Fri. evening Feb. 13
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Opening response
Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
Make haste to help me, O LORD!
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
Nothing But the Blood
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 35
𝙍: Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness.
Plead my cause, O LORD, with those who contend with me;
fight against those who fight against me!
Take hold of shield and buckler,
and rise up to help me!
Draw the spear and javelin
against those who pursue me.
Say to my soul,
“I am your salvation.”
Let them be put to shame and dishonor
who seek after my life.
Let them be turned back and confounded
who devise evil against me.
Let them be like chaff before the wind,
and let the angel of the LORD drive them away.
Let their way be dark and slippery,
and let the angel of the LORD pursue them.
𝙍: Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness.
For without cause they have hidden their net for me in a pit,
which they have dug without cause for my life.
Let destruction come upon him unawares,
and let the net that he hid ensnare him;
let him fall in it, to his destruction.
Then my soul shall rejoice in the LORD;
it shall rejoice in His salvation.
All my bones shall say,
“LORD, who is like You,
delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him,
the poor and the needy from him who plunders him?”
𝙍: Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness.
Malicious witnesses rise up;
they ask me of things I do not know.
They repay me evil for good,
to the sorrow of my soul.
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth;
I humbled my soul with fasting;
and my prayer would return to my own heart.
I paced about as though he were my friend or brother;
I bowed down lamenting,
as one who mourns for his mother.
𝙍: Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness.
But in my adversity they rejoiced and gathered together;
assailants gathered against me, and I did not know it;
they tore me apart without ceasing;
with hypocritical mockers at feasts,
they gnashed at me with their teeth.
Lord, how long will You look on?
Rescue me from their destruction,
my precious life from the lions!
I will give You thanks in the great assembly;
I will praise You in the mighty throng.
𝙍: Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness.
Let not my treacherous enemies
rejoice over me,
nor let those who hate me without cause
wink the eye.
For they do not speak peace,
but they devise deceitful matters
against those who are quiet in the land.
They opened wide their mouths against me,
and said, “Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it.”
This You have seen, O LORD; do not be silent!
O Lord, be not far from me!
Stir up Yourself, and awake for my defense,
for my cause, my God and my Lord!
Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness,
and let them not rejoice over me.
𝙍: Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness.
Let them not say in their hearts, “Ah, we have our heart’s desire!”
Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.”
Let those who rejoice at my calamity be ashamed
and brought to confusion;
let them be clothed with shame and dishonor
who exalt themselves against me.
Let those who favor my vindication
shout for joy and be glad;
let them say continually, “Let the LORD be magnified,
who delights in the peace of His servant.”
Then my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness
and of Your praise all day long.
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: Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness.
Psalm prayer
Free us, righteous God, from all oppression, and bring justice to the nations, that all the world may know you as King of kings and Lord of lords, now and forever.
Old Testament reading
Ecclesiastes 11:1-8
Send out your grain on the waters by ship,
for after many days you will find financial return.
Give a portion to seven, or even eight, investments,
for you do not know what calamity might occur on earth.
If the clouds are full,
they empty rain on the land;
and if a tree falls to the north or south,
in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
He who observes the wind will not sow,
and he who observes the clouds will not reap.
Just as you do not know the path of the wind,
or how the bones grow to fullness in the womb of a woman with child;
so you do not know the work of God
who makes everything.
In the morning sow your seed,
and at evening do not let your hands rest;
for you do not know which activity will find success,
this or that,
or whether both alike will be good.
Light is sweet,
and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.
Even if a man lives many years,
let him rejoice in them all;
but let him remember
that the days of darkness will be many.
All that comes is vanity.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
John 20:11-18
But Mary stood outside at the tomb weeping. As she wept, she stooped down and looked into the tomb, and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.
They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have put Him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”
Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have put Him, and I will take Him away.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father. But go to My brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’ ”
Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that He had said these things to her.
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:
National leaders, public officials, and the armed forces
Peace and justice in the world
Those who work for reconciliation
All whose lives are devastated by war and civil strife
Prisoners, refugees, and homeless people
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 God, you have created the heavens and the earth and made us in your own image: teach us to discern your hand in all your works and your likeness in all your children; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns supreme over all things, 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.
Thu. evening Feb. 12
Support Methodist Prayer with a one-time or monthly gift!
Opening response
Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
Make haste to help me, O LORD!
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
Hallelujah, I Am Free!
Words and Music: A.A. Jameson (1925)
Our Great Redeemer’s Praise (#543)
I am redeemed- all glory to the Lamb!
