DOCSLIB.ORG

WORSHIPPING TOGETHER at HOME Christ Episcopal Church Luray

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
WORSHIPPING TOGETHER at HOME Christ Episcopal Church Luray WORSHIPPING TOGETHER AT HOME Christ Episcopal Church Luray Week of March 22, 2020 Streamed Live on Facebook at 10:15 AM Daily Morning Prayer: Rite One The Officiant begins the service saying BCP Page 38 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us; but if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:8, 9 Confession of Sin BCP Page 41 The Officiant says to the people Dearly beloved, we have come together in the presence of Almighty God our heavenly Father, to render thanks for the great benefits that we have received at his hands, to set forth his most worthy praise, to hear his holy Word, and to ask, for ourselves and on behalf of others, those things that are necessary for our life and our salvation. And so that we may prepare ourselves in heart and mind to worship him, let us kneel in silence, and with penitent and obedient hearts confess our sins, that we may obtain forgiveness by his infinite goodness and mercy. Officiant and People together Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep, we have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts, we have offended against thy 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. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, spare thou those who confess their faults, restore thou those who are penitent, according to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord; and grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of thy holy Name. Amen. The Priest says The Almighty and merciful Lord grant us absolution and remission of all our sins, true repentance, amendment of life, and the grace and consolation of his Holy Spirit. Amen. 2 The Invitatory and Psalter Officiant O Lord, open thou our lips. People And our mouth shall show forth thy praise. Officiant and People together 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. Officiant The Lord is full of compassion and mercy: O come, let us adore him. Jubilate (Psalm 100) all read in unison BCP Page 45 Be joyful in the Lord, all ye lands; * serve the Lord with gladness and come before his presence with a song. Be ye sure that the Lord he is God; * it is he that hath made us and not we ourselves; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. O go your way into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise; * be thankful unto him and speak good of his Name. For the Lord is gracious; his mercy is everlasting; * and his truth endureth from generation to generation. The Psalm is read in unison Psalm 23 Dominus regit me The LORD is my shepherd; * I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; * he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul; * he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his Name's sake. 3 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; * for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; * thou anointest my head with oil my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, * and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. At the end of the Psalm all say 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 First Lesson A Reading (Lesson) from the first book of Samuel 1 Samuel 16:1-13 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. The Word of the Lord. People Thanks be to God. 4 The Canticle is read in unison Canticle 9 The First Song of Isaiah Ecce, Deus, Isaiah 12:2-6 BCP Page 86 Surely, it is God who saves me; * I will trust in him and not be afraid. For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense, * and he will be my Savior. Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing * from the springs of salvation. And on that day you shall say, * Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name; Make his deeds known among the peoples; * see that they remember that his Name is exalted. Sing the praises of the Lord, for he has done great things, * and this is known in all the world. Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, ring out your joy, * for the great one in the midst of you is the Holy One of 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 Second Reading John 9:1-41 A Reading from the Gospel of John As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.” They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not 5 observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 2 Nephi 12-24: Chapter Summeries
    2 Nephi 12-24: Chapter Summeries 2 Nephi 12: The fall and restoration of Judah is promised, with emphasis upon the latter days: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains" (v.2). The need for repentance and humility is also stressed (vs. 9, 11, 17). The day of judgment will humble all men (v.19). Compare Isaiah 2 for important differences between Isaiah in the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon. See Bible Dictionary "Dead Sea Scrolls," "Italics, " "Masoritic Text," "Spetuagint," "Ship." 2 Nephi 13: The men of Judah will be taken into captivity after a period of anarchy and oppression. Vain daughters of Zion will be humbled through a great catastrophe. Read 2 Chr. 27- 28. See Bible Dictionary "Adultery," "Idol," "Baal," "Groove," "High Places," This chapter is quoted in Isaiah 3. 2 Nephi 14: A continuation of chapter 3 that stresses the last days and the purging of sins. (Compare Mal 3.) "And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel; only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach" (v.1). The Lord's presents a cloud by day and a fire by night to be over Mount Zion or Moriah (vs.5-6). See Bible Dictionary "Marriage," "Family." This chapter is quoted in Isaiah 4. 2 Nephi 15: A parable of the vineyard. This chapter contains elements of both the fall of Israel and the latter-day restoration of Jacob.
