Worship this week

After vacation in Florida, I am back to update things. Our worship this week will consider the final covenant of the Old Testament, the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31.31-33. Other Scripture includes John 12.20-27, where some Greek speaking people come to see Jesus and Jesus speaks of his suffering. The psalm is Psalm 51: Create in me a clean heart, O God. God's new covenant with us is a covenant of the heart, through Jesus Christ. Here is a prayer for the week:
Almighty God of mercy and grace, create in us a clean heart and prepare us for the new covenant in Jesus Christ our Lord, so that we may see his gospel and follow his ways. We give you all honor and glory, Almighty God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Second Week in Lent

Usually this spot is updated on Friday, but I was out of town last Friday, so it is late. We are now in the Second Week in Lent and our worship last Sunday concerned the covenant of Abraham, that, by the extension of faith, we are all to be a part of: walk before God and be blameless. It is here that God changes Abram's name to Abraham and self-identifies to us as God-Almighty, in Hebrew, El Shaddai. Read Genesis 17.1-7. The gospel for the week is from Mark 8.31-36, a passion prediction, notably known as where Peter rebukes Jesus, and gets his own name change--to Satan! Jesus then goes on to remind all his disciples that to be a disciple is to carry our cross and follow his way. For Christians, to walk blamelessly before God is to carry the cross and go the way of Christ.

A prayer for the week:

God Almighty, from generation to generation you have established your covenant with those who are to walk blamelessly in your sight. Renew the covenant with us today, through our faith in Jesus Christ, who calls us to take our cross and follow for the glory of your Kingdom. Through Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit: One God. Amen.