Wed. morning Jun. 17
Opening response
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare 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
‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus
Confession of Sin
The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in mercy.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
nor recompensed us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his mercy toward those who fear Him.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Holy God,
Holy and strong,
Holy and immortal,
have mercy upon us.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father pities his children,
so the LORD pities those who fear Him.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
andall that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all His benefits.
Psalm 119:57-80
𝙍: I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right.
You are my portion, O LORD;
I have promised to keep Your words.
I entreated Your favor with all my heart;
be merciful to me according to Your word.
I considered my ways,
and turned my feet to Your testimonies.
I hurried and delayed not
to keep Your commandments.
𝙍: I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right.
The bands of the wicked have bound me,
but I have not forgotten Your law.
At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You,
because of Your righteous judgments.
I am a companion of all those who fear You,
and of those who keep Your precepts.
The earth, O LORD, is full of Your mercy;
teach me Your statutes.
𝙍: I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right.
You have dealt well with Your servant,
O LORD, according to Your word.
Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
for I believe Your commandments.
Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I keep Your word.
You are good and do good;
teach me Your statutes.
𝙍: I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right.
The proud have forged a lie against me,
but I will keep Your precepts with all my heart.
Their heart is insensitive, like fat,
but I delight in Your law.
It is good for me that I have been afflicted,
that I might learn Your statutes.
The law of Your mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
𝙍: I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right.
Your hands have made me and fashioned me;
give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.
Those who fear You will be glad when they see me,
because I have hoped in Your word.
I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right,
and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.
Let, I pray, Your lovingkindness comfort me,
according to Your word unto Your servant.
𝙍: I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right.
Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live;
for Your law is my delight.
Let the proud be ashamed, for they wronged me with guile;
but I will meditate on Your precepts.
Let those who fear You turn to me,
those who know Your testimonies.
Let my heart be blameless regarding Your statutes,
so that I may not be ashamed.
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: I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right.
Psalm prayer
God our comforter, send your Holy Spirit to reveal your hidden mercy even in our failures and troubles; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Old Testament reading
Judges 5
On that day, Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang:
“When the leaders in Israel lead,
when the people freely volunteer,
bless the LORD!
“Hear, O kings! Listen, O rulers!
I will sing to the LORD;
I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel.
“LORD, when You went out from Seir,
when You marched from the land of Edom,
the ground shook and the skies poured,
indeed, the dense clouds poured water.
The mountains quaked before the LORD,
this very Sinai, before the LORD God of Israel.
“In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
in the days of Jael, main roads were abandoned
and travelers used roundabout paths.
Village life ceased. It ceased
until I, Deborah, arose;
I arose like a mother in Israel.
They were choosing new gods,
and warfare was at the city gates,
but not a shield or spear was to be seen
among forty thousand in Israel.
My heart is with the rulers of Israel
who offered themselves willingly among the people.
Bless the Lord!
“You who ride on white donkeys,
you who sit in judges’ attire,
you who walk on the road,
consider the voice of those who distribute water among the watering places.
There they tell of the righteous deeds of the LORD,
the righteous deeds of villagers in Israel.
“Then the people of the LORD
go down to the gates.
Awake, awake, Deborah!
Awake, awake, sing a song!
Stand up, Barak,
and capture your prisoners, son of Abinoam!
“The survivors
came down to the nobles;
the people of the LORD
came down for me against the mighty.
Some came from Ephraim, whose roots were in Amalek,
following you, Benjamin, with your people.
From Machir rulers came down,
and from Zebulun those who carry the staff of a scribe.
The princes of Issachar were with Deborah,
and Issachar was with Barak;
they were sent into the valley on foot.
Among the clans of Reuben
there was great resolve of heart.
Why do you sit among the sheepfolds
to hear playing of pipes for the flocks?
In the clans of Reuben
there was much searching of heart.
Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan.
As for Dan, why did he stay with the ships?
Asher stayed by the seacoast
and settled by its bays.
Zebulun is a people who risked their lives to the point of death,
Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield.
“Kings came to wage war.
The kings of Canaan waged war
in Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo;
they took no money as profit.
From the heavens the stars fought,
from their courses they fought against Sisera.
The torrent of Kishon swept them away,
that ancient torrent, the torrent of Kishon.
My soul, march on in strength!
Then horses’ hooves pounded,
the galloping, galloping of his steeds.
Curse Meroz, said the angel of the LORD,
curse its inhabitants,
for they did not come to the aid of the LORD,
to the aid of the LORD against the mighty warriors.
“Most blessed of women is Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite,
most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
He asked for water, she gave him milk.
In a magnificent bowl she brought cream.
Her hand on a tent peg,
her right hand on a workman’s hammer;
she struck Sisera, she crushed his skull,
she shattered and pierced his temple.
Between her feet he sank, he fell, he lay;
between her feet he sank, he fell;
where he sank, there he fell, overpowered.
“The mother of Sisera looked through the window,
and cried out through the lattice,
‘Why is his chariot so late?
Why is the sound of his war chariots so delayed?’
Her wise attendants answered her,
indeed, she replied to herself,
‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoils:
a girl or two for each man;
dyed garments as plunder for Sisera,
dyed and embroidered garments,
two pieces of dyed embroidery for the neck of the looter?’
“May all Your enemies perish like this, O LORD!
But may those who love Him rise like the sun
when it rises in full strength.”
Then the land was at peace for forty years.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Luke 13:22-35
Then He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. Someone said to Him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?”
He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate. For many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. Once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ He will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’
“Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’
“But He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know you, or where you come from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’
“There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. They will come from the east and from the west and from the north and from the south and will sit down to dine in the kingdom of God. And behold, there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.”
On the same day certain Pharisees came, saying to Him, “Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You.”
He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons. And I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I shall be perfected.’ Nevertheless I must travel today and tomorrow and the day following. For it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside Jerusalem.
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing! Behold, your house is forsaken. Truly I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when 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
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for He has visited and redeemed His people,
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of His servant David,
as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets of long ago,
that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us,
to perform the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember His holy covenant,
the oath which He swore to our father Abraham,
to grant us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies,
might serve Him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;
for you will go before the presence of the Lord to prepare His ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to His people
by the remission of their sins,
through the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise from on high has visited us;
to give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way 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.
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 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
Lord, hear your people
and answer our prayers.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
Lord, you have taught us that all our doings without love are worth nothing: send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of love, the true bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whoever lives is counted dead before you. Grant this for your only Son 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 Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil, and keep us in eternal life.
Amen.