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Meditation

The disappointed disciples who leave Jerusalem for Em-maus have lost their hope that Jesus was the Messiah and walk away from their community. It is a journey of separation and isolation. By contrast, they return to Jerusalem full of hope with a Gospel message on their lips. It is this resurrection message that drives them back into the heart of the community and into a communion of fellowship. So often Christians try to evangelize with a competitive spirit, hoping to fill their own churches. Ambition overrides the desire for others to hear the life-giving message of the Gospel. True evangelism is a journey from Emmaus to Jerusalem, a journey from isola-tion into unity.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you have made our hearts burn within us, and have sent us back upon the road towards our brothers and sisters, with the Gospel message on our lips. Help us to see that hope and obedience to your commands always lead to the greater unity of your people. Amen.

Called

to

proclaim the

Mighty Acts

of

God. 1 Peter

Evening Prayers Week of Prayer for Christian Unity January 18—25 2016

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Week of Prayer

for Christian Unity

Traditionally celebrated

between 18-25 January in

the northern hemisphere

and at Pentecost in the

southern hemisphere, the

Week of Prayer for

Christian Unity enters into

congregations and parishes

all over the world. Pulpits

are exchanged, and special

ecumenical worship

services are celebrated.

Theme for 2016

"Called to proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord" 1 Peter 2:9

Day One: Let the Stone be rolled away

“I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people.” Ezekiel 37: 12-14

Hymn: choose

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farther. But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly

evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay

with them. And it happened that, while he was with them

at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and

gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and

they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight.

Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burn-

ing [within us] while he spoke to us on the way and opened

the scriptures to us?” So they set out at once and returned

to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the

eleven and those with them 34who were saying, “The Lord

has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Then

the two recounted what had taken place on the way and

how he was made known to them in the breaking of the

bread.

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Now that very day two of them were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” And he replied to them, “What sort of things?” They said to him, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on

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Psalm 71: 18b-23 ant. Your power and your righteousness, O God, reach the high heavens.

Your power and justice, God, Reach the highest heaven. You have done great things’ O God, who is your equal? Whatever bitter afflictions you sent me, you would turn and revive me. From the watery depths of the earth once more raise me up. Restore my honor; turn and comfort me, That I may praise you with the lyre for your faithfulness, my God, And sing to you with the harp, O Holy One of Israel!

My lips will shout for joy as I sing your praise; my soul, too, which you have redeemed.

Glory to You, Creator God! Glory to You, Son and Redeemer! Glory to You, Spirit of Holiness and Love! Glory to you God of All Mercy Now and forever. Amen!

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Reading 1: Romans 8:15-21 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, “Abba,* Father!” The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us. For creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God; for creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it, in hope that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God. Reading 2: Matthew 28:1-20 After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, approached, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothing was white as snow. The guards were shaken with fear of him and became like dead men. Then the angel said to the women in reply, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and he is going before you to Gali-lee; there you will see him.’ Behold, I have told you.” Then they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet

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Hear, O Lord, have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper.” You changed my mourning into dancing; you took off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness. So that my glory may praise you and not be silent. O Lord, my God, forever will I give you thanks. Glory ...

Colossians 1:27-29 Those to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; it is Christ in you, the hope for glory.n It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. For this I labor and struggle, in accord with the exercise of his power working within me. Luke 24:13-36, Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

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Day 8 Hearts Burning for Unity

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the mes-senger who announces peace, who brings good news. Isaiah 52:7-9

Psalm 30: ant. You have turned my mourning into dancing. I praise you, Lord, for you raised me up and did not let my enemies rejoice over me. Lord, my God, I cried out to you for help and you healed me. Lord, you brought my soul up from Sheol; you let me live, kept me from going down to the pit. Sing praise to the Lord, you faithful; give thanks to his holy memory. For his anger lasts but a moment; his favor a lifetime. At dusk weeping comes for the night; but at dawn there is rejoicing. Complacent,* I once said, “I shall never be shaken.” Lord, you showed me favor, established for me mountains of virtue. But when you hid your face I was struck with terror. To you, Lord, I cried out; with the Lord I pleaded for mercy: “What gain is there from my lifeblood, from my going down to the grave? Does dust give you thanks or declare your faithfulness?

