Monday morning November 12

Tuesday morning
Sunday morning

Preparation

Opening response

Lord, open our lips

and our mouth will proclaim your praise.

All your faithful ones bless you.

They speak of the glory of your kingdom.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Sovereign God,

ruler and judge of all,

to you be praise and glory forever.

In the darkness of this age that is passing away

may the light of your presence which the saints enjoy

surround our steps as we journey on.

May we reflect your glory this day

and so be made ready to see your face

in the heavenly city where night shall be no more.

Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Blessed be God forever.

The night has passed, and the day lies open before us;

let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept.

As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,

so may the light of your presence, O God,

set our hearts on fire with love for you;

now and forever.

Amen.

Hymn

Who Is This Gigantic Foe

Charles Wesley

Who is this gigantic foe,

That proudly stalks along,

Overlooks the crowd below,

In brazen armor strong?

Loudly of his strength he boasts;

On his sword and spear relies;

Meets the God of Israel’s hosts,

And all their force defies.

Tallest of the earth-born race,

They tremble at his power;

Flee before the monster’s face,

And own him conqueror.

Who this mighty champion is,

Nature answers from within,

He is my own wickedness,

My own besetting sin.

In the strength of Jesus’ name,

I with the monster fight;

Feeble and unarmed I am,

But Jesus is my might;

Mindful of his mercies past,

I trust the same to prove;

Still my helpless soul I cast

On his redeeming love.

From the bear and lion’s paws,

He hath delivered me;

He will still maintain my cause,

And still my helper be;

God in my defense shall stand,

Jesus on my side I have;

From the proud Goliath’s hand

He now my soul shall save.

With my sling and stone I go

To fight the Philistine;

God hath said it shall be so,

And I shall conquer sin;

On his promise I rely,

My trust is in the Lord,

Sure to win the victory,

For he hath spoke the word.

In the strength of God I rise,

I run to meet my foe;

Faith the word of power applies,

And lays the giant low;

Faith in Jesus’ conquering name,

Slings the sin-destroying stone;

Points the word’s unerring aim,

And brings the monster down.

Rise, ye men of Israel, rise!

Your rooted foe pursue;

Shout his praises to the skies,

Who conquers sin for you;

Jesus doth for you appear,

He his conquering grace affords;

Saves you, not with sword and spear,

The battle is the Lord’s.

Every day the Lord of hosts,

His mighty power displays;

Stills the proud Philistine’s boast,

The threatening Gittite slays;

Israel’s God, let all below

Conqueror over sin proclaim,

O that all the earth might know,

The power of Jesus’ name!

Confession of sin

Seek the Lord when he can still be found;

call him while he is yet near.

Let the wicked abandon their ways

and the sinful their schemes.

Let them return to the Lord so that he may have mercy on them,

to our God, because he is generous with forgiveness.

cf Isaiah 55

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

Lord God,

we have sinned against you;

we have committed evil in your sight.

We are sorry and repent.

Have mercy on us according to your faithful love.

Wash us completely clean of our guilt; purify us from our sin.

Put a new, faithful spirit deep inside us,

and return the joy of your salvation to us

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

cf Psalm 51

May the Father of all mercies

cleanse us from our sins,

and restore us in his image

to the praise and glory of his name,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Bless the Lord,

because he has listened to our request for mercy.

Therefore our hearts will rejoice

and we will thank him with our song.

cf Psalm 28:7,9

The Word of God

Psalm 19

Refrain:

The Lord’s commands are pure, giving light to the eyes.

Heaven is declaring God’s glory;

the sky is proclaiming his handiwork.

One day gushes the news to the next,

and one night informs another what needs to be known.

Of course, there’s no speech, no words—

their voices can’t be heard—

but their sound extends throughout the world;

their words reach the ends of the earth.

God has made a tent in heaven for the sun.

The sun is like a groom

coming out of his honeymoon suite;

like a warrior, it thrills at running its course.

It rises in one end of the sky;

its circuit is complete at the other.

Nothing escapes its heat.

The Lord’s Instruction is perfect,

reviving one’s very being.

The Lord’s laws are faithful,

making naive people wise.

