Tuesday evening August 20
Image: Unsplash
Opening response
O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Lord God, creator of day and night:
to you be praise and glory forever.
As darkness falls you renew your promise
to reveal among us the light of your presence.
By the light of Christ, your living Word,
dispel the darkness of our hearts
that we may walk as children of light
and sing your praise throughout the world.
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
Abba, Father, Hear Thy Child
Charles Wesley
Abba, Father, hear thy child,
Late in Jesus reconciled;
Hear, and all the graces shower,
All the joy, and peace, and power;
All my Savior asks above,
All the life and heaven of love.
Lord, I will not let thee go
Till the blessing thou bestow:
Hear my Advocate divine;
Lo! To his my suit I join;
Joined to his, it cannot fail;
Bless me; for I will prevail.
Heavenly Father, Life divine,
Change my nature into thine;
Move, and spread throughout my soul,
Actuate, and fill the whole:
Be it I no longer now
Living in the flesh, but thou.
Holy Ghost, no more delay;
Come, and in thy temple stay:
Now thine inward witness bear,
Strong, and permanent, and clear:
Spring of life, thyself impart;
Rise eternal in my heart.
Confession of sin
Come, Holy Spirit of God,
and search our hearts with the light of Christ.
Our Lord Jesus Christ said:
The first commandment is this:
‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.
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: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
No other commandment is greater than these.
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.
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 love for you is like a morning mist,
like the early dew that vanishes.
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 107
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
His loving devotion endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy
and gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.
Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no path to a city in which to dwell.
They were hungry and thirsty;
their soul fainted within them.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and He delivered them from their distress.
He led them on a straight path
to reach a city where they could live.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion
and His wonders to the sons of men.
For He satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
prisoners in affliction and chains,
because they rebelled against the words of God
and despised the counsel of the Most High.
He humbled their hearts with hard labor;
they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and He saved them from their distress.
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death
and broke away their chains.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion
and His wonders to the sons of men.
For He has broken down the gates of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron.
Fools, in their rebellious ways,
and through their iniquities, suffered affliction.
They loathed all food
and drew near to the gates of death.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and He saved them from their distress.
He sent forth His word and healed them;
He rescued them from the Pit.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion
and His wonders to the sons of men.
Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving
and declare His works with rejoicing.
Others went out to sea in ships,
conducting trade on the mighty waters.
They saw the works of the LORD,
and His wonders in the deep.
For He spoke and raised a tempest
that lifted the waves of the sea.
They mounted up to the heavens, then sunk to the depths;
their courage melted in their anguish.
They reeled and staggered like drunkards,
and all their skill was useless.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and He brought them out of their distress.
He calmed the storm to a whisper,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
They rejoiced in the silence,
and He guided them to the harbor they desired.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion
and His wonders to the sons of men.
Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people
and praise Him in the council of the elders.
He turns rivers into deserts,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
and fruitful land into fields of salt,
because of the wickedness of its dwellers.
He turns a desert into pools of water
and a dry land into flowing springs.
He causes the hungry to settle there,
that they may establish a city in which to dwell.
They sow fields and plant vineyards
that yield a fruitful harvest.
He blesses them, and they multiply greatly;
He does not let their herds diminish.
When they are decreased and humbled
by oppression, evil, and sorrow,
He pours out contempt on the nobles
and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.
But He lifts the needy from affliction
and increases their families like flocks.
The upright see and rejoice,
and all iniquity shuts its mouth.
Let him who is wise pay heed to these things
and consider the loving devotion of the LORD.
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:
Help me, Lord my God! Save me according to your faithful love!
Psalm prayer
Living Christ,
rescue us from foolish passion
and still the storms of our self-will;
and, as you are our anchor in this life,
so bring us to the haven you have prepared for us;
for your mercy’s sake.
Old Testament reading
Micah 7:8-20
Do not gloat over me, my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will arise;
though I sit in darkness,
the LORD will be my light.
Because I have sinned against Him,
I must endure the rage of the LORD,
until He argues my case
and executes justice for me.
He will bring me into the light;
I will see His righteousness.
