Friday evening August 12
Saturday evening
Thursday evening
Preparation
Opening response
O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Lord God, creator of day and night:
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As darkness falls you renew your promise
to reveal among us the light of your presence.
By the light of Christ, your living Word,
dispel the darkness of our hearts
that we may walk as children of light
and sing your praise throughout the world.
Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God forever.
Hymn
Angels Your March Oppose
Charles Wesley
Angels your march oppose,
Who still in strength excel,
Your secret, sworn, eternal foes,
Countless, invisible.
With rage that never ends
Their hellish arts they try;
Legions of dire malicious fiends,
And spirits enthroned on high.
From thrones of glory driven
By flaming vengeance hurled
They throng the air, and darken heaven,
And rule this lower world.
But shall believers fear?
But shall believers fly?
Or see the bloody cross appear,
And all their power defy?
Jesus’ tremendous name
Puts all our foes to flight:
Jesus, the meek, the angry Lamb,
A Lion is in fight.
By all hell’s host withstood,
We all hell’s host overthrow;
And conquering them, through Jesus’ blood,
We still to conquer go.
Our Captain leads us on;
He beckons from the skies,
And reaches out a starry crown,
And bids us take the prize:
“Be faithful unto death;
Partake my victory;
And thou shalt wear this glorious wreath.
And thou shalt reign with me.”
Confession of sin
The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
very patient, and full of faithful love.
He doesn’t deal with us according to our sin
or repay us according to our wrongdoing.
Because as high as heaven is above the earth,
that’s how large God’s faithful love is for those who honor him.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Holy God,
Holy and strong,
Holy and immortal,
have mercy upon us.
As far as east is from west—
that’s how far God has removed our sin from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
that’s how the Lord feels compassion for those who honor him.
Let my whole being bless the Lord.
Let everything inside me bless his holy name.
Let my whole being bless the Lord,
and never forget all his good deeds.
The Word of God
Psalm 102
Refrain:
You, Lord, rule forever! Your fame lasts from one generation to the next!
Lord, hear my prayer!
Let my cry reach you!
Don’t hide your face from me
in my time of trouble!
Listen to me!
Answer me quickly as I cry out!
Because my days disappear like smoke,
my bones are burned up as if in an oven;
my heart is smashed like dried-up grass.
I even forget to eat my food
because of my intense groans.
My bones are protruding from my skin.
I’m like some wild owl—
like some screech owl in the desert.
I lie awake all night.
I’m all alone like a bird on a roof.
All day long my enemies make fun of me;
those who mock me curse using my name!
I’ve been eating ashes instead of bread.
I’ve been mixing tears into my drinks
because of your anger and wrath,
because you picked me up and threw me away.
My days are like a shadow soon gone.
I’m dried up like dead grass.
But you, Lord, rule forever!
Your fame lasts from one generation to the next!
You will stand up—
you’ll have compassion on Zion
because it is time to have mercy on her—
the time set for that has now come!
Your servants cherish Zion’s stones;
they show mercy even to her dirt.
The nations will honor the Lord’s name;
all the earth’s rulers will honor your glory
because the Lord will rebuild Zion;
he will be seen there in his glory.
God will turn to the prayer of the impoverished;
he won’t despise their prayers.
Let this be written down for the next generation
so that people not yet created will praise the Lord:
The Lord looked down from his holy summit,
surveyed the earth from heaven,
to hear the prisoners’ groans,
to set free those condemned to death,
that the Lord’s name may be declared in Zion
and his praise declared in Jerusalem,
when all people are gathered together—
all kingdoms—to serve the Lord.
God broke my strength in midstride,
cutting my days short.
I said, “My God, don’t take me away in the prime of life—
your years go on from one generation to the next!
You laid the earth’s foundations long ago;
the skies are your handiwork.
These things will pass away, but you will last.
All of these things will wear out like clothing;
you change them like clothes, and they pass on.
But you are the one!
Your years never end!
Let your servants’ children live safe;
let your servants’ descendants live secure in your presence.”
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and will be forever. Amen.
