This Week's Prayer Theme:
15th.
July 2018
Children’s'
lives should be happy and carefree, but this is not always the case.
Please
pray;
-
thanking God, for families where children are safe and well cared for.
- for
children to be kept safe from abuse, crime, trafficking, bad influences and all
kinds of harm.
- for
sound moral teaching and loving care, to give children a good direction in
life.
Jesus
said; " Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for
the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these".
Mark 10;
14b.
This Week's Readings:
Praise for Spiritual Blessings
in Christ
3Praise
be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the
heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
4For
he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in
his sight. In love
5heb
predestined us for adoption to sonshipc through Jesus
Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will
6to
the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he
loves.
7In
him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in
accordance with the riches of God’s grace
8that
he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,
9hed made known to us
the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in
Christ,
10to
be put into effect when the times reach their fulfilment to bring unity to all
things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
11In
him we were also chosen,e
having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything
in conformity with the purpose of his will,
12in
order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the
praise of his glory.
13And
you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the
gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a
seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
14who
is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are
God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
Mark 6:14-29 (NIV)
John the Baptist Beheaded
14King
Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were
saying,b
“John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous
powers are at work in him.”
15Others
said, “He is Elijah.” And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of
the prophets of long ago.”
16But
when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the
dead!”
17For
Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and
put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom
he had married.
18For
John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s
wife.”
19So
Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not
able to,
20because
Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy
man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzledc
; yet he liked to listen to him.
21Finally
the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high
officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.
22When
the daughter ofd
Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king
said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.”
23And
he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my
kingdom.”
24She
went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?”
“The head of John the Baptist,” she answered.
25At
once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me
right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”
26The
king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he
did not want to refuse her.
27So
he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man
went, beheaded John in the prison,
28and
brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave
it to her mother.
29On
hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
Prayers & Prayer Requests:
At the church we regularly pray for the needs of our local
community and its people, as well as the needs of the wider world. If
you have any particular prayer requests, please contact us. These requests will
be handled confidentially.