Holy One.6Moses and Aaron among his priests,and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, *they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.7He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; *they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.8“O Lord our God, you answered them indeed; *you were a God who forgave them,yet punished them for their evil deeds.”9Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our Godand worship him upon his holy hill; *for the Lord our God is the Holy One.Psalm 100Jubilate Deo1Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; *serve the Lord with gladnessand come before his presence with a song.2Know this: The Lord himself is God; *he himself has made us, and we are his;we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.3Enter his gates with thanksgiving;go into his courts with praise; *give thanks to him and call upon his Name.4For the Lord is good;his mercy is everlasting; *and his faithfulness endures from age to age. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Lessons2 Chronicles 29:1-3English Standard Version29 Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them.2 Chronicles 30English Standard Version30 Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel. 2 For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to keep the Passover in the second month— 3 for they could not keep it at that time because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient number, nor had the people assembled in Jerusalem— 4 and the plan seemed right to the king and all the assembly. 5 So they decreed to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that the people should come and keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem, for they had not kept it as often as prescribed. 6 So couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his princes, as the king had commanded, saying, “O people of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were faithless to the Lord God of their fathers, so that he made them a desolation, as you see. 8 Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you. 9 For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.”10 So the couriers went from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. 11 However, some men of Asher, of Manasseh, and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12 The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord.13 And many people came together in Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month, a very great assembly. 14 They set to work and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for burning incense they took away and threw into the brook Kidron. 15 And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were ashamed, so that they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings into the house of the Lord. 16 They took their accustomed posts according to the Law of Moses the man of God. The priests threw the blood that they received from the hand of the Levites. 17 For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. Therefore the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean, to consecrate it to the Lord. 18 For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord pardon everyone 19 who sets his heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary's rules of cleanness.” 20 And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. 21 And the people of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness, and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, singing with all their might to the Lord. 22 And Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good skill in the service of the Lord. So they ate the food of the festival for seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the Lord, the God of their fathers.23 Then the whole assembly agreed together to keep the feast for another seven days. So they kept it for another seven days with gladness. 24 For Hezekiah king of Judah gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for offerings, and the princes gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. And the priests consecrated themselves in great numbers. 25 The whole assembly of Judah, and the priests and the Levites, and the whole assembly that came out of Israel, and the sojourners who came out of the land of Israel, and the sojourners who lived in Judah, rejoiced. 26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. 27 Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy habitation in heaven.1 Corinthians 7:32-40English Standard Version32 I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. 33 But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, 34 and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. 35 I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.36 If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin. 37 But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. 38 So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better.39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. 40 Yet in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God. The Word of the Lord.Thanks Be To God. Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; * he has come to his people and set them free.He has raised up for us a mighty savior, * born of the house of his servant David.Through his holy prophets he promised of old, that he would save us from our enemies, * from the hands of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers * and to remember his holy covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, * to set us free from the hands of our enemies, Free to worship him without fear, * holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, * for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, To give his people knowledge of salvation * by the forgiveness of their sins.In the tender compassion of our God * the dawn from on high shall break upon us, To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, * and to guide our feet into the way of peace.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The Apostles CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The PrayersLord, have mercy.Christ, have mercyLord, have mercyOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. The SuffragesO Lord, show your mercy upon us;And grant us your salvation.O Lord, guide those who govern usAnd lead us in the way of justice and truth.Clothe your ministers with righteousnessAnd let your people sing with joy.O Lord, save your peopleAnd bless your inheritance.Give peace in our time, O LordAnd defend us by your mighty power.Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgottenNor the hope of the poor be taken away.Create in us clean hearts, O GodAnd take not your Holy Spirit from us. Take a moment of silence at this time to reflect and pray for others. The CollectsProper 21O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Daily Collects:A Collect for PeaceO God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.A Collect for GraceO Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us safely to the beginning of this day: Defend us by your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin nor run into any danger; and that, guided by your Spirit, we may do what is righteous in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Collect of Saint BasilO Christ God, Who art worshipped and glorified at every place and time; Who art long-suffering, most merciful and compassionate; Who lovest the righteous and art merciful to sinners; Who callest all to salvation with the promise of good things to come: receive, Lord, the prayers we now offer, and direct our lives in the way of Thy commandments. Sanctify our souls, cleanse our bodies, correct our thoughts, purify our minds and deliver us from all affliction, evil and illness. Surround us with Thy holy angels, that guarded and instructed by their forces, we may reach unity of faith and the understanding of Thine unapproachable glory: for blessed art Thou unto ages of ages. Amen. General ThanksgivingAlmighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; Through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen. A Prayer of St. John ChrysostomAlmighty God, you have given us grace at this time, with one accord to make our common supplications to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will grant their requests: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. DismissalLet us bless the LordThanks be to God!Alleluia, Alleluia! BenedictionThe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen

