Sunday morning September 12

Monday morning
Saturday morning

Preparation

Opening response

Lord, open our lips

and our mouth will 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

Come, Holy Ghost, All Quickening Fire

Charles Wesley

Come, Holy Ghost, all quickening fire!

My consecrated heart inspire,

Sprinkled with the atoning blood;

Still to my soul thyself reveal,

Thy mighty working may I feel,

And know that I am one with God.

Thy witness with my spirit bear,

That God, my God, inhabits there;

Thou, with the Father, and the Son,

Eternal light’s coeval beam;

Be Christ in me, and I in him,

Till perfect we are made in one.

Let earth no more my heart divide,

With Christ may I be crucified,

To thee with my whole soul aspire;

Dead to the world and all its toys,

Its idle pomp, and fading joys,

Be thou alone my one desire!

My will be swallowed up in thee;

Light in thy light still may I see,

Beholding thee with open face;

Called the full power of faith to prove,

Let all my hallowed heart be love,

And all my spotless life be praise.

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 119:105-128

Refrain:

Sustain me according to your word so I can live!

Your word is a lamp before my feet

and a light for my journey.

I have sworn, and I fully mean it:

I will keep your righteous rules.

I have been suffering so much—

Lord, make me live again according to your promise.

Please, Lord, accept my spontaneous gifts of praise.

Teach me your rules!

Though my life is constantly in danger,

I won’t forget your Instruction.

Though the wicked have set a trap for me,

I won’t stray from your precepts.

Your laws are my possession forever

because they are my heart’s joy.

I have decided to keep your statutes forever, every last one.

I hate fickle people,

but I love your Instruction.

You are my shelter and my shield—

I wait for your promise.

Get away from me, you evildoers;

I want to guard my God’s commandments!

Sustain me according to your word so I can live!

Don’t let me be put to shame because of hope.

Support me so I can be saved

and so I can focus constantly on your statutes.

You discard everyone who strays from your statutes

because they are dishonest and false.

You dispose of all the wicked people on earth like waste—

that’s why I love your laws.

My body shudders because I fear you;

I’m in awe of your rules.

I’ve done what is just and right.

Don’t just hand me over to my oppressors.

Guarantee good things for your servant.

Please don’t let the arrogant oppress me.

My eyes are worn out looking for your saving help—

looking for your word that will set things right.

Act toward your servant according to your faithful love.

Teach me your statutes!

I’m your servant!

Help me understand so I can know your laws.

It is time for the Lord to do something!

Your Instruction has been broken.

But I love your commandments

more than gold, even more than pure gold.

That’s why I walk straight by every single one of your precepts.

That’s why I hate every false path.

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:

Sustain me according to your word so I can live!

Psalm prayer

God, save us from ourselves,

from double standards

and divided hearts,

and give us light and life

in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament reading
Isaiah 44:24-45:8

The Lord your redeemer

who formed you in the womb says:

I am the Lord, the maker of all,

who alone stretched out the heavens,

who spread out the earth by myself,

who frustrates the omens of diviners

and makes a mockery of magicians,

who turns back the wise

and turns their knowledge into folly.

But who confirms the word of my servant,

and fulfills the predictions of my messengers;

who says about Jerusalem, “It will be resettled”;

and who says about the cities of Judah, “They will be rebuilt,

and I will restore their ruins”;

who says to the ocean depths,

“Dry up; I will dry your streams”;

who says about Cyrus, “My shepherd—

he will do all that I want”;

who says about Jerusalem,

“She will be rebuilt”;

and who says about the temple,

“You will be founded once again.”

The Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus,

whom I have grasped by the strong hand,

to conquer nations before him,

disarming kings,

and opening doors before him,

so no gates will be shut:

I myself will go before you,

and I will level mountains.

I will shatter bronze doors;

I will cut through iron bars.

I will give you hidden treasures of secret riches,

so you will know that I am the Lord,

the God of Israel, who calls you by name.

For the sake of my servant Jacob and Israel my chosen,

I called you by name.

I gave you an honored title,

though you didn’t know me.

I am the Lord, and there is no other;

besides me there is no God.

I strengthen you—

though you don’t know me—

so all will know, from the rising of the sun to its setting,

that there is nothing apart from me.

I am the Lord; there’s no other.

I form light and create darkness,

make prosperity and create doom;

I am the Lord, who does all these things.

Pour down, you heavens above,

and let the clouds flow with righteousness.

Let the earth open for salvation to bear fruit;

let righteousness sprout as well.

I, the Lord, have created these things.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading
Revelation 12:1-12

Then a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant, and she cried out because she was in labor, in pain from giving birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: it was a great fiery red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads. His tail swept down a third of heaven’s stars and threw them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth so that when she gave birth, he might devour her child. She gave birth to a son, a male child who is to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was snatched up to God and his throne. Then the woman fled into the desert, where God has prepared a place for her. There she will be taken care of for one thousand two hundred sixty days.

Then there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but they did not prevail, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. So the great dragon was thrown down. The old snake, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world, was thrown down to the earth; and his angels were thrown down with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say,

“Now the salvation and power and kingdom of our God,

and the authority of his Christ have come.

The accuser of our brothers and sisters,

who accuses them day and night before our God,

has been thrown down.

They gained the victory over him on account of the blood of the Lamb

and the word of their witness.

Love for their own lives didn’t make them afraid to die.

Therefore, rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them.

But oh! The horror for the earth and sea!

The devil has come down to you with great rage,

for he knows that he only has a short time.”

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 universal church

Bishops, superintendents and all who lead the church

The leaders of the nations

The natural world and the resources of the earth

All who are in any kind of need

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

O Lord, we beseech you mercifully to hear the prayers

of your people who call upon you;

and grant that they may both perceive and know

what things they ought to do,

and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfill them;

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 Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil, and keep us in eternal life.

Amen.