    [Show full text]
  • Scale Model of Herod's Temple. Gates from Front to Back
    CourtesyWhitchurch of David M. Scale model of Herod’s Temple. Gates from front to back: Golden Gate, Nicanor Gate, and the large double gates of temple proper. Semicircular stairs descent from Nicanor Gate into the Court of Women. The gates of the temple were left open so the public could gather in the Court of the Women. Jesus Christ and the Feast of Tabernacles ryan s. gardner Ryan S. Gardner ([email protected]) is a writer for Curriculum Services, Seminaries and Institutes, Salt Lake City Central Office. hen John alludes to “the Jews’ feast of tabernacles” and “that great day Wof the feast” in John 7:2, 37, he has immediately tapped into a consider- able body of cultural, social, and religious images and knowledge in the hearts and minds of an audience from the first century AD who would have been familiar with contemporary Jewish practices.1 However, youth and young adults in the twenty-first century are less likely to have sufficient understand- ing of this feast. By making the context of the Feast of Tabernacles explicit, teachers can help students better understand Jesus Christ’s declarations in John 7–8 and the miracle he performs in John 9 so they can have greater faith in him and the power of his Atonement.2 Overview of the Feast of Tabernacles Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–85) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles noted, “It appears to have been our Lord’s deliberate design to dramatize the great truths relative to himself by associating them with the religious and social practices then prevailing.”3 Our students will likely miss the deliberate 109 110 Religious Educator · vol.
    [Show full text]
  • Isaiah Chapter 12
    Isaiah Chapters 12 & 13 page 1 of 7 M.K. Scanlan Isaiah Chapter 12 • Isaiah is describing the Millennial kingdom where God is gathering His people back to Israel from the four corners of the world, and the fact that Israel will once again dominate her previous adversaries. • Continuing in that description: V: 1 “In that day,” describing the Millennium, the Millennial kingdom. • There will be great rejoicing, praising the Lord, thanking the Lord – great thankfulness for the mercy, grace, and forgiveness, that He has extended to the nation. • Israel has gone through a long time of being set aside by God, because of their rejection of Him, because they rejected the Messiah, Jesus. • Remember the prophet Azariah counseled king Asa and the nation of Israel: 2 Chronicles 15:2 “… the Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.” • God will once again be dealing with Israel. During the time of “Jacob’s trouble” - during the great tribulation the Anti-Christ will be persecuting them and their hearts will be turned back to God. They will realize their mistake in rejecting Jesus and will begin to pray “Oh Jesus come!” Zechariah 13:6 “And one shall say unto Him, what are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.” Zechariah 12:10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Sprit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they have pierced.
    [Show full text]
  • A Song of Thanksgiving
    SPECIAL SESSION A Song of Thanksgiving Summary and Goal The prophet Isaiah recorded a song of thanksgiving inspired by God that the people of God would one day sing to His honor and glory. On account of His mercy and salvation promised and eventually delivered in His Son, Jesus Christ, we thank God, enjoy His gifts, and proclaim His greatness to every person and in every place. Gratitude to the Lord for salvation leads to public proclamation of His glory. Main Passage Isaiah 12:1-6 Session Outline 1. Thank the Lord for His mercy and comfort (Isa. 12:1-2). 2. Take joy together in the Lord’s promise of salvation (Isa. 12:3). 3. Proclaim the glory and greatness of God all over the earth (Isa. 12:4-6). Theological Theme Gratitude to the Lord for salvation leads to public proclamation of His glory. Christ Connection Isaiah looked forward to a day when the blessing of God would be experienced afresh by His people and God’s glory would be proclaimed in all the earth. Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, we thank the Lord for His mercy, enjoy His gift of salvation, and commit to spreading the songs of His praise throughout the earth. Missional Application God calls us to proclaim the glorious mercy of our great God among all nations. Date of My Bible Study: ______________________ 151 © 2017 LifeWay Christian Resources. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute within the license agreement with purchaser. Session Plan A Song of Thanksgiving Special Session Introduction For Further To begin, remark that thankfulness can be an easy thing to express but much Discussion more difficult to embody (leader p.
