Shane Raynor 7/28/26 Shane Raynor 7/28/26

Tue. evening Jul. 28

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

I Am Resolved

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 33

𝙍: The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD.

Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous!
Praise is becoming to the upright.
Praise the LORD with the harp;
make music to Him with an instrument of ten strings.
Sing to Him a new song;
play skillfully with a shout of joy.

For the word of the LORD is upright,
and all His work is done in truth.
He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD.

𝙍: The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD.

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
and all their host by the breath of His mouth.
He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;
He puts the deeps in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.

𝙍: The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD.

The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
He makes the plans of the people of no effect.
The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
the plans of His heart to all generations.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people whom He has chosen as His inheritance.

𝙍: The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD.

The LORD looks down from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men.
From the place of His habitation He gazes
on all the inhabitants of the earth;
He fashions the hearts of them all;
He considers all their works.

No king is saved by a great army;
a mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
A horse is a vain hope for safety;
it will not deliver by its great strength.

𝙍: The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD.

Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him,
on those who hope in His lovingkindness,
to deliver their soul from death,
and to keep them alive in famine.

Our soul waits for the LORD;
He is our help and our shield.
For our heart will rejoice in Him,
because we have trusted in His holy name.
Let Your lovingkindness, O LORD, be upon us,
just as we hope in You.

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 earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD.

Psalm prayer

Feed your people, Lord, with your holy word, and free us from the emptiness of our wrongful desires, that we may sing the new song of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament reading

Jeremiah 32:1-15

The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. For then the king of Babylon’s army besieged Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the house of the king of Judah.

For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, “Why do you prophesy? You say: Thus says the LORD: Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it, and Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but will surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye. And he will lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there he will be until I visit him, says the LORD. Though you fight against the Chaldeans, you will not succeed.”

So Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came to me, saying: Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you, saying, “Buy my field that is in Anathoth. For the right of redemption is yours to buy it.”

So Hanamel my uncle’s son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the LORD and said to me, “Please buy my field, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin, for the right of inheritance and the redemption is yours. Buy it for yourself.”

Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD. I bought the field of Hanamel my uncle’s son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver. I signed and sealed the deed, and summoned witnesses, and weighed the money from him in the balances. So I took the deed of purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open. And I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the sight of Hanamel my uncle’s son, and in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, before all the Jews who sat in the court of the prison.

I charged Baruch in their presence, saying, Thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, this sealed deed of purchase and this deed which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel that they may last many days. For thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

James 2:14-26

What does it profit, my brothers, if a man says he has faith but has no works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and lacking daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” and yet you give them nothing that the body needs, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

But a man may say, “You have faith and I have works.”

Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God; you do well. The demons also believe and tremble.

But do you want to be shown, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? Do you see how faith worked with his works, and by works faith was made complete? The Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. You see then how by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead.

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

Almighty Lord and everlasting God, we beseech you to direct, sanctify and govern both our hearts and bodies in the ways of your laws and the works of your commandments; that through your most mighty protection, both here and ever, we may be preserved in body and soul; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, 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.

Shane Raynor 7/27/26 Shane Raynor 7/27/26

Mon. evening Jul. 27

Opening response

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

Prayer of thanksgiving

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

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

Silence is kept.

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

Hymn

Abide with Me

Confession of Sin

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

Our Lord Jesus Christ said:

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

Amen. Lord, have mercy.

After a period of reflection

Come, let us return to the Lord and say:

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

cf Hosea 6

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

Psalm 26

𝙍: LORD, I love the place where Your glory dwells.

Vindicate me, O LORD,
for I have walked in my integrity,
and I have trusted in the LORD;
therefore I will not waver.
Examine me, O LORD, and prove me;
try my mind and my heart.
For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes,
and I have walked in Your truth.

I have not sat with the worthless,
nor will I consort with hypocrites.

𝙍: LORD, I love the place where Your glory dwells.

