Overview
Acts 7:55-60
Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16
1 Peter 2:2-10
John 14:1-14
Liturgical Color:
1st Reading
Acts 7:55-60 (NIV)
55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”When he had said this, he fell asleep.
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 31:1-5, 15-16 (NIV)
In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
4 Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;
deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.
15 My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me.
16 Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.
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
1 Peter 2:2-10 (NIV)
2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.6 For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”
7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
8 and,
“A stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God;once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
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
John 14:1-14 (NIV)
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
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:
PREPARED A PLACE FOR ME Doug Plank | 2009 | CCLI Song #5604489
A MIGHTY FORTRESS Christy Nockels \ Nathan Nockels | 2009 | CCLI Song #5488935
STRENGTH OF MY HEART Rend Collective Experiment | 2014 | CCLI Song #7014649
ALMIGHTY GOD Jason Ingram \ Jon Thatcher \ Paul Mabury \ Stuart Garrard | 2010 | CCLI Song #5933600
UNFAILING LOVE Cary Pierce \ Chris Tomlin \ Ed Cash | 2004 | CCLI Song #4403227
THIS IS AMAZING GRACE Jeremy Riddle \ Josh Farro \ Phil Wickham | 2012 | CCLI Song #6333821
MOUNTAIN Joel Houston \ Matt Crocker | 2012 | CCLI Song #6428853
WHO CAN COMPARE Justin Jarvis \ Mary Kat Ehrenzeller | 2012 | CCLI Song #5682195
KING OF WORLDS Jeff Deyo \ Jonathan Lee | 2012 | CCLI Song #6372703
GOD BE PRAISED Alena Moore \ David Moore | 2010 | CCLI Song #5758328
GLORIOUS CHRIST Bob Kauflin | 2012 | CCLI Song #6271684
THE FEAST OF LIFE Evan Shelton | 2012 | CCLI Song #6152923
THAT WHERE I AM Rich Mullins | 1998 | CCLI Song #2587468
CALLED ME HIGHER Leslie Jordan | 2011 | CCLI Song #5887880
THAT’S WHY WE PRAISE HIM Tommy Walker | 1999 | CCLI Song #2668576
ONE WAY Joel Houston \ Jonathon Douglass | 2003 | CCLI Song #4222082
ALIVE AND RUNNING Brett Younker \ Kristian Stanfill \ Louie Giglio | 2009 | CCLI Song #5444395
This week’s worshipcurrent pick for Holy Communion/Eucharist
Found exclusively on worshipcurrent
Hymn Suggestions for the Day:
ALL THE WAY MY SAVIOR LEADS ME Fanny Jane Crosby \ Robert S. Lowry | Public Domain | CCLI Song #85093 | Hymnary
CHRIST IS MADE THE SURE FOUNDATION Henry Purcell \ John Mason Neale | Public Domain | CCLI Song #2448277 | Hymnary
BIND US TOGETHER Bob Gillman | 1976 Thankyou Music | CCLI Song #1228 | Hymnary
THOU ARE THE WAY George Washington Doane | Public Domain | CCLI Song #1813295 | Hymnary
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About W. Zachary Taylor
I love the communion song but am bothered that there isn’t a single person of color in that video.
That’s a good and valid observation, Suzanne. I love the song too, and (oddly enough) one of the reasons that I included it on the site is for cultural diversity…because it comes out of a church in Australia. Totally see your point, though. It would definitely be nice to have more diversity represented in the video. I do hope the song enhances your worship gatherings.
For reference, the video discussed can be found at