Thu. evening Jul. 2
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
Are You Washed in 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 94
𝙍: Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments.
O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongs—
O God to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth!
Rise up, O Judge of the earth;
render to the proud what they deserve.
O LORD, how long shall the wicked,
how long shall the wicked triumph?
They spew forth their arrogant words;
all the workers of iniquity boast.
𝙍: Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments.
They break in pieces Your people, O LORD,
and afflict Your heritage.
They kill the widow and the sojourner,
and murder the fatherless.
Yet they say, “The LORD does not see,
nor does the God of Jacob perceive.”
𝙍: Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments.
Understand, you brutish among the people!
Fools, when will you be wise?
He who planted the ear, shall He not hear?
He who formed the eye, shall He not see?
He who disciplines the nations, shall He not correct?
He teaches man knowledge!
The LORD knows the thoughts of man,
that they are futile.
𝙍: Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments.
Blessed is the man whom You discipline, O LORD,
and teach from Your law,
so that You may give him rest from the days of adversity,
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
For the LORD will not abandon His people,
nor will He abandon His heritage.
But justice will return to the righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.
𝙍: Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments.
Who will rise up for me against the evildoers?
Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
Unless the LORD had been my help,
my soul would soon have dwelt in the land of silence.
If I should say, “My foot has slipped,”
Your mercy, O LORD, will hold me up.
In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
Your comforts delight my soul.
𝙍: Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments.
Shall a throne of iniquity which devises mischief by decree,
have fellowship with you?
They band together against the life of the righteous
and condemn innocent blood.
But the LORD has been my defense,
and my God the rock of my refuge.
He has brought on them their own iniquity,
and shall destroy them in their own wickedness;
the LORD our God shall destroy them.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be forever. Amen.
𝙍: Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments.
Psalm prayer
Lord God, judge of all, before whom no secrets are hidden, let your justice shine out and your righteousness sweep wickedness from its throne, that we may live free from fear and tumbling; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Old Testament reading
Nehemiah 7:73-8:18
When the seventh month came, the Israelites were in their cities.
All the people gathered together as one man in the area in front of the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.
On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the Law before the congregation of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding. In the area in front of the Water Gate, he read aloud from sunrise until midday to the men, women, and those who could understand. All the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood, which they had made for the purpose. Beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people (because he was above all the people), and, as he opened it, all the people stood up. And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. All the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
Then Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, explained the Law to the people while the people stood in their place. They read from the book, from the Law of God, with interpretation, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.
Then Nehemiah the magistrate, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were teaching the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Stop mourning and weeping.” (This was because all the people wept when they heard the words of the Law.)
Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat, drink the sweet drink, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Hush! Because today is holy you should stop being so sorrowful.”
Then all the people went to eat, to drink, to send portions, and to enjoy a great celebration because they had understood the words declared to them.
On the second day, the chiefs of the fathers’ households of all the people, the priests, and the Levites were gathered to Ezra the scribe in order to understand the words of the Law. They found written in the Law where the LORD had commanded by Moses that the Israelites should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month, and that they should pronounce and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, “Go out to the hills and bring olive branches, along with wild olive branches, myrtle branches, palm branches, and other leafy branches to make booths, as it was written.”
So the people went out and brought back branches and made themselves booths, each on the roof of his house, and in their yard, on the grounds of the house of God, in the area in front of the Water Gate, and in the square of the Gate of Ephraim. All the congregation who had returned from captivity made booths and lived in them. Not since the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day had the Israelites done so, and there was a tremendously great feast.
And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly as required.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Romans 15:22-33
For this reason also I was often hindered from coming to you. But now, no longer having a place in these regions, and having a great desire for many years to come to you, whenever I go to Spain, I shall come to you, for I hope to see you when I pass through and to be helped on my way there by you, when I have first enjoyed your company for a little while. But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. It has pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, they also ought to minister to them in material things. Therefore, when I have completed this and have given this blessing to them, I shall come by way of you to Spain, and I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.
Now I ask you, brothers, through the Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my ministry for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, so that I may come to you with joy by the will of God, and may be refreshed together with you. Now the God of peace be with you all. 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:
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
Father, hear our prayer,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that with you as our ruler and guide we may so pass through things temporal that we lose not our hold on things eternal; grant this, heavenly Father, for our Lord Jesus Christ's sake, 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.
Wed. evening Jul. 1
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
O Worship the King
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 91
𝙍: Keep me as the apple of Your eye.
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
He shall cover you with His pinions,
and under His wings shall you find refuge;
His faithfulness shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
nor of the arrow that flies by day;
nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
nor of the destruction that strikes at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
and ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
Only with your eyes shall you behold
and see the recompense of the wicked.
𝙍: Keep me as the apple of Your eye.
Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge,
even the Most High, your dwelling,
no evil will befall you,
nor will any plague come near your tent;
for He will give His angels charge over you
to guard you in all your ways.
They will bear you up in their hands,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread upon the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent will you trample underfoot.
