Luke 1:26-38In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,27to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary.28And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.30And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.31And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.36And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.37For nothing will be impossible with God.”38And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Description Psalm 45
1
My heart overflows with a pleasing theme;
I address my verses to the king;
my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
2
You are the most handsome of the sons of men;
grace is poured upon your lips;
therefore God has blessed you forever.
3
Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,
in your splendor and majesty!
4
In your majesty ride out victoriously
for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;
let your right hand teach you awesome deeds!
5
Your arrows are sharp
in the heart of the king's enemies;
the peoples fall under you.
6
Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;
7
you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
8
your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.
From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
9
daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor;
at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
10
Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear:
forget your people and your father's house,
11
and the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your lord, bow to him.
12
The people[b] of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts,
the richest of the people.
13
All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold.
14
In many-colored robes she is led to the king,
with her virgin companions following behind her.
15
With joy and gladness they are led along
as they enter the palace of the king.
16
In place of your fathers shall be your sons;
you will make them princes in all the earth.
17
I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;
therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.
God Is Our Fortress
To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth.[d] A Song.
Psalm 46
1
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present[e] help in trouble.
2
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
4
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
8
Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
10
“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
11
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Acts 1:1-11 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Mark 16:14-20 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.
See Less
Ash Wednesday
Rev. Randy VanMehren
2/22/2023
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6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
Matthew 3:13-17 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
John 16:5-15 “But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you. 8And when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. 14He will glorify me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that He will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
Cantate (Easter 5) ~ The Spirit of Truth
Rev. Randy VanMehren
John 16:5-15
5/2/2021
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John 16:5-15 “But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you. 8And when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. 14He will glorify me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that He will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
Cantate ~ Spirit of Truth
Rev. Randy VanMehren
John 7:37-39
4/28/2024
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