    [Show full text]
  • Isaiah Commentaries & Sermons
    Isaiah Commentaries & Sermons SONG OF SOLOMON JEREMIAH NEWEST ADDITIONS: Verse by verse Commentary on Isaiah 53 (Isaiah 52:13-53:12) - Bruce Hurt Verse by verse Commentary on Isaiah 35 - Bruce Hurt ISAIAH RESOURCES Commentaries, Sermons, Illustrations, Devotionals Click chart to enlarge Click chart to enlarge Chart from recommended resource Jensen's Survey of the OT - used by permission Another Isaiah Chart see on right side Caveat: Some of the commentaries below have "jettisoned" a literal approach to the interpretation of Scripture and have "replaced" Israel with the Church, effectively taking God's promises given to the literal nation of Israel and "transferring" them to the Church. Be a Berean Acts 17:11-note! ISAIAH ("Jehovah is Salvation") See Excellent Timeline for Isaiah - page 39 JEHOVAH'S JEHOVAH'S Judgment & Character Comfort & Redemption (Isaiah 1-39) (Isaiah 40-66) Uzziah Hezekiah's True Suffering Reigning Jotham Salvation & God Messiah Lord Ahaz Blessing 1-12 13-27 28-35 36-39 40-48 49-57 58-66 Prophecies Prophecies Warnings Historical Redemption Redemption Redemption Regarding Against & Promises Section Promised: Provided: Realized: Judah & the Nations Israel's Israel's Israel's Jerusalem Deliverance Deliverer Glorious Is 1:1-12:6 Future Prophetic Historic Messianic Holiness, Righteousness & Justice of Jehovah Grace, Compassion & Glory of Jehovah God's Government God's Grace "A throne" Is 6:1 "A Lamb" Is 53:7 Time 740-680BC OTHER BOOK CHARTS ON ISAIAH Interesting Facts About Isaiah Isaiah Chart The Book of Isaiah Isaiah Overview Chart by Charles Swindoll Visual Overview Introduction to Isaiah by Dr John MacArthur: Title, Author, Date, Background, Setting, Historical, Theological Themes, Interpretive Challenges, Outline by Chapter/Verse.
    [Show full text]
  • Isaiah Sharing
    ISAIAH SHARING Isaiah’s Vision (Isa 1-12) - Minnie Invited to Sabbath (Isa 58:13-14) - Gain Isaiah in the New Testament - Andrea By his wounds we are healed (Isa 53:5) - Larry The Gospel in Isaiah (Isa 59) - Blessie Isaiah’s Vision • Covered not only Isaiah’s present time but also Israel’s post-exile period, and our future • Initial message covered in Isaiah 1-12 • Message given to o Southern Kingdom of Judah as well as to the Northern Kingdom of Israel o Kings of Judah: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah o Promises § Sign of Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14) § Birth of a new “king” (Isaiah 9:6-7) § God will provide comfort, salvation, and strength (Isaiah 12:1-4) Isaiah’s Vision: Vision & Messages Current time of Isaiah Near-future: post-exile Our future • Isaiah’s messages weaved visions of Isaiah’s current times, warnings of the near future, and hope for our future times Isaiah’s Vision: Addressees Current time of Isaiah Near-future: post-exile Our future • Messages to Kings Uzziah, • Messages to Israel nation and • Promises to Israelites Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah Israel’s neighbors • Promises to us (believers) • People of Southern Kingdom of Judah and Northern Kingdom of Israel Isaiah’s Vision: Content (1 of 2) Current time of Isaiah Near-future: post-exile Our future • Rebellious nation (Isa 1:1-6) • Countryside desolate and cities • Day of the Lord (Isa 2:6-22) • Meaningless rites (Isa 1:10-31) burned (Isa 1:7-9) • Future Glory (Isa 4:2-5:7) • Judgement against Judah as well • Temple of the Lord (Isa 2:1-5) • Remnant returns (Isa 10:33- as
    [Show full text]
  • ISAIAH LESSON 1 Isaiah, in My Opinion, Is the Most Spiritual of The
