Shane Raynor 12/13/25 Shane Raynor 12/13/25

Sat. evening Dec. 13

Opening response

Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
Make haste to help me, O LORD!

Reveal among us the light of your presence
that we may behold your power and glory.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Sovereign God, creator of light and darkness, to you be glory and praise forever. As evening falls, you renew your promise to reveal among us the light of your presence. May your word be a lantern to our feet and a light upon our path that we may behold your coming among us. Strengthen us in our stumbling weakness and free our tongues to sing your praise.

Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God forever.

That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful, let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept.

As our evening prayer rises before you, O God, so may your mercy come down upon us to cleanse our hearts and set us free to sing your praise 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

The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in mercy.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
nor recompensed us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his mercy toward those who fear Him.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Holy God,
Holy and strong,
Holy and immortal,
have mercy upon us.

As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

As a father pities his children,
so the LORD pities those who fear Him.

Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all that is within me, bless His holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all His benefits.

Psalm 93

𝙍: The LORD will reign forever and ever.

The LORD reigns; He is clothed with majesty;
the LORD is clothed; He has girded Himself with strength.
Indeed, the world is established;
it shall not be moved.
Your throne is established from of old;
You are from everlasting.

𝙍: The LORD will reign forever and ever.

The floods have lifted up, O LORD,
the floods have lifted up their voice;
the floods lift up their roaring waves.
The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters,
than the mighty waves of the sea.

Your statutes are very sure;
holiness befits Your house,
O LORD, forever.

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.

𝙍: The LORD will reign forever and ever.

Psalm prayer

Christ our King, you put on the apparel of our nature and raised us to your glory; reign from your royal throne above the chaos of this world, that all may see the victory you have won and trust in your salvation; for your glory’s sake.

Psalm 94

𝙍: Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments.

O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongs—
O God to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth!
Rise up, O Judge of the earth;
render to the proud what they deserve.
O LORD, how long shall the wicked,
how long shall the wicked triumph?

They spew forth their arrogant words;
all the workers of iniquity boast.

𝙍: Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments.

They break in pieces Your people, O LORD,
and afflict Your heritage.
They kill the widow and the sojourner,
and murder the fatherless.
Yet they say, “The LORD does not see,
nor does the God of Jacob perceive.”

𝙍: Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments.

Understand, you brutish among the people!
Fools, when will you be wise?
He who planted the ear, shall He not hear?
He who formed the eye, shall He not see?
He who disciplines the nations, shall He not correct?
He teaches man knowledge!
The LORD knows the thoughts of man,
that they are futile.

𝙍: Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments.

Blessed is the man whom You discipline, O LORD,
and teach from Your law,
so that You may give him rest from the days of adversity,
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
For the LORD will not abandon His people,
nor will He abandon His heritage.
But justice will return to the righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.

𝙍: Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments.

Who will rise up for me against the evildoers?
Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
Unless the LORD had been my help,
my soul would soon have dwelt in the land of silence.
If I should say, “My foot has slipped,”
Your mercy, O LORD, will hold me up.
In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
Your comforts delight my soul.

𝙍: Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments.

Shall a throne of iniquity which devises mischief by decree,
have fellowship with you?
They band together against the life of the righteous
and condemn innocent blood.
But the LORD has been my defense,
and my God the rock of my refuge.
He has brought on them their own iniquity,
and shall destroy them in their own wickedness;
the LORD our God shall destroy them.

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.

𝙍: Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments.

Psalm prayer

Lord God, judge of all, before whom no secrets are hidden, let your justice shine out and your righteousness sweep wickedness from its throne, that we may live free from fear and tumbling; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Silence may be kept.

Old Testament reading

Isaiah 49:1-13

Listen to me, O coastlands,
and pay attention, you peoples from afar.
The LORD called me from the womb;
from the body of my mother He named me.
He has made my mouth like a sharp sword;
in the shadow of His hand He has hidden me
and made me a select arrow;
in His quiver He has hidden me.
He said to me, “You are My servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
Then I said, “I have labored in vain;
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity,
yet surely the justice due to me is with the LORD,
and my reward with my God.”

Now says the LORD,
who formed me from the womb to be His servant,
to bring Jacob back to Him,
so that Israel might be gathered to Him
(yet I am honored in the eyes of the LORD,
and my God is my strength),
He says,
“It is a light thing that you should be My servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also make you a light to the nations
so that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

Thus says the LORD,
the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One,
to the despised one, to the one whom the nation abhors,
to the servant of rulers:
“Kings shall see and arise,
princes also shall worship,
because of the LORD who is faithful
and the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.”

Thus says the LORD:

In an acceptable time I have heard you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you;
and I will preserve you, and give you
as a covenant of the people,
to restore the earth,
to make them inherit the desolate lands,
saying to the prisoners, “Go forth,”
to those who are in darkness, “Show yourselves.”