I have hated the assembly of evildoers,
and will not sit with the wicked.
I will wash my hands in innocence;
thus will I go around Your altar, O LORD,
that I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving,
and tell of all Your wondrous works.
LORD, I have loved the habitation of Your house,
and the place where Your glory dwells.

𝙍: LORD, I love the place where Your glory dwells.

Do not gather my soul with sinners,
nor my life with murderers,
in whose hands is wickedness,
and whose right hand is full of bribes.
But as for me, I will walk in my integrity;
redeem me and be gracious to me.

My foot stands on level ground;
in the congregations I will bless 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: LORD, I love the place where Your glory dwells.

Psalm prayer

Have mercy on us and redeem us, Lord, for our merits are your mercies, and in your judgment is our salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 28

𝙍: The LORD is my strength and my shield.

To You will I cry, O LORD my rock;
do not be silent to me,
lest, if You are silent to me,
I become like those who go down to the pit.
Hear the voice of my supplications
when I cry to You,
when I lift up my hands
toward Your most holy place.

𝙍: The LORD is my strength and my shield.

Do not take me away with the wicked
and with the workers of iniquity,
who speak peace with their neighbors
while mischief is in their hearts.
Repay them according to their deeds,
and according to the wickedness of their endeavors;
repay them according to the work of their hands;
render to them their due reward.

𝙍: The LORD is my strength and my shield.

Because they do not regard the works of the LORD,
nor the work of His hands,
He will destroy them
and not build them up.

Blessed be the LORD,
because He has heard the voice of my supplications.
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusted in Him, and I was helped;
therefore my heart rejoices,
and with my song I will thank Him.

𝙍: The LORD is my strength and my shield.

The LORD is the strength of His people,
and He is the saving refuge of His anointed.
Save Your people
and bless Your inheritance;
shepherd them and bear them up 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 is my strength and my shield.

Psalm prayer

Hear us, Shepherd of your people, forgive us our sins and, in a world of pretenses, make us true in heart and mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 29

𝙍: The LORD will bless His people with peace.

Ascribe to the LORD, O you mighty ones,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name;
worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders;
the LORD is over many waters.

𝙍: The LORD will bless His people with peace.

The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD splinters the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes them skip like a calf,
Lebanon and Sirion like a wild ox.

𝙍: The LORD will bless His people with peace.

The voice of the LORD divides
the flames of fire.
The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;
the LORD shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth,
and strips the forests bare;
and in His temple everyone says, “Glory!”

The LORD sat enthroned over the flood;
and the LORD sits as King forever.
The LORD will give strength to His people;
the LORD will bless His people with peace.

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 bless His people with peace.

Psalm prayer

Open our ears, glorious Lord Christ, to hear the music of your voice above the chaos of this world; open our eyes to see the vision of your glory, for you are our King, now and forever.

Old Testament reading

Jeremiah 31:23-25, 27-37

Thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Once again they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities when I restore their fortunes: “May the LORD bless you, O habitation of righteousness and mountain of holiness!” And Judah and all its cities will dwell there, the farmer and those who go out with the flocks. For I satiate the weary souls and I replenish every languishing soul.

Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast. It shall come to pass that as I have watched over them to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict, so I will watch over them, to build, and to plant, says the LORD. In those days they will say no more:

“The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
and the children’s teeth are set on edge.”

But everyone will die for his own iniquity. Every man that eats the sour grape, his teeth will be set on edge.

Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
It will not be according to the covenant
that I made with their fathers
in the day that I took them by the hand
to bring them out of the land of Egypt,
because they broke My covenant,
although I was a husband to them,
says the LORD.
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, says the LORD:
I will put My law within them
and write it in their hearts;
and I will be their God,
and they shall be My people.
They shall teach no more every man his neighbor
and every man his brother, saying, “Know the LORD,”
for they all shall know Me,
from the least of them to the greatest of them,
says the LORD,
for I will forgive their iniquity,
and I will remember their sin no more.