𝙍: Keep me as the apple of Your eye.
“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life will I satisfy him
and show him My salvation.”
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: Keep me as the apple of Your eye.
Psalm prayer
Keep us, good Lord, under the shadow of your mercy and, as you have bound us to yourself in love, leave us not who call upon your name, but grant us your salvation, made known in the cross of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Psalm 93
𝙍: The LORD will reign forever and ever.
The LORD reigns; He is clothed with majesty;
the LORD is clothed; He has girded Himself with strength.
Indeed, the world is established;
it shall not be moved.
Your throne is established from of old;
You are from everlasting.
𝙍: The LORD will reign forever and ever.
The floods have lifted up, O LORD,
the floods have lifted up their voice;
the floods lift up their roaring waves.
The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters,
than the mighty waves of the sea.
Your statutes are very sure;
holiness befits Your house,
O LORD, forever.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be forever. Amen.
𝙍: The LORD will reign forever and ever.
Psalm prayer
Christ our King, you put on the apparel of our nature and raised us to your glory; reign from your royal throne above the chaos of this world, that all may see the victory you have won and trust in your salvation; for your glory’s sake.
Old Testament reading
Nehemiah 6:1-7:4
When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and that there was not a gap in it (though at that time I had not erected the doors on the gates), Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come, that we might meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono.”
But they planned to do evil to me. So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so I am not able to come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and come down to you?” Four more times they sent for me like this, but I answered them the same way.
Sanballat sent the same request a fifth time by his servant, but the letter was open in his hand. In it was written,
“It is reported among the nations, and Geshem confirms it, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel; consequently you are rebuilding the wall. According to these words, you are their king. You have also appointed prophets to preach on your behalf in Jerusalem, saying, ‘There is a king in Judah!’ According to these words, it will now be reported to the king. So come now and let us consult together.”
I sent him this response, saying, “Nothing like these reports that you are saying has occurred. From your own mind, you are inventing them.”
Because they all wanted to frighten us, they thought, “Their hands will be weakened from the work, and it will not be done.”
So now, O God, strengthen my hands.
When I came to the house of Shemaiah the crippled son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabel, he said, “Let us meet together at the house of God, inside the temple, and then we can shut the temple doors. They are coming to kill you! Even tonight, they could come to kill you!”
But I said, “Should a man like me flee? Who is there like me who would go into the temple to save his life? I would never go!” Then I perceived and saw that God had not sent him, but that he pronounced the prophecy against me, because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. He was hired for this reason: that I might become fearful, act accordingly, and sin. Then they would have an evil report by which they could reproach me.
Remember, O my God, concerning Tobiah and Sanballat these deeds of theirs, as well as the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who were trying to frighten me.
The wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard it and all the surrounding nations saw it, they were tremendously humbled. They perceived that, because of our God, this work had been accomplished.
Also in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came to them, because so many in Judah were bound by oath to him since he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berekiah. Also they spoke of his good deeds in front of me and reported my words to him. Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.
Once the wall was rebuilt and I had erected the doors, the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites were appointed. Over Jerusalem, I put in charge both my brother Hanani and Hananiah, the palace commander, because each was a faithful man and feared God more than many. I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem should not be opened until the sun is hot. Until guards are posted, the doors should be closed and bolted. Likewise, appoint guards from Jerusalem’s inhabitants—each at his post, across from his own house.”
Now the city was large and spacious, yet the people in it were few since there had been no houses built.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Romans 15:14-21
Now I myself am persuaded concerning you, my brothers, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and also able to instruct one another. Nevertheless, brothers, I have written even more boldly to you on some points, to remind you, because of the grace that is given to me from God, that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
In Christ Jesus therefore I have reason to boast in my service to God. For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and as far around as Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. So I have strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, so that I should not build on another man’s foundation. But as it is written:
“To whom He was not announced, they shall see;
and those who have not heard shall understand.”
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
O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that with you as our ruler and guide we may so pass through things temporal that we lose not our hold on things eternal; grant this, heavenly Father, for our Lord Jesus Christ's sake, 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.
Tue. evening Jun. 30
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
He Died for Me
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 89:19-52
𝙍: The Lord has sworn in truth to David, from which He will not turn back.
Long ago You spoke in a vision
to Your holy one, and said:
“I have given help to one who is mighty;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
I have found David, My servant;
with My holy oil have I anointed him,
by whom My hand shall be established;
My arm also shall strengthen him.
The enemy shall not exact usury from him,
nor the wicked humiliate him.
I will beat down his foes before him,
and strike those who hate him.
My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him,
and in My name his horn shall be exalted.
I will set his hand on the sea
and his right hand on the rivers.
He shall cry to Me, ‘You are my Father, my God,
and the rock of my salvation.’
Also I will make him my firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth.
My mercy will I keep for him forever,
and My covenant will stand firm with him.
His descendants also will I establish forever
and his throne as the days of heaven.
𝙍: The Lord has sworn in truth to David, from which He will not turn back.