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overjoyed, and ran to announce this to his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

Meditation In our world today there is much grief and pain; wounds inflicted which are difficult to forgive. All of this is like the large stone which covered the mouth of Jesus’ tomb. Wounds such as these imprison us in a spiritual grave.But if, in our suffering, our pain is united to his pain, then the story does not end here, locked in our graves. The earthquake of the Lord’s resurrection is the earth-shaking event that opens our graves and frees us from the pain and bitterness that hold us in isolation from one another. This is the mighty act of the Lord: his love, which shakes the earth, which rolls away the stones, which frees us, and calls us out into the morning of a new day. Here, at this new dawn we are re-united with our brothers and sisters who have been imprisoned and hurting too. And like Mary Magdalene we must “go quickly” from this great moment of joy to tell others what the Lord has done.

Prayer Lord Jesus, you have always loved us from the beginning, and you have shown the depth of your love in dying for us on the cross and thereby sharing our sufferings and wounds. At this moment, we lay all the obstacles that sep-arate us from your love at the foot of your cross. Roll back the stones which imprison us. Awaken us to your resurrec-tion morning. There may we meet the brothers and sisters from whom we are separated. Amen.

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Day 2, Called to be Messengers of Joy

“The spirit of the LORD God is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed.” Isaiah 61:1-4 Hymn: choose Psalm 133 ant. How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! How good and how pleasant it is, when sisters and brothers dwell together as one! Like fine oil on the head, running down upon the beard, Upon the beard of Aaron, upon the collar of his robe. Like dew of Hermon coming down upon the mountains of Zion. There the LORD has decreed a blessing, life for evermore! Holy Trinity of Love We praise you now and forever. Amen!

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Meditation; As long as God’s people are divided, and Christians are estranged from one another, we are like Jesus in Samaria, strangers in a foreign land, without safety, without refreshment and without a place of rest. The people of Israel longed for a place of safety where they could worship the Lord. Isaiah tells us of the Lord’s mighty act; he posted sentinels on the walls of Jerusalem so that his people could worship him in safety day and night. In the Week of Prayer our churches and chapels become places of safety, rest and refreshment for people to join in prayer. The challenge from this week is to create more places and protected times of prayer, because as we pray together, we become one people.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, you asked your apostles to stay awake with you and to pray with you. May we offer the world protected times and spaces in which to find refreshment and peace, so that praying togeth-er with other Christians we may come to know you more deeply. Amen.

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1 Peter 4:7b-10: Therefore, be serious and sober for prayers. 8c Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace. John 4:4-14: ...He came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there. Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (For Jews use noth-ing in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir,* you do not even have a bucket and the well is deep; where then can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will be-come in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

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Philippians 2:1-5,

If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in

love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and

mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do

nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather,

humbly regard others as more important than

yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests,

but [also] everyone for those of others. Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ

Jesus...

John 15:9-12 As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is my com-mandment: love one another as I love you.

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Meditation

The joy of the Gospel calls Christians to live the prophecy of Isaiah: “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has appointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed.” We long for Good News to mend our broken hearts and to release us from all that binds us and makes us captive. When we are sad-dened by our own suffering, we may lack the vigor to proclaim the joy that comes from Jesus. Nevertheless, even when we feel unable to give anything to anyone, by bearing witness to the little that we have, Jesus multiplies it in us and in the people around us. In the Gospel Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love” and “love one another as I have loved you.” It is in this way that we discover his joy in us, so that our joy may be complete. This mutual love and mu-tual joy is at the heart of our prayer for unity. As the psalmist says, “How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!”

