The Desert Shall Bloom
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed:
and the majesty of our God.
Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened:
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
then shall the lame leap like the hart:
and the tongue of the dumb shall sing for joy.
Amen.
Old Testament Reading - Jeremiah’s suffering
1But when Shephatiah (son of Mattan) and Gedaliah (son of Pashhur) and Jucal (son of Shelemiah) and Pashhur (son of Malchiah) heard what Jeremiah had been telling the people — 2that everyone remaining in Jerusalem would die by sword, starvation, or disease, but anyone surrendering to the Babylonians would live, 3 and that the city of Jerusalem would surely be captured by the king of Babylon — 4they went to the king and said: “Sir, this fellow must die. That kind of talk will undermine the morale of the few soldiers we have left, and of all the people too. This man is a traitor.”
5So King Zedekiah agreed. “All right,” he said. “Do as you like — I can’t stop you.”
6They took Jeremiah from his cell and lowered him by ropes into an empty cistern in the prison yard. (It belonged to Malchiah, a member of the royal family.) There was no water in it, but there was a thick layer of mire at the bottom, and Jeremiah sank down into it.
. . . . .Jeremiah 38:1-6Intercession
Please remember our Prayer Requests
O God, be merciful to us and bless us;
show us the light of your countenance and come to us.
Lord, have mercy. E te Ariki, kia aroha mai.
Let your ways be known upon earth,
your saving help among the nations.
Christ, have mercy. E te Karaiti, kia aroha mai.
Let the peoples praise you,
O God, let all the peoples praise you.
Lord, have mercy. E te Ariki, kia aroha mai.
Amen.