    ISAIAH LESSON 1 Isaiah, in my opinion, is the most spiritual of the Old Testament books. The man, Isaiah, was a prophet and preacher at the time he wrote this book. Isaiah was prophet during the reign of 5 kings, most of whom were evil. His wife was a prophetess in her own right. Some believe that the word "prophetess" means wife of a prophet, but that is not correct. A person does not become a prophet, or a prophetess, because they are married to a prophet. The office of prophet, or prophetess, is a call from God. You are not called to preach, because your husband preaches. You may be called to preach, but if you are, the call is from God, not because of who you are related to. History tells us that Manasseh had Isaiah tied to two boards and sawn in two. The following Scripture is believed to be in reference to the horrible fate of Isaiah. Hebrews 11:37 "They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;" Isaiah had great reverence for God. He was a serious, spiritual man. He was known as the prophet of redemption. There were more prophecies of the coming Messiah in Isaiah than any other book, except Psalms. The name, "Isaiah", means Salvation of Jehovah, or Jehovah is Salvation. The book of Isaiah contains 66 chapters divided into 39, and 27 the same way the Old and New Testament is divided. The one thing that tells us beyond a doubt that Isaiah, the prophet, wrote all of it, is his use of the title "Holy One of Israel".
    [Show full text]
  • The Weekly Word Isaiah Continues to Instruct Me. I Hope You Find His
    The Weekly Word September 24-30, 2018 Isaiah continues to instruct me. I hope you find his words helpful as well. Happy reading… Grace and Peace, Bill To hear the Bible read click this link… http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/audio/. Monday, September 24: Isaiah 12- The things God has done… In this delightful chapter of praise and joy to the Lord I wondered where I should stop to meditate. It is all so positive, so life-lifting. I read it over and felt a slight nudge toward the last verses, so that is where I landed for my deep meditation. In that day you will say: “Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you” (4-6). I started remembering things God has done. About a month ago a ministry I am involved with had a significant fire, destroying its primary facility at its home base. While the fire was not God I could see God’s hand in mitigating the loss of life and property. The fire happened just after a few visitors had exited the building to inspect the site of a new prayer chapel being built about 100 yards down the road. Their proximity to the main house meant that the fire was spotted quickly and emergency personnel were on site in about 10 minutes.
    [Show full text]
  • Home Bible Study Course
    The Church of God International OME BIBL HStudy CourseE ver and over again, God reveals Later, in the post-Exile period, to us that the Feast of Nehemiah read from the law and taught OTabernacles is a time of rejoic- the people about the Feast of ing! It portrays for us the millennial Tabernacles. They had forgotten the law 14 reign of Jesus Christ: a glorious golden and knew little or nothing of the Feast of age, the new world of the future. Tabernacles. But now they were discov- Understanding The holy convocation of the Feast of ering that the fall festival was one of the Feast of Tabernacles (Succoth) was the most joy- “very great gladness” (Nehemiah 8:17). Tabernacles ous event of the year for the Israelites. For seven days they were required to Review live in booths made of branches, living 1. The Feast of Tabernacles is revealed _____________ out under the stars (Leviticus 23:40). as a great time of rejoicing. Doctrinal Statement: The Feast of Tabernacles brought an 2. Ancient Israel lived in booths for _____________ end to the harvest season and a begin- seven days. ning to their celebration (Deuteronomy 3. The celebration of the Feast of This festival portrays the 16:13). It lasted seven days and was Tabernacles began at the end of the Millennium—the thousand observed from the fifteenth day through harvest. years of Christ’s reign on the twenty-first day of Tishri (Leviticus 4. The feast began on the fifteenth and earth. The true harvest of 23:34–35), according to the Hebrew cal- ended on the twenty-first day of Tishri.
