Podcasts about o lord

We want to hear from you! Submit your Thanksgiving Prayer or a short note of thanks! Your submissions could be featured on Your Daily Prayer as we lead up to Thanksgiving Day. Thank you again for your continued support—we can’t wait to hear from you! https://tinyurl.com/322k4xau There are times in our walk with God when His presence feels near — when prayer flows easily, Scripture feels alive, and worship fills our hearts with joy. But, as our daily prayer and devotional remind us, then come the harder seasons — the dry, weary days when God seems silent, and our hearts ache with loneliness. In today’s reflection, Sophia Bricker reminds us that even when God feels far away, His presence has never left us. Scripture gives voice to this struggle through the psalmists, Job, Jeremiah, and even Jesus Himself, who cried out, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1; Matthew 27:46). These moments of spiritual dryness are not signs of abandonment — they are invitations to deeper faith. When we face sorrow, sin, or suffering, we may feel distant from God, but faith reminds us that He remains close — “a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). The Lord has promised to be with us always, even to the end of the age. His love does not depend on our emotions; it is steadfast, eternal, and unchanging. When God feels far, hold fast to what is true: He is near, and He will never leave you. Bible Reading:“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:20, NIV Takeaway Truths: Feeling distant from God doesn’t mean He has left us — His presence is constant. Spiritual dryness is often an invitation to grow deeper in faith. God’s promises are greater than our emotions; His love never changes.

Plead my cause, O LORD

Cecil Maranville discusses Psalm 5:1-3—“Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I will pray. My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.”

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Job 21; Mark 5-6 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! In this episode for October 30th, 2025, your host Hunter invites you to join him as together you journey through key moments in Scripture. Today's reading begins with Job's heartfelt response to his friends, wrestling with the challenging question of why the wicked sometimes prosper while the righteous suffer. The journey continues into the Gospel of Mark, exploring powerful moments in Jesus's ministry—from the deliverance of a man possessed by demons, to the healing of a woman with persistent bleeding who touches Jesus's robe in faith, and the raising of Jairus's daughter. Hunter reflects on these stories of desperation, faith, and unexpected grace, reminding us all that God's greatest gifts often find us in our moments of deepest need. The episode concludes with prayer and encouragement, as Hunter calls listeners to embrace God's gift of life, walk forward in joy, and remember that they are truly loved. Join us for Scripture, reflection, and a fresh reminder of hope for your day. TODAY'S DEVOTION: She came empty-handed, yet full of hope. In the crowd that pressed around Jesus, no one noticed her—not the way they noticed Jairus, the esteemed synagogue ruler, with status and recognition. He could approach Jesus openly, likely with little resistance. But for the bleeding woman, it wasn't that way. Her life had been reduced to poverty and pain, every resource spent with nothing but disappointment in return. She had lost everything. But still, she held on to a fragile thread of faith—if I can just touch the edge of his robe, I will be healed. It may have felt to her that she was taking something to which she had no right, reaching for what belonged only to those with something to give in return. And yet, she pressed through, believing for mercy, grasping what seemed almost like stealing a gift she could not afford. At the moment her hand met Jesus' cloak, healing power flowed. She was freed from her suffering—but also overcome with fear, feeling as if she had taken something not hers to take. Yet Jesus, in kindness and compassion, called her forward—not to shame her, but to claim her. "Daughter, your faith has made you well," he declared. He did not charge her for the healing. He did not turn her away. The gift was for her: free, abundant, and full of grace. Many of us know what it's like to feel as though life has emptied us out, left us with nothing to show for our efforts. Maybe, like her, we feel unworthy to receive or even approach Jesus. But today's gospel is clear: his gifts are not earned; they are given. When we come, with whatever faith we have left, he meets us with blessing. Let us live in gratitude, not as thieves in his presence, but as recipients of gracious, abundant life. Jesus reminds us: take the healing, take the gift, walk in peace. Let us hear his words to us: "Daughter, son, your faith has made you well." That is a prayer I have for my own soul. That is a prayer I have for my family—my wife, my daughters, my son. And that is a prayer I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Daily Prayer from October 30th, 2025 Gracious and everlasting God, you have brought us through the shadow of night into the promise of a new day. You go before us with your mercy, sustain us by your grace and keep us from wandering paths of fear or pride. Let every word we speak and every step we take be formed by the goodness of Christ. O Lord, gather your people far and near. May every tribe and tongue come to know your peace. Let justice roll like a river and healing flow where there has been division. Pour out your spirit upon all flesh and bring us closer to the day when your kingdom comes in fullness, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our 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 tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen. OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation. Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

“I will praise Thee, O Lord.” — Psalm 9:1 Praise should always follow answered prayer; as the mist of earth's gratitude rises when the sun of heaven's love warms the ground. Hath the Lord been gracious to thee, and inclined His ear to the voice of thy supplication? Then praise Him as long as thou […]

Evening prayer (renew us, O Lord, people with lymphoma) #prayer #pray #eveningprayer #jesus #god #holyspirit #aimingforjesus #healing #bible #love #peace #lymphoma #nonhodgkinslymphoma #hodkinslymphoma #renew Thank you for listening, our heart's prayer is for you and I to walk daily with Jesus, our joy and peace aimingforjesus.com YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@aimingforjesus5346 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/aiming_for_jesus/ Threads https://www.threads.com/@aiming_for_jesus X https://x.com/AimingForJesus Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@aiming.for.jesus