Thus says the LORD,

who gives the sun
for a light by day
and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars
for a light by night,
who stirs up the sea
so that the waves roar,
the LORD of Hosts is His name:
If those ordinances depart from before Me,
says the LORD,
then the seed of Israel also will cease
from being a nation before Me forever.

Thus says the LORD:

If heaven above can be measured,
and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath,
I will also cast off all the seed of Israel
for all that they have done,
says the LORD.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

James 2:1-13

My brothers, have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, without partiality. For if a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, comes into your assembly, and also a poor man in ragged clothing comes in, and you have respect for him who wears the fine clothing and say to him, “Sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor, “Stand there,” or “Sit here under my footstool,” have you not then become partial among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Listen, my beloved brothers. Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He has promised to those who love Him? But you have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you and drag you before the judgment seats? Do they not blaspheme that worthy name by which you are called?

If you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as sinners. For whoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point is guilty of breaking the whole law. For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, yet you murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For he who has shown no mercy will have judgment without mercy, for mercy triumphs over judgment.

Silence may be kept.

The Magnificat (The Song of Mary)

Luke 1:46-55

Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be forever. Amen.

Brief silence.

The Apostle’s Creed

Let us unite in this historic confession of the Christian faith:

I believe in God,
the Father Almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.

Amen.

Thanksgiving and intercession

Thanksgiving may be made for the day.

Intercessions are offered
for peace
for individuals and their needs

Prayers may include the following concerns:

The media and the arts
Farming and fishing
Commerce and industry
Those whose work is unfulfilling, stressful, or fraught with danger
All who are unemployed

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

Response

Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

The Lord’s Prayer

As our Savior taught us, so we pray

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.

Shane Raynor 7/26/26 Shane Raynor 7/26/26

Sun. evening Jul. 26

Opening response

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

Prayer of thanksgiving

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

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

Silence is kept.

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

Hymn

The Love of God

Confession of Sin

When we cry to the LORD in our trouble,
He will save us from our distress.

God will bring us out of darkness
and out of the shadow of death.

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

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

May the Father forgive us by the death of his Son, and strengthen us to live in the power of the Spirit all our days.
Amen.

Let us give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
and for His wonderful works to all people!

Let us offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and declare God’s works with rejoicing.

cf Psalm 107

Psalm 75

𝙍: God is the Judge.

We give thanks to You, O God;
we give thanks, for Your name is near;
Your wondrous works declare it.

When I set the appointed time,
I will judge with equity.
The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolving;
I bear up its pillars.
I said to the boastful, “Do not boast,”
and to the wicked, “Do not lift up your horn.
Do not lift up your horn on high;
do not speak with a stiff neck.”

𝙍: God is the Judge.

For exaltation comes neither from the east, nor from the west,
nor from the south.
But God is the Judge;
He puts down one and exalts another.
For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup,
full of foaming wine; it is well mixed,
and He pours it out;
indeed the wicked of the earth drain and drink its dregs.

𝙍: God is the Judge.

But I will declare it forever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
All the horns of the wicked will I cut off,
but the horns of the righteous will be exalted.

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: God is the Judge.

Psalm prayer

Judge of all the earth, restrain the ambition of the proud, and establish among us the reign of the Messiah, who drained for us the cup of judgment and is alive with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Psalm 76

𝙍: The LORD has established His throne for judgment.

In Judah God is known;
His name is great in Israel.
His abode is in Salem,
His dwelling place in Zion.
There He broke the flaming arrows of the bow,
the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war.

𝙍: The LORD has established His throne for judgment.

You are more glorious and excellent
than the mountains of prey.
The stouthearted were plundered;
they sank into sleep;
and none of the mighty men
could use his hands.
At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
both the rider and horse lay stunned.

𝙍: The LORD has established His throne for judgment.

