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GIVE TO CAESAR WHAT IS CAESAR'S

Altar Server Prayer: Father in heaven, Your Son Jesus Christ showed his love for you by serving  his brothers and sisters in need.  I now ask you to give me your help I serve you and your people Open my mouth to praise you in word and song. Open my ears to hear your word. Open my hand to do your work well.  Take from me all evil and distracting thoughts. 

Help me to know what I should do and do it well.Help me to serve reverently at your Holy Altar and  give you praise and glory now and for ever. Amen.

         Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,
          whom he has taken by his right hand
          to subdue nations before him
          and strip the loins of kings,
          to force gateways before him
          that their gates be closed no more:
          It is for the sake of my servant Jacob,
          of Israel my chosen one,
          that I have called you by your name,
          conferring a title though you do not know me. 
          I am the Lord, unrivalled; 
          there is no other God besides me. 
         Though you do not know me, I arm you
          that men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun  
          that, apart from me, all is nothing.’ 


From Paul, Silvanus and Timothy, to the Church in 
Thessalonika which is in God the Father and theLord Jesus Christ; wishing you grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We always mention you in our prayers and thank God for you all, and constantly remember before God our Father how you have shown your faith in action, worked for love and persevered through hope, in our Lord Jesus Christ. We know, brothers, that God loves you and that you have been chosen, because when we brought the Good News to you, it came to you not only as words, but as power and as the Holy Spirit and as utter conviction.


The Pharisees went away to work out between them how to trap Jesus in what he said. And they sent their disciples to him, together with the Herodians, to say, ‘Master, we know that you are an honest man and teach the way of God in an honest way, and that you are not afraid of anyone, because a man’s rank means nothing to you. Tell us your opinion, then. Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not?’ But Jesus was aware of their malice and replied, ‘You hypocrites! Why do you set this trap for me? Let me see the money you pay the tax with.’ They handed him a denarius, and he said, ‘Whose head is this? Whose name?’ ‘Caesar’s’ they replied. He then said to them, ‘Very well, give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God.’



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