Sat. morning Aug. 29
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
Near the Cross
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 120
𝙍: Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips.
In my distress I cried unto the LORD,
and He heard me.
Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips,
from a deceitful tongue.
What shall be given to you,
or what shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue?
Sharp arrows of the warrior,
with coals of the broom tree!
𝙍: Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips.
Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech,
that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
Too long has my soul dwelt
with ones who hate peace.
I am for peace,
but when I speak, they are for war!
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: Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips.
Psalm prayer
God of consolation, look on us, pilgrims in a strange land; preserve us from slander and deceit, show us the truth, and give to our souls the peace of Christ.
Psalm 121
𝙍: The LORD will keep you from all evil.
I will lift up my eyes to the hills;
from whence comes my help?
My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
𝙍: The LORD will keep you from all evil.
The LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.
The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
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 keep you from all evil.
Psalm prayer
Lord, ever watchful and faithful, we look to you to be our defense and we lift our hearts to know your help; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Psalm 122
𝙍: How lovely is Your dwelling place, O LORD of Hosts!
I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go into the house of the LORD.”
Our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem!
Jerusalem is built as a city
that is firmly joined together,
to which the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD,
as was decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
For there were set thrones for judgment,
the thrones of the house of David.
𝙍: How lovely is Your dwelling place, O LORD of Hosts!
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
Peace be within your walls|
and prosperity within your palaces.”
For the sake of my brothers and companions,
I will now say, “Peace be within you.”
For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,
I will seek your good.
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: How lovely is Your dwelling place, O LORD of Hosts!
Psalm prayer
God of our pilgrimage, bring us with joy to the eternal city founded on the rock, and give to our earthly cities the peace that comes from above; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Old Testament reading
2 Samuel 17:1-23
Ahithophel also said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men so that I may arise and pursue David tonight. I will overtake him while he is weary and weak and strike him with terror; all of the people who are with him will flee. Then I will strike only the king, and I will return all of the people to you. When all return except the man whom you are seeking, all of the people will be at peace.” The advice pleased Absalom and all of the elders of Israel.
So Absalom said, “Summon Hushai the Arkite so that we may hear what he has to say as well.” When Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom said to him, “This is what Ahithophel had advised. Should we do this thing? If not, you should tell us.”
Hushai said to Absalom, “At this time, the advice that Ahithophel has given is not good.” Moreover, Hushai said, “You know that your father and his men are warriors, and they have been provoked like a bear robbed of her cubs. Your father is a veteran of warfare. He will not spend the night with the people. Behold, even now he has hidden himself in a ravine or some other place, and when one of them falls in the first attack, whoever hears will say, ‘It was a defeat for the people who follow Absalom.’ Then even the valiant one, whose heart is like that of a lion, will completely despair, for all of Israel knows that your father is a warrior, and those who are with him are brave.
“Therefore my advice is for all of Israel, from Dan to Beer-sheba, to be completely gathered to you like the multitude of the sand along the shoreline and for you to go to battle in person. We will come upon him in one of the places where he may be found, and we will fall upon him like the dew upon the ground. Neither he nor any of the men who are with him will remain, not a single one. If he withdraws into a city, then all of Israel will bring ropes to that city. We will raze it until it is a valley, until there cannot be found there even a pebble.”
Then Absalom and all of the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than the advice of Ahithophel.” For the LORD had decided to undermine the prudent advice of Ahithophel, so that the LORD might bring calamity to Absalom.
Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, “Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel to do one thing, but I advised them to do another thing. Now quickly send someone to report to David, ‘Do not spend the night at the fords of the wilderness, but instead cross over. Otherwise, the king and all of the people who are with him will be swallowed up.’ ”
Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En-rogel. A servant girl would go report to them, and they would go report to King David, because they could not be seen entering the city. But a young man saw them and reported this to Absalom. So the two of them went quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard, and they went down into it. The wife took a covering and spread it over the opening of the well. Then she scattered grain over it so that nothing could be discerned.
The servants of Absalom came to the woman at the house and said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?”
She said, “They crossed over the brook of water.” When they searched, they could not find them. So they returned to Jerusalem.
After they left, they came up from the well, went, and reported to King David. They said to David, “Arise and quickly cross over the water because thus has Ahithophel advised against you.” So David and all of the people who were with him arose and crossed over the Jordan. By daybreak, there was not one left who had not crossed over the Jordan.
When Ahithophel realized that his advice was not followed, he saddled his donkey and returned to his house in his own city. He gave instruction to his household, then he hanged himself and died; he was interred in the tomb of his father.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Acts 10:17-33
Now while Peter wondered what this vision which he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius had inquired for Simon’s house and stood at the gate, and called and asked whether Simon, who was named Peter, was lodging there.
While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. So rise and go down, and go with them, doubting nothing. For I have sent them.”
Then Peter went down to the men who were sent to him by Cornelius and said, “Here I am, the one you are seeking. Why have you come?”
They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a man who is righteous and fears God and is of good report throughout the nation of the Jews, was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house to hear your words.” Then he invited them in and gave them lodging.
The next day Peter went with them, and some brothers from Joppa accompanied him. And the next day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshipped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up. I myself am a man.”
As he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together. He said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jew to visit or approach a foreigner. But God has shown me not to call any man common or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without question. Therefore I ask why you have sent for me.”
Cornelius said, “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour. At the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered before God. Therefore send to Joppa for Simon, whose name is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.’ So immediately I sent for you, and you have done well to come. Now therefore we are all here, present before God, to hear everything the Lord has commanded you.”
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:
Our homes, families, friends, and all whom we love
Those whose time is spent caring for others
Those who are close to death
Those who have lost hope
The worship of the church
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
Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray and to give more than either we desire or deserve: pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask but through the merits and mediation of 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.