Saved from all sin and glorified I am,
bought by the blood that flowed from Calvary,
for the Lord has made me free!
Refrain:
Hallelujah, I am free! O what glorious liberty,
since the blessed Lord has cleansed and made me whole!
I am redeemed- all glory to His name!
He abides within my soul.
I am redeemed; my ransom has been paid,
all of my guilt on Jesus has been laid,
from all my sins I now have liberty.
Hallelujah, I am free! [Refrain]
I am redeemed; my bondage now is past,
I was a slave, but I am free at last,
once I was blind, but now the light I see.
Hallelujah, I am free! [Refrain]
"I am redeemed," my song shall ever be,
both while on earth and for eternity.
Praise be to God for all He is to me!
Hallelujah, I am free! [Refrain]
Confession of Sin
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Silence may be kept.
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.
Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life.
Amen.
Psalm 39
𝙍: LORD, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days.
I said, “I will guard my ways,
lest I sin with my tongue;
I will keep a muzzle on my mouth
while the wicked are before me.”
I was mute in silence;
I held my peace to no avail,
but my anguish grew worse.
𝙍: LORD, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days.
My heart was hot within me.
While I was musing, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
“LORD, let me know my end,
and what is the measure of my days,
that I may know how frail I am.
Behold, You have made my days as a few handbreadths,
and my age is as nothing before You.
Surely every man at his best is as a mere breath.”
Surely every man walks around like a shadow;
surely they make an uproar in vain;
he heaps up riches, and does not know who will gather them.
𝙍: LORD, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days.
Now, O Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in You.
Deliver me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the reproach of the foolish.
I was silent; I did not open my mouth,
because it was You who did it.
Remove Your stroke from me;
I am coming to an end by the hostility of Your hand.
When with rebukes You correct man for sin,
You consume like a moth what is precious to him;
surely every man is mere vapor.
𝙍: LORD, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days.
Hear my prayer, O LORD,
and give ear to my cry;
do not be silent at my tears.
For I am a stranger with You,
and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.
Turn Your gaze away from me, that I may become cheerful again,
before I go away and am no more.
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: LORD, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days.
Psalm prayer
O Christ, Son of the living God, help us when we are too cast down to pray, and grant that we may trust you all our days, for you are with us in our living and our dying, Jesus, Lord and God.
Psalm 40
𝙍: You have multiplied your wondrous deeds, O LORD.
I waited patiently for the LORD,
and He turned to me and heard my cry.
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
out of the miry clay,
and set my feet upon a rock,
and established my steps.
He has put a new song in my mouth,
praise to our God;
many will see it and fear,
and will trust in the LORD.
Blessed is the man
who makes the LORD his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after lies.
You have multiplied, O LORD my God,
Your wondrous deeds
and Your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with You.
if I would declare and speak of them,
they are more than can be numbered.
𝙍: You have multiplied your wondrous deeds, O LORD.
Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
my ears You have opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering
You have not required.
Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me.
I delight to do Your will, O my God;
Your law is within my heart.”
I have proclaimed the glad news of righteousness in the great congregation;
behold, I have not restrained my lips,
O LORD, as You know.
I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth
from the great congregation.
𝙍: You have multiplied your wondrous deeds, O LORD.
Withhold not Your mercy from me, O LORD;
let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.
For innumerable evils have surrounded me;
my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up;
they are more than the hairs of my head;
therefore my heart fails me.
Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me;
O LORD, make haste to help me.
Let them be ashamed and confounded together
who seek to snatch away my life;
let them be driven backward and dishonored
who desire my hurt.
Let them be appalled because of their shame
who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
𝙍: You have multiplied your wondrous deeds, O LORD.
Let all those who seek You
rejoice and be glad in You;
let those who love Your salvation say continually,
“The LORD be magnified!”
But I am poor and needy;
yet the LORD is mindful of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God.
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: You have multiplied your wondrous deeds, O LORD.
Psalm prayer
Free us from our sins, God, and may our sacrifices be of praise to the glory of your Son, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
Old Testament reading
2 Chronicles 13:1-14:1
In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king of Judah. He reigned for three years in Judah, and his mother’s name was Micaiah, the granddaughter of Uriel of Gibeah.
And there was a war between Abijah and Jeroboam. Abijah set the battle in order with an army of valiant men of war, four hundred thousand choice men. Jeroboam also drew up battle lines against him with an army of eight hundred thousand men, mighty men of valor.
