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
If one of you hears me calling, I will come in to share his meal
I, John, heard the
Lord saying to me: ‘Write to the angel of the church in Sardis and say, “Here
is the message of the one who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven
stars: I know all about you: how you are reputed to be alive and yet are dead.
Wake up; revive what little you have left: it is dying fast. So far I have
failed to notice anything in the way you live that my God could possibly call
perfect, and yet do you remember how eager you were when you first heard the
message? Hold on to that. Repent. If you do not wake up, I shall come to you
like a thief, without telling you at what hour to expect me. There are a few in
Sardis, it is true, who have kept their robes from being dirtied, and they are
fit to come with me, dressed in white. Those who prove victorious will be
dressed, like these, in white robes; I shall not blot their names out of the
book of life, but acknowledge their names in the presence of my Father and his
angels. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to what the Spirit is saying
to the churches.” ‘Write to the
angel of the church in Laodicea and say, “Here is the message of the Amen, the
faithful, the true witness, the ultimate source of God’s creation: I know all
about you: how you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were one or the other,
but since you are neither, but only lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth.
You say to yourself, ‘I am rich, I have made a fortune, and have everything I
want’, never realising that you are wretchedly and pitiably poor, and blind and
naked too. I warn you, buy from me the gold that has been tested in the fire to
make you really rich, and white robes to clothe you and cover your shameful
nakedness, and eye ointment to put on your eyes so that you are able to see. I
am the one who reproves and disciplines all those he loves: so repent in real
earnest. Look, I am standing at the door, knocking. If one of you hears me
calling and opens the door, I will come in to share his meal, side by side with
him. Those who prove victorious I will allow to share my throne, just as I was
victorious myself and took my place with my Father on his throne. If anyone has
ears to hear, let him listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”’
Those who prove victorious I will allow to share my
throne.
Salvation comes to the house of Zacchaeus
Jesus entered Jericho and was going through the town
when a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance: he was one of the
senior tax collectors and a wealthy man. He was anxious to see what kind of man
Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see him for the crowd. So he ran
ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass
that way. When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him:
‘Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.’ And he
hurried down and welcomed him joyfully. They all complained when they saw what
was happening. ‘He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house’ they said. But
Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, ‘Look, sir, I am going to give
half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back
four times the amount.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to
this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has
come to seek out and save what was lost.’
Open my heart, open my ears Lord to hear your voice, and your knock so that I will open my door to welcome you.
Lord do not pass me by, come in and dwell in me.
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