Worship Service
Services
Lectionary Theme: Jesus Christ who holds together the neglected (Second Sunday of the Lent)
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Jeremiah 33:6-11 First Lesson
6. I am going to bring it recovery and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security.
7. I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first.
8. I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me.
9. And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them; they shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.
10. Thus says the Lord: In this place of which you say, “It is a waste without human beings or animals,” in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without inhabitants, human or animal, there shall once more be heard
11. the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord: “Give thanks to the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” For I will restore the fortunes of the land as at first, says the Lord.
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Philemon 1:8-21 Second Lesson
8. For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty,
9. yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love—and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus.
10. I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment.
11. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me.
12. I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you.
13. I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel;
14. but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced.
15. Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever,
16. no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
17. So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me.
18. If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.
19. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self.
20. Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ.
21. Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.
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James 4:7-10 Epistle
7. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
9. Lament and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection.
10. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. Warning against Judging Another
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Mark 1:40-45 Gospel
40. A man with a skin disease came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”
41. Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I am willing. Be made clean!”
42. Immediately the skin disease left him, and he was made clean.
43. After sternly warning him he sent him away at once,
44. saying to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded as a testimony to them.”
45. But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly but stayed out in the country, and people came to him from every quarter.