They shall feed along the paths,
and their pastures shall be in all desolate heights;
they shall neither hunger nor thirst,
neither shall the heat nor sun strike them;
for He who has mercy on them shall lead them,
even by the springs of water He shall guide them.
I will make all My mountains a road,
and My highways shall be raised up.
Behold, these shall come from afar;
and behold, these from the north and from the west,
and these from the land of Syene.

Sing, O heavens!
And be joyful, O earth!
And break forth into singing, O mountains!
For the LORD has comforted His people
and will have mercy on His afflicted.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

But I would not have you ignorant, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and arose again, so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall be forever with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Silence may be kept.

The Magnificat (The Song of Mary)

Luke 1:46-55

My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For He has regarded
the low estate of His servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is His name.
His mercy is on those who fear Him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has pulled down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of low degree.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
in remembrance of His mercy,
as He spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.

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.

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.
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.

Thanksgiving and intercession

Thanksgiving may be made for the day.

Intercessions are offered
for peace
for individuals and their needs

Prayers may include the following concerns:

The Church, that she may be ready for the coming of Christ
The leaders of the Church
The nations, that they may be subject to the rule of God
Those who are working for justice in the world
The broken, that they may find God’s healing

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

Response

Lord, hear your people
and answer our prayers.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

O Lord Jesus Christ, who at your first coming sent your messenger to prepare your way before you: grant that the ministers and stewards of your mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready your way by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at your second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in your sight; for you are alive and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Awaiting his coming in glory, 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

May the Lord, when he comes, find us watching and waiting.
Amen.

Shane Raynor 12/12/25 Shane Raynor 12/12/25

Fri. evening Dec. 12

Opening response

Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
Make haste to help me, O LORD!

Reveal among us the light of your presence
that we may behold your power and glory.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God forever.

That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful, let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept.

As our evening prayer rises before you, O God, so may your mercy come down upon us to cleanse our hearts and set us free to sing your praise now and forever.
Amen.

Hymn

Blow Ye the Trumpet, Blow

Music by The Hymnodist: Spotify, Apple, Amazon, iHeart, YouTube Music, Pandora, Boomplay, Deezer
Lyrics by Charles Wesley

Verse 1
Blow ye the trumpet, blow
The gladly solemn sound
Let all the nations know
To earth's remotest bound

Chorus
The year of jubilee is come
The year of jubilee is come
Return, ye ransomed sinners, home

Verse 2
Jesus, our great high priest
Hath full atonement made
Ye weary spirits, rest
Ye mournful souls, be glad

Chorus

Verse 3
Extol the Lamb of God
The all-atoning Lamb
Redemption in His blood
Throughout the world proclaim

Chorus

Verse 4
Ye slaves of sin and hell
Your liberty receive
And safe in Jesus dwell
And blest in Jesus live

Chorus

Verse 5
Ye who have sold for nought
Your heritage above
Shall have it back unbought
The gift of Jesus' love

Chorus

Verse 6
The gospel trumpet hear
The news of heavenly grace
And saved from earth, appear
Before your Savior's face

Chorus

Confession of Sin

Come, Holy Spirit of God,
and search our hearts with the light of Christ.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said:

“The first of all the commandments is, ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Amen. Lord, have mercy.

After a period of reflection

Come, let us return to the Lord and say:

Lord our God, in our sin, we have avoided your call. Our faithfulness is like a morning cloud, and like the early dew, it goes away. Have mercy on us; deliver us from judgment; bind up our wounds and revive us; in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

cf Hosea 6

May Almighty God, who sent his Son into the world to save sinners, bring us his pardon and peace, now and forever.
Amen.

Psalm 82

𝙍: Arise, O God, judge the earth.

God has taken His place in the divine council;
He renders judgment among the gods.

“How long will you judge unjustly
and show partiality to the wicked?
Defend the poor and the fatherless;
do justice to the afflicted and the needy.
Rescue the poor and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

𝙍: Arise, O God, judge the earth.

“They have neither knowledge nor understanding;
they walk around in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.”

I said, “You are gods,
sons of the Most High, all of you;
but you shall die like men,
and fall like one of the princes.”

Arise, O God, judge the earth;
for You shall inherit all the nations.

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.

𝙍: Arise, O God, judge the earth.

Psalm prayer

God our deliverer, when the foundations are shaken and justice has departed, defend the poor and needy and give your people strength to fight all wrong in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 90

𝙍: O LORD my God, in You I put my trust.

Lord, You have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever You had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

You return man to the dust
and say, “Return, O sons of men.”
For a thousand years in Your sight
are like yesterday when it is past,
and like a watch in the night.
You carry them away like a flood;
they fall asleep; in the morning they are like grass that grows anew:
In the morning it flourishes and grows up;
in the evening it fades and withers.