But You indeed are to be feared;
who may stand in Your presence once You are angry?
You caused judgment to be heard from heaven;
the earth feared and was still,
when God arose to judgment,
to save all the meek of the earth.

𝙍: The LORD has established His throne for judgment.

Surely the wrath of man shall praise You;
with the remainder of wrath You will gird Yourself.

Make your vows to the LORD your God and fulfill them;
let all who are around Him
bring tribute to Him who is to be feared.
He will cut off the spirit of princes;
He is feared by the kings of the earth.

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 established His throne for judgment.

Psalm prayer

Majestic and gracious God, more awesome than the agents of war, more powerful than the wrath of nations, restrain the violence of the peoples, and draw the despised of the earth into the joyful life of your kingdom, where you live and reign forever and ever.

Old Testament reading

1 Kings 6:11-14, 23-38

Now the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying, “Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in My statutes and execute My judgments and keep all My commandments and walk in them, then I will carry out My word with you, which I spoke to David your father, and I will dwell among the people of Israel and will not forsake My people Israel.”

So Solomon built the house and finished it.

Within the inner sanctuary, he made two cherubim from olive wood, each ten cubits high. One wing of the cherub was five cubits, and the other wing was also five cubits. From the furthest part of the one wing to the furthest part of the other was ten cubits. The other cherub was ten cubits. Both the cherubim were the same shape and size. The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was that of the other cherub. He set the cherubim within the inner sanctuary, and they stretched forth the wings of the cherubim, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall, and their wings touched one another in the middle of the house. He overlaid the cherubim with gold.

He carved all the walls of the house with carved figures of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers both inside and out. He overlaid the floor of the house with gold, both inside and out.

For the entrance to the inner sanctuary, he made doors of olive wood; the lintel and doorposts were five-sided. The two doors were also made of olive wood. He carved on them cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubim and upon the palm trees. So also he made for the entrance to the nave four-sided posts of olive wood. The two doors were made from fir tree, with two leaves of each door folding. He carved on them cherubim and palm trees and open flowers and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.

He built the inner court with three rows of hewed stone and a row of cedar beams.

In the fourth year, in the month Ziv, the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid, and in the eleventh year, in the month Bul (which is the eighth month), the house was completely finished. All the details and plans were met. So he took seven years to build it.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

Acts 12:1-17

About that time King Herod extended his hands to harm certain ones from the church. He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword. Seeing that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to arrest Peter also. This happened during the Days of Unleavened Bread. When he had seized him, he put him in prison and handed him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending to bring him before the people after the Passover.

So Peter was kept in prison. But the church prayed to God without ceasing for him.

The very night when Herod would have brought him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains. And the guards before the door were securing the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Rise up, quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands.

Then the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put your sandals on.” And he did so. Then he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” He went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading to the city, which opened to them by itself, and they went out and walked down one street, and immediately the angel left him.

When Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I certainly know that the Lord has sent His angel and delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

Realizing this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John, whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. As Peter knocked at the door of the porch, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. When she recognized Peter’s voice, from joy she did not open the door, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the door.

They said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she insisted that it was really so. So they said, “It is his angel.”

But Peter continued knocking. And when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. Motioning to them with his hand to be quiet, he described to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, “Go, tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place.

Silence may be kept.

The Magnificat (The Song of Mary)

Luke 1:46-55

Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be forever. Amen.

Brief silence.

The Apostle’s Creed

Let us unite in this historic confession of the Christian faith:

I believe in God,
the Father Almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.

Amen.

Thanksgiving and intercession

Thanksgiving may be made for the day.

Intercessions are offered
for peace
for individuals and their needs

Prayers may include the following concerns:

The universal church
Bishops, superintendents, and all who lead the church
The leaders of the nations
The natural world and the resources of the earth
All who are in any kind of need

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

Response

In faith we pray
We pray to you, our God.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

The Lord’s Prayer

As our Savior taught us, so we pray

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.