6 September 202010am Congregation

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DRAWING NEAR TO GOD

10,000 REASONS

Bless the Lord O my soul, O my soulWorship His Holy name Sing like never before O my soul I’ll worship Your Holy name

1. The sun comes upit’s a new day dawningit’s time to sing your song againwhatever may pass and whatever lies before melet me be singing when the evening comes Refrain

2. You’re rich in loveand you’re slow to angeryour name is great and your heart is kindfor all your goodness I will keep on singingten thousand reasons for my heart to find Refrain

3. And on that daywhen my strength is failingthe end draws near, and my time has comestill my soul will sing your praise unendingten thousands years and then forever more Refrain

Jonas Myrin & Matt Redman

Bible Reading - Ezra 1:1-2:2, 2:64-70 James Kim

HEARING GOD'S WORD

CONFESSION

Merciful Father, we have strayed from your ways like lost sheep.

We have followed too much the schemes and desires of our ownhearts, and have broken your holy laws.

We have left undone what we ought to have done, and we havedone what we ought not to have done. Yet, good Lord, have mercyon us; restore those who repent, according to the promises declaredto us through your Son, Jesus Christ.

Grant, merciful Father, for his sake, that from now on, we may livegodly and obedient lives, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.

In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order that the word of theLORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORDstirred up the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia so that he sent a heraldthroughout all his kingdom, and also in a written edict declared:2 “Thus says King Cyrus of Persia: The LORD, the God of heaven,has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged meto build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. 3 Any of those amongyou who are of his people—may their God be with them!—are nowpermitted to go up to Jerusalem in Judah, and rebuild the house ofthe LORD, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem;4 and let all survivors, in whatever place they reside, be assisted bythe people of their place with silver and gold, with goods and withanimals, besides freewill offerings for the house of God inJerusalem.”5 The heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin, and the priestsand the Levites—everyone whose spirit God had stirred—got readyto go up and rebuild the house of the LORD in Jerusalem.

6 All their neighbours aided them with silver vessels, with gold, withgoods, with animals, and with valuable gifts, besides all that wasfreely offered. 7 King Cyrus himself brought out the vessels of thehouse of the LORD that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away fromJerusalem and placed in the house of his gods.8 King Cyrus of Persia had them released into the charge ofMithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar theprince of Judah. 9 And this was the inventory: gold basins, thirty;silver basins, one thousand; knives, twenty-nine; 10 gold bowls, thirty;other silver bowls, four hundred ten; other vessels, one thousand;11 the total of the gold and silver vessels was five thousand fourhundred. All these Sheshbazzar brought up, when the exiles werebrought up from Babylonia to Jerusalem.Now these were the people of the province who came from thosecaptive exiles whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had carriedcaptive to Babylonia; they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, all totheir own towns. 2 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah,Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, andBaanah.64 The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand threehundred sixty, 65 besides their male and female servants, of whomthere were seven thousand three hundred thirty-seven; and they hadtwo hundred male and female singers. 66 They had seven hundredthirty-six horses, two hundred forty-five mules, 67 four hundred thirty-five camels, and six thousand seven hundred twenty donkeys.68 As soon as they came to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem,some of the heads of families made freewill offerings for the houseof God, to erect it on its site. 69 According to their resources theygave to the building fund sixty-one thousand darics of gold, fivethousand minas of silver, and one hundred priestly robes.70 The priests, the Levites, and some of the people lived inJerusalem and its vicinity; and the singers, the gatekeepers, and thetemple servants lived in their towns, and all Israel in their towns.

Bible Reading - Matthew 1:1-17 Sarah Lawrence

SERMON Tim Escott

An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, theson of Abraham.2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, andJacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father ofPerez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezronthe father of Aram, 4 and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadabthe father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmonthe father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, andObed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of King David.And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 andSolomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah,and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asap the father of Jehoshaphat,and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9

and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, andAhaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 andJosiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of thedeportation to Babylon.12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father ofSalathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel thefather of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the fatherof Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim,and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, andEleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 andJacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus wasborn, who is called the Messiah.17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteengenerations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteengenerations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah,fourteen generations.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us notinto temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever.Amen.

GivingIf you do not do so already, please consider giving electronically to thework of the gospel in our parish and beyond.

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Going Out to Serve

QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS

CREED

OPEN PRAYER

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived bythe Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead.On the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven,and is seated at the right hand of the Father; from there he will come tojudge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion ofsaints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the lifeeverlasting. Amen.

Closing Prayer

GUIDE ME, O THOU GREAT REDEEMER

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and thefellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.

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1. Guide me, O thou great Redeemer,pilgrim through this barren land;I am weak, but thou art mighty;hold me with thy powerful hand:bread of heaven, bread of heaven,feed me now and evermore,feed me now and evermore.

2. Open now the crystal fountainwhence the living waters flow:let the fiery, cloudy pillarlead me all my journey through:strong deliverer, strong deliverer,be thou still my strength and shield,be thou still my strength and shield.

3. When I tread the verge of Jordanbid my anxious fears subside;death of death, and hell’s destruction,land me safe on Canaan’s side:songs of praises, songs of praisesI will ever give to thee,I will ever give to thee.