Thursday morning October 2
Friday morning
Wednesday morning
Opening response
Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Sovereign God, creator of all,
to you be glory and praise forever.
You founded the earth in the beginning
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
In the fullness of time you made us in your image,
and in these last days you have spoken to us
in your Son Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.
As we rejoice in the gift of your presence among us
let the light of your love always shine in our hearts,
your Spirit ever renew our lives
and your praises ever be on our lips.
Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God forever.
The night has passed, and the day lies open before us;
let us pray with one heart and mind.
Silence is kept.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and forever.
Amen.
Hymn
Soldiers of Christ Arise
Music by The Hymnodist: Spotify, Apple, Amazon, iHeart, YouTube Music, Pandora, Boomplay, Deezer
Lyrics by Charles Wesley
Chorus
Soldiers of Christ, arise, and put your armor on
Strong in the strength which God supplies through His eternal Son
Strong in the Lord of hosts, and in His mighty power
Who in the strength of Jesus trusts, is more than conqueror
Verse 1
Stand then in His great might, with all His strength endued
But take, to arm you for the fight, the panoply of God
That, having all things done, and all your conflicts passed
Ye may overcome through Christ alone, and stand entire at last
Chorus
Verse 2
Stand then against your foes, in close and firm array
Legions of wily fiends oppose, throughout the evil day
But meet the sons of night, and mock their vain design
Armed in the arms of heavenly light, of righteousness divine
Chorus
Verse 3
Pray without ceasing, pray, your Captain gives the word
His summons cheerfully obey, and call upon the Lord
To God your every want, in instant prayer display
Pray always, pray and never faint, pray, without ceasing, pray
Chorus
Verse 4
From strength to strength go on, wrestle and fight and pray
Tread all the powers of darkness down, and win the well-fought day
Still let the Spirit cry in all His soldiers, "Come"
Till Christ the Lord descends from high and takes the conquerors home
Chorus (2x)
Confession of sin
When we cry out to the LORD in our trouble,
he will bring us out of our distress.
God will bring us out of darkness
and out of the shadow of death.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.
May the Father forgive us
by the death of his Son
and strengthen us
to live in the power of the Spirit
all our days.
Amen.
Let us give thanks to the LORD for his loving devotion,
and his wonders to the sons of men.
Let us offer sacrifices of thanksgiving
and declare Godโs works with rejoicing.
cf Psalm 107
Psalm 37
๐: The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD.
Do not fret over those who do evil;
do not envy those who do wrong.
For they wither quickly like grass
and wilt like tender plants.
Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the LORD,
and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in Him, and He will do it.
He will bring forth your righteousness like the dawn,
your justice like the noonday sun.
๐: The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD.
Be still before the LORD
and wait patiently for Him;
do not fret when men prosper in their ways,
when they carry out wicked schemes.
Refrain from anger and abandon wrath;
do not fretโit can only bring harm.
For the evildoers will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
But the meek will inherit the land
and delight in abundant prosperity.
๐: The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD.
The wicked scheme against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them,
but the Lord laughs,
seeing that their day is coming.
The wicked have drawn the sword
and bent the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
Better is the little of the righteous
than the abundance of many who are wicked.
For the arms of the wicked will be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.
๐: The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD.
The LORD knows the days of the blameless,
and their inheritance will last forever.
In the time of evil they will not be ashamed,
and in the days of famine they will be satisfied.
But the wicked and enemies of the LORD
will perish like the glory of the fields.
They will vanish;
like smoke they will fade away.
The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous are gracious and giving.
Surely those He blesses will inherit the land,
but the cursed will be destroyed.
๐: The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD.
The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD
who takes delight in his journey.
Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed,
for the LORD is holding his hand.
I once was young and now am old,
yet never have I seen the righteous abandoned
or their children begging for bread.
They are ever generous and quick to lend,
and their children are a blessing.
๐: The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD.
Turn away from evil and do good,
so that you will abide forever.
For the LORD loves justice
and will not forsake His saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off.
The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever.
๐: The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD.
The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
The law of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not falter.