Daily Morning Prayer and The Litany (10/29/25) from Trinity Anglican Church (Connersville, IN): Psalm 139-141; Ecclesiasticus 10; Luke 15; Metrical Psalm 18:25-3125,26 Thou suit'st, O Lord, thy righteous ways to various paths of human kind; with thee shall wondrous mercy find. They, who for mercy merit praise, Thou to the just shalt justice show, the pure thy purity shah see; Such as perversely choose to go, shall meet with due returns from thee. 27,28 That he the humble soul will save, and crush the haughty's boasted might, In me the Lord an instance gave, whose darkness he has turned to light. 29 On his firm succor I relyed, and did o'er num'rous foes prevail; Nor feared, whilst he was on my side, the best defended walls to scale. 30 For God's designs shall still succeed his word will bear the utmost test: He's a strong shield to all that need, and on his sure protection rest. 31 Who then deserves to be adored, but God on whom my hopes depend? Or who, except the mighty Lord, can with resistless pow'r defend?To read along, visit: https://ie.dailyoffice1662.com/To sing along with the Brady and Tate Metrical Psalter, visit: https://www.friendsofsabbath.org/cgmusic.com/workshop/newver_frame.htmTo own a Bible, visit: https://www.thomasnelsonbibles.com/product/kjv-center-column-reference-bible-with-apocrypha/To own a prayer book, visit: https://anglicanway.org/product/the-1662-book-of-common-prayer-international-edition-hardcover-march-2-2021/To own a hymnal, visit: https://anglicanhousepublishers.org/shop/the-book-of-common-praise-of-the-reformed-episcopal-church/

St. Silouan the Athonite writes on battling intrusive thoughts and recognizing delusions, emphasizing that we must "fight the enemy with the weapon of humility".A reading from "Saint Silouan the Athonite" by St. Sophrony the Athonite, p. 440-447

Daily Morning Prayer and The Litany (10/29/25) from Trinity Anglican Church (Connersville, IN): Psalm 139-141; Ecclesiasticus 10; Luke 15; Metrical Psalm 18:25-3125,26 Thou suit'st, O Lord, thy righteous ways to various paths of human kind; with thee shall wondrous mercy find. They, who for mercy merit praise, Thou to the just shalt justice show, the pure thy purity shah see; Such as perversely choose to go, shall meet with due returns from thee. 27,28 That he the humble soul will save, and crush the haughty's boasted might, In me the Lord an instance gave, whose darkness he has turned to light. 29 On his firm succor I relyed, and did o'er num'rous foes prevail; Nor feared, whilst he was on my side, the best defended walls to scale. 30 For God's designs shall still succeed his word will bear the utmost test: He's a strong shield to all that need, and on his sure protection rest. 31 Who then deserves to be adored, but God on whom my hopes depend? Or who, except the mighty Lord, can with resistless pow'r defend?To read along, visit: https://ie.dailyoffice1662.com/To sing along with the Brady and Tate Metrical Psalter, visit: https://www.friendsofsabbath.org/cgmusic.com/workshop/newver_frame.htmTo own a Bible, visit: https://www.thomasnelsonbibles.com/product/kjv-center-column-reference-bible-with-apocrypha/To own a prayer book, visit: https://anglicanway.org/product/the-1662-book-of-common-prayer-international-edition-hardcover-march-2-2021/To own a hymnal, visit: https://anglicanhousepublishers.org/shop/the-book-of-common-praise-of-the-reformed-episcopal-church/

Our conundrum? We, as humanity, believe ourselves to be the center of all things, and yet we know how awful we are in our thoughts. We also face what seem like meaningless events in our lives and erratic circumstances we don't understand. Solomon summed it up for us: "All things are wearisome; Man is not able to tell it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor is the ear filled with hearing." Ecclesiastes 1:8The Bible calls Christians His treasured ones, and such we are, knowing, "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, 20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." Hebrews 6:19-20We learn as we sojourn through this life, "If the LORD had not been my help, My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence. 18 If I should say, "My foot has slipped," Thy lovingkindness, O LORD, will hold me up. 19 When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Thy consolations delight my soul." Psalm 94:17-19We have our personal intimate consolation, even in the person of Jesus the Messiah.We know thus far in October, our King of Glory is our hope, comfort, the King of all creation. He holds our hands, trains us, and keeps us safe. All those vagaries to us are actually in His control, and He is our personal, intimate consolation.Our So What?How might an upcoming conversation with our Creator, Savior, and sustainer go if we meditate on all His consolations? What a glorious conversation that is!Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen1 Timothy 1:17Brethren, let's pray for one another. "What a man is on his knees before God, that he is and nothing more." Robert Murray M'CheyneeM'Cheynee Donation link:https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=G9JGGR5W97D64Alternatively, visit www.freerangepreacheronprayer.com and use the Donations tab.Assistant Editor: Seven Jefferson Gossard.www.freerangepreacheronprayer.comfreerangeprayer@gmail.comFacebook - Free Range Preacher MinistriesInstagram: freerangeministriesAll our Scripture quotes are drawn from the NASB 1977 edition.For access to the voice-over services of Richard Durrington, please visit RichardDurrington.com or email him at Durringtonr@gmail.comOur podcast art was designed by @sammmmmmmmm23 on InstagramSeason 007Episode 152

Psalm 116Psalm 126Canticle: Ephesians 1Reading: Ephesians 4Intercessions: Be mindful of your Church, O Lord.St. Helena Ministries is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit. Your donations may be tax-deductibleSupport us at: sthelenaministries.com/supportPresentation of the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) from The Liturgy of the Hours (Four Volumes) © 1975, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. The texts of Biblical readings are reproduced from the New American Bible © 1975

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. October 27, 2025 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com  

❖ Today's Bible reading is Psalm 126: www.ESV.org/Psalm126 ❖ To read along with the podcast, grab a print copy of the devotional: www.crossway.org/books/in-the-lord-i-take-refuge-hcj/ ❖ Browse other resources from Dane Ortlund: www.crossway.org/authors/dane-c-ortlund/

Psalm 130:3-6 - If You, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, that You may be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His Word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.

