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| Photo by The ORDER OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD+ Our GOD reigns from the Tree. |
The Invitatory:
CHRIST our MEDIATOR+
ever liveth
to make intercession for us;
O Come, Let us Adore HIM+.
Old
Testament Lesson: Exodus 15:21-26
Scriptures
courtesy of Biblegateway.com
And
Miriam answered them,
Sing ye to the LORD,
for HE hath triumphed gloriously;
the horse and
his rider hath
HE thrown into the sea.
So
Moses brought Israel from the Red sea,
and they went out into the wilderness of
Shur;
and they went three days in the wilderness,
and found no water.
And
when they came to Marah,
they could not drink of the waters of Marah,
for they
were bitter:
therefore the name of it was called Marah.
And
the people murmured against Moses, saying,
What shall we drink?
And
he cried unto the LORD;
and the LORD shewed him a TREE
which when he had cast into the
waters,
the waters were made sweet:
there HE made for them a statute
and an
ordinance,
and there HE proved them,
And
said,
If . . .
thou wilt diligently hearken
to the voice of the LORD THY GOD,
and wilt
do that which is right in HIS sight,
and wilt give ear to HIS commandments,
and
keep all HIS statutes,
I will put none of these diseases upon thee,
which I have
brought upon the Egyptians:
for I AM the LORD that healeth thee.
QUIETUDE:
A time to Reflect about the
TREE+ that made the bitter sweet.
RESPONSE:
HOLY is The LAMB+.
HOLY is The
LAMB+.
HOLY is The LAMB+ that was slain,
Blessing , glory, honor and power
be unto HIM that sitteth upon the Throne
and unto The LAMB+
Amen.
Lesson from
the Epistles: 2 Corinthians 4:6-10
Scriptures courtesy of Biblegateway.com
For
GOD, WHO commanded the Light
to shine out of darkness,
hath shined in our
hearts,
to give the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God
in the face of
JESUS CHRIST.
But
we have this treasure in earthen vessels,
that the excellency of the power
may
be of GOD and not of us.
We
are troubled on every side,
yet not distressed;
we are perplexed,
but not in
despair;
Persecuted, but not forsaken;
cast down, but not
destroyed;
Always bearing about in the body
the dying of the LORD JESUS,
that the life also of JESUS
might be made manifest
in our
body.
QUIETUDE:
A time to repent of complaining and murmuring about "our lot" in life.
RESPONSE:
LORD JESUS CHRIST,LAMB+ of GOD,
Who+ taketh away the sin of the world,
have
mercy upon us.
LORD JESUS CHRIST, LAMB+ of GOD,
BEARER+ of our sins,
have
mercy upon us.
LORD JESUS CHRIST, LAMB+ of GOD,
SAVIOR+ of the world,
grant us Thy+ Peace.
AMEN.
The GOSPEL
Lesson: John 1:29
The next day John saw JESUS coming toward him and said,
"Behold!
The LAMB+ of GOD
Who+ taketh away
the sin of the world!"
The WORD of The LORD.
THANKS BE TO GOD !
Meditation
~ ~ ~
Every heart knows sorrow and bitterness. Some sorrows come from the natural consequences of our own choices; some from the choices of others which affect our life in a troublesome and difficult way.
Some sorrowful conditions we cannot avoid throughout life, like the loss of a limb, the loss of a child or spouse, or the loss of health.
When bitterness about our condition descends upon our hearts, it only deepens the sorrow. We must look for the TREE+ which changes that bitterness into something sweet.
That TREE+ is the Cross of JESUS.
HE+ turns all sorrow and all suffering into something sweet, if we cast that Cross of HIS+ into the midst of our troubles and hurts. HE+ is able to turn the bitterness of life into blessings ... for us, for all those around us.... if we continually bring the situation hurting our hearts to HIM+ for His+ Touch.
And the key is this: BEHOLD, The LAMB+ of GOD. We are not told to look at ourselves or even at our problems and trials.
We are instructed to look at the LAMB+of GOD and pray without ceasing!
If we neglect to do those two things, then we will surely stumble into sin simply from the pain of the situation.
Our words will be sharp, our patience short.
Our judgment will be irrational, and our decisions will be fraught with error. Fear and frustration will enter in as the mistakes mount up.
And bitterness will continue to grow.
Self-pity will rear its ugly head and INCREASE the bitterness even more.
We try to drown our sorrows and bitterness in a bottle of alcohol... or soda pop. We eat more chocolate and sweets than we ought. We go on shopping binges and NEVER stay home... or stay quiet when we are there.
Busyness, food, social interactions, even ministry, DOES NOT TAKE AWAY sorrow nor does it deal with bitterness.
Only coming unto The LAMB+ will heal us... laying it all down at HIS+ feet. Yielding to His+ will... and living to please HIM+, from now on, will bring healing to our souls.
Just as the Word says.
Let us
pray:
O Gracious
Heavenly FATHER, in the Name of Thy HOLY SON+ JESUS CHRIST, WHO+ for the joy
that was set before HIM+ endured the Cross, I come to THEE, full of hurts and wounds, sorrows and bitterness.
Dear LORD, I have not run to Thy+ Cross when I am upset, angry, or hurt. THOU+ knowest I have avoided dealing with my un-changeable situation in a Spiritual manner, and I have ignored your invitation to "COME to YOU" with it all.
Help me to trust THEE+ to navigate me through these dark waters and dark days.
And I am so sorry for complaining and murmuring about my situation ... to you, to others, and always in my heart.
Change me by Thy+ Holy power. Help me to be thankful for the Cross+ in my life; I know it will draw me to THEE+... if I embrace it as I ought.
This I pray
in The Name of JESUS
CHRIST our LORD, The Eternal SON+ and WORD+ of GOD our FATHER, through the
Blessed HOLY SPIRIT.
Amen.
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