Thu evening Apr. 9
Opening response
Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
Make haste to help me, O LORD!
In your resurrection, O Christ,
let heaven and earth rejoice. Alleluia.
Prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Sovereign Lord, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to you be glory and praise forever. From the deep waters of death, you brought your people to new birth by raising your Son to life in triumph. Through him, dark death has been destroyed, and radiant life is everywhere restored. As you call us out of darkness into his marvelous light, may our lives reflect his glory and our lips repeat the endless song.
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 Hope Is Built
Words: Edward More (1834)
Music: William B. Bradbury (1863)
Our Great Redeemer’s Praise (#102)
My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus' name.
When darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
in every high and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the veil.
Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.
His oath, his covenant, his blood,
support me in the whelming flood;
when all around my soul gives way,
he then is all my hope and stay. [Refrain]
When he shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in him be found:
dressed in his righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne. [Refrain]
Confession of Sin
Let us admit to God the sin which always confronts us.
A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.
Almighty God, patient and of great goodness: I confess to you, I confess with my whole heart my neglect and forgetfulness of your commandments, my wrong doing, thinking, and speaking; the hurts I have done to others, and the good I have left undone. O God, forgive me, for I have sinned against you; and raise me to newness of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
May the God of love and power forgive us and free us from our sins, heal and strengthen us by his Spirit, and raise us to new life in Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Psalm 106
𝙍: The LORD remembered his covenant.
Praise the LORD!
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
for His mercy endures forever!
Who can utter the mighty deeds of the LORD?
Who can declare all His praise?
Blessed are those who keep justice,
and he who does righteousness at all times!
Remember me, O LORD, in Your favor of Your people;
visit me with Your salvation,
that I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones,
that I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation,
that I may glory with Your inheritance.
𝙍: The LORD remembered his covenant.
We, like our fathers, have sinned;
we have committed iniquity; we have behaved wickedly.
Our fathers in Egypt
did not understand Your wonders;
they did not remember the abundance of Your mercy,
but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.
Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake,
that He might make His mighty power known.
He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;
and He led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.
He saved them from the hand of him who hated them,
and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
The waters covered their enemies;
not one of them was left.
Then they believed His words;
they sang His praise.
𝙍: The LORD remembered his covenant.
But they soon forgot His works;
they did not wait for His counsel,
but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness,
and tested God in the desert.
He gave them their request,
but He sent a wasting disease on them.
They envied Moses in the camp,
and Aaron, the holy priest of the LORD.
The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
and covered the company of Abiram.
A fire broke out in their company;
the flame burned up the wicked.
𝙍: The LORD remembered his covenant.
They made a calf at Horeb,
and worshipped the molten image.
Thus they exchanged their glory
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
They forgot God, their Savior,
who had done great things in Egypt,
wondrous works in the land of Ham,
and marvelous deeds by the Red Sea.
Therefore He said that He would destroy them,
had not Moses, His chosen one,
stood before Him in the breach,
to turn away His wrath from destroying them.
𝙍: The LORD remembered his covenant.
Then they despised the pleasant land;
they did not believe His word,
but murmured in their tents,
and did not listen to the voice of the LORD.
Therefore He raised His hand against them
to overthrow them in the wilderness,
and swore that He would overthrow their descendants among the nations,
and scatter them among the lands.
𝙍: The LORD remembered his covenant.
They joined themselves to Baal of Peor,
and ate sacrifices offered to the dead.
Thus they provoked Him to anger with their deeds,
and a plague broke out among them.
Then Phinehas stood up and intervened,
and the plague was stayed.
And that was counted to him for righteousness
to all generations forever.
They angered Him also at the waters of Meribah,
so that it went ill with Moses on their account,
because they provoked His Spirit,
and he spoke rashly with his lips.
𝙍: The LORD remembered his covenant.
They did not destroy the peoples,
as the LORD had commanded them,
but they mingled with the nations
and learned their works;
they served their idols,
which became a snare to them.
They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to the demons,
and shed innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was polluted with blood.
Thus were they defiled by their works
and played the whore by their deeds.
𝙍: The LORD remembered his covenant.
Therefore the wrath of the LORD was kindled against His people,
and He abhorred His own inheritance.
He delivered them into the hand of the nations,
and those who hated them ruled over them.
Their enemies also oppressed them,
and they were brought into subjection under their power.
Many times He delivered them,
but they were rebellious in their counsel,
and were brought low through their iniquity.
Nevertheless, He regarded their affliction
when He heard their cry.
For their sake He remembered His covenant,
and relented according to the greatness of His mercy.
He also caused them to be pitied
by all those who carried them away captive.
𝙍: The LORD remembered his covenant.