Welcome to Day 2718 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2718 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 88:8-18 – Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2718 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2718 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The Title of Today's Wisdom-Trek is: The Loneliest Road – Despair's Final, Unanswered Cry - Concluding Our Trek Through Psalm 88 8-18 Today, we continue our difficult, yet necessary, trek through the Darkest Psalm, Psalm 88, encompassing its final, unrelenting verses, 8 through 18, from the New Living Translation. In our last conversation, we plunged into the depths of Heman the Ezrahite's anguish. We heard his cries "day and night," his fear of imminent death, and his terrifying conviction that his suffering was caused by God's own hand. He felt consumed by "wave after wave" of God's heavy fury and was "abandoned to the depths where the darkness is complete" (Psalm 88 1-7). He had been physically and socially ostracized, counted among the dead while still living. Now, Heman continues his agonizing lament, focusing on his extreme isolation, his unanswered questions, and the ultimate, grim realization that his prayer, unlike nearly every other in the Psalter, ends in unrelieved darkness. This psalm is a profound space for acknowledging that deep despair is real, and that faith often persists even when hope is absent. So, let's listen to this desperate, final cry, recognizing the absolute honesty of a soul on the brink. Section one is about: The Torment of Social and Divine Isolation (Psalm 88 8-12) You have taken away my companions, making me repulsive to them. I am shut in and cannot escape; my eyes are blinded by my tears. I cry out to you, O Lord, every day. I lift my hands to you for help. Are your wonderful deeds appreciated in the grave? Do the dead rise up and praise you? Can anyone proclaim your unfailing love in the grave? Can anyone tell about your faithfulness in the place of destruction? Can your wonders be seen in the dark? Can your righteousness be known in the land of forgetfulness? Heman begins by detailing the social consequence of his affliction, a pain he attributes directly to God: "You have taken away my companions, making me repulsive to them." . His isolation is absolute. God has severed his social ties, causing his friends and loved ones to view him as "repulsive" (tō‘ēḇâ—abominable, a strong term often used for ritual impurity). In the ancient Israelite world, social isolation often meant a lack of care, protection, and provision, leaving him utterly defenseless. This isolation leads to profound emotional and physical paralysis: "I am shut in

Ephesians 6:17and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,Psalm 19:7-147The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul;the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold;sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.12 Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me!Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.__________________________________________Your Unseen Enemy ResourcesYour Story Has A Villain – Jonathan PokludaThe Battle Is The Lord's – Tony EvansLive No Lies – John Mark ComerIf The Tomb is Empty – Joby MartinSpiritual Warfare Sermon Series – J.D. GreearDefeating the Enemy – Phil HopperKingdom Authority – Adrian RogersThe Weapons of our Warfare – Phil HopperStand Firm Sermon Series – Joby MartinWhen the Enemy Strikes – Charles Stanley40 Questions About Angels, Demons, and Spiritual Warfare – John GilhoolyThe Divine Defense – Robert JeffressRun Over by the Grace Train – Joby MartinLord, Change My Attitude – James MacDonald

O Lord, our God, unwearied is your love for us.St. Helena Ministries is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit. Your donations may be tax-deductibleSupport us at: sthelenaministries.com/supportPresentation of the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) from The Liturgy of the Hours (Four Volumes) © 1975, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. The texts of Biblical readings are reproduced from the New American Bible © 1975

Morning lessons: Psalms 140; 2 Kings 15; Acts 5:12-42  Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers, and preserve me from the violent.

Evening lessons: Psalms 143; Isaiah 9; Mark 8:11-38.  Hear my prayer, O Lord, and consider my supplications; hearken to me, for your truth and righteousness' sake.

Isaiah expresses the plea of the people of God as they see danger beyond their ability to handle. Their only hope is to wait upon the Lord. The Lord answers their prayer and shows His power and authority.

The prophet Habakkuk invites us into a profoundly honest conversation with God that feels strikingly contemporary. We encounter a faithful servant wrestling with the violence, injustice, and corruption he sees among God's own people, crying out in lament: 'How long, O Lord, must I call for help?' This ancient prayer resonates deeply with our modern experience as we witness oppression, political violence, and moral decay in our world and even within our faith communities. What makes Habakkuk's message so powerful is that lament itself becomes an act of faith. When we cry out 'when, God?' rather than 'if, God?' we demonstrate trust that God will act, even when the timing remains mysterious. God's unexpected answerthat He will use an even more violent nation, Babylon, to bring judgmentchallenges our assumptions about how divine justice works. Yet Habakkuk chooses to wait on his watchtower, trusting that God's vision will ultimately prevail. The central message emerges clearly: the righteous will live by faith. This means trusting God's promises even when circumstances seem contradictory, acting as if God's kingdom is already breaking into our reality, loving our neighbors amid disagreement, forgiving wrongs, releasing anxiety about the future, and giving daily thanks. Living by faith is not passive waiting but active trust that shapes how we engage with an unjust world while anticipating God's ultimate restoration. How does Habakkuk's lament challenge our understanding of what it means to have faith, especially when we feel God is silent or inactive in the face of injustice? In what ways might God's answer to our prayers be different from what we expect, and how can we cultivate the patience to wait and see what God is doing? What is the difference between lamenting to God and doubting God, and why is lament an important expression of faith rather than a sign of weakness? When we look at injustice in our own communities or churches rather than just pointing to external enemies, what does that reveal about our willingness to be honest before God? How can we discern whether we are fighting for truth out of love or simply because we want to win arguments and prove ourselves right? What does it practically look like to live by faith in a world that is clearly not as it should be, while waiting for God's promised kingdom to come? How does the story of God using Babylon, an even more evil nation, to judge Israel challenge our assumptions about how God works in history and current events? In what areas of your life are you tempted to trust in yourself rather than living by faithfulness to God, and what would it look like to shift that trust? How can we practice loving our neighbors, even those we disagree with strongly, while still standing for truth and justice as God defines them? What would change in your daily life if you truly believed and acted as if God will fulfill all His promises and bring His kingdom to completion?