Then Abijah went up to Mount Zemaraim that is in the hills of Ephraim, and he said, “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel! Do you all not know that the LORD God of Israel has perpetually given the kingdom of Israel to David, even to him and to his sons with a covenant of salt? And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon son of David, stood up and rebelled against his lord Rehoboam. Then vain, worthless men gathered together around him and defied Rehoboam son of Solomon. And Rehoboam was young and timid in heart and was not strong before them.
“And now you think that you can withstand before the kingdom of the LORD by the hand of the sons of David. And you all are a great multitude, and with you are the golden calves that Jeroboam has made for you to be gods. Have you all not driven out the priests of the LORD, even the Levites and sons of Aaron, and made for yourselves priests from the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes to be dedicated and has in his hand a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest to what is not a god.
“But for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not abandoned Him. And our priests serve the LORD and are sons of Aaron, Levites with their service. They sacrifice burnt offerings to the LORD every morning and evening and put out an incense of spices. They also set the showbread in place on the ritual table and set the golden lampstand with its lamps to burn every evening. For we keep the duty of the LORD our God, but you all have abandoned Him. Behold, God is with us as a leader, and His priests with their battle trumpets to call for battle against you all. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the LORD the God of your fathers, because you will not find success.”
So Jeroboam went around them with an ambush to come from behind them. Those from Israel were in front of Judah, while the ambush was behind them. When Judah looked back, behold, the battle was in front of and behind them. Then they cried out to the LORD, and the priests sounded their trumpets. Then the men from Judah shouted out; and it happened when Judah shouted out, God struck down Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. The men of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hand. Abijah and his people struck them down with a great slaughter, and the slain from Israel who fell that day were five hundred thousand choice men. So the Israelites were subdued at that time, and the people of Judah prevailed, for they depended on the LORD God of their fathers.
And Abijah chased after Jeroboam and captured cities from him: Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron with their surrounding villages. And Jeroboam did not again recover his strength in the days of Abijah, and the LORD struck down Jeroboam, and he died.
So Abijah grew strong and took fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
And the rest of the acts of Abijah, both his ways and words, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.
And Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. Asa his son then reigned in his place. In his days the land was quiet for ten years.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
John 20:1-10
Early on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb while it was still dark and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she came running to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have put Him.”
So Peter came out with the other disciple and they went toward the tomb. They both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. Stooping down and looking in, he saw the linen cloths lying. Yet he did not enter. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went inside the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the cloth that was around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but wrapped in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came first to the tomb, went in also. He saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.
But Mary stood outside at the tomb weeping. As she wept, she stooped down and looked into the tomb, and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.
They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have put Him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”
Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have put Him, and I will take Him away.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father. But go to My brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’ ”
Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that He had said these things to her.
On the evening of that first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples were then glad when they saw the Lord.
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:
Local government, community leaders
All who provide local services
Those who work with young or elderly people
Schools, colleges, and universities
Emergency and rescue organizations
Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.
Response
Lord of life
In your mercy, hear us.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
Almighty God, you have created the heavens and the earth and made us in your own image: teach us to discern your hand in all your works and your likeness in all your children; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns supreme over all things, 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.
Wed. evening Feb. 11
Support Methodist Prayer with a one-time or monthly gift!
Opening response
Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
Make haste to help me, O LORD!
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
Power in the Blood
Words and Music: Lewis E. Jones (1899)
Our Great Redeemer’s Praise (#487)
Would you be free from the burden of sin?
There's power in the blood, power in the blood.
Would you o'er evil a victory win?
There's wonderful power in the blood.
Refrain:
There is power, power, wonder-working power
in the blood of the Lamb;
there is power, power, wonder-working power
in the precious blood of the Lamb.
Would you be free from your passion and pride?
There's power in the blood, power in the blood.
Come for a cleansing to Calvary's tide.
There's wonderful power in the blood. [Refrain]
Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow?
There's power in the blood, power in the blood.
Sin-stains are lost in its life-giving flow;
there's wonderful power in the blood. [Refrain]
Would you do service for Jesus your King?
There's power in the blood, power in the blood.
Would you live daily His praises to sing?
There's wonderful power in the blood. [Refrain]
Confession of Sin
Let us confess our sins to God.
A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.
My God, for love of you, I desire to hate and forsake all sins by which I have ever displeased you; and I resolve by the help of your grace to commit them no more; and to avoid all opportunities of sin. Help me to do this, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Lord enrich us with his grace, and nourish us with his blessing; the Lord defend us in trouble and keep us from all evil; the Lord accept our prayers, and absolve us from our offenses, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Amen.
