Sunday morning September 19

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

See How Great a Flame Aspires

Charles Wesley

See how great a flame aspires,

Kindled by a spark of grace.

Jesus’ love the nations fires,

Sets the kingdoms on a blaze:

To bring fire on earth he came;

Kindled in some hearts it is;

O that all might catch the flame,

All partake the glorious bliss!

When he first the work begun,

Small and feeble was his day:

Now the word doth swiftly run;

Now it wins its widening way:

More and more it spreads and grows,

Ever mighty to prevail;

Sin’s strongholds it now overthrows,

Shakes the trembling gates of hell.

Sons of God, your Savior praise,

who the door hath opened wide;

He hath given the word of grace,

Jesus’ word is glorified;

Jesus, mighty to redeem,

He alone the work hath wrought;

Worthy is the work of him,

Him who spake a world from naught.

Saw ye not the cloud arise,

Little as a human hand?

Now it spreads along the skies,

Hangs over all the thirsty land.

Lo! the promise of a shower

Drops already from above;

But the Lord will shortly pour

All the spirit of his love.

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 119:153-176

Refrain:

Lord, I long for your saving help!

Look at my suffering and deliver me

because I haven’t forgotten your Instruction.

Argue my case and redeem me.

Make me live again by your word.

Salvation is far from the wicked

because they haven’t pursued your statutes.

You have so much compassion, Lord—

make me live again, according to your rules.

My oppressors and enemies are many,

but I haven’t turned away from your laws.

I look on the faithless, and I am disgusted

because they haven’t kept your word.

Look at how much I love your precepts.

Make me live again, Lord, according to your faithful love!

The first thing to know about your word is that it is true

and that all your righteous rules last forever.

Rulers oppress me without cause,

but my heart honors what you’ve said.

I’m overjoyed at your word,

like someone who finds great treasure.

I hate, I absolutely despise, what is false,

but I’m in love with your Instruction.

I praise you seven times a day

for your righteous rules.

The people who love your Instruction enjoy peace—and lots of it.

There’s no stumbling for them!

Lord, I wait for your saving help.

I do what you’ve commanded.

I keep your laws;

I love them so much!

I keep your precepts and your laws

because all my ways are seen by you.

Let my cry reach you, Lord;

help me understand according to what you’ve said.

Let my request for grace come before you;

deliver me according to your promise!

Let my lips overflow with praise

because you’ve taught me your statutes.

Let my tongue declare your word,

because all your commandments are righteous.

Let your power help me

because I have chosen your precepts.

Lord, I long for your saving help!

Your Instruction is my joy!

Let me live again so I can praise you!

Let your rules help me!

I’ve wandered off like a sheep, lost.

Find your servant

because I haven’t forgotten

your commandments!

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:

Lord, I long for your saving help!

Psalm prayer

God of mercy, swift to help us,

as our lips pour forth your praise,

fill our hearts with the peace you give

to those who wait for your salvation

in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament reading
Isaiah 45:9-22

Doom to the one who argues with the potter,

as if he were just another clay pot!

Does the clay say to the potter, “What are you making?”

or “Your work has no handles”?

Doom to one who says to a father,

“What have you fathered?”

and to a woman,

“With what are you in labor?”

The Lord, the holy one of Israel and its maker, says:

Are you questioning me about my own children?

Are you telling me what to do with the work of my hands?

I myself made the earth,

and created humans upon it.

My own hands stretched out the heavens.

I commanded all their forces.

I have a right to awaken Cyrus;

I will smooth all his paths.

He will build my city

and set my exiles free,

not for a price and not for a bribe,

says the Lord of heavenly forces.

The Lord says:

Egypt will grow weary, Cush will be sold,

and the tall Sabeans will cross over to you.

They will be yours, and after you they will go.

In chains they will come;

to you they will bow down.

They will plead with you:

“Truly God is with you;

there’s no other, no other God.”

Surely you are a god who hides himself,

Israel’s God and savior.

They will all be shamed and disgraced;

the makers of idols will end up disgraced together.

Israel has been saved by the Lord of everlasting salvation.

You won’t be shamed,

and you won’t be disgraced forever and always.

For this is what the Lord said, who created the heavens,

who is God,

who formed the earth and made it,

who established it,

who didn’t create it a wasteland but formed it as a habitation:

I, the Lord, and none other!

I didn’t speak in secret

or in some land of darkness;

I didn’t say to the offspring of Jacob,

“Seek me in chaos.”

I am the Lord, the one who speaks truth,

who announces what is correct.

Gather and come,

draw near together,

fugitives of the nations!

Those who carry their wooden idols don’t know;

those who pray to a god who won’t save.

Announce! Approach! Confer together!

Who proclaimed this from the beginning, announced it from long ago?

Wasn’t it I, the Lord?

There’s no other God except me,

a righteous God and a savior;

there’s none besides me!

Turn to me and be saved,

all you ends of the earth,

for I am God, and there’s no other.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading
Revelation 14:1-5

Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion. With him were one hundred forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. I heard a sound from heaven that was like the sound of rushing water and loud thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. They sing a new song in front of the throne, the four living creatures, and the elders. And no one could learn the song except the one hundred forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. They weren’t defiled with women, for these people who follow the Lamb wherever he goes are virgins. They were purchased from among humankind as early produce for God and the Lamb. No lie came from their mouths; they are blameless.

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

Almighty God,

you have made us for yourself,

and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you:

pour your love into our hearts and draw us to yourself,

and so bring us at last to your heavenly city

where we shall see you face to face;

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.