This talk was given at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church (UOC-USA) in Charlottesville, VA. In it, Fr. Anthony presents Orthodoxy's sacramental view of creation and uses music as an example of how the royal priesthood, in Christ, fulfills its commission to pattern the cosmos according to that of Eden. My notes from the talk: I'm grateful to be back in Charlottesville, a place stitched into my story by Providence. Years ago, the Army Reserves sent me here after 9/11. I arrived with a job in Ohio on pause, a tidy life temporarily dismantled, and a heart that didn't care for the way soldiers are sometimes told to behave. So I went looking for an Orthodox church. I found a small mission and—more importantly—people who took me in as family. A patient priest and his matushka mentored me for six years. If anything in my priesthood bears fruit, it is because love first took root here. Bishops have a sense of humor; mine sent a Georgian convert with no Slavic roots to a Ukrainian parish in Rhode Island. It fit better than anyone could have planned. The Lord braided my history, discovering even ancestral ties in New England soil. Later, when a young man named Michael arrived—a reader who became a subdeacon, a deacon, and in time a priest—our trajectories crossed again. Father Robert trained me; by grace I was allowed to help train Father Michael; and now he serves here. This is how God sings His providence—melodies introduced, developed, and returned, until love's theme is recognizable to everyone listening. Why focus on music and beauty? Because they are not ornamental to the Gospel; they are its native tongue. Beauty tutors us in a sacramental world, not a "God of the gaps" world—where faith retreats to whatever science has not yet explained—but a world in which God is everywhere present and filling all things. Beauty is one of the surest ways to share the Gospel, not as salesmanship or propaganda, but as participation in what the world was made to be. The Church bears a particular charism for beauty; secular beauty can reflect it, but often only dimly—and sometimes in ways that distort the pattern it imitates. Beauty meets the whole human person: the senses and gut, the reasoning mind, and the deep heart—the nous—where awe, reverence, and peace bloom. Music is a wonderfully concrete instance of all of this: an example, a symbol, and—when offered rightly—a sacrament of sanctifying grace. Saint John begins his Gospel with the Logos—not a mere "word" but the Word whose meaning includes order, reason, and intelligibility: "All things were made through Him." Creation, then, bears the Logos' stamp in every fiber; Genesis repeats the refrain, "and God saw that it was good"—agathos, not just kalos. Agathos is goodness that is beautiful and beneficial, fitted to bless what it touches. Creation is not simply well-shaped; it is ordered toward communion, toward glory, toward gift. The Creed confesses the Father as Creator, the Son as the One through whom all things were made, and the Spirit as the Giver of Life. Creation is, at root, Trinitarian music—harmonies of love that invite participation. If you like, imagine the first chapter of Genesis sung. We might say: in the beginning, there was undifferentiated sound; the Spirit hovered; the Logos spoke tone, time, harmony, and melody into being. He set boundaries and appointed seasons so that music could unfold in an ordered way. Then He shaped us to be liturgists—stewards who can turn noise into praise, dissonance into resolution. The point of the story is not that God needed a soundtrack; it is that the world bears a pattern and purpose that we can either receive with thanksgiving or twist into something self-serving and cacophonous. We know what happened. In Adam and Eve's fall, thorns and thistles accompanied our work. Pain entered motherhood, and tyranny stalked marriage. We still command tools of culture—city-building, metallurgy, and yes, even music—but in Cain's line we see creativity conscripted to self-exaltation and violence. The Tower of Babel is the choir of human pride singing perfectly in tune against God. That is how sin turns technique into idolatry. Saint Paul describes the creation groaning in agony, longing for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God. This is not mere poetic flourish; it is metaphysical realism. The world aches for sanctified stewardship, for human beings restored to their priestly vocation. It longs for its music to be tuned again to the Logos. Christ enters precisely there—as the New Adam. Consider His Theophany. The Jordan "turns back," the waters are sanctified, because nothing impure remains in the presence of God. He does not merely touch creation; He heals it—beginning sacramentally with water, the primal element of both life and chaos. In our services for the Blessing of Water we sing, "Today the nature of the waters is sanctified… The Jordan is parted in two… How shall a servant lay his hand on the Master?" In prayer we cry, "Great are You, O Lord, and marvelous are Your works… Wherefore, O King and Lover of mankind, be present now by the descent of Your Holy Spirit and sanctify this water." This is not magic; it is synergy. We offer bread, wine, water, oil; we make the sign of the cross; we chant what the Church gives—and God perfects our offering with His grace. The more we give Him to work with, the more He transfigures. And then Holy Friday: the terrible beauty of the Passion. Sin's dissonance swells to cacophony as the Source of Beauty is slandered, pierced, and laid in the tomb. Icons and hymns do not hide the scandal—they name it. Joseph and Nicodemus take down a body that clothes itself with light as with a garment. Creation shudders; the sun withdraws; the veil is rent. Liturgically, we let the discomfort stand; sometimes the chant itself presses the dissonance upon us so that we feel the fracture. But the dissonance does not have the last word; it resolves—not trivially, not cheaply—into the transcendent harmony of Pascha. On the night of the Resurrection, the church is dark, then a single candle is lit, and the light spills outward. We sing, "Come receive the Light from the unwaning Light," and then the troparion bursts forth: "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death…" The structure of salvation is musical: tension, longing, silence, and a resolution that is fuller than our peace had been before the conflict. Here is the pastoral heart of it: Christ restores our seal. Saint Paul says we are "sealed with the promised Holy Spirit." Think of a prosphora seal pressed into unbaked dough; the impression remains when the loaf is finished. Sin cracked our seal; everything we touched bore our corruptions. In Christ, the seal is made whole. In Baptism and Chrismation, that seal is pressed upon us—not only on the brow but on the whole person—so that our very engaging with the world can take on the pattern of the Logos again. We do not stop struggling—Paul's "what I would, I do not"—but we now struggle inside a music that resolves. Even our failures can become passing tones on the way to love, if we repent and return to the key. This is why the Church's common life matters so much. When we gather for Vespers and Liturgy, we enact the world's purpose. The Psalms give us perfect words; the Church's hymnody gives us perfected poetry. Music, rightly offered, is Logos-bearing—it is rational in the deepest sense—and love is the same. Music requires skill and repetition; so does love. Music benefits from different voices and timbres; love, too, is perfected when distinct persons yield to a single charity. Music engages and transfigures dissonance; love confronts conflict and heals it. Music honors silence; love rests and listens. These are not analogies we force upon the faith—they are the way creation is built. The world says, "sing louder," but the will to power always collapses into noise. The Church says, "sing together." In the Eucharistic assembly, the royal priesthood becomes itself—men, women, and children listening to one another, matching pitch and phrase, trusting the hand that gives the downbeat, and pouring our assent into refrains of "Lord have mercy" and "Amen." The harmony is not uniformity; it is concord. It is not sentimentality; it is charity given and received. And when the Lord gives Himself to us for the healing of soul and body, the music goes beyond even harmony; it becomes communion. That is why Orthodox Christians are most themselves around the chalice: beauty, word, community, and sacrament converge in one act of thanksgiving. From there, the pastoral task is simply to help people live in tune. For families: cultivate attentiveness, guard against codependence and manipulation, and practice small, steady habits—prayer, fasting, reconciliation—that form the instincts of love the way scales form a musician's ear. For parishes: refuse the twin temptations of relativism and control; resist both the shrug and the iron fist. We are not curators of a museum nor managers of a brand; we are a choir rehearsing resurrection. Attend to the three "parts" of the mind you teach: let the senses be purified rather than inflamed; let the intellect be instructed rather than flattered; and let the nous—the heart—learn awe. Where awe grows, so does mercy. And for evangelization in our late modern world—filled with distraction, suspicion, and exhaustion—beauty may prove to be our most persuasive speech. Not the beauty of mere "aesthetics," but agathos beauty—the kind that is beautiful and beneficial, that heals what it touches. People come to church for a thousand different reasons: loneliness, curiosity, habit, crisis. What they really long for is God. If the nave is well-ordered, if the chant is gentle and strong, if the icons are windows rather than billboards, if the faces of the faithful are kind—then even before a word is preached, the Gospel will have begun its work. "We no longer knew whether we were in heaven or on earth," the emissaries of Rus' once said of their time at worship in Hagia Sophia. Beauty did not close their minds; it opened them to truth. None of this bypasses suffering. In fact, beauty makes us more available to it, because we stop numbing ourselves and begin to love. The Scriptures do not hide this: the Jordan is sanctified, but the Cross remains; the tomb is real; the fast is pangful. Yet in Christ, dissonance resolves. The Church's hymnody—from Psalm 103 at the week's beginning to the Nine Odes of Pascha—trains us to trust the cadence that only God can write. We learn to wait in Friday night's hush, to receive the flame from the unwaning Light, and to sing "Christ is risen" not as a slogan but as the soundtrack of our lives. So: let us steward what we've been given. Let us make the sign of the cross over our children at bedtime; let our conversations overflow with psalmody; let contended silence have a room in every home; let reconciliation be practiced before the sun goes down. Let every parish be a school for choir and charity, where no one tries to sing over his brother, and no one is left straining alone in the back row. If we will live this way, not perfectly but repentantly, then in us the world will begin to hear the old pattern again—the Logos' pattern—where goodness is beautiful and beauty does good. And perhaps, by God's mercy, the Lord will make of our small obedience something larger than we can imagine: a melody that threads through Charlottesville and Anderson, through Rhode Island and Kyiv, through every parish and prison and campus, until the whole creation—long groaning—finds its voice. Let God arise. Let His enemies be scattered. Christ is risen, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

