Sing to the Lord, and praise him! Proclaim every day the good news that he has saved us (Psalm 96.2, GNB).

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Opening

Speak these words out loud:

Let us not become weary in doing good,
for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Galatians 6.9 (NIV)

Today’s Proverb

Read the proverb through three or four times, slowly. Pause in-between, maybe write it out by hand – savour the words, let them speak deeply to you.

Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among his great men; it is better for him to say to you, ‘Come up here,’ than for him to humiliate you before his nobles. (NIV)

When you stand before the king, don’t try to impress him and pretend to be important. It is better to be asked to take a higher position than to be told to give your place to someone more important. (GNB)

Proverbs 25.6-7

Does this sound familiar? It should, because most of us have heard it before, though in a slightly different form, and on the lips of Jesus:

Jesus noticed how some of the guests were choosing the best places, so he told this parable to all of them: “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place. It could happen that someone more important than you has been invited, and your host, who invited both of you, would have to come and say to you, ‘Let him have this place.’ Then you would be embarrassed and have to sit in the lowest place.’

Luke 14.7-9 (NIV)

It shouldn’t be surprising to us how much of Jesus’ teaching comes from what we call the Old Testament (it was simply ‘the Scriptures’ back then) – and yet it is far too often.

Since the very earliest days of the Church, some Christians have sought to remove / minimise / ignore the Old Testament as antiquated or irrelevant or – worse – ‘about a different God’. But the truth is, the same God meets us from Genesis through to Revelation. Jesus regularly quotes from Old Testament writers – in fact some of his best-known teachings in fact come from the Old Testament (e.g. ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might’ – Deuteronomy 6.5 – and ‘love your neighbour as yourself’ – Leviticus 19.18).

I admit that some parts of the Old Testament are challenging, and difficult to understand. But the attitude that ignores three-quarters of the Bible – the words God has chosen to speak to us, his people – is no good at all! What is your attitude to the Old Testament?

Prayers

Pray for Five – pray for your five friends / family from Thy Kingdom Come.

Our daily prayer sheet includes the names of everyone for whom we have a signed church family directory form – and local parishes and senior church leaders. Today we are praying for:

Muriel Smith, Albert Pegg, Simon Garratt

Father, please bless them with your peace, and a deep awareness of your presence with them, every day and in every way.

We also pray for: Leaders of Church Groups

Please pray for our leaders and healthcare workers, and all those working to keep us safe, well, and fed. Please pray that people would unselfishly put others before themselves.

Church Family Prayer

Come Holy Spirit,
and make us one in heart and action,
so that we can serve God faithfully:
abounding in love,
maturing in holiness,
and seeking out the lost.
Help us grow as disciples of Jesus –
in commitment, in depth, and in number –
that we may be a blessing to Amington;
to the glory and praise of God the Father.

Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

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 not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.

Closing Prayer

Unless the Lord builds the house,
the builders labour in vain.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus
the only way to the Father.

Psalm 127.1, Hebrews 12.2 & John 14.6

May Christ our Saviour give us peace.
Amen.