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
It is a great joy to me,
in the Lord, that at last you have shown some concern for me again; though of
course you were concerned before, and only lacked an opportunity. I am not
talking about shortage of money: I have learnt to manage on whatever I have, I
know how to be poor and I know how to be rich too. I have been through my
initiation and now I am ready for anything anywhere: full stomach or empty
stomach, poverty or plenty. There is nothing I cannot master with the help of
the One who gives me strength. All the same, it was good of you to share with
me in my hardships. In the early days of the Good News, as you people of
Philippi well know, when I left Macedonia, no other church helped me with gifts
of money. You were the only ones; and twice since my stay in Thessalonika you
have sent me what I needed. It is not your gift that I value; what is valuable
to me is the interest that is mounting up in your account. Now for the time
being I have everything that I need and more: I am fully provided now that I
have received from Epaphroditus the offering that you sent, a sweet fragrance – the
sacrifice that God accepts and finds pleasing. In return my God will fulfil all
your needs, in Christ Jesus, as lavishly as only God can.
Happy the man who fears
the Lord
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I tell you this: use
money, tainted as it is, to win you friends, and thus make sure that when it
fails you, they will welcome you into the tents of eternity. The man who can be
trusted in little things can be trusted in great; the man who is dishonest in little
things will be dishonest in great. If then you cannot be trusted with money,
that tainted thing, who will trust you with genuine riches? And if you cannot
be trusted with what is not yours, who will give you what is your very own?
‘No servant can be the slave of two masters: he will
either hate the first and love the second, or treat the first with respect and
the second with scorn. You cannot be the slave both of God and of money.’
The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and
laughed at him. He said to them, ‘You are the very ones who pass yourselves off
as virtuous in people’s sight, but God knows your hearts. For what is thought
highly of by men is loathsome in the sight of God.’
Heavenly Father you know my heart. Help me live a life worthy of my calling as your child. Lord Jesus Christ you are my Master, it is true I cannot serve two masters. May I remain faithful to you. Trusting in you, your love and mercy to abide with me.
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