Today's TreasureHe established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel,which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children,that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn,and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in Godand not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.Psalm 78:5-7Support the show

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men.You do not enter yourselves,nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter."Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.You traverse sea and land to make one convert,and when that happens you make him a child of Gehennatwice as much as yourselves."Woe to you, blind guides, who say,'If one swears by the temple, it means nothing,but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.'Blind fools, which is greater, the gold,or the temple that made the gold sacred?And you say, 'If one swears by the altar, it means nothing,but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.'You blind ones, which is greater, the gift,or the altar that makes the gift sacred?One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;one who swears by the temple swears by itand by him who dwells in it;one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of Godand by him who is seated on it."

Once again, It's Dan Duval's turn to be interviewed! The Millennial Mustard Seed podcast has invited Dan to join them again for a second time as one of their guests in this special episode. In this episode, they cover earth, wind, air, fire, and water, and so much more, like portal dimensions, the great cloud of witnesses, the length, the depth, the breadth, and the height, and dive into the Word of God. And a lot to look forward to! In this episode, we discuss the following: The summer solstice and the occult The children's bread for freedomWhat Is the Cloud of witnesses?Every believer is a dimensional bridgeThe fallen angels and technologyThe hidden knowledge of the elemental kingdomThe role of Elementals in the BibleAn evil government that influences the Elemental kingdomThe 13 root bloodlines of the IlluminatiThe elvesThe four spatial dimensions of the love of GodAnd so much more.. Millennial Mustard Seed: Podcasts New website! Link here https://www.mms.agavaa.com/index.php 1. Sign up to be a podcast member www.danduval.com  2.Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DiscoveringTruthNetwork 3. Subscribe to the new podcast YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5nxloF2rt7-dXkjppGHdFA  4.AND Subscribe to our Rumble Channel DiscoveringTruthNetwork (rumble.com

There are lots of mysteries in store as we continue Part 2 of Cheri's testimony! Cheri joins Dan Duval to talk about her Nazi programmer, demonic cults, and, of course, the love of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Listen in as we dive deeper into cloning, explore the realm beneath the sea, the mafia, and the use of drugs. Cheri will discuss Satanic rituals and how abuse and mind control go hand-in-hand. For this reason, this podcast comes with a TRIGGER WARNING! This podcast will include graphic details.    In This Episode, Dan and Cheri discuss: CloningIlluminati scientist and Nazi scientistsUnderwater KingdomThe MerfolkAntarctica Alien GroupsMafia and drugsBlood RitualsThe power of GodAnd so much more…   Then we ENCOURAGE you to do 4 QUICK THINGS!! 1. Sign up to be a podcast member       www.danduval.com  2. Be sure to check out and like our new Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DiscoveringTruthNetwork 3. Subscribe to the new podcast YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5nxloF2rt7-dXkjppGHdFA  4. AND Subscribe to our Rumble Channel, where we will post all of our interviews that are TOO HOT for YouTube!          DiscoveringTruthNetwork (rumble.com)  

Would you like to know a little-known fact? Well, one of the most accessed blog posts on my website is a post titled When a Woman is Addicted to Pornography. It was first published in 2017 and it is still one of the most popular posts.Our world primarily talks about lust and pornography as a “man's problem” but a 2016 Barna study actually found that 20% of Christian women use porn on a regular basis. These women suffer silently and often feel alone with nowhere to turn.My guest, Jessica Harris, totally understands that experience. She's made the journey from being addicted to pornography to being set free. Jessica is recognized as a leading voice talking about female porn use and addiction in the church. Her latest book, Quenched, helps women understand God's abundant grace when struggling with pornography and sexual shame.In this conversation, you'll hear:Jessica's own story of finding freedom from pornThe three signposts of shameHow shame keeps us from running to GodAnd much more!This is such an important topic and I hope this episode opens the door to find hope and spark conversations!Show Notes: https://jillsavage.org/jessica-harris-147