Sunday morning October 31

Monday morning
Saturday morning

Preparation

Opening response

Lord, open our lips

and our mouth will proclaim your praise.

All your faithful ones bless you.

They speak of the glory of your kingdom.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Sovereign God,

ruler and judge of all,

to you be praise and glory forever.

In the darkness of this age that is passing away

may the light of your presence which the saints enjoy

surround our steps as we journey on.

May we reflect your glory this day

and so be made ready to see your face

in the heavenly city where night shall be no more.

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

Come, Thou Omniscient Son of Man

Charles Wesley

Come, thou omniscient Son of man,

Display thy sifting power;

Come with thy Spirit's winnowing fan,

And throughly purge thy floor.

The chaff of sin, the accursed thing,

Far from our souls be driven!

The wheat into thy garner bring,

And lay us up for heaven.

Look through us with thine eyes of flame,

The clouds and darkness chase;

And tell me what by sin I am,

And what I am by grace.

Whatever offends thy glorious eyes,

Far from our hearts remove;

As dust before the whirlwind flies,

Disperse it by thy love.

Then let us all thy fullness know,

From every sin set free;

Saved, to the utmost saved below,

And perfected by thee

Confession of sin

Let us admit to God the sin which always confronts us.

A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.

Almighty God,

patient and of great goodness:

I confess to you,

I confess with my whole heart

my neglect and forgetfulness of your commandments,

my wrong doing, thinking, and speaking;

the hurts I have done to others,

and the good I have left undone.

O God, forgive me, for I have sinned against you;

and raise me to newness of life;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

May the God of love and power

forgive us and free us from our sins,

heal and strengthen us by his Spirit,

and raise us to new life in Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The Word of God

Psalm 112

Refrain:

The righteous will be remembered forever!

Praise the Lord!

Those who honor the Lord,

who adore God’s commandments, are truly happy!

Their descendants will be strong throughout the land.

The offspring of those who do right will be blessed;

wealth and riches will be in their houses.

Their righteousness stands forever.

They shine in the dark for others who do right.

They are merciful, compassionate, and righteous.

Those who lend generously are good people—

as are those who conduct their affairs with justice.

Yes, these sorts of people will never be shaken;

the righteous will be remembered forever!

They won’t be frightened at bad news.

Their hearts are steady, trusting in the Lord.

Their hearts are firm; they aren’t afraid.

In the end, they will witness their enemies’ defeat.

They give freely to those in need.

Their righteousness stands forever.

Their strength increases gloriously.

The wicked see all this and fume;

they grind their teeth, but disappear to nothing.

What the wicked want to see happen comes to nothing!

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:

The righteous will be remembered forever!

Psalm prayer

Generous God,

save us from the meanness

that calculates its interest and hoards its earthly gain;

as we have freely received,

so may we freely give;

in the grace of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 149

Refrain:

Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth!

How lovely is your dwelling place,

Lord of heavenly forces!

My very being longs, even yearns,

for the Lord’s courtyards.

My heart and my body

will rejoice out loud to the living God!

Yes, the sparrow too has found a home there;

the swallow has found herself a nest

where she can lay her young beside your altars,

Lord of heavenly forces, my king, my God!

Those who live in your house are truly happy;

they praise you constantly.

Those who put their strength in you are truly happy;

pilgrimage is in their hearts.

As they pass through the Baca Valley,

they make it a spring of water.

Yes, the early rain covers it with blessings.

They go from strength to strength,

until they see the supreme God in Zion.

Lord God of heavenly forces,

hear my prayer;

listen closely, Jacob’s God!

Look at our shield, God;

pay close attention to the face of your anointed one!

Better is a single day in your courtyards

than a thousand days anywhere else!

I would prefer to stand outside the entrance of my God’s house

than live comfortably in the tents of the wicked!

The Lord is a sun and shield;

God is favor and glory.

The Lord gives—doesn’t withhold!—good things

to those who walk with integrity.

Lord of heavenly forces,

those who trust in you are truly happy!

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:

Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth!

Psalm prayer

Glorious and redeeming God,

give us hearts to praise you all our days

and wills to reject the world’s deceits,

that we may bind the evils of our age

and proclaim the good news of salvation

in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament reading
Jeremiah 31:31-34

The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. It won’t be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant with me even though I was their husband, declares the Lord. No, this is the covenant that I will make with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my Instructions within them and engrave them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. They will no longer need to teach each other to say, “Know the Lord!” because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord; for I will forgive their wrongdoing and never again remember their sins.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading
1 John 3:1-3

See what kind of love the Father has given to us in that we should be called God’s children, and that is what we are! Because the world didn’t recognize him, it doesn’t recognize us.

Dear friends, now we are God’s children, and it hasn’t yet appeared what we will be. We know that when he appears we will be like him because we’ll see him as he is. And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure.

Silence may be kept.

Gospel canticle
The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)

Refrain:

You have shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and remembered your holy covenant.

Bless the Lord God of Israel

because he has come to help and has delivered his people.

He has raised up a mighty savior for us in his servant David’s house,

just as he said through the mouths of his holy prophets long ago.

He has brought salvation from our enemies

and from the power of all those who hate us.

He has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,

and remembered his holy covenant,

the solemn pledge he made to our ancestor Abraham.

He has granted that we would be rescued

from the power of our enemies

so that we could serve him without fear,

in holiness and righteousness in God’s eyes,

for as long as we live.

You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.

You will tell his people how to be saved

through the forgiveness of their sins.

Because of our God’s deep compassion,

the dawn from heaven will break upon us,

to give light to those who are sitting in darkness

and in the shadow of death,

to guide us on the path of peace.”

Luke 1:68-79

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 have shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and remembered your holy covenant.

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

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:

The saints on earth, that they may live as citizens of heaven

All people, that they may hear and believe the word of God

All who fear the winter months

All sovereigns and political leaders, that they may imitate the righteous rule of Christ

All who grieve or wait with the dying

Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.

Response

Loving God, we look to you.

Receive our prayer.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

Eternal God, our maker and redeemer,

grant us, with all the faithful departed,

the sure benefits of your Son's saving passion

and glorious resurrection

that, in the last day,

when you gather up all things in Christ,

we may with them enjoy the fullness of your promises;

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

Uniting our prayers with the whole company of heaven, 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

May Christ, who has opened the kingdom of heaven, bring us to reign with him in glory.

Amen.