𝙍: O LORD my God, in You I put my trust.

For we are consumed by Your anger;
by Your wrath we are terrified.
You have set our iniquities before You,
our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.
For all our days pass away under Your wrath;
we finish our years like a whisper.
The years of our life are seventy,
or even, by reason of strength, eighty;
yet their span is but toil and sorrow;
they soon pass away, and we fly away.
Who knows the power of Your anger?
For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.
So teach us to number our days,
that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

𝙍: O LORD my God, in You I put my trust.

Return, O LORD! How long?
Have compassion on Your servants!
Satisfy us in the early morning with Your mercy,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen evil.
Let Your work appear to Your servants,
and Your glory to their children.

Let the favor of the LORD our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands among us;
yes, establish the work of our hands.

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.

𝙍: O LORD my God, in You I put my trust.

Psalm prayer

Almighty God, our eternal refuge, teach us to live with the knowledge of our death and to rejoice in the promise of your glory, revealed to us in Jesus Christ our Lord.Silence may be kept.

Old Testament reading

Isaiah 48:12-22

Listen to Me, O Jacob
and Israel, whom I called:
I am He;
I am the First, and I am the Last.
My hand also has laid the foundation of the earth,
and My right hand has spanned the heavens;
when I call to them,
they stand up together.

Assemble, all of you, and listen.
Who among them has declared these things?
The LORD has loved him;
he will do His pleasure on Babylon,
and His arm shall be against the Chaldeans.
I, even I, have spoken,
and I have called him;
I have brought him,
and his way will prosper.

Come near to Me, hear this:

I have not spoken in secret from the beginning;
from the time that it was, there I am.

And now the Lord GOD has sent me
and His Spirit.

Thus says the LORD,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
I am the LORD your God,
who teaches you to profit,
who leads you in the way you should go.
Oh, that you had listened to My commandments!
Then your peace would have been as a river
and your righteousness as the waves of the sea.
Your descendants also would have been as the sand
and your offspring like grains of sand;
their name would not have been cut off
nor destroyed from before Me.

Go forth from Babylon!
Flee from the Chaldeans!
With a voice of singing declare,
proclaim this,
utter it even to the ends of the earth;
say, “The LORD has redeemed His servant Jacob.”
They did not thirst when He led them through the deserts;
He caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them;
He also split the rock,
and the waters gushed out.

“There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.”

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

Finally, brothers, we urge and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as you have learned from us how you ought to walk and to please God, you should excel more and more. For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality, that each one of you should know how to possess his own body in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, even as the Gentiles who do not know God, and that no man take advantage of and defraud his brother in any matter, because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness. Therefore he that despises does not despise man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.

As concerning brotherly love, you do not need me to write to you. For you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; and indeed, you do love all the brothers who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more, to aspire to live a quiet life, to attend to your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, so that you may walk honestly toward those who are outsiders and that you may lack nothing.

Silence may be kept.

The Magnificat (The Song of Mary)

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.

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 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.

Thanksgiving and intercession

Thanksgiving may be made for the day.

Intercessions are offered
for peace
for individuals and their needs

Prayers may include the following concerns:

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

Response

Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

O Lord, raise up, we pray, your power and come among us, and with great might assist us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness we are grievously hindered in running the race that is set before us, your bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and forever.
Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Awaiting his coming in glory, as our Savior taught us, so we pray

Conclusion

May the Lord, when he comes, find us watching and waiting.
Amen.

Shane Raynor 12/11/25 Shane Raynor 12/11/25

Thu. evening Dec. 11

Opening response

Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
Make haste to help me, O LORD!

Reveal among us the light of your presence
that we may behold your power and glory.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God forever.

That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful, let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept.

As our evening prayer rises before you, O God, so may your mercy come down upon us to cleanse our hearts and set us free to sing your praise now and forever.
Amen.

Hymn

Light of Those Whose Dreary Dwelling

Music by The Hymnodist: Spotify, Apple, Amazon, iHeart, YouTube Music, Pandora, Boomplay, Deezer
Lyrics by Charles Wesley

Light of those whose dreary dwelling
Borders on the shades of death
Come, and by Thy love's revealing
Dissipate the clouds beneath
The new heaven and earth's Creator
In our deepest darkness rise
Scattering all the night of nature
Pouring eyesight on our eyes

Still we wait for Thy appearing
Life and joy Thy beams impart
Chasing all our fears, and hearing
Every poor benighted heart
Come, and manifest the favor
God hath for our ransomed race
Come, Thou universal Savior
Come, and bring the gospel grace

