Sun. morning Oct. 19
Opening response
Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Sovereign God, creator of all, to you be glory and praise forever. You founded the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands. In the fullness of time, you made us in your image, and in these last days you have spoken to us in your Son Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. As we rejoice in the gift of your presence among us, let the light of your love always shine in our hearts, your Spirit ever renew our lives, and your praises ever be on our lips.
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
Soldiers of Christ, Arise
Music by The Hymnodist: Spotify, Apple, Amazon, iHeart, YouTube Music, Pandora, Boomplay, Deezer
Lyrics by Charles Wesley
Chorus
Soldiers of Christ, arise, and put your armor on
Strong in the strength which God supplies through His eternal Son
Strong in the Lord of hosts, and in His mighty power
Who in the strength of Jesus trusts, is more than conqueror
Verse 1
Stand then in His great might, with all His strength endued
But take, to arm you for the fight, the panoply of God
That, having all things done, and all your conflicts passed
Ye may overcome through Christ alone, and stand entire at last
Chorus
Verse 2
Stand then against your foes, in close and firm array
Legions of wily fiends oppose, throughout the evil day
But meet the sons of night, and mock their vain design
Armed in the arms of heavenly light, of righteousness divine
Chorus
Verse 3
Pray without ceasing, pray, your Captain gives the word
His summons cheerfully obey, and call upon the Lord
To God your every want, in instant prayer display
Pray always, pray and never faint, pray, without ceasing, pray
Chorus
Verse 4
From strength to strength go on, wrestle and fight and pray
Tread all the powers of darkness down, and win the well-fought day
Still let the Spirit cry in all His soldiers, "Come"
Till Christ the Lord descends from high and takes the conquerors home
Chorus (2x)
Confession of sin
Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake their own ways
and the unrighteous their own thoughts.
Let them return to the LORD so that he may have compassion,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
cf Isaiah 55
A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.
Lord God, we have sinned against you; we have done what is evil in your sight. We are sorry and repent. Have mercy on us according to your loving devotion. Wash us clean of our iniquity and cleanse us from our sin. Renew a right spirit within us, and restore to us the joy of your salvation
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 be the LORD,
for he has heard our cry for mercy.
Therefore, our hearts rejoice
and we give thanks to him with our song.
cf Psalm 28:7, 9
Psalm 147
𝙍: Great is our Lord, and mighty in power.
Hallelujah!
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and lovely to praise Him!
The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
He gathers the exiles of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
𝙍: Great is our Lord, and mighty in power.
He determines the number of the stars;
He calls them each by name.
Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;
His understanding has no limit.
The LORD sustains the humble,
but casts the wicked to the ground.
𝙍: Great is our Lord, and mighty in power.
Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
make music on the harp to our God,
who covers the sky with clouds,
who prepares rain for the earth,
who makes grass to grow on the hills.
𝙍: Great is our Lord, and mighty in power.
He provides food for the animals,
and for the young ravens when they call.
He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He takes no pleasure in the legpower of the man.
The LORD is pleased with those who fear Him,
who hope in His loving devotion.
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: Great is our Lord, and mighty in power.
Psalm prayer
Compassionate God, as you know each star you have created, so you know the secrets of every heart; in your loving mercy bring to your table all who are fearful and broken, all who are wounded and needy, that our hungers may be satisfied in the city of your peace; through Christ who is our peace.
Old Testament reading
Isaiah 54:1-14
“Shout for joy, O barren woman,
who bears no children;
break forth in song and cry aloud,
you who have never travailed;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
than of her who has a husband,”
says the LORD.
“Enlarge the site of your tent,
stretch out the curtains of your dwellings,
do not hold back.
Lengthen your ropes
and drive your stakes in deep.
For you will spread out to the right and left;
your descendants will dispossess the nations
and inhabit the desolate cities.
Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to shame;
do not be intimidated, for you will not be humiliated.
For you will forget the shame of your youth
and will remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
For your husband is your Maker—
the LORD of Hosts is His name—
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
He is called the God of all the earth.
For the LORD has called you back,
like a wife deserted and wounded in spirit,
like the rejected wife of one’s youth,”
says your God.
“For a brief moment I forsook you,
but with great compassion I will bring you back.
In a surge of anger
I hid My face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,”
says the LORD your Redeemer.
“For to Me this is like the days of Noah,
when I swore that the waters of Noah
would never again cover the earth.
So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you
or rebuke you.
Though the mountains may be removed
and the hills may be shaken,
My loving devotion will not depart from you,
and My covenant of peace will not be broken,”
says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
“O afflicted city, lashed by storms,
without solace,
surely I will set your stones in antimony
and lay your foundations with sapphires.
I will make your pinnacles of rubies,
your gates of sparkling jewels,
and all your walls of precious stones.
Then all your sons will be taught by the LORD,
and great will be their prosperity.
In righteousness you will be established,
far from oppression,
for you will have no fear.
Terror will be far removed,
for it will not come near you.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Luke 13:31-35
At that very hour, some Pharisees came to Jesus and told Him, “Leave this place and get away, because Herod wants to kill You.”
But Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘Look, I will keep driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach My goal.’ Nevertheless, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day, for it is not admissible for a prophet to perish outside of Jerusalem.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! Look, your house is left to you desolate. And I tell you that you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
Silence may be kept.
The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)
Luke 1:68-79
𝙍: You have raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of your servant David.
Blessed be the Lord,
the God of Israel,
because He has visited and
redeemed His people.
He has raised up
a horn of salvation for us
in the house of His servant David,
as He spoke through His holy prophets,
those of ages past,
salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of
all who hate us,
to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember His holy covenant,
the oath He swore
to our father Abraham,
to grant us deliverance
from hostile hands,
that we may serve Him without fear,
in holiness and
righteousness before Him
all the days of our lives.
And you, child, will be called
a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord
to prepare the way for Him,
to give to His people
the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the Dawn
will visit us from on high,
to shine on those who live in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet
into the path of 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: You have raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of your servant David.
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.
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 universal Church
Bishops, presiding elders, 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
Father, hear our prayer,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Silence may be kept.
Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us your gift of faith that, forsaking what lies behind and reaching out to that which is before, we may run the way of your commandments and win the crown of everlasting joy; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, 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 Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil, and keep us in eternal life.
Amen.