The Lord’s regulations are right,

gladdening the heart.

The Lord’s commands are pure,

giving light to the eyes.

Honoring the Lord is correct,

lasting forever.

The Lord’s judgments are true.

All of these are righteous!

They are more desirable than gold—

than tons of pure gold!

They are sweeter than honey—

even dripping off the honeycomb!

No doubt about it:

your servant is enlightened by them;

there is great reward in keeping them.

But can anyone know

what they’ve accidentally done wrong?

Clear me of any unknown sin

and save your servant from willful sins.

Don’t let them rule me.

Then I’ll be completely blameless;

I’ll be innocent of great wrongdoing.

Let the words of my mouth

and the meditations of my heart

be pleasing to you,

Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Glory to the Father and to the Son

and to the Holy Spirit;

as it was in the beginning is now

and will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:

The Lord’s commands are pure, giving light to the eyes.

Psalm prayer

Christ, the sun of righteousness,

rise in our hearts this day,

enfold us in the brightness of your love

and bear us at the last to heaven’s horizon;

for your love’s sake.

Psalm 20

Refrain:

Be exalted, Lord, in your strength!

I pray that the Lord answers you

whenever you are in trouble.

Let the name of Jacob’s God protect you.

Let God send help to you from the sanctuary

and support you from Zion.

Let God recall your many grain offerings;

let him savor your entirely burned offerings.

Let God grant what is in your heart

and fulfill all your plans.

Then we will rejoice that you’ve been helped.

We will fly our flags in the name of our God.

Let the Lord fulfill all your requests!

Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed one;

God answers his anointed one

from his heavenly sanctuary,

answering with mighty acts of salvation

achieved by his strong hand.

Some people trust in chariots, others in horses;

but we praise the Lord’s name.

They will collapse and fall,

but we will stand up straight and strong.

Lord, save the king!

Let him answer us when we cry out!

Glory to the Father and to the Son

and to the Holy Spirit;

as it was in the beginning is now

and will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:

Be exalted, Lord, in your strength!

Psalm prayer

Merciful God,

purify our hearts in the flame of your Spirit

and transform our toil into an offering of praise,

that we may reject the proud rule of might

and trust in Christ alone,

for he is our Lord forever and ever.

Old Testament reading
Daniel 4:19-37

Daniel, who was called Belteshazzar, was shocked for a bit. What he thought about frightened him.

The king declared, “Don’t let the dream and its meaning scare you, Belteshazzar.”

Then Belteshazzar answered, “Sir, I wish the dream to be for those who hate you and its meaning to be for your enemies! The tree you saw that grew in size and strength, that was as high as the sky, that could be seen from every corner of the earth, with its beautiful leaves and its abundant fruit, and that had enough food for everyone, with wild animals living under it and birds nesting in its branches— Your Majesty, that tree is you! You have grown large and become powerful. Your greatness is as high as the sky; your rule extends to the edge of the earth!

“Your Majesty, the holy watcher you saw coming down from heaven, who said, ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave its deepest root in the earth, bound with iron and bronze in the field grass, dew from heaven is to wash it, and it must live with the wild animals until seven periods of time pass over it’— Your Majesty, this is the dream’s meaning: It is the sentence of the Most High, delivered to my master the king. You will be driven away from other humans and will live with the wild animals. You will eat grass like cattle and will be washed by dew from heaven. Seven periods of time will pass over you, until you acknowledge that the Most High dominates human kingship, giving it to anyone he wants. And when he said to leave the deepest root of the tree—that means your kingship will again be yours, once you acknowledge that heaven rules all. Therefore, Your Majesty, please accept my advice: remove your sins by doing what is right; remove your wrongdoing by showing mercy to the poor. Then your safety will be long lasting.”

All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. Twelve months later, he was walking on the roof of the royal palace in Babylon. The king declared, “Isn’t this Babylon, the magnificent city that I built as the royal house by my own mighty strength and for my own majestic glory?”

These words hadn’t even left the king’s mouth when a voice came from heaven: “You, King Nebuchadnezzar, are now informed: Kingship is taken away from you. You will be driven away from other humans and will live with the wild animals. You will eat grass like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you acknowledge that the Most High dominates human kingship, giving it to anyone he wants.”

