Fri. morning Nov. 21
Opening response
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
All your saints shall bless you.
They shall 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
Hail! Holy, Holy, Holy Lord
Music by The Hymnodist: Spotify, Apple, Amazon, iHeart, YouTube Music, Pandora, Boomplay, Deezer
Lyrics by Charles Wesley
Chorus
Hail! holy, holy, holy Lord
Whom One in Three we know
By all Thy heavenly host adored
By all Thy church below
By all Thy church below
Verse 1
One undivided Trinity
With triumph we proclaim
Thy universe is full of Thee
And speaks Thy glorious name
And speaks Thy glorious name
Chorus
Verse 2
Thee, Holy Father, we confess
Thee, Holy Son, adore
Thee, Spirit of truth and holiness
We worship evermore
We worship evermore
Chorus
Verse 3
Three Persons equally divine
We magnify and love
And both the choirs ere long shall join
To sing Thy praise above
To sing Thy praise above
Chorus
Hail! holy, holy, holy Lord
Our heavenly song shall be
Supreme, essential One, adored
In co-eternal Three
In co-eternal Three
Confession of Sin
O King enthroned on high, filling the earth with your glory: holy is your name, Lord God Almighty.
A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.
In our sinfulness, we cry to you to take our guilt away, and to cleanse our lips to speak your word, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
May the God of all healing and forgiveness draw us to himself, and cleanse us from all our sins that we may behold the glory of his Son, the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Psalm 63
𝙍: My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
O God, You are my God;
early will I seek You;
my soul thirsts for You;
my flesh longs for You,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
So I have looked upon You in the sanctuary,
beholding Your power and Your glory.
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
my lips shall praise You.
Thus will I bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
𝙍: My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
When I remember You upon my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches,
for You have been my help.
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings will I rejoice.
My soul clings to You;
Your right hand upholds me.
𝙍: My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
But those who seek my soul, to destroy it,
shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
They shall fall by the sword;
they shall be prey for jackals.
But the king shall rejoice in God;
everyone who swears by Him shall glory,
for the mouths of those who speak lies shall be stopped.
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: My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
Psalm prayer
To you we come, radiant Lord, the goal of all our desiring, beyond all earthly beauty; gentle protector, strong deliverer, in the night you are our confidence; from first light be our joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Psalm 65
𝙍: Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth!
Praise awaits You, O God, in Zion,
and to You shall vows be performed.
O You who hear prayer,
to You shall all flesh come.
Iniquities prevail against me;
as for our transgressions, You will provide atonement for them.
Blessed is the man You choose and allow to approach You,
that he may dwell in Your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Your holy temple.
𝙍: Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth!
By awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
You who are the hope of all the ends of the earth,
and of the farthest seas;
who established the mountains by His strength,
who is girded with might.
You still the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
and the tumult of the peoples.
They also who dwell in the faraway places
are in awe at Your signs;
You make the going out of the morning and the evening shout for joy.
𝙍: Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth!
You visit the earth and water it;
You greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
You provide their grain,
for so You have prepared it.
You water its furrows abundantly;
You settle its ridges;
You make it soft with showers;
You bless its growth.
You crown the year with Your goodness,
and Your paths drip with fatness.
They drip on the pastures of the wilderness,
and the hills gird themselves with rejoicing.
The pastures are clothed with flocks;
the valleys also are covered with grain;
they shout for joy, yes, they also sing.
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: Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth!
Psalm prayer
May the richness of your creation, Lord, and the mystery of your providence lead us to that heavenly city, where all peoples will bring their wealth, forsake their sins and find their true joy, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Old Testament reading
Isaiah 11:10-12:6
In that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the peoples. For him shall the nations seek. And his rest shall be glorious. In that day the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people, who shall be left, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
He shall set up a banner for the nations,
and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel,
and gather together the dispersed of Judah
from the four corners of the earth.
The envy also of Ephraim shall depart,
and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off;
Ephraim shall not envy Judah,
and Judah shall not harass Ephraim.
But they shall swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines towards the west;
they shall plunder the sons of the east together;
they shall lay their hand on Edom and Moab,
and the Ammonites shall obey them.