“If his children forsake My law
and do not walk according to My decrees,
if they break My statutes
and do not keep My commandments,
then will I punish their transgression with the rod,
and their iniquity with stripes.
Nevertheless I will not remove My lovingkindness from him,
nor allow My faithfulness to fail.
I will not break My covenant,
nor alter the word that has gone out from My lips.
Once and for all have I sworn by My holiness;
I will not lie to David.
His descendants shall endure forever,
and his throne as the sun before Me.
It shall be established forever like the moon,
a faithful witness in the sky.”
But now You have spurned and rejected him,
You have been full of wrath against Your anointed.
You have renounced the covenant with Your servant;
You have defiled his crown by casting it to the ground.
You have broken down all his walls;
You have brought his strongholds to ruin.
All who pass by plunder him;
he is a reproach to his neighbors.
You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries;
You have made all his enemies rejoice.
Moreover, You have turned back the edge of his sword,
and You have not sustained him in battle.
You have made his splendor cease,
and cast his throne to the ground.
You have shortened the days of his youth;
You have covered him with shame.
𝙍: The Lord has sworn in truth to David, from which He will not turn back.
How long, O LORD? Will You hide Yourself forever?
How long will Your wrath burn like fire?
Remember how short my time is!
For what vanity have You created all the sons of men?
What man can live and not see death?
Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?
Lord, where is Your lovingkindness of old,
which by Your faithfulness You swore to David?
Remember, O Lord, the reproach of Your servants,
how I bear in my heart the insults of all the many peoples,
with which Your enemies have reproached, O LORD,
with which they have reproached the footsteps of Your anointed.
Blessed be the LORD forever!
Amen and Amen.
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 has sworn in truth to David, from which He will not turn back.
Psalm prayer
Faithful God, remember your promise fulfilled in your anointed Son Jesus Christ, in whose strength alone we stand, now and forever.
Old Testament reading
Nehemiah 5
Now there was a great outcry of the people and their wives against their fellow Jews. Some were saying, “We and our sons and our daughters are many. Therefore, let us acquire grain so that we may eat and live.”
Others were saying, “We have mortgaged our fields, vineyards, and houses so that we might acquire grain because of hunger.”
Still others were saying, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute against the value of our fields and vineyards. Now our flesh is the same as the flesh of our countrymen. Our children are like their children, but we are subjugating our sons and our daughters as servants. Behold, some of our daughters are in bondage already, and we are powerless to do anything because our fields and vineyards belong to others.”
I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. So I contemplated about this for myself and, as a result, I rebuked the nobles and officials and said to them, “Based on the claim of each against his brother, you are exacting usury.” Then I convened a great assembly against them, and I said to them, “By whatever means we had, we purchased our Jewish countrymen who were being sold to the nations. So, will you once more sell your countrymen so that they might again be sold to us?” Then they kept silent, because they found nothing to answer.
Also I said, “What you are doing is not good! Should not you walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies? Moreover, I, my relatives, and my servants are loaning them money and grain. So, I urge you, cease from this practice of usury. Please restore to them, even this day, their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, along with one-hundredth of the money, the grain, the wine, and the oil that you had exacted from them.”
Then they said, “We will restore it and will require nothing of them. We will do what you have said.”
Then I called the priests and made them swear an oath to keep this promise. Also I shook out the front of my garment and said, “Like this, may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not carry out this promise. Exactly like this, may he be shaken out and emptied.”
And all the congregation said, “Amen,” and praised the LORD. And the people did according to this promise.
Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah (from the twentieth year even until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes) twelve years had passed. And my companions and I had not eaten the governor’s food allotment. The former governors preceding me had extracted a heavy burden on the people, because they took from them food and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Moreover, even their servants domineered over the people. But I myself never did so, because of the fear of God. Furthermore, I stayed determined in the work on this wall. We bought no field, and all my servants were gathered there for the sake of the work.
Moreover there were regularly at my table one hundred and fifty Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations around us. Daily there were one ox and six choice sheep prepared for me. Fowls were also prepared for me. Once in ten days all sorts of wine were supplied in abundance. Yet for all this, I never required the governor’s food allotment because it was a heavy burden on this people.
Remember me, O my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Romans 15:1-13
We who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak and not please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. For even Christ did not please Himself. But as it is written, “The insults of those who insulted You fell on Me.” For whatever was previously written was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Now may the God of perseverance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore welcome one another, just as Christ also welcomed us, for the glory of God. Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs, and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written:
“For this reason I will acknowledge You among the Gentiles,
and I will sing praises to Your name.”
He also says:
“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!”
And again:
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;
let all the peoples praise Him.”
And again Isaiah says:
“There shall be a Root of Jesse;
He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles,
in Him shall the Gentiles hope.”
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
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:
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 of life
In your mercy, hear us.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that with you as our ruler and guide we may so pass through things temporal that we lose not our hold on things eternal; grant this, heavenly Father, for our Lord Jesus Christ's sake, 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.