Nebuchadnezzar’s sentence was immediately carried out. He was driven away from other humans and ate grass like cattle. Dew from heaven washed his body until he grew hair like eagles’ feathers and claws like a bird.

“At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes to heaven. My reason returned to me, and I praised the Most High. I worshipped and glorified the one who lives forever because his rule is everlasting; his kingdom is for all time. All of earth’s inhabitants are nothing in comparison. The Most High does whatever he wants with heaven’s forces and with earth’s inhabitants. No one can contain his power or say to him, ‘What do you think you are doing?’ So at that moment my reason returned to me. My honor and splendor came back to me for the glory of my kingdom. My associates and my princes wanted to be with me again. Not only was I reinstated over my kingdom, I received more power than ever before.

“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, worship, magnify, and glorify the king of heaven. All his works are truth, all his paths are justice, and he is able to humble all who walk in pride.”

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading
Revelation 5

Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the one seated on the throne. It had writing on the front and the back, and it was sealed with seven seals. I saw a powerful angel, who proclaimed in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or look inside it. So I began to weep and weep, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look inside it. Then one of the elders said to me, “Don’t weep. Look! The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has emerged victorious so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Then, in between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw a Lamb, standing as if it had been slain. It had seven horns and seven eyes, which are God’s seven spirits, sent out into the whole earth. He came forward and took the scroll from the right hand of the one seated on the throne. When he took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each held a harp and gold bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. They took up a new song, saying,

“You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals,

because you were slain,

and by your blood you purchased for God

persons from every tribe, language, people, and nation.

You made them a kingdom and priests to our God,

and they will rule on earth.”

Then I looked, and I heard the sound of many angels surrounding the throne, the living creatures, and the elders. They numbered in the millions—thousands upon thousands. They said in a loud voice,

“Worthy is the slaughtered Lamb

to receive power, wealth, wisdom, and might,

and honor, glory, and blessing.”

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea—I heard everything everywhere say,

“Blessing, honor, glory, and power belong

to the one seated on the throne

and to the Lamb

forever and always.”

Then the four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshipped.

Silence may be kept.

Gospel canticle
The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)

Refrain:

You have shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and remembered your holy covenant.

Bless the Lord God of Israel

because he has come to help and has delivered his people.

He has raised up a mighty savior for us in his servant David’s house,

just as he said through the mouths of his holy prophets long ago.

He has brought salvation from our enemies

and from the power of all those who hate us.

He has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,

and remembered his holy covenant,

the solemn pledge he made to our ancestor Abraham.

He has granted that we would be rescued

from the power of our enemies

so that we could serve him without fear,

in holiness and righteousness in God’s eyes,

for as long as we live.

You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.

You will tell his people how to be saved

through the forgiveness of their sins.

Because of our God’s deep compassion,

the dawn from heaven will break upon us,

to give light to those who are sitting in darkness

and in the shadow of death,

to guide us on the path of peace.”

Luke 1:68-79

Glory to the Father and to the Son

and to the Holy Spirit;

as it was in the beginning is now

and will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:

You have shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and remembered your holy covenant.

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,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

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,

is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and 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.

Prayers

Intercession and thanksgiving

Prayers may be offered for:

the day and its tasks

the world and its needs

the church and her life

Prayers may include the following concerns:

The saints on earth, that they may live as citizens of heaven

All people, that they may hear and believe the word of God

All who fear the winter months

All sovereigns and political leaders, that they may imitate the righteous rule of Christ

All who grieve or wait with the dying

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

Response

Father, hear our prayer,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

Almighty Father,

whose will is to restore all things

in your beloved Son, the King of all:

govern the hearts and minds of those in authority,

and bring the families of the nations,

divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin,

to be subject to his just and gentle rule;

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Uniting our prayers with the whole company of heaven, as our Savior taught us, so we pray

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation

but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours

now and forever.

Amen.

Conclusion

May Christ, who has opened the kingdom of heaven, bring us to reign with him in glory.

Amen.