Then my enemy will see
and will be covered with shame—
she who said to me,
“Where is the LORD your God?”
My eyes will see her;
at that time she will be trampled
like mud in the streets.
The day for rebuilding your walls will come—
the day for extending your boundary.
On that day they will come to you
from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
even from Egypt to the Euphrates,
from sea to sea and mountain to mountain.
Then the earth will become desolate
because of its inhabitants,
as the fruit of their deeds.
Shepherd with Your staff Your people,
the flock of Your inheritance.
They live alone in a woodland,
surrounded by pastures.
Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead,
as in the days of old.
As in the days when you came out of Egypt,
I will show My wonders.
Nations will see and be ashamed,
deprived of all their might.
They will put their hands over their mouths,
and their ears will become deaf.
They will lick the dust like a snake,
like reptiles slithering on the ground.
They will crawl from their holes
in the presence of the LORD our God;
they will tremble in fear of You.
Who is a God like You,
who pardons iniquity
and passes over the transgression
of the remnant of His inheritance—
who does not retain His anger forever,
because He delights in loving devotion?
He will again have compassion on us;
He will vanquish our iniquities.
You will cast out all our sins
into the depths of the sea.
You will show faithfulness to Jacob
and loving devotion to Abraham,
as You swore to our fathers
from the days of old.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Mark 7:1-13
Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, and they saw some of His disciples eating with hands that were defiled—that is, unwashed.
Now in holding to the tradition of the elders, the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat until they wash their hands ceremonially. And on returning from the market, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions for them to observe, including the washing of cups, pitchers, kettles, and couches for dining.
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned Jesus: “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders? Instead, they eat with defiled hands.”
Jesus answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written:
‘These people honor Me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from Me.
They worship Me in vain;
they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’
You have disregarded the commandment of God to keep the tradition of men.”
He went on to say, “You neatly set aside the command of God to maintain your own tradition. For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God), he is no longer permitted to do anything for his father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters.”
Silence may be kept.
The Magnificat (The Song of Mary)
Luke 1:46-55
𝙍: My spirit rejoices in you, O God; my soul proclaims your greatness.
My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
For He has looked with favor on the humble state of His servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed.
For the Mighty One has done great things for me.
Holy is His name.
His mercy extends to those who fear Him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who are proud
in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
but has exalted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful,
as He promised to our fathers,
to Abraham and 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.
𝙍: My spirit rejoices in you, O God; my soul proclaims your greatness.
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:
All who are sick in body, mind or spirit
Those in the midst of famine or disaster
Victims of abuse and violence, intolerance and prejudice
Those who are bereaved
All who work in the medical and healing professions
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
Almighty and everlasting God,
you are always more ready to hear than we to pray
and to give more than either we desire or deserve:
pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy,
forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid
and giving us those good things
which we are not worthy to ask
but through the merits and mediation
of 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, 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 grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all evermore.
Amen.
Monday evening August 19
Opening response
O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Lord God, creator of day and night:
to you be praise and glory forever.
As darkness falls you renew your promise
to reveal among us the light of your presence.
By the light of Christ, your living Word,
dispel the darkness of our hearts
that we may walk as children of light
and sing your praise throughout the world.
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
My soul and all its powers
Charles Wesley
My soul and all its powers
Thine, wholly thine, shall be;
All, all my happy hours
I consecrate to thee:
Me to thine image now restore,
And I shall praise thee evermore.
Long as I live beneath,
To thee O let me live;
To thee my every breath
In thanks and praises give:
Whatever I have, whatever I am
Shall magnify my maker’s name.
I wait thy will to do,
As angels do in heaven;
In Christ a creature new,
Most graciously forgiven;
I wait thy perfect will to prove,
All sanctified by spotless love.
Confession of sin
Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake their own ways
and the unrighteous their own thoughts.
Let them return to the LORD so that he may have compassion,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
cf Isaiah 55
A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.
Lord God,
we have sinned against you;
we have done what is evil in your sight.
We are sorry and repent.
Have mercy on us according to your loving devotion.
Wash us clean of our iniquity and cleanse us from our sin.
Renew a right spirit within us,
and restore to us the joy of your salvation
through Jesus Christ our 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.