Prayer

God of love, look upon our willingness to serve you de-spite our spiritual poverty and limited abilities. Fulfil the deepest longings of our hearts with your presence. Fill our broken hearts with your healing love so that we may love as you have loved us. Grant us the gift of unity so

that we may serve you with joy and share your love

with all. This we ask in the name of your Son, Jesus

Christ, our Lord. Amen.

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Day 7: Hospitality for Prayer

Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have posted sentinels; all day and all night they shall never be silent. Isaiah 62:6-7 Psalm 100: ant. Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness. Shout joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful song. Know that the Lord is God, he made us, we belong to him, we are his people, the flock he shepherds. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name; good indeed is the Lord, His mercy endures forever, his faithfulness lasts through every generation. Glory to God our Loving Father, Glory to God our Brother and Friend, Glory to God our Light and Wisdom Now and forever. Amen!

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regaining brothers and sisters we had lost, the reuniting of a family. We have written many ecumenical texts, but the vision of Christian unity is not captured in agreed statements alone, important though these are. The unity God desires for us, the vision he puts before us, far ex-ceeds anything we can express in words or contain in books. The vision must take flesh in our lives and in the prayer and mission that we share with our brothers and sisters. Most of all it is realized in the love we show for one another.

Prayer Heavenly Father, grant us humility to hear your voice, to receive your call, and to share your dream for the unity of the Church. Help us to be awake to the pain of disunity. Where division has left us with hearts of stone, may the fire of your Holy Spirit inflame our hearts and inspire us with the vision of being one in Christ, as he is one with you, so that the world may believe that you have sent him. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Day 3, The Witness of Fellowship

“They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion. Jeremiah 31:10-13 Psalm 122: ant. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you. I rejoiced when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” And now our feet are standing within your gates, Jerusalem. Jerusalem, built as a city, walled round about. There the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, As it was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. There are the thrones of justice, the thrones of the house of David. For the peace of Jerusalem pray: “May those who love you prosper! May peace be within your ramparts, prosperity within your towers.”

For the sake of my brothers and friends I say, “Peace be with you.” For the sake of the house of the LORD, our God, I pray for your good. Glory...

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1 John 4:16b-21 We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God, whom he has not seen. This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. John 17:20-23 “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.m And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me.

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Romans 12:9-13 Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality. John 21:25:

They have been informed that you are teaching all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to abandon Moses and that you are telling them not to circumcise their children or to observe their customary practices.

Meditation

Joseph has a dream, which is a message from God. However, when Joseph shares his dream with his brothers they react with anger and violence because the dream im-plies that they must bow down before him. Ultimately famine drives the brothers to Egypt and they do bow be-fore Joseph, but rather than the abasement and dis-honor they fear, it is a moment of reconciliation and grace. Jesus, like Joseph, unfolds to us a vision, a message about the life of his Father’s kingdom. It is a vision of unity. But like Joseph’s brothers, we are often upset, angered and fearful of the vision and what it seems to imply. It de-mands that we submit and bow to the will of God. We fear it because we fear what we might lose. But the vision is

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Day 6: Listen to this Dream

Listen to this dream that I dreamed. Genesis 37:5-8 Psalm 126 We were like those who dream. When the LORD restored the captives of Zion, we thought we were dreaming. Then our mouths were filled with laughter; our tongues sang for joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord had done great things for them.” 3The Lord has done great things for us; Oh, how happy we were! Restore our captives, LORD, like the dry stream beds of the Negeb. Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy. Those who go forth weeping, carrying sacks of seed, Will return with cries of joy, carrying their bundled sheaves. Holy Trinity of Love, Holy Trinity of Communion We praise and glorify you Three in One For Now and Forever. Amen!