    [Show full text]
  • JESUS HEALS the BLIND MAN at the POOL of SILOAM. Dearly Beloved: Before I Discuss the Meaning and Importance of This Coming Sund
    JESUS HEALS THE BLIND MAN AT THE POOL OF SILOAM. Dearly beloved: Before I discuss the meaning and importance of this coming Sunday, I would like to say a few words about Johny Uncle’s comments regarding last Sunday’s sermon by Ponnu Varghese. As we all know, it has been our year-long practice that every Sunday during Great Lent, our senior Sunday school students deliver the sermons and for our Achan to give a summary afterwards. In his summation, he includes any additional points or messages that he wishes to convey to the members. Last Sunday, unexpectedly, Achen asked Johny Uncle to say few words about Ponnu’s sermon. I believe that Achan wanted an evaluation of her daughter’s sermon from an impartial source. In this regard, Johny Uncle made the following important additional and remarkable points: (1) “Every day of our lives, we, either knowingly or unknowingly, experiences some kind of healing. (2) This miracle of healing may be either small or significant. (3) Jesus identifies with all kinds of sickness; it may be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. (4) When understand and appreciate those healing experiences, we become closer to God”. Thank you Johny for your remarkable points. We read in the Bible the many accounts of Jesus healing the sick and infirm. During the Great Lent period, all the Holy Gospel readings and the sermons tell of the miracle healings of Jesus Christ. Next Sunday, April 2nd is the Sixth Sunday of Fifty-Days Lent. Our Holy Gospel reading for this Sunday is about the Healing of the Blind Man.
    [Show full text]
  • Isaiah 1-12 – Gain a Sense of Isaiah’S Themes and Structure – Gain Facility in Reading Academic Writing on the Prophets
    Reading Isaiah • 3 Goals – Gain practice in close reading of a prophet Isaiah 1-12 – Gain a sense of Isaiah’s themes and structure – Gain facility in reading academic writing on the prophets Isaiah 1-39 Isaiah 1: Invitation • Date of Isaiah’s activity • The opening oracle – Standard prophetic themes • Accusation (standard 8th century) • Call to repent (“wash”) • Threat of judgement – God’s sovereign restoration • God’s mercy in 701 • Judgement as purification (1:25) – Individual judgement as key (1:27-28) • An invitation to the book – Which possibility will the reader choose? Isaiah 2-12 1 Isaiah 2-4: The Two Possibilities Isaiah 5: God’s Decision • “Inclusio” or “chiastic” structure – Blessing (2:1-4) • Jerusalem as the cosmic mountain • The love-song of the vineyard (5:1-7) • “Torah” going into whole world • An end to violence • 6 “woe” oracles (5:8-25) • Fulfilling Israel’s original commission –5:8-10 – Curse (2:5-4:1) • Social chaos (leaders gone, desperate widows) – 5:11-17 • Destruction of the city • Again, individual judgement (2:10) – 5:18-19 – Blessing (4:2-6) –5:20 • The “branch of the LORD” glorious • The land “fruitful” –5:21 • Holy after cleansing (cf. Exod 19) • Cloud/flame over Mt. Zion – 5:22-25 – The hinge: “Come, let us walk in the light of the LORD” (2:4) • The form of the judgement (5:26-30) • The timing: “In that day” – God’s time meets human time – Who is coming? – Ambiguity of historical reference – Why the ambiguity? • Themes – Human pride vs. God’s exaltation – Powerless idols vs.
    [Show full text]
  • Offering Hope for the Future
    May 9 Lesson 10 (NIV) OFFERING HOPE FOR THE FUTURE DEVOTIONAL READING: Jeremiah 29:10–14 BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 29 ISAIAH 29:13–24 13 The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught. 14 Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.” 15 Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?” 16 You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, “You did not make me”? Can the pot say to the potter, “You know nothing”? 17 In a very short time, will not Lebanon be turned into a fertile field and the fertile field seem like a forest? 18 In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. 19 Once more the humble will rejoice in the LORD; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. 20 The ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down— 21 those who with a word make someone out to be guilty, who ensnare the defender in court and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice.
    [Show full text]