Bless be the LORD,
for he has heard our cry for mercy.
Therefore our hearts rejoice
and we give thanks to him with our song.
cf Psalm 28:7, 9
Psalm 105
𝙍: Remember the wonders the LORD has done.
Give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name;
make known His deeds among the nations.
Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;
tell of all His wonders.
Glory in His holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
Seek out the LORD and His strength;
seek His face always.
Remember the wonders He has done,
His marvels, and the judgments He has pronounced,
O offspring of His servant Abraham,
O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones. 𝙍
He is the LORD our God;
His judgments carry throughout the earth.
He remembers His covenant forever,
the word He ordained for a thousand generations—
the covenant He made with Abraham,
and the oath He swore to Isaac.
He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
“I will give you the land of Canaan
as the portion of your inheritance.” 𝙍
When they were few in number,
few indeed, and strangers in the land,
they wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.
He let no man oppress them;
He rebuked kings on their behalf:
“Do not touch My anointed ones!
Do no harm to My prophets!” 𝙍
He called down famine on the land
and cut off all their supplies of food.
He sent a man before them—
Joseph, sold as a slave.
They bruised his feet with shackles
and placed his neck in irons,
until his prediction came true
and the word of the LORD proved him right.
The king sent and released him;
the ruler of peoples set him free.
He made him master of his household,
ruler over all his substance,
to instruct his princes as he pleased
and teach his elders wisdom. 𝙍
Then Israel entered Egypt;
Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham.
And the LORD made His people very fruitful,
more numerous than their foes,
whose hearts He turned to hate His people,
to conspire against His servants. 𝙍
He sent Moses His servant,
and Aaron, whom He had chosen.
They performed His miraculous signs among them,
and wonders in the land of Ham.
He sent darkness, and it became dark—
yet they defied His words.
He turned their waters to blood
and caused their fish to die.
Their land teemed with frogs,
even in their royal chambers.
He spoke, and insects swarmed—
gnats throughout their country.
He gave them hail for rain,
with lightning throughout their land.
He struck their vines and fig trees
and shattered the trees of their country.
He spoke, and the locusts came—
young locusts without number.
They devoured every plant in their land
and consumed the produce of their soil.
Then He struck all the firstborn in their land,
the firstfruits of all their vigor. 𝙍
He brought Israel out with silver and gold,
and none among His tribes stumbled.
Egypt was glad when they departed,
for the dread of Israel had fallen on them.
He spread a cloud as a covering
and a fire to light up the night.
They asked, and He brought quail
and satisfied them with the bread of heaven. 𝙍
He opened a rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed like a river in the desert.
For He remembered His holy promise
to Abraham His servant.
He brought forth His people with rejoicing,
His chosen with shouts of joy.
He gave them the lands of the nations,
that they might inherit the fruit of others’ labor,
that they might keep His statutes
and obey His laws.
Hallelujah!
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: Remember the wonders the LORD has done.
Psalm prayer
God of our earthly pilgrimage,
feed your Easter people with the bread of heaven,
that we may hunger and thirst for righteousness
until we reach our promised land;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Old Testament reading
Proverbs 14:31-15:17
Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker,
but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.
The wicked man is thrown down by his own sin,but the righteous man has a refuge even in death.
Wisdom rests in the heart of the discerning;
even among fools she is known.
Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin is a disgrace to any people.
A king delights in a wise servant,
but his anger falls on the shameful.
A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
but the mouth of the fool spouts folly.
The eyes of the LORD are in every place,
observing the evil and the good.
A soothing tongue is a tree of life,
but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.
A fool rejects his father’s discipline,
but whoever heeds correction is prudent.
The house of the righteous has great treasure,
but the income of the wicked is trouble.
The lips of the wise spread knowledge,
but not so the hearts of fools.
The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the LORD,
but the prayer of the upright is His delight.
The LORD detests the way of the wicked,
but He loves those who pursue righteousness.
Discipline is harsh for him who leaves the path;
he who hates correction will die.
Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD—
how much more the hearts of men!
A mocker does not love to be reproved,
nor will he consult the wise.