Psalm 119:33-56
𝙍: I will take delight in Your commandments.
Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes,
and I shall keep it to the end.
Give me understanding, so that I may keep Your law,
and observe it with my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of Your commandments,
for therein do I delight.
Incline my heart unto Your testimonies,
and not unto covetousness.
𝙍: I will take delight in Your commandments.
Turn away my eyes from beholding vanity,
and revive me in Your ways.
Establish Your word unto Your servant,
who is devoted to fearing you.
Turn away my reproach which I dread,
for Your judgments are good.
Behold, I long for Your precepts;
revive me in Your righteousness.
𝙍: I will take delight in Your commandments.
Let Your mercies also come to me, O LORD,
Your salvation according to Your word.
So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me,
for I trust in Your word.
And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
for I hope in Your ordinances.
So shall I keep Your law continually,
forever and ever.
𝙍: I will take delight in Your commandments.
And I will walk at liberty,
for I seek Your precepts.
I will also speak of Your testimonies before kings
and shall not be ashamed.
I will take delight in Your commandments,
which I love.
My hands will I lift up to Your commandments, which I love,
and I will meditate on Your statutes.
𝙍: I will take delight in Your commandments.
Remember Your word to Your servant,
in which You have caused me to hope.
This is my comfort in my affliction,
that Your word has given me life.
The proud have me in utter derision,
yet I do not forsake Your law.
I have remembered Your judgments of old, O LORD,
and I take comfort.
𝙍: I will take delight in Your commandments.
Indignation has seized me because of the wicked,
those who forsake Your law.
Your statutes have been my songs
in the house of my sojourning.
I remember Your name in the night, O LORD,
and keep Your law.
This has become mine,
because I have kept Your precepts.
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 will take delight in Your commandments.
Psalm prayer
Faithful God, let your word be the treasure of our hearts, that we may delight in your truth and walk in the glorious liberty of your Son Jesus Christ.
Old Testament reading
2 Chronicles 12
Now when the reign of Rehoboam was established and strong, he, and all of Israel with him, abandoned the law of the LORD. And in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt went up against Jerusalem, for they had acted unfaithfully against the LORD, with twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horses. The people were without number who came with him from Egypt—Libyans, Sukkiim, and Cushites. And he captured the fortified cities that were in Judah, and he came even to Jerusalem.
Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the rulers of Judah who were assembled in Jerusalem before Shishak, and he said to them, “So the LORD says: You have abandoned Me, so I have abandoned you into the hand of Shishak.”
Then the king and the rulers of Israel humbled themselves and said, “The LORD is righteous.”
So when the Lord observed that they had humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, “They have humbled themselves, so I will not destroy them. I will let some of them escape, and My anger will not pour out against Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. For they will be slaves to him so that they experience My labor and the labor of the kingdoms of other lands.”
So Shishak king of Egypt went up against Jerusalem and took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the palace of the king. He took everything, even the gold shields that Solomon made. And King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place and entrusted them to the hands of the rulers of the guards, those who guarded the entrance to the king’s palace. And it happened that whenever the king came to the house of the LORD, the guards came and carried the shields and then returned them to the guardroom.
And when he humbled himself, the anger of the LORD turned away from him so that there was not a complete annihilation. Moreover, there were some good things in Judah during this time.
So King Rehoboam was strong and reigned in Jerusalem. For Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. And he acted evil because he did not set his heart to seek out the LORD.
Now, are not the acts of Rehoboam written from beginning to end in the annals of Shemaiah the prophet and Iddo the seer, according to genealogy? And there were battles between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days. And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried in the City of David, and Abijah ruled in his place.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
John 19:31-42
Since it was the Day of Preparation, to prevent bodies from remaining on the cross on the Sabbath day (for that Sabbath day was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Therefore the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was dead already, they did not break His legs. However, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. He who saw it has testified, and his testimony is true. He knows that he is telling the truth, that you may believe. For these things happened so that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken,” and again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they have pierced.”
After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away His body. Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about seventy-five pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden was a new tomb in which no one had ever been buried. So because of the Jewish Day of Preparation, and since the tomb was nearby, they buried Jesus there.
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 social services
All who work in the criminal justice system
Victims and perpetrators of crime
The work of aid agencies throughout the world
Those living in poverty or under oppression
Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.
Response
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
Almighty God, you have created the heavens and the earth and made us in your own image: teach us to discern your hand in all your works and your likeness in all your children; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns supreme over all things, 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.