Morning lessons: Psalms 139; 2 Chronicles 26; Acts 4:32-5:11.  O Lord, you have searched me and known me; you know my sitting down and my rising up; you understand my thoughts from afar.

Welcome to Day 2717 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2717 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 88:1-7 – Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2717 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2717 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today's Wisdom-Trek title is: The Darkest Night – A Descent into Unrelenting Anguish - A Trek Through Psalm 88:1-7 Today, we take a dramatic, almost jarring turn from the prophetic joy of our last trek. We leave the magnificent vision of Zion, the Mother of All Nations, in Psalm 87, where "All my fresh springs are in Zion," and descend into the deepest, most unrelenting anguish found anywhere in the Psalter. We're beginning our trek through Psalm 88 in the New Living Translation, focusing on its opening verses, 1-7. Psalm 88 is known as the Darkest Psalm; a lament so profound that it offers no resolution, no light, no final affirmation of hope. It is the only psalm that ends entirely in darkness, yet it remains one of the most honest and necessary expressions of faith. It's attributed to Heman the Ezrahite, a name associated with wisdom and music in the time of Solomon. The superscription describes it as a Mahlath Leannoth, which indicates a somber, deeply serious tone, perhaps even associated with affliction. This psalm gives voice to the absolute bottom of human despair, where suffering is so complete that the afflicted can only see God's hand in their misery. It's a crucial reminder that faith is not defined by perpetual happiness, but by honest persistence—crying out to God even when we believe He is the one inflicting the pain. So, let's approach this psalm with reverence and humility, recognizing that it provides a sacred space for the deepest human suffering. This first section is: A Desperate Cry for Morning and Night (Psalm 88:1-3) O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out to you day and night. Let my prayer come right into your presence. Listen closely to my cry. For my life is full of troubles, and death is waiting for me. The psalmist begins with an immediate and relentless cry, yet he grounds his plea in a recognition of God's character: "O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out to you day and night." Even in his anguish, he calls God the "God of my salvation," a title that acknowledges God's past role as a deliverer, even if He is not acting as one now. This is a crucial flicker of faith—he addresses God based on who God is, not merely on how God feels to him right now. But his distress is relentless, forcing him to cry out "day and night," indicating unceasing torment and insomnia. There is no rest from his misery. His appeal for divine attention is urgent: "Let my prayer come right into your presence. Listen closely to my cry." This echoes pleas we've heard before, such as in Psalm 86, where David asked God to "Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer," but here, the tone is more...

Daily Evening Prayer (10/23/25) from Trinity Anglican Church (Connersville, IN): Psalms 114-115; Ecclesiasticus 1; Ephesians 3; Metrical Psalm 17:8-138,9 O! keep me in thy tend'rest care; thy shelt'ring wings stretch out, To guard me safe from savage foes, that compass me about. 10 O'ergrown with luxury, enclosed in their own fat they lie; And with a proud blaspheming mouth both God and man defy. 1l Well may they boast, for they have now my paths encompassed round; Their eyes at watch, their bodies bowed, and crouching on the ground, 12 In posture of a lion set, when greedy of his prey; Or a young lion, when he lurks within a covert way. 13 Arise, O Lord, defeat their plots, their swelling rage control; From wicked men, who are thy sword, deliver thou my soul.To read along, visit: https://ie.dailyoffice1662.com/To sing along with the Brady and Tate Metrical Psalter, visit: https://www.friendsofsabbath.org/cgmusic.com/workshop/newver_frame.htmTo own a Bible, visit: https://www.thomasnelsonbibles.com/product/kjv-center-column-reference-bible-with-apocrypha/To own a prayer book, visit: https://anglicanway.org/product/the-1662-book-of-common-prayer-international-edition-hardcover-march-2-2021/To own a hymnal, visit: https://anglicanhousepublishers.org/shop/the-book-of-common-praise-of-the-reformed-episcopal-church/

