Revised Common Lectionary: Year A

Revised Common Lectionary – Year A First Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44 Awaiting Christ’s Return , let us worship God and walk in His ways. God calls us to worship Him - ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord... ’ - and walk in His …

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Revised Common Lectionary: Year B

YEAR B First Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:24-37 Jesus Christ is God’s Answer to our prayer. We confess our sins to God - ‘We sinned... All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags’. We look to …

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Beyond the suffering, there’s the triumph.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its …

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Before we can become witnesses, we must be worshippers.

2 Chronicles 2:1-5:1; 1 Corinthians 9:19-10:13; Psalm 97:1-12 Worship and witness belong together. The building of the Temple speaks to us of the priority of worship. Before we can become witnesses, we must be worshippers. The ministry of Paul speaks to us of witness: “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible …

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Building the church on earth – and building for the Kingdom of heaven …

Ezra speaks of the rebuilding of the Temple at Jerusalem (Ezra 5:11). Revelation speaks of “God’s Temple in heaven” (Revelation 11:19). Both belong together – building the Church here on earth and building for the Kingdom of heaven. We must never be content with a measure of success in building the Church here on earth. God’s …

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Empowered by the Holy Spirit

Jeremiah 18:1-20:18; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:16; Psalm 119:1-8 “The Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail” (Jeremiah 20:11). This is a tremendous Word of encouragement when the battle is at its fiercest. In this battle, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 1:5), empowered to …

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When we don’t understand what’s going on in our lives

Genesis 41:1-57 We read about the interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams. The interpretation didn't come from Joseph. It was given to Joseph by God. This is emphasized in verses15-16 - "Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a …

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When, Lord, we settle for anything less than Your very best, we miss out on Your blessing.

When, Lord, we settle for anything less than Your very best, we miss out on Your blessing - and we have no blessing to pass on to other people. Help us, Lord, to move out of complacency and into commitment, out of the 'No' attitude - 'no time for You, Lord' - and into the …

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Our past, God’s future

"Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14). Is our life being controlled by our past? Or, is God preparing us for his future? We look back on our past. What are we to say about …

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Who is on the Lord’s side?… We are on the Lord’s side… Always on the Lord’s side

Prayers based on the book of Haggai Haggai 1:1-15 We read, Lord, the questions that You put to Your people: 'Why is everyone saying it is not the right time for rebuilding My Temple?'; ‘Is it then the right time for you to live in luxurious homes, when the Temple lies in ruins?’ (Haggai 1:2-4). …

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Change me, today. Change me, every day.

"God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Galatians 6:14).  "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). This is more than a statement of our intention: …

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Our weakness – and the Lord’s strength

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). When I think of my weakness, I, also, think of something else; I think of the strength of the Lord. Let us not think too highly of ourselves. If we think too highly of ourselves, we will not think highly …

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More than words to be said and heard at the end of a church service

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14). We have often heard these words spoken. Here, we are reading them in the Word of God. How often do we think about these words? What do they mean? …

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God is calling us to walk in His ways, all the days of our life.

2 Chronicles The continuation of God’s blessing is conditional on the continuation of Israel’s obedience. The Temple does not guarantee the continuation of God’s blessing: “If you and your descendants turn away from Me... I will reject this Temple that I declared holy for My Name. I will make it an example and an object …

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Think of God’s faithfulness – and count your blessings.

Comfort (Isaiah 40:1) - This comes from God's great faithfulness (Lamentations 3:23). In our past, present and future, we see the faithfulness of God - "His mercies never end. They are new every morning" (Lamentations 3:22-23). Think of God's faithfulness, and "count your blessings." Think of this, that and the other blessing (good things in …

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Doors which only God can open… Doors which we must open…

There are doors which can only be opened by God – “See, I  have placed before you an open door that no-one can shut” (Revelation 3:8). There are doors which must be opened by man – “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If any one hears My voice and opens the …

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We are to give thanks to God for all his good gifts – and we are to praise him that he is with us at every stage of our journey through life.

Genesis 29:1-30:24 Jacob meets Rachel (1-12). This was significant. Rachel was to become the mother of Joseph - the next significant character in the Bible story. The meeting of Joseph and Rachel is not described in spiritual terms. There is no mention of God here. In verses 13 to 30 - we read about Jacob …

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Sometimes, Lord, it seems to us that some things just happen by chance.

Sometimes, Lord, it seems to us that some things just happen by chance. You’re saying to us, “No. It’s more than that.” You are working in us. You are showing us Your love. Day-by-day, You are showing us that You are the faithful God. You are the God of “amazing grace.” Help us to say …

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Make Sure That You’re On The Lord’s Side!

"Doom comes at last, and all that Jeremiah had prophesied came to pass. Note verses 11 and 12. In the midst of the turmoil, Jeremiah is preserved. How wonderful! God honours His servant's faithfulness, and moves the heathen invaders to treat him courteously. It pays to be on the Lord's side. It is the only …

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A revelation of love… A revolution of love…

The gospel begins with a revelation of love - "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us" (Ephesians 1:7-8), and it leads to a revolution of love - "When you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth …

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Help us, Lord, never to say, “There’s nothing for me to do.”

"Rebuild the House of the Lord" (Ezra 1:3). This, Lord, is what You're calling us to do. Who are You calling? Is it just a few 'special' people? - No! It's "all those whose spirits God had moved" (Ezra 1:5). Help us, Lord, never to say, "There's nothing for me to do." There's always something …

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Can there ever be anything more important than worshipping You, Lord?

‘The Lord is the true God; He is the living God, the eternal King’ (Jeremiah 10:10). Can there ever be anything more important than worshipping You, Lord? We know the answer as soon as we ask the question! Very often, our lives gives a very different answer. We have taken our eyes off You, Lord. We have …

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Without love, everything else is nothing.

Ecclesiastes 7:1-9:12; 1 Corinthians 7:36-8:13; Psalm 95:1-11 “Do not be over-righteous, neither be overwise” (Ecclesiastes 7:16). This is not a protest against wisdom and righteousness. It is telling us that, in our wisdom and righteousness, we must not become proud like the Pharisees. “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1). Without love, …

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We say, “We want to be happy.” You, Lord, say to us, “What about being holy?”

We say, “We want to be happy.” You, Lord, say to us, “What about being holy?” Happiness is like ‘the elusive butterfly.” We try to catch it, and it keeps on evading our grasp.” Lord, how can we find true happiness? Happiness comes to us when we are blessed by You, when we’re learning to …

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