Overview
Isaiah 35:1-10
Psalm 146:5-10 or Luke 1:46b-55 (alternate)
James 5:7-10
Matthew 11:2-11
Liturgical Color:
1st Reading
Isaiah 35:1-10 (NIV)
The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.
3 Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
4 say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you.”
5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.
7 The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
8 And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness;
it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean will not journey on it;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
9 No lion will be there,
nor any ravenous beast;
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
10 and those the Lord has rescued will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. NIV®. COPYRIGHT © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Psalm
Psalm 146:5-10 (NIV)
5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
he remains faithful forever.
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
8 the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
10 The Lord reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord.
or
Luke 1:46b-55 (NIV)
46 And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. NIV®. COPYRIGHT © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
2nd Reading
James 5:7-10 (NIV)
7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. NIV®. COPYRIGHT © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Gospel
Matthew 11:2-11 (NIV)
2 When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”
4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”
7 As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. 9 Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written:
“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’
11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. NIV®. COPYRIGHT © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Contemporary Song Suggestions for the Day:
GOD IS COMING Martin Smith \ Tim Hughes | 2011 | CCLI Song #5942505
SHINING STAR Rend Collective Experiment | 2009 | CCLI Song #6186119
PRAISE Brenton Brown \ Paul Baloche | 2007 | CCLI Song #4972844
GREAT GOD WHO SAVES Laura Story | 2007 | CCLI Song #5114890
COME LORD COME Harmony Smith \ Nigel Briggs | 2005 | CCLI Song #4659325
MARY DID YOU KNOW Buddy Greene \ Mark Lowry | 1991, 1993 | CCLI Song #839225
EXCEEDING JOY Miriam Webster | 2002 | CCLI Song #3713901
MAGNIFICAT Todd Agnew | 2006 | CCLI Song #4802608
MY SOUL MAGNIFIES THE LORD Chris Tomlin \ Daniel Carson | 2009 | CCLI Song #5601671
WE ARE WAITING W. Zachary Taylor \ Chris Kline | 2012 | A worshipcurrent Exclusive!
WAKE UP David Leonard \ Don Chaffer \ Leslie Jordan | CCLI Song #6092272
HOPE IS DAWNING Aaron Keyes \ Johnny Parks \ Matt Maher \ Michael Gungor | 2010 | CCLI Song #5444481
SING HALLELUJAH Glenn Packiam \ Kari Jobe | 2011 | CCLI Song #5877175
ALL IS WELL Steve Cook \ Vikki Cook | 2012 | CCLI Song #6271804
CHRIST THE LORD Robert Feduccia \ Sarah Hart | 2011 | CCLI Song #6149826
WAITING HERE FOR YOU Chris Tomlin \ Jesse Reeves \ Martin Smith | 2011 | CCLI Song #5925663
WAITING Lisa Gungor \ Michael Gungor | 2003 | CCLI Song #4214612
YOUR ARRIVAL Phil Danyew \ Phil Wickham | 2009 | CCLI Song #5652943
HOLY Jason Ingram \ Jonas Myrin \ Matt Redman | 2011 | CCLI Song #6016306
JESUS MESSIAH Chris Tomlin \ Daniel Carson \ Ed Cash \ Jesse Reeves | 2008 | CCLI Song #5183443
This week’s worshipcurrent pick for Holy Communion/Eucharist
Found exclusively on worshipcurrent
Hymn Suggestions for the Day:
HE COMES TO US AS ONE UNKNOWN Charles Hubert Hastings Parry \ Timothy Dudley-Smith | 1973, 1984 Hope Publishing | CCLI Song #4507855 | Hymnary
COME O LONG EXPECTED JESUS Charles Wesley | Public Domain | CCLI Song #2276425 | Hymnary
WAIT FOR THE LORD Communauté de Taizé | 1991, Ateliers et Presses de Taizé, GIA Publications, Inc. | Hymnary
ON JORDAN’S BANK THE BAPTISTS CRY Charles Coffin \ John Chandler | Public Domain | CCLI Song #4490065 |Hymnary
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