Daily Morning Prayer and The Litany (10/24/25) from Trinity Anglican Church (Connersville, IN): Psalms 116-118; Ecclesiasticus 2; Luke 10; Metrical Psalm 17:13-1613 Arise, O Lord, defeat their plots, their swelling rage control; From wicked men, who are thy sword, deliver thou my soul. 14 From worldly men, thy sharpest scourge, whose portion's here below; Who, filled with earthly stores, desire no other bliss to know. 15 Their race is num'rous that partake their substance while they live: Their heirs survive, to whom they may the vast remainder give. 16 But I, in uprightness, thy face shall view without control; And, waking, shall its image find reflected in my soul.To read along, visit: https://ie.dailyoffice1662.com/To sing along with the Brady and Tate Metrical Psalter, visit: https://www.friendsofsabbath.org/cgmusic.com/workshop/newver_frame.htmTo own a Bible, visit: https://www.thomasnelsonbibles.com/product/kjv-center-column-reference-bible-with-apocrypha/To own a prayer book, visit: https://anglicanway.org/product/the-1662-book-of-common-prayer-international-edition-hardcover-march-2-2021/To own a hymnal, visit: https://anglicanhousepublishers.org/shop/the-book-of-common-praise-of-the-reformed-episcopal-church/

Daily Morning Prayer and The Litany (10/24/25) from Trinity Anglican Church (Connersville, IN): Psalms 116-118; Ecclesiasticus 2; Luke 10; Metrical Psalm 17:13-1613 Arise, O Lord, defeat their plots, their swelling rage control; From wicked men, who are thy sword, deliver thou my soul. 14 From worldly men, thy sharpest scourge, whose portion's here below; Who, filled with earthly stores, desire no other bliss to know. 15 Their race is num'rous that partake their substance while they live: Their heirs survive, to whom they may the vast remainder give. 16 But I, in uprightness, thy face shall view without control; And, waking, shall its image find reflected in my soul.To read along, visit: https://ie.dailyoffice1662.com/To sing along with the Brady and Tate Metrical Psalter, visit: https://www.friendsofsabbath.org/cgmusic.com/workshop/newver_frame.htmTo own a Bible, visit: https://www.thomasnelsonbibles.com/product/kjv-center-column-reference-bible-with-apocrypha/To own a prayer book, visit: https://anglicanway.org/product/the-1662-book-of-common-prayer-international-edition-hardcover-march-2-2021/To own a hymnal, visit: https://anglicanhousepublishers.org/shop/the-book-of-common-praise-of-the-reformed-episcopal-church/

Daily Evening Prayer (10/23/25) from Trinity Anglican Church (Connersville, IN): Psalms 114-115; Ecclesiasticus 1; Ephesians 3; Metrical Psalm 17:8-138,9 O! keep me in thy tend'rest care; thy shelt'ring wings stretch out, To guard me safe from savage foes, that compass me about. 10 O'ergrown with luxury, enclosed in their own fat they lie; And with a proud blaspheming mouth both God and man defy. 1l Well may they boast, for they have now my paths encompassed round; Their eyes at watch, their bodies bowed, and crouching on the ground, 12 In posture of a lion set, when greedy of his prey; Or a young lion, when he lurks within a covert way. 13 Arise, O Lord, defeat their plots, their swelling rage control; From wicked men, who are thy sword, deliver thou my soul.To read along, visit: https://ie.dailyoffice1662.com/To sing along with the Brady and Tate Metrical Psalter, visit: https://www.friendsofsabbath.org/cgmusic.com/workshop/newver_frame.htmTo own a Bible, visit: https://www.thomasnelsonbibles.com/product/kjv-center-column-reference-bible-with-apocrypha/To own a prayer book, visit: https://anglicanway.org/product/the-1662-book-of-common-prayer-international-edition-hardcover-march-2-2021/To own a hymnal, visit: https://anglicanhousepublishers.org/shop/the-book-of-common-praise-of-the-reformed-episcopal-church/

Send us a textSeveral friends and neighbors have moved out of the United States over the past year, and many more Alaskans are talking about it. Today's guest is an opera historian who has been living in Berlin, Germany, for the past 13 years. Daniel Gundlach is a former professional classical singer and accompanist who today hosts a podcast called Countermelody. The Countermelody Podcast is focused primarily on opera singers of the past century that may not have received the attention they deserved. Daniel is a countertenor which is a type of classical male singing voice equivalent to that of a female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice type. Today we talk about his life and career, but we will also discuss the trials and tribulations of being an American emigrant in Germany. Musical Excerpts:Leontyne Price, "O patria mia," from Verdi's AidaJoan Sutherland, "Eccola," from Donizetti's Lucia di LammermoorAnna Moffo, "Sempre Libera," from Verdi's La TraviataGilda Cruz-Romo, "O mio babbino caro," from Puccini's Gianni SchicchiDaniel Gundlach, "O Lord, whose mercies numberless," from Handel's SaulDaniel Gundlach, "O fatal day," from Handel's SaulDaniel Gundlach, "On a dit sur Venise tant et tant de choses," from Gualtiero Dazzi's Le Luthier de VeniseDaniel Gundlach, "Danny Boy," Irish Folk Song

But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” 1 KINGS 19:4 Listen to more from our Hope Podcasts collection at hopepodcasts.com.au. And send the team a message via Hope 103.2’s app, Facebook or Instagram.Support the show, a product of Hope Media: https://hope1032.com.au/donate/2211A-pod/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

19/10/2025 Gospel Sermon on: Luke 5 : 1 - 11 1 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. 4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." 5 But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men." 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him. Glory be to God forever.

Preacher: Pastor Adam SteinbrennerSubmit sermon questions by emailing podcast@stjohndublin.orgLink to Ephesians 3:13-21 SermonLink to Luke 14:1-11 SermonChurch Website: stjohndublin.orgChurch Center: stjohndublin.churchcenter.comThank you to Higher Things Inc. for permission to use their recording of LSB 834 “O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth”. (leader.higherthings.org)Thank you for listening to the Post-Sermon Podcast.Text Your Questions & Comments Here!

“Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young—at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!” Psalm 84:3–4  

But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” 1 KINGS 19:4 Listen to more from our Hope Podcasts collection at hopepodcasts.com.au. And send the team a message via Hope 103.2’s app, Facebook or Instagram.Support the show, a product of Hope Media: https://hope1032.com.au/donate/2211A-pod/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daily Morning Prayer and The Litany (10/22/25) from Trinity Anglican Church (Connersville, IN): Psalm 107; Wisdom 17; Luke 8; Metrical Psalm 17:1-41 To just plea and sad complaint, attend, O righteous Lord, And to my pray'r, as 'tis unfeigned, a gracious ear afford. 2 As in thy sight I am approved, so let my sentence be; And with impartial eyes, O Lord, my upright dealing see. 3 For thou hast searched my heart by day, and visited by night; And on the strictest trial found its secret motions right. Nor shall thy justice, Lord, alone my heart's designs acquit; For I have purposed that my tongue shall no offence commit. 4 I know what wicked men would do their safety to maintain; But me thy just and mild commands from bloody paths restrain.To read along, visit: https://ie.dailyoffice1662.com/To sing along with the Brady and Tate Metrical Psalter, visit: https://www.friendsofsabbath.org/cgmusic.com/workshop/newver_frame.htmTo own a Bible, visit: https://www.thomasnelsonbibles.com/product/kjv-center-column-reference-bible-with-apocrypha/To own a prayer book, visit: https://anglicanway.org/product/the-1662-book-of-common-prayer-international-edition-hardcover-march-2-2021/To own a hymnal, visit: https://anglicanhousepublishers.org/shop/the-book-of-common-praise-of-the-reformed-episcopal-church/

Psalms 10:1 Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? 10:2 The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. 10:3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth. 10:4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. 10:5 His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them. 10:6 He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity. 10:7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity. 10:8 He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor. 10:9 He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net. 10:10 He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones. 10:11 He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it. 10:12 Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble. 10:13 Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it. 10:14 Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless. 10:15 Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none. 10:16 The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land. 10:17 LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: 10:18 To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.

Psalms 8:1 O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. 8:2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. 8:3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 8:4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 8:5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. 8:6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: 8:7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; 8:8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. 8:9 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

“He weakened my strength in the way.” – Psalm   Life's Waves and God's Sovereignty Referencing Psalm 42:7, “Deep calls unto deep,” he explains that it portrays wave after wave of life's challenges, not mystical depths. Sometimes, trouble comes in relentless succession — one wave after another — yet God uses even pain, sickness, and discomfort to shape us. We often blame the devil, but sometimes it's the Lord doing deep work in us. He reminds the congregation that when we gave our lives to Christ, we surrendered the right to run our own lives. “We said, ‘You get to call the shots.' ”   Psalm 84 – Dwelling in God's Presence The message centers on Psalm 84, portraying the believer's longing for God's house and presence amid a fallen world. “How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts.” Believers must live in the world but not of it, finding their refuge not in wealth, approval, or comfort — but in God's presence. Even the sparrow finds a home near His altar — showing that everyone, humble or lowly, is welcome in His presence. The pastor urges believers to maintain a “secret place” — a daily sanctuary of prayer and fellowship with God. We need His manifest presence, not just His omnipresence.   Strength in the Pilgrimage Psalm 84:5 – “Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage.” True strength comes from the Lord, not self. The Christian life is a pilgrimage, requiring perseverance and endurance — “a journey, not a sprint.” Like Noah, Abraham, and Jesus, we must walk faithfully even when the outcome seems far away. “Decide yesterday that you're not going to quit today.”   The Valley of Baka – Digging Wells Psalm 84:6 describes the Valley of Baka, a place of weeping, decay, and death. Spiritually, it represents the world's brokenness. Believers are called to dig wells — to bring life, truth, and hope where there is despair. Each Christian has a circle of influence (family, workplace, community) where God expects them to “dig wells” for others. He contrasts Absalom, who built a monument to himself, with Jacob, who dug a well. “The statue is gone; the well still flows.” The challenge: be an effective well-digger whose influence blesses others long after you're gone.   From Strength to Strength Psalm 84:7 – “They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.” This phrase means believers become an army within themselves because God dwells in them. Strength increases through intimacy with God, not worldly alliance. Avoid letting worldly media and negativity shape your mind — renew your thoughts in God's Word. Illustrations include: A soldier in WWII saved by a spider's web God used for protection. A survivor of the Titanic quoting Psalm 91 as God delivered him. These show that God's care extends to the smallest details for those who trust Him.   Staying Coupled with the Lord Psalm 84:11 – “No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” The pastor explains that “uprightly” in Hebrew (tāmîm) means “to stay coupled” — like train cars joined together. We don't have to be perfect; we just have to stay connected to God. Whether rusty or shiny, the only train cars that move are the ones still coupled. “If you'll stay coupled with Me, I won't withhold any good thing from you.”   The Final Call – Dig Wells, Stay Coupled, Trust God Believers are called to: Remain coupled to God through every trial. Commit to the pilgrimage — no turning back. Dig wells in dry, dying places. Trust God through both good and hard seasons. “Once you dig a well in Christ, it will always have water in it.” The sermon closes with an altar call to: Renew one's commitment to Christ's work, Receive strength to influence others, and Begin or restore a relationship with Jesus. Key Theme: God is calling His people to intimacy, endurance, and influence — to stay coupled, keep digging wells, and bring living water into a dying world.  

This Sunday centers on the new covenant written on the heart (Jeremiah 31) and the sweet, wisdom-forming Word(Psalm 119) equipping us “for every good work” (2 Timothy 3–4). In the Gospel, Jesus commends the widow's relentless petition as a model of persistent prayer for justice and asks whether he will find faith on earth (Luke 18:1–8). Together with the Collect and hymnody, the service calls us to steadfast faith, patient endurance, and public hope. Entrance Hymn #372 Praise to the Living GodSequence Hymn #628 Help Us, O Lord, To LearnOffertory Anthem Exsultate! (Lightfoot)Communion Anthem I Lift My Eyes (Hopson)Post-Communion Hymn #535 Ye Servants of GodTHE COLLECT OF THE DAYAlmighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.FIRST READING Jeremiah 31:27-34Reader A reading from the Prophet Jeremiah.The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of humans and the seed of animals. And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the Lord. In those days they shall no longer say:"The parents have eaten sour grapes,and the children's teeth are set on edge."But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge.The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt-- a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the Lord," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.ReaderThe Word of the Lord.PeopleThanks be to God.PSALM Psalm...

