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In Praise of ourKing, Jesus Christ,
for his gift to usthrough the life and work of his servant Daniel
Daniel:Ambassadors forChrist
© K.E. Stegall 2006
 
Readers:NarratorNarrator-2Narrator-3The Prophet DanielThe King of BabylonThe Apostle JohnLeaderPeopleAliens & StrangersNarrator:
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came toJerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord deliveredJehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along withsome of the articles from the temple of God. These hecarried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god.(Daniel 1:1-2)
Sing Psalm 137- stanzas 1,3,5.
(Red – 
 Psalms for Singing 
)
Narrator:
Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelitesfrom the royal family and the nobility- young menwithout any physical defect, handsome, showingaptitude for every kind of learning, well informed,quick to understand, and qualified to serve in theking's palace. He was to teach them the language andliterature of the Babylonians. The king assignedthem a daily amount of food and wine from the king'stable. They were to be trained for three years, andafter that they were to enter the king's service.Among these were some from Judah: Daniel,Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. ... (Daniel 1:3-6)
Sing Psalm 119Q- 2.Narrator:
But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.
Sing Psalm 119B- 1, 4.Leader:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers,
People:
in view of God's mercy,to offer 
our 
bodies as living sacrifices,holy and pleasing to God--this is
our 
spiritual act of worship.
Leader:
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,
People:
but be transformed by the renewing of 
our 
mind
 s
.Then
we
will be able to test and approvewhat God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2)
Sing Psalm 40E- 3,4.Narrator:
To these four young men God gaveknowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understandvisions and dreams of all kinds.At the end of the time set by the king to bring themin, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and hefound none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael andAzariah; so they entered the king's service. In everymatter of wisdom and understanding about which theking questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his wholekingdom. (Daniel 1:17-20)
Leader:
...they admitted thatthey were aliens and strangers on earth.
People:
 
We
 
are
aliens and stranger on earth.
Leader:
People who say such thingsshow that they are looking for a country of their own.... a better country--a heavenly one.
People:
 
We
are looking for a better country–a heavenly one.
Leader:
Therefore God is not ashamedto be called their God,for he has prepared a city for them.(Hebrews 11:13-16)
People:
 
God has prepared a city for us.
Sing Psalm 48B- 6,7.Leader:
But our citizenship is in heaven.
People:
Our citizenship is in heaven.And we eagerly await a Savior from there,the Lord Jesus Christ,
Leader:
who, by the power that enables himto bring everything under his control,
 
People:
will transform our lowly bodiesso that they will be like his glorious body.(Philippians 3:20-21)
Leader:
We are therefore Christ's ambassadors
People:
All this is from God,who reconciled us to himself through Christand gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
Leader:
that God was reconciling the worldto himself in Christ,not counting men's sins against them.
People:
We are therefore Christ's ambassadors,as though God were making his appeal through us.
Leader:
We implore you on Christ's behalf:
People:
Be reconciled to God.
Leader:
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us,
People:
so that in him we might becomethe righteousness of God. (II Corinthians 5:18-21)
Sing Psalm 45A- 1,2,4,5.
**********
Christ, Our Rock Narrator:
In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubledand he could not sleep. During the night the mysterywas revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said: (Daniel2:1,19,20)
The Prophet Daniel:
"In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never bedestroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It willcrush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaningof the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, butnot by human hands -a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces."The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and theinterpretation is trustworthy." (Daniel 2:44-48)
Leader:
As you come to him,
People:
the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by Godand precious to him--
Leader:
you also,like living stones,are being built into a spiritual houseto be a holy priesthood,offering spiritual sacrificesacceptable to God through Jesus Christ.For in Scripture it says: 
People:
"See, I lay a stone in Zion,a chosen and precious cornerstone,and the one who trusts in himwill never be put to shame."
Leader:
Now to you who believe,
People:
this stone is precious.
Leader:
But to those who do not believe,"The stone the builders rejectedhas become the capstone, "and,"A stone that causes men to stumbleand a rock that makes them fall."...But you are a chosen people,
People:
 
We
are a chosen people,a royal priesthood,a holy nation,a people belonging to God,
Leader:
that you may declare the praises of himwho called you out of darknessinto his wonderful light.
People:
Once
we
were not a people, but now
we
are the people of God;once
we
had not received mercy, but now
we
have received mercy.
Leader:
Dear friends, I urge you,as aliens and strangers in the world,to abstain from sinful desires,which war against your soul.Live such good lives among the pagans that,though they accuse you of doing wrong,they may see your good deedsand glorify God on the day he visits us.(I Peter 2:4-12)
Sing Psalm 37E- 18,21.
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javelinman

Wow! The whole book of Daniel is interwoven with its scriptural web here! How many sessions (Sundays) do you envision this being read over?

reply10 / 31 / 2009
rkstegall

I believe the version printed here will take about 1 hour for a congregation to do. The class on the study of the book of Daniel was a 13 week Sunday School class with this worship of Scripture & Song the final week.

10 / 31 / 2009
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