“Zion Signal” – a call to the faithful wherever they are scattered.
Order of Worship
“Let all things be done decently and in order.”
– 1 Corinthians 14:40
Welcome & Call to Worship
Psalm 24
A psalm of David.
1
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.
The world and all its people belong to him.
2
For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas
and built it on the ocean depths.
3
Who may climb the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4
Only those whose hands and hearts are pure,
who do not worship idols
and never tell lies.
5
They will receive the Lord’s blessing
and have a right relationship with God their savior.
6
Such people may seek you
and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob.[a] Interlude
7
Open up, ancient gates!
Open up, ancient doors,
and let the King of glory enter.
8
Who is the King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty;
the Lord, invincible in battle.
9
Open up, ancient gates!
Open up, ancient doors,
and let the King of glory enter.
10
Who is the King of glory?
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies—
he is the King of glory. Interlude
Scripture Reading
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Numbers 31:1-12
Conquest of the Midianites
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “On behalf of the people of Israel, take revenge on the Midianites for leading them into idolatry. After that, you will die and join your ancestors.”
3 So Moses said to the people, “Choose some men, and arm them to fight the Lord’s war of revenge against Midian. 4 From each tribe of Israel, send 1,000 men into battle.” 5 So they chose 1,000 men from each tribe of Israel, a total of 12,000 men armed for battle. 6 Then Moses sent them out, 1,000 men from each tribe, and Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest led them into battle. They carried along the holy objects of the sanctuary and the trumpets for sounding the charge. 7 They attacked Midian as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they killed all the men. 8 All five of the Midianite kings—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—died in the battle. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.
9 Then the Israelite army captured the Midianite women and children and seized their cattle and flocks and all their wealth as plunder. 10 They burned all the towns and villages where the Midianites had lived. 11 After they had gathered the plunder and captives, both people and animals, 12 they brought them all to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and to the whole community of Israel, which was camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho.
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John 2:13-25
Jesus Clears the Temple
13 It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. 14 In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. 15 Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. 16 Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”
Prayer of the People
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Prayer of the People ~
Responsive prayer and intercession for our community, nation, and world.
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried.
The third day He rose from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Church Universal,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.Amen.
Benediction
May the God who overturned tables
overturn every counterfeit throne in your heart.
May holy zeal guard your worship,
and may your life become a sanctuary—
not of profit, but of praise.
Go now with the trumpets of holiness in your hands
and the Temple of the Living God in your very being.
Amen.
Prayer Works
Submit Prayer Request for this who are sick, shut in or simply in need of prayer.
Preamble: When Holiness Asserts Its Rights
Coins clinked on stone floors, animals jostled under the pull of merchants’ ropes, and the Temple—meant to be a house of prayer—buzzed with barter. Then came the Servant King, whip in hand, heart ablaze for His Father’s house. Coins flew, tables tumbled, zeal roared like lions through holy courts.
Far off on Midian’s plains, Phinehas lifted trumpets over swords, bearing the sacred articles of a covenant people who would not share their inheritance with seduction or idolatry.
In both scenes, holiness laid claim to its rightful ground. Tables overturned, cities burned, so that something purer might stand in their place.
Yet the truest Temple was not of wood or stone—it was the Servant King’s own body, destined to be torn down and raised up again. And now we are called to be living sanctuaries, where zeal is yoked with compassion, and holiness is more than rules—it’s a resting place for the Almighty Himself.