Prayer & Praise:12/05/2021
COLLECT
Blessed Lord, who caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and the comfort of your holy Word we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of eternal life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
MALACHI 3:1-5
âI will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,â says the Lord Almighty.
But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refinerâs fire or a laundererâs soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.
âSo I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,â says the Lord Almighty.
PSALM 126
When the Lord restored the fortunes of  Zion, we were like those who dreamed.
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, âThe Lord has done great things for them.â
The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.
Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev.
Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.
Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.
1 CORINTHIANS 4:1-21
This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.
Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, âDo not go beyond what is written.â Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other. For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
LUKE 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesarâwhen Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abileneâ during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
âA voice of one calling in the wilderness,
âPrepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
And all people will see Godâs salvation.ââ
One of my favorite collects…
Luke 3:1-6 was both the gospel lesson appointed for this morning and the sermon text at my church.
Got some new test results this week. Not a complete diagnosis yet, but several indicators point to Crohnâs disease. My immunologist and gastroenterologist are working together to see I qualify for a new Crohnâs drug trial.
Praying, CK…
Praying here also, CK
God keep – by His grace and mercy hoping and praying for a good resolution
Thank you, Michael and Em.
My son broke his leg (long story) = no paycheck
Prayer for him appreciated
Praying for your son, Em.
Praying,Em…
I should have put something up earlier, but was unsure about violating privacy…but we need to be praying for our beloved Xenia, whose daughter passed from cancer.
So so sorry to hear of Xenia’s loss – will be praying here also
Burying your child takes God’s strength and mercies
This is of much lesser import…but my moms cat of almost 24 years is dying on her lap as I write this.
This would be hard enough…but moms dementia is worsening and this is a severe blow to her.