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Meditation

Division among Christians is an obstacle to evangelization. The world cannot believe that we are Jesus’ disciples while our love for one other is incomplete. We feel the pain of this division when we cannot receive together the body and blood of Christ at the Eucharist, the sacrament of unity. The source of our joy is our common life in Christ. To live our life of fellowship every day is to welcome, love, serve, pray and witness with Christians from diverse traditions. It is the pearl of great value given to us by the Holy Spirit. The night before his death, Jesus prayed for unity and love among us. Today we raise our hands and pray with Jesus for Christian unity. We pray for the bishops, ministers and members of all churches. We pray that the Holy Spirit will lead us all on this path of unity.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, who prayed that we might all be one, we pray to you for the unity of Christians according to your will, according to your means. May your Spirit enable us to experience the suffering caused by division, to see our sin and to hope beyond all hope. Amen.

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Day 4: A Priestly People Called to Proclaim the Gospel

Your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the an-cestor of a multitude of nations. Genesis 17:1-8,

Hymn: choice Psalm 145:8-12: ant. The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in mercy.

The LORD is good to all, compassionate toward all your works.

All your works give you thanks, LORD and your faithful bless you. They speak of the glory of your reign and tell of your mighty works,

Making known your mighty acts, the majestic glory of your rule. Let us give glory to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, For we are God’s people, we are God’s Church, Called to sing God’s praises, Now and forever. Amen.

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Meditation

Jesus’ commandment to love one another is not theo-retical. Our communion of love with one another be-comes concrete when we gather together intentionally as Christ’s disciples, to share fellowship and prayer in the power of the Spirit.

The more that Christians, especially their leaders, en-counter Christ together in humility and patience, the more prejudice diminishes, the more we discover Christ in one another, and the more we become au-thentic witnesses to the Kingdom of God.

At times ecumenism can seem very complicated. Yet joyful fellowship, a shared meal and common prayer and praise are ways of apostolic simplicity. In these we obey the commandment to love one another, and pro-claim our Amen to Christ’s prayer for unity.

Prayer

God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may you give to all Christians, and especially to those en-trusted with leadership in your Church, the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that with the eyes of our hearts we may see the hope to which you have called us: one body and one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above and through all and in all. Amen.

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Acts 2:37-42

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and the other apostles, “What are we to do, my brothers?” Peter [said] to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call.” He testified with many other arguments, and was exhorting them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added that day. They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.

John 13:34-35

I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

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Romans 10:14-15 But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Matthew 13:3-9 And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hun-dred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

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Meditation

In today’s world more than ever, words flood into our homes: no longer just from our conversations, but from television, radio and now from social media. These words have the power to build up and to knock down. Much of this ocean of words seems meaning-less; diversion rather than nourishment.

One could drown in such an ocean where there is no meaning to grasp. But we have heard a saving Word; it has been thrown to us as a lifeline. It calls us into com-munion, and draws us into unity with others who have heard it too. Once we were not a people, but now we are God’s people.

More than this, we are a priestly people. United with others who have received his Word, our words are no longer mere drops lost in the ocean. Now we have a powerful Word to speak. United we can speak it pow-erfully; Yeshua—God saves.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you said that everyone will know that we are your disciples if there is love among us. Strength-ened by your grace, may we work tirelessly for the visi-ble unity of your Church, so that the Good News that we are called to proclaim will be seen in all our words and deeds. Amen.

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Day 5: The Fellowship of the Apostles

For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peo-ples. Isaiah 56:6-8 Psalm 24: ant. Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? The earth is the LORD’s and all it holds,a the world and those who dwell in it. He founded it on the seas, established it over the rivers. Who may go up the mountain of the Lord? Who can stand in his holy place? “The clean of hand and pure of heart, who has not given his soul to useless things, to what is vain. He will receive blessings from the Lord, and justice from his saving God. Such is the generation that seeks him, that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.”

Lift up your heads, O gates; be lifted, you ancient portals, that the king of glory may enter. Who is this king of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in war. Lift up your heads, O gates; rise up, you ancient portals, that the king of glory may enter. Who is this king of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the king of glory. Glory...