Though the wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
and seek to slay them,
the LORD will not leave them in their power
or let them be condemned under judgment.
๐: The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD.
Wait for the LORD and keep His way,
and He will raise you up to inherit the land.
When the wicked are cut off,
you will see it.
I have seen a wicked, ruthless man
flourishing like a well-rooted native tree,
yet he passed away and was no more;
though I searched, he could not be found.
Consider the blameless and observe the upright,
for posterity awaits the man of peace.
๐: The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD.
But the transgressors will all be destroyed;
the future of the wicked will be cut off.
The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;
He is their stronghold in time of trouble.
The LORD helps and delivers them;
He rescues and saves them from the wicked,
because they take refuge in Him.
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.
๐: The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD.
Psalm prayer
Blessed and holy God,
ever merciful and forgiving,
may we turn from what is evil
and do what is good in your sight,
for you have saved us by the cross of your Son,
our Savior Jesus Christ.
Old Testament reading
1 Chronicles 29:10-20
Then David blessed the LORD in the sight of all the assembly and said:
โMay You be blessed, O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in heaven and on earth belongs to You.
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler over all. In Your hands are power and might to exalt and give strength to all.
Now therefore, our God, we give You thanks, and we praise Your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from You, and from Your own hand we have given to You. For we are foreigners and strangers in Your presence, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.
O LORD our God, from Your hand comes all this abundance that we have provided to build You a house for Your holy Name, and all of it belongs to You. I know, my God, that You test the heart and delight in uprightness. All these things I have given willingly and with an upright heart, and now I have seen Your people who are present here giving joyfully and willingly to You.
O LORD, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, keep this desire forever in the intentions of the hearts of Your people, and direct their hearts toward You. And give my son Solomon a whole heart to keep and carry out all Your commandments, decrees, and statutes, and to build Your palace for which I have made provision.โ
Then David said to the whole assembly, โBlessed be the LORD your God.โ
So the whole assembly blessed the LORD, the God of their fathers. They bowed down and paid homage to the LORD and to the king.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Mark 12:1-12
Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables: โA man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a wine vat, and built a watchtower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.
At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But they seized the servant, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.
Then he sent them another servant, and they struck him over the head and treated him shamefully.
He sent still another, and this one they killed.
He sent many others; some they beat and others they killed.
Finally, having one beloved son, he sent him to them. โThey will respect my son,โ he said.
But the tenants said to one another, โThis is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.โ So they seized the son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants, and will give the vineyard to others. Have you never read this Scripture:
โThe stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
This is from the Lord,
and it is marvelous in our eyesโ?โ
At this, the leaders sought to arrest Jesus, for they knew that He had spoken this parable against them. But fearing the crowd, they left Him and went away.
Silence may be kept.
The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)
Luke 1:68-79
๐: You have raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of your servant David.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
because He has visited and redeemed His people.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of His servant David,
as He spoke through His holy prophets,
those of ages past,
salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us,
to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember His holy covenant,
the oath He swore to our father Abraham,
to grant us deliverance from hostile hands,
that we may serve Him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before Him
all the days of our lives.
And you, child, will be called
a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord
to prepare the way for Him,
to give to His people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the Dawn will visit us from on high,
to shine on those who live in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet
into the path of peace.
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.
๐: You have raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of your servant David.
Brief silence.
The Apostleโs 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.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He 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,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He 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.
Intercession and thanksgiving
Prayers may be offered for:
the day and its tasks
the world and its needs
the church and her life
Prayers may include the following concerns:
Local government, community leaders
All who provide local services
Those who work with young or elderly people
Schools, colleges, and universities
Emergency and rescue organizations
Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.
Response
In faith we pray
We pray to you, our God.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
God, who in generous mercy sent the Holy Spirit
upon your church in the burning fire of your love:
grant that your people may be fervent
in the fellowship of the gospel
that, always abiding in you,
they may be found steadfast in faith and active in service;
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 Lordโs Prayer
As our Savior taught us, so we pray
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever. Amen.
Conclusion
The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil, and keep us in eternal life.
Amen.