The LORD shall utterly destroy
the gulf of the Egyptian sea,
and with His mighty wind He shall shake His hand
over the Euphrates River,
and shall strike it into seven streams,
and make men walk over in sandals.
There shall be a highway for the remnant of His people,
who will be left from Assyria,
as it was for Israel
when he came up from the land of Egypt.
And in that day you shall say:
O LORD, I will praise You;
though You were angry with me,
Your anger has turned away,
and You comforted me.
Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid;
for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song;
He also has become my salvation.
Therefore with joy you shall draw water
out of the wells of salvation.
In that day you shall say:
Praise the LORD, call upon His name,
declare His deeds among the peoples,
make them remember that His name is exalted.
Sing to the LORD, for He has done excellent things;
let this be known in all the earth.
Cry out and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion.
For great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Matthew 8:23-34
Then He entered the boat, and His disciples followed Him. And behold, a great storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. His disciples went to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
He replied, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He rose and rebuked the winds and the sea. And there was a great calm.
The men were amazed, saying, “What kind of Man is this that even the winds and the sea obey Him!”
When He came to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two men possessed with demons, coming out of the tombs, extremely fierce, so that no one might pass by that way. And behold, they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”
Now a good way off from them was a herd of many swine feeding. So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.”
He said to them, “Go!” And when they came out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. Those who kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told everything, including what had happened to those possessed by the demons. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart out of their region.
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 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, by your Spirit
Bring in your kingdom.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son was revealed to destroy the works of the devil and to make us the children of God and heirs of eternal life: grant that we, having this hope, may purify ourselves even as he is pure; that when he shall appear in power and great glory we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he 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, 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
May Christ, who has opened the kingdom of heaven, bring us to reign with him in glory.
Amen.
Thu. morning Nov. 20
Opening response
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
All your saints shall bless you.
They shall 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
Great Is Our Redeeming Lord
Music by The Hymnodist: Spotify, Apple, Amazon, iHeart, YouTube Music, Pandora, Boomplay, Deezer
Lyrics by Charles Wesley
Chorus
Great is our redeeming Lord
In power, and truth, and grace
Him, by highest heaven adored
His church on earth shall praise
In the city of our God
In his holy mount below
Publish, spread his name abroad
And all his greatness show
Verse 1
For your loving kindness, Lord
We in your temple stay
Here your faithful love record
Your saving power display
With your name your praise is known
Glorious your perfections shine
Earth’s remotest bounds shall own
Your works are all divine
Chorus
Verse 2
Built by his almighty hands
The towers of Salem rise
Fair, and firm the city stands
Adjoining to the skies
Joy to all the Earth she brings
Stored with blessings from above
Kept by the great King of Kings
Her Guardian God of Love
Chorus
Verse 3
See the gospel church secure
And founded on a rock
All her promises are sure
Her bulwarks, who can shock
Count her every precious shrine
Tell, to after ages tell
Fortified by power divine
The church can never fail
Chorus
Verse 4
Zion’s God is all our own
Who on his love rely
We his pardoning love have known
And live to Christ and die
To the new Jerusalem
He, our faithful guide, shall be
Him we claim, and rest in him
Through all eternity
Chorus (2x)
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 61
𝙍: You are my refuge, O Lord, a strong tower against the enemy.
Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.
From the end of the earth will I call to You,
when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For You have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the enemy.
I will abide in Your tent forever;
I will take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.
𝙍: You are my refuge, O Lord, a strong tower against the enemy.
For You, O God, have heard my vows;
You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.
Prolong the life of the king,
and may his years be like many generations!
May he sit enthroned before God forever;
appoint mercy and truth to guard him.
So will I sing praise to Your name forever,
as I fulfill my vows day by day.
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 are my refuge, O Lord, a strong tower against the enemy.
Psalm prayer
Risen Christ, as you knew the discipline of suffering and the victory that brings us salvation, so grant us your presence in our weakness and a place in your unending kingdom now and forevermore.
Psalm 62
𝙍: My soul, wait in silence for God alone.
For God alone my soul silently waits;
from Him comes my salvation.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
He is my refuge; I shall not be greatly shaken.
How long will you assault a man?
So you can murder all of you,
like a leaning wall and a tottering fence.
They only conspire to cast him down
from his high position;
they delight