A joyful heart makes a cheerful countenance,
but sorrow of the heart crushes the spirit.
A discerning heart seeks knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.
All the days of the oppressed are bad,
but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.
Better a little with the fear of the LORD
than great treasure with turmoil.
Better a dish of vegetables where there is love
than a fattened ox with hatred.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Mark 6:45-56
Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd. After bidding them farewell, He went up on the mountain to pray.
When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and Jesus was alone on land. He could see that the disciples were straining to row, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea. He intended to pass by them, but when they saw Him walking on the sea, they cried out, thinking He was a ghost— for they all saw Him and were terrified.
But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” Then He climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. And the disciples were utterly astounded, for they had not understood about the loaves, but their hearts had been hardened.
When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and moored the boat. As soon as they got out of the boat, the people recognized Jesus and ran through that whole region, carrying the sick on mats to wherever they heard He was. And wherever He went—villages and towns and countrysides—they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged Him just to let them touch the fringe of His cloak. And all who touched Him were healed.
Silence may be kept.
The Magnificat (The Song of Mary)
Luke 1:46-55
𝙍: Come, let us return to the Lord, for our God will freely pardon.
My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
For He has looked with favor on the humble state of His servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed.
For the Mighty One has done great things for me.
Holy is His name.
His mercy extends to those who fear Him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who are proud
in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
but has exalted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful,
as He promised to our fathers,
to Abraham and 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.
𝙍: Come, let us return to the Lord, for our God will freely pardon.
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 media and the arts
Farming and fishing
Commerce and industry
Those whose work is unfulfilling, stressful or fraught with danger
All who are unemployed
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
Almighty and everlasting God,
you are always more ready to hear than we to pray
and to give more than either we desire or deserve:
pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy,
forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid
and giving us those good things
which we are not worthy to ask
but through the merits and mediation
of 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, 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 grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all evermore.
Amen.
Sunday evening August 18
Opening response
O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Lord God, creator of day and night:
to you be praise and glory forever.
As darkness falls you renew your promise
to reveal among us the light of your presence.
By the light of Christ, your living Word,
dispel the darkness of our hearts
that we may walk as children of light
and sing your praise throughout the world.
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
A Stranger in the World Below
Charles Wesley
A stranger in the world below,
I calmly sojourn here;
Nor can its happiness or woe
Provoke my hope or fear;
Its evils in a moment end;
Its joys as soon are past;
But O, the bliss to which I tend
Eternally shall last!
To that Jerusalem above,
With singing I repair;
While in the flesh, my hope and love,
My heart and soul are there.
There my exalted Savior stands,
My merciful High Priest;
And still extends his wounded hands
To take me to his breast.
Confession of sin
When we cry out to the Lord in our distress,
he will save us from our desperate circumstances.
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 thank the Lord for his faithful love,
and his wondrous works for all people.
Let us offer thanksgiving sacrifices
and declare what God has done in songs of joy.
cf Psalm 107
Psalm 92
Refrain:
You, Lord, are exalted forever!
It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, Most High;
to proclaim your loyal love in the morning,
your faithfulness at nighttime
with the ten-stringed harp,
with the melody of the lyre
because you’ve made me happy, Lord,
by your acts.
I sing with joy because of your handiwork.
How awesome are your works, Lord!
Your thoughts are so deep!
Ignorant people don’t know—
fools don’t understand this:
though the wicked spring up like grass
and all evildoers seem to blossom,
they do so only to be destroyed forever.
But you, Lord, are exalted forever!
Look at your enemies, Lord!
Look at how your enemies die,
how all evildoers are scattered abroad!
But you’ve made me as strong as a wild ox.
I’m soaked in precious ointment.
My eyes have seen my enemies’ defeat;
my ears have heard the downfall of my evil foes.
The righteous will spring up like a palm tree.
They will grow strong like a cedar of Lebanon.
Those who have been replanted in the Lord’s house
will spring up in the courtyards of our God.
They will bear fruit even when old and gray;
they will remain lush and fresh in order to proclaim:
“The Lord is righteous.
He’s my rock.
There’s nothing unrighteous 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.