Refrain:
You, Lord, rule forever! Your fame lasts from one generation to the next!
Psalm prayer
Have pity on our frailty, God,
and in the hour of our death
cast us not away as clothing that is worn,
for you are our eternal refuge;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Old Testament reading
Proverbs 11:1-12
The Lord detests dishonest scales,
but delights in an accurate weight.
When pride comes, so does shame,
but wisdom brings humility.
Integrity guides the virtuous,
but dishonesty ruins the treacherous.
Riches don’t help in the day of wrath,
but righteousness rescues from death.
The righteousness of the innocent makes their path straight,
but the wicked fall in their wickedness.
Those who do right are saved by their righteousness,
but the untrustworthy are caught by their own desires.
When the wicked die, their hope perishes.
Yes, any hope based on money perishes.
The righteous are saved from distress,
and the wicked take their place.
The godless destroy their neighbors by their words,
but the righteous are saved by their knowledge.
When the righteous succeed, a city rejoices;
when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.
A city is honored by the blessing of the virtuous;
it is destroyed by the words of the wicked.
Whoever despises their neighbor lacks sense;
a sensible person keeps quiet.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Mark 6:14-29
Herod the king heard about these things, because the name of Jesus had become well-known. Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and this is why miraculous powers are at work through him.” Others were saying, “He is Elijah.” Still others were saying, “He is a prophet like one of the ancient prophets.” But when Herod heard these rumors, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised to life.”
He said this because Herod himself had arranged to have John arrested and put in prison because of Herodias, the wife of Herod’s brother Philip. Herod had married her, but John told Herod, “It’s against the law for you to marry your brother’s wife!” So Herodias had it in for John. She wanted to kill him, but she couldn’t. This was because Herod respected John. He regarded him as a righteous and holy person, so he protected him. John’s words greatly confused Herod, yet he enjoyed listening to him.
Finally, the time was right. It was on one of Herod’s birthdays, when he had prepared a feast for his high-ranking officials and military officers and Galilee’s leading residents. Herod’s daughter Herodias came in and danced, thrilling Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the young woman, “Ask me whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” Then he swore to her, “Whatever you ask I will give to you, even as much as half of my kingdom.”
She left the banquet hall and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?”
“John the Baptist’s head,” Herodias replied.
Hurrying back to the ruler, she made her request: “I want you to give me John the Baptist’s head on a plate, right this minute.” Although the king was upset, because of his solemn pledge and his guests, he didn’t want to refuse her. So he ordered a guard to bring John’s head. The guard went to the prison, cut off John’s head, brought his head on a plate, and gave it to the young woman, and she gave it to her mother. When John’s disciples heard what had happened, they came and took his dead body and laid it in a tomb.
Silence may be kept.
Gospel canticle
The Magnificat (The Song of Mary)
Refrain:
God, you have done great things and holy is your name.
With all my heart I glorify the Lord!
In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior.
He has looked with favor on the low status of his servant.
Look! From now on, everyone will consider me highly favored
because the mighty one has done great things for me.
Holy is his name.
He shows mercy to everyone,
from one generation to the next,
who honors him as God.
He has shown strength with his arm.
He has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.
He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones
and lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty-handed.
He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,
remembering his mercy,
just as he promised to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to Abraham’s descendants forever.
Luke 1:46-55
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and will be forever. Amen.
Refrain:
God, you have done great things and holy is your name.
Brief silence.
The Apostle’s Creed
Let us unite in this historic confession of the Christian faith:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe 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, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Prayers
Thanksgiving and intercession
Thanksgiving may be made for the day.
Intercessions are offered
for peace
for individuals and their needs
Response
Lord, hear your people
and answer our prayers.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
God, you declare your almighty power
most chiefly in showing mercy and pity:
mercifully grant to us such a measure of your grace,
that we, running the way of your commandments,
may receive your gracious promises,
and be made partakers of your heavenly treasure;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
As our Savior taught us, so we pray
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and forever.
Amen.
Conclusion
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all evermore.
Amen.