Send us a textFrom the ruins of Jerusalem comes a prayer for renewal: “Restore us to Yourself, O Lord.” In this final chapter of Lamentations, we learn that true restoration begins when despair turns our hearts back to God.God bless you today and I encourage you to spend time in God's Word https://www.instagram.com/biblicaltapestry/https://www.facebook.com/HyperNike12

Psalm 5:1-3 - Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to You do I pray. O Lord, in the morning You hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for You and watch.

"How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God." Psalm 84:1–2

Audio Recording We apologize, there is no video of this week's sermon. Sermon OutlineSpeaker: Rev. Scott StrickmanSermon Series: Imagining the ChurchJohn 15:1-11 (ESV)1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.Sermon OutlineThe deep union between Jesus and his church is unique in its life-giving nature.1. Unitev2 “every branch in me”, v4 “in me, and I in you”v1 “I am the true vine”v5 “apart from me you can do nothing”2. Remainv4 “abide”v2 “every branch that does bear fruit he prunes”3. Provev7 “My words abide in you”v8 “bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples”v9 “abide in my love”v11 “that your joy may be full”Prayer of ConfessionOur Father, you have called us to abide in Christ, the true vine, that our lives may bear good fruit. Yet we confess that we have often wandered from him. We have tried to grow apart from your grace, trusting our strength rather than your Spirit. We have resisted your pruning, clinging to habits and desires that do not give life. We have sought joy in passing things instead of abiding in your love. Forgive us, O Lord. Cut away all that is dead within us, and cleanse us from every fruitless work. Teach us to remain in your love and to keep your commands with joy, so that our lives may glorify you and our joy may be complete in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Questions for ReflectionWhat does the vine and branches metaphor teach about the relationship of Jesus and his people? What do you think Jesus means when he says “apart from me you can do nothing”?How do we get the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self control)?How can the framework of “pruning” offer a perspective that can help you remain in Christ when enduring difficult periods?Why is it important for Christian community to be based on our spiritual bond and our faith in Christ? How can our natural hopes for community become a problem in the church?What kinds of meaningful support should mark Christian relationships? How can we sustain one another through the ups and downs of life?What does it look like to keep Jesus' command to love? Why is love meant to be consistent and regular in the Christian life?Do you believe that the Christian life is the path to true joy? What questions do you have? What can you pray for to grow in this season?

"Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" Luke 5:8

❖ Today's Bible reading is Psalm 120: www.ESV.org/Psalm120 ❖ To read along with the podcast, grab a print copy of the devotional: www.crossway.org/books/in-the-lord-i-take-refuge-hcj/ ❖ Browse other resources from Dane Ortlund: www.crossway.org/authors/dane-c-ortlund/

Psalm 130 dramatically reminds us of our limitations and sinfulness as we trust in the Lord and cry for help. (Lectionary #470) October 16, 2025 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com  

Like many of the laments of Jeremiah, this is a mixture of questions, frustration, anger, trust and hope. Chad gives a beautiful and encouraging meditation on this gripping passage.  Rachel Hall sings "You Came Down".  Show Notes: Support 1517 Podcast Network 1517 Podcasts 1517 on Youtube 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts 1517 Events Schedule 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education What's New from 1517: Untamed Prayers: 365 Daily Devotions on Christ in the Book of Psalms by Chad Bird Remembering Your Baptism: A 40-Day Devotional by Kathryn Morales Sinner Saint by Luke Kjolhaug The Impossible Prize: A Theology of Addiction by Donavan Riley More from the hosts: Chad Bird Lyrics for "You Came Down" Rivers of tears Run down my cheeks Rivers of tears Flow without ceasing, Waters rising  Over my head  My legs are dead And I am sinking     Do I cry in vain “I called on your name” Do I cry in vain     from the depths of despair Can You hear me, can you hear my prayer Will You crush me in my pain? Do I hope  in vain?   Chorus: You came (Down!)down to me you heard my cry,  ‘Do not close your ear” You came (Down!) down to me    Saying, ‘Do not fear!' You came down to me And You drew   near      “You've taken up my cause,  O Lord;  You saved my life Even on this day You are making it right   You repay the evil one Who does not care for truth You destroy the wicked  Who slays the righteous in their youth 

“Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” (Psalm 42:5–6 NLT) The Christian life is full of difficult questions. Many of them begin with “Why, Lord?” or some variation thereof. The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk asked, “How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! ‘Violence is everywhere!’ I cry, but you do not come to save. Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight” (Habakkuk 1:2–3 NLT). The psalmist Asaph asked, “Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will he never again be kind to me? Is his unfailing love gone forever? Have his promises permanently failed? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he slammed the door on his compassion?” (Psalm 77:7–9 NLT). I have my questions for God that I’ve asked many times. I’m sure that you have yours, too. But we must see these questions for what they are: temporary sources of pain, discouragement, or confusion. The apostle Paul wrote, “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely” (1 Corinthians 13:12 NLT). Our earthly perspective and understanding are limited. All our questions will be answered someday. God answered Habakkuk. “Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it” (Habakkuk 1:5 NLT). And passages such as Ecclesiastes 3 give us context for our questions. “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. . . . A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance” (verses 1, 4 NLT). A well-lived life is one in which we keep our questions in proper perspective. One in which we refuse to allow them to cause bitterness or resentment toward God—or to live “out of season,” in the context of Ecclesiastes 3. In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul recounts praying for God to remove a “thorn” in his flesh—some kind of affliction that caused him difficulties. God chose not to. Paul didn’t understand why, but he didn’t let it slow him down. A well-lived life is one that embraces the challenge of faith—that is, trusting God without having all the answers. A well-lived life is one in which we cling to the words of the psalmist in Psalm 42:5–6: “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” (NLT). Reflection question: What will you do with your unanswered questions for God? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.