Save us in Thy great compassion
O Thou mild pacific Prince
Give the knowledge of salvation
Give the pardon of our sins
By thine all-sufficient merit
Every burdened soul release
Every weary wandering spirit
Guide into Thy perfect peace

Confession of Sin

Seek the LORD while He may be found,
call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
and let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him,
and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

cf Isaiah 55

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

Lord God, I have sinned against you; I have done what is evil in your sight. I am sorry and repent. Have mercy on me according to your lovingkindness. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Renew a right spirit within me, and restore unto me the joy of your salvation, through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

cf Psalm 51

May the Father of all mercies cleanse us from our sins, and restore us in his image to the praise and glory of his name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Blessed be the LORD,
because He has heard the voice of my supplications.
Therefore my heart rejoices,
and with my song I will thank Him.

cf Psalm 28:7,9

Psalm 73

𝙍: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD.

Truly God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.

But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
my steps had almost slipped.
For I was envious of the boastful
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

For there are no pangs in their death,
but their strength is firm.
They are not in trouble as other men are,
nor are they plagued like other men.
Therefore pride is their necklace;
violence covers them like a garment.
Their eyes bulge with fatness;
they have more than a heart could wish.

𝙍: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD.

They mock and wickedly speak of oppression;
they speak loftily.
They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongue parades through the earth.
Therefore his people return here,
and waters of abundance are drunk by them.
They say, “How does God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?”

Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease,
they increase in riches.

Surely I have kept my heart clean in vain,
and washed my hands in innocence.
For all the day long I have been plagued,
and chastened every morning.

If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.

𝙍: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD.

When I thought how to understand this,
it was troublesome in my sight,
until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their end.

Surely You set them in slippery places;
You cast them down to destruction.
How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment!
They are utterly consumed by terrors!
Like a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when awakened,
You will despise their image.

When my heart was embittered,
and I was pierced in my heart,
I was foolish and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.

𝙍: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD.

Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You have held me by my right hand.
You will guide me with Your counsel,
and afterward receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

For behold, those who are far from You shall perish;
You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.
But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,
that I may declare all Your works.

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.

𝙍: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD.

Psalm prayer

Holy God, may we find wisdom in your presence and set our hope not on uncertain riches, but on the love that holds us to the end; in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Silence may be kept.

Old Testament reading

Isaiah 48:1-11

Hear this, O house of Jacob,
who are called by the name of Israel,
and have come forth from the waters of Judah;
who swear by the name of the LORD,
and invoke the God of Israel,
but not in truth or in righteousness;
for they call themselves after the holy city,
and lean on the God of Israel;
the LORD of Hosts is His name:
I have declared the former things from the beginning;
and they went forth from My mouth, and I announced them.
Suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.
Because I knew that you are obstinate,
and your neck is an iron sinew,
and your brow bronze;
Even from the beginning I have declared it to you;
before it came to pass I announced it to you,
lest you should say,
“My idol has done them,
and my carved image and my molded image has commanded them.”
You have heard; see all this.
And will you not declare it?

I have shown you new things from this time,
even hidden things, and you did not know them.
They are created now and not from the beginning;
before today you did not hear them,
lest you should say,
“Behold, I knew them.”
You have not heard, you have not known,
indeed, from long ago your ear has not been open.
For I knew that you would deal very treacherously,
and that from birth you have been called a rebel.
For My name’s sake I will defer My anger,
and for My praise I will restrain it for you
so that you are not cut off.
Behold, I have refined you, but not with silver;
I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction.
For My own sake, even for My own sake, I will do it;
for how can My name be polluted?
And I will not give My glory to another.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

1 Thessalonians 3

Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left at Athens alone. We sent Timothy, who is our brother and minister of God and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish and comfort you with regard to your faith, so that no one would be shaken by these afflictions. For you know that we are appointed to this. Indeed, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it came to pass, as you well know. For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to inquire about your faith, lest by some means the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor might have been in vain.

But just now Timothy has come from you to us and brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always have good memories of us, desiring greatly to see us, as we also desire to see you. Therefore, brothers, during all our afflictions and distress, we have been encouraged about you through your faith. For now we live, if you stand strong in the Lord. For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sakes before our God, night and day praying earnestly that we might see your face and might complete that which is lacking in your faith?

Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all men, even as we do for you. To this end may He establish your hearts to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

Silence may be kept.

The Magnificat (The Song of Mary)

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.

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 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.

Thanksgiving and intercession

Thanksgiving may be made for the day.

Intercessions are offered
for peace
for individuals and their needs

Prayers may include the following concerns:

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

Response

Father, hear our prayer,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

The Lord’s Prayer

Awaiting his coming in glory, as our Savior taught us, so we pray

Conclusion

May the Lord, when he comes, find us watching and waiting.
Amen.