Save us, O LORD our God,
and gather us from among the nations,
to give thanks to Your holy name,
and to glory in Your praise.
Blessed be the LORD God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise 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.
𝙍: The LORD remembered his covenant.
Psalm prayer
Holy God, when our memories blot out your kindness and we ignore your patient love, remember us, remake us, and give to us poor sinners the rich inheritance of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Old Testament reading
Song of Solomon 5:2-6:3
I am sleeping, but my heart is awake.
A sound! My lover is knocking.
Open the door for me, my sister, my beloved,
my dove and pure one;
for my head is wet with dew,
my hair with the drops of the night.
I have taken off my linen garment.
How can I now put it back on?
I have already washed my feet.
How can I dirty them again?
My lover put his hand to the latch,
and my heart yearned for him.
I arose to open the door for my lover,
and my hands dripped with myrrh,
my fingers with liquid myrrh,
on the handles of the bolt.
I opened to my lover,
but my beloved had turned away and was gone.
My soul failed me when he spoke.
I searched for him, but I did not find him;
I called out to him, but he did not answer me.
The watchmen found me
as they went about the city;
They struck me, they wounded me.
They took my shawl away from me,
those guardsmen of the walls.
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
if you find my lover,
that you tell him I am sick with love.
How is your beloved more desirable than others,
O most beautiful among women?
How is your beloved more desirable than others,
that you thus adjure us?
My lover is radiant and ruddy,
outstanding among ten thousand men.
His head is like the finest of gold;
his hair is full of curly locks,
black as a raven.
His eyes are like doves,
resting beside streams of water,
bathed in milk,
set like jewels.
His cheeks are like beds of spices,
mounds of scented herbs.
His lips are lilies,
dripping liquid myrrh.
His arms are rods of gold,
set with jewels.
His body is carved ivory,
inlaid with sapphires.
His legs are pillars of alabaster,
set on pedestals of pure gold.
His countenance is like Lebanon,
choice as the cedars.
His mouth is most sweet,
and he is altogether lovely.
He is my lover and he is my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem.
Where has your lover gone,
O most beautiful among women?
Where has your lover turned,
that we may seek him with you?
My lover has gone down to his garden,
to his beds of spices,
to feed his flock in the gardens
and to collect lilies.
I belong to my lover and my lover belongs to me;
He feeds his flock among the lilies.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Luke 7:11-17
The following day He went into a city called Nain, and many of His disciples and a large crowd went with Him. When He came near the gate of the city, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”
Then He came and touched the coffin, and those who carried it stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” He who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He gave him to his mother.
Fear came on everyone. And they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us!” and “God has visited His people!” This rumor of Him went throughout all Judea and the surrounding region.
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 people of God, that they may proclaim the risen Lord
God’s creation, that the peoples of the earth may meet their responsibility to care
Those in despair and darkness, that they may find the hope and light of Christ
Those in fear of death, that they may find faith through the resurrection
Prisoners and captives
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
Lord of all life and power, who through the mighty resurrection of your Son overcame the old order of sin and death to make all things new in him: grant that we, being dead to sin and alive to you in Jesus Christ, may reign with him in glory; to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be praise and honor, glory and might, now and in all eternity.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Rejoicing in God’s new creation, 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 risen Christ grant us the joys of eternal life.
Amen.
Wed. evening Apr. 8
Opening response
Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
Make haste to help me, O LORD!
In your resurrection, O Christ,
let heaven and earth rejoice. Alleluia.
Prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Sovereign Lord, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to you be glory and praise forever. From the deep waters of death, you brought your people to new birth by raising your Son to life in triumph. Through him, dark death has been destroyed, and radiant life is everywhere restored. As you call us out of darkness into his marvelous light, may our lives reflect his glory and our lips repeat the endless song.
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
Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus
Words: George Duffield, Jr. (1858)
Music: George J. Webb (1830)
Our Great Redeemer’s Praise (#477)
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
ye soldiers of the cross;
lift high His royal banner,
it must not suffer loss.
From vict'ry unto vict'ry
His army shall He lead,
till ev'ry foe is vanquished,
and Christ is Lord indeed.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
the trumpet call obey;
forth to the mighty conflict,
in this His glorious day.
Ye that are brave now serve him
against unnumbered foes;
let courage rise with danger,
and strength to strength oppose.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
stand in His strength alone;
the arm of flesh will fail you,
ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the gospel armor,
each piece put on with prayer;
where duty calls or danger,
be never wanting there.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
the strife will not be long;
this day the noise of battle,
the next the victor's song.
To him who overcometh
a crown of life shall be;
they with the King of Glory
shall reign eternally.
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 105
𝙍: Remember the marvelous works the LORD has done.
