Prayer & Praise: 07/02/2023

COLLECT

O God, your never-failing providence sets in order all things both in heaven and on earth: Put away from us all hurtful things, and give us those things that are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

ISAIAH 2:10-17

Enter into the rock
and hide in the dust
from before the terror of the Lord,
and from the splendor of his majesty.
The haughty looks of man shall be brought low,
and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled,
and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

For the Lord of hosts has a day
against all that is proud and lofty,
against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low;
against all the cedars of Lebanon,
lofty and lifted up;
and against all the oaks of Bashan;
against all the lofty mountains,
and against all the uplifted hills;
against every high tower,
and against every fortified wall;
against all the ships of Tarshish,
and against all the beautiful craft.
And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled,
and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low,
and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

PSALM 89:1-18

I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.

For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”

You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant:

‘I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.’”

Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!

For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord,

a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him?

O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you?

You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.

You crushed Rahab like a carcass; you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.

The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.

The north and the south, you have created them; Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.

You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand, high your right hand.

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,

who exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted.

For you are the glory of their strength; by your favor our horn is exalted.

For our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel.

ROMANS 6:1-11

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

MATTHEW 10:34-42

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”