Opening Song: Thy Mercy, My God by John Stocker and Sandra McCrackenLyrics:Thy mercy my God is the theme of my songThe joy of my heart and the boast of my tongueThy free grace alone from the first to the lastHath won my affections and bound my soul fastWithout Thy sweet mercy I could not live hereSin would reduce me to utter despairBut through Thy free goodness my spirits reviveAnd He that first made me still keeps me aliveThy mercy is more than a match for my heartWhich wonders to feel its own hardness departDissolved by Thy goodness I fall to the groundAnd weep for the praise of the mercy I foundHalleluiah (halleluiah halleluiah)Great Father of mercies Thy goodness I ownAnd the covenant love of Thy crucified SonAll praise to the Spirit whose whisper divineSeals mercy and pardon and righteousness mineAll praise to the Spirit whose whisper divineSeals mercy and pardon and righteousness minePassage: 20 Then the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.”22 So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” 26 And the LORD said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”27 Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” 30 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” 31 He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” 32 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” 33 And the LORD went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.(Genesis Musical Reflection: Bless the Lord, My Soul by Jacques BerthierReflection Notes: A contribution to the Taizé tradition, this tune by Berthier provides a reverent foundation for the text: “Bless the Lord, my soul, and bless God’s holy name. Bless the Lord, my soul, who leads me into life.” Prayer: Father, what we know not, teach us; what we have not, give us; what we are not, make us; for the sake of your Son our Savior. Amen. -Old Anglican Prayer