Refrain:
You, Lord, are exalted forever!
Psalm prayer
Give us the music of your praise, Lord,
morning, noon and night,
that our lives may be fruitful
and our lips confess you as the true and only God.
Psalm 100
Refrain:
The Lord is good; his loyal love lasts forever.
Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with celebration!
Come before him with shouts of joy!
Know that the Lord is God—
he made us; we belong to him.
We are his people,
the sheep of his own pasture.
Enter his gates with thanks;
enter his courtyards with praise!
Thank him! Bless his name!
Because the Lord is good,
his loyal love lasts forever;
his faithfulness lasts generation after generation.
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 Lord is good; his loyal love lasts forever.
Psalm prayer
Christ, door of the sheepfold,
may we enter your gates with praise
and go from your courts to serve you
in the poor, the lost and the wandering,
this day and all our days.
Old Testament reading
Exodus 2:23-3:10
A long time passed, and the Egyptian king died. The Israelites were still groaning because of their hard work. They cried out, and their cry to be rescued from the hard work rose up to God. God heard their cry of grief, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God looked at the Israelites, and God understood.
Moses was taking care of the flock for his father-in-law Jethro, Midian’s priest. He led his flock out to the edge of the desert, and he came to God’s mountain called Horeb. The Lord’s messenger appeared to him in a flame of fire in the middle of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was in flames, but it didn’t burn up. Then Moses said to himself, Let me check out this amazing sight and find out why the bush isn’t burning up.
When the Lord saw that he was coming to look, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!”
Moses said, “I’m here.”
Then the Lord said, “Don’t come any closer! Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground.” He continued, “I am the God of your father, Abraham’s God, Isaac’s God, and Jacob’s God.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.
Then the Lord said, “I’ve clearly seen my people oppressed in Egypt. I’ve heard their cry of injustice because of their slave masters. I know about their pain. I’ve come down to rescue them from the Egyptians in order to take them out of that land and bring them to a good and broad land, a land that’s full of milk and honey, a place where the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites all live. Now the Israelites’ cries of injustice have reached me. I’ve seen just how much the Egyptians have oppressed them. So get going. I’m sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Hebrews 13:1-15
Keep loving each other like family. Don’t neglect to open up your homes to guests, because by doing this some have been hosts to angels without knowing it. Remember prisoners as if you were in prison with them, and people who are mistreated as if you were in their place. Marriage must be honored in every respect, with no cheating on the relationship, because God will judge the sexually immoral person and the person who commits adultery. Your way of life should be free from the love of money, and you should be content with what you have. After all, he has said, I will never leave you or abandon you. This is why we can confidently say,
The Lord is my helper,
and I won’t be afraid.
What can people do to me?
Remember your leaders who spoke God’s word to you. Imitate their faith as you consider the way their lives turned out. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever!
Don’t be misled by the many strange teachings out there. It’s a good thing for the heart to be strengthened by grace rather than by food. Food doesn’t help those who live in this context. We have an altar, and those who serve as priests in the meeting tent don’t have the right to eat from it. The blood of the animals is carried into the holy of holies by the high priest as an offering for sin, and their bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy with his own blood.
So now, let’s go to him outside the camp, bearing his shame. We don’t have a permanent city here, but rather we are looking for the city that is still to come.
So let’s continually offer up a sacrifice of praise through him, which is the fruit from our lips that confess his name.
Silence may be kept.
The Magnificat (The Song of Mary)
Luke 1:46-55
𝙍: Come, let us return to the Lord, for our God will freely pardon.
My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
For He has looked with favor on the humble state of His servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed.
For the Mighty One has done great things for me.
Holy is His name.
His mercy extends to those who fear Him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who are proud
in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
but has exalted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful,
as He promised to our fathers,
to Abraham and 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.
𝙍: Come, let us return to the Lord, for our God will freely pardon.
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 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
In faith we pray
We pray to you, our God.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
Almighty and everlasting God,
you are always more ready to hear than we to pray
and to give more than either we desire or deserve:
pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy,
forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid
and giving us those good things
which we are not worthy to ask
but through the merits and mediation
of 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, 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 grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all evermore.
Amen.