Oh give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name;
make known His deeds among the peoples!
Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;
tell of all His wondrous works!
Glory in His holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
Seek the LORD and His strength;
seek His face continuously.
Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders and the judgments He has uttered,
O seed of Abraham, His servant,
you sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!
𝙍: Remember the marvelous works the LORD has done.
He is the LORD our God;
His judgments are in all the earth.
He remembers His covenant forever,
the word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,
the covenant which He made with Abraham,
and His oath to Isaac,
which He confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
saying, “To you will I give the land of Canaan
as the portion of your inheritance.”
𝙍: Remember the marvelous works the LORD has done.
When they were few in number,
very few, and strangers in it,
and they wandered from one nation to another,
from one kingdom to another people,
He permitted no one to do them wrong;
He rebuked kings for their sakes,
saying, “Touch not My anointed ones,
and do My prophets no harm!”
𝙍: Remember the marvelous works the LORD has done.
Moreover He called for a famine upon the land;
He broke the whole supply of bread.
He sent a man ahead of them,
Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
They hurt his feet with fetters;
he was put in irons.
Until the time that his word came to pass,
the word of the LORD tested him.
The king sent and released him;
the ruler of the people let him go free.
He made him lord of his house
and ruler of all his possessions,
to imprison his princes at his pleasure,
and teach his elders wisdom.
𝙍: Remember the marvelous works the LORD has done.
Israel also came to Egypt,
and Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham.
He increased His people greatly,
and made them stronger than their enemies.
He turned their heart to hate His people,
to deal craftily with His servants.
𝙍: Remember the marvelous works the LORD has done.
He sent Moses, His servant,
and Aaron whom He had chosen.
They performed His signs among them,
and wonders in the land of Ham.
He sent darkness, and made it dark;
and they did not rebel against His words.
He turned their waters into blood,
and caused their fish to die.
Their land swarmed with frogs,
even in the chambers of their kings.
He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
and gnats in all their territory.
He gave them hail for rain,
and flaming fire in their land.
He struck their vines and their fig trees,
and shattered the trees of their territory.
He spoke and locusts came,
young locusts without number,
which ate all the vegetation in their land,
and ate all the fruit of their ground.
He also struck all the firstborn in their land,
the first fruit of all their strength.
𝙍: Remember the marvelous works the LORD has done.
He also brought them out with silver and gold,
and there was not one who stumbled among their tribes.
Egypt was glad when they departed,
for the fear of them had fallen upon them.
He spread a cloud for a covering,
and fire to give light in the night.
The people asked, and He brought quail,
and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
𝙍: Remember the marvelous works the LORD has done.
He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed through the dry places like a river.
For He remembered His holy promise,
and Abraham His servant.
He led His people out with joy,
His chosen ones with gladness.
He gave them the lands of the nations,
and they inherited the fruit of the peoples’ labor,
that they might observe His statutes
and keep His laws.
Praise 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.
𝙍: Remember the marvelous works 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
Song of Solomon 3
On my bed at night I sought him
whom my soul loves;
I sought him, but did not find him.
“I will rise now and walk around the city,
in the streets and in the plazas;
I will seek him whom my soul loves.”
I sought him, but did not find him.
The watchmen found me
while they roamed the city.
“Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”
I had just left them
when I found him whom my soul loves.
I held him and would not let him go
until I brought him to my mother’s house,
and into the room of her who conceived me.
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles or by the does of the field:
do not arouse or awaken love
until it pleases.
What is that coming up from the wilderness,
like columns of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
with all the scented powders of the merchant?
Look, it is the portable couch of Solomon!
Around it are sixty strong men
of the mighty men of Israel,
all of them armed with swords
and proficient in war.
Each man has his sword at his thigh,
because of terrors by night.
King Solomon made himself a palanquin
from the wood of Lebanon.
He made its posts of silver,
its back of gold,
its seat of purple cloth;
its interior was lovingly inlaid with leather
by the daughters of Jerusalem.
Go forth, O daughters of Zion,
and look upon King Solomon with the crown
with which his mother crowned him
on the day of his wedding,
the day of the gladness of his heart.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Matthew 28:16-20
Then the eleven disciples went away to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw Him, they worshipped Him. But some doubted. Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
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 people of God, that they may proclaim the risen Lord
God’s creation, that the peoples of the earth may meet their responsibility to care
Those in despair and darkness, that they may find the hope and light of Christ
Those in fear of death, that they may find faith through the resurrection
Prisoners and captives
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
Lord of all life and power, who through the mighty resurrection of your Son overcame the old order of sin and death to make all things new in him: grant that we, being dead to sin and alive to you in Jesus Christ, may reign with him in glory; to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be praise and honor, glory and might, now and in all eternity.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Rejoicing in God’s new creation, 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 risen Christ grant us the joys of eternal life.
Amen.
Tue. evening Apr. 7
Opening response
Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
Make haste to help me, O LORD!
In your resurrection, O Christ,
let heaven and earth rejoice. Alleluia.
Prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Sovereign Lord, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to you be glory and praise forever. From the deep waters of death, you brought your people to new birth by raising your Son to life in triumph. Through him, dark death has been destroyed, and radiant life is everywhere restored. As you call us out of darkness into his marvelous light, may our lives reflect his glory and our lips repeat the endless song.
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
O For a Heart to Praise My God
Words: Charles Wesley (1742)
Music: Thomas Haweis (1792)
Our Great Redeemer’s Praise (#314)
O for a heart to praise my God,
a heart from sin set free,
a heart that always feels Thy blood
so freely shed for me.
A heart resigned, submissive, meek,
my great Redeemer's throne,
where only Christ is heard to speak,
where Jesus reigns alone.
A humble, lowly, contrite heart,
believing, true, and clean,
which neither life nor death can part
from Christ who dwells within.
A heart in ev'ry thought renewed
and full of love divine,
perfect and right and pure and good,
a copy, Lord, of Thine.
Thy nature, gracious Lord, impart;
come quickly from above;
write Thy new name upon my heart,
Thy new best name of Love.
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 136
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,
for His mercy endures forever.
Oh give thanks to the God of gods,
for His mercy endures forever.
Oh give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for His mercy endures forever;
to Him who alone does great wonders,
for His mercy endures forever;
to Him who by wisdom made the heavens,
for His mercy endures forever;
to Him who spread out the earth above the waters,
for His mercy endures forever;
to Him who made the great lights,
for His mercy endures forever;
the sun to rule by day,
for His mercy endures forever;
the moon and stars to rule by night,
for His mercy endures forever;
to Him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
for His mercy endures forever;
and brought Israel out from among them,
for His mercy endures forever;
with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm,
for His mercy endures forever;
to Him who divided the Red Sea in two,
for His mercy endures forever;
and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
for His mercy endures forever;
but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,
for His mercy endures forever;
to Him who led His people through the wilderness,
for His mercy endures forever;
to Him who struck down great kings,
for His mercy endures forever;
and slew mighty kings,
for His mercy endures forever;
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for His mercy endures forever;
and Og, king of Bashan,
for His mercy endures forever;
and gave their land as a heritage,
for His mercy endures forever;
a heritage to Israel His servant,
for His mercy endures forever.
It is He who remembered us in our low estate,
for His mercy endures forever;
and has rescued us from our enemies,
for His mercy endures forever;
who gives food to all flesh,
for His mercy endures forever.
Oh give thanks to the God of heaven,
for His mercy endures 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.
Psalm prayer
Remember us, God, and shape our history, form our inward eyes to see the shadow of the life-giving cross in the turbulence of our time; for his sake who died for all, Christ our Lord.
Old Testament reading
Song of Solomon 2:8-17
The voice of my lover!
Listen, he comes
leaping over the mountains,
springing over the hills.
My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Look, he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows,
looking through the lattice.
My lover speaks and says to me,
“Arise, my beloved,
my beautiful one, and come away.
For now the winter has passed,
the rain is over and gone.
The blossoms appear on the earth;
the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
The fig tree springs forth its early figs,
and the vine its blossoms;
they give forth their fragrance.
Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come away.
O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
in the secret places of the cliffs,
let me see your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.
Catch the foxes for us,
the little foxes
that ruin the vineyards,
for our vineyards are in blossom.”
My beloved is mine, and I am his.
He feeds his flock among the lilies.
Until the day breathes
and the shadows flee,
turn, my lover,
be like a gazelle
or a young stag
on rugged mountains.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Luke 24:1-12
Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. But when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were greatly perplexed concerning this, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. As they were afraid and bowed their faces to the ground, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen! Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ ” Then they remembered His words.
And they returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. But their words seemed like fables to them, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb. Stooping down, he saw the linen clothes lying by themselves. He departed, wondering in himself what had happened.
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 people of God, that they may proclaim the risen Lord
God’s creation, that the peoples of the earth may meet their responsibility to care
Those in despair and darkness, that they may find the hope and light of Christ
Those in fear of death, that they may find faith through the resurrection
Prisoners and captives
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
Lord of all life and power, who through the mighty resurrection of your Son overcame the old order of sin and death to make all things new in him: grant that we, being dead to sin and alive to you in Jesus Christ, may reign with him in glory; to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be praise and honor, glory and might, now and in all eternity.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Rejoicing in God’s new creation, 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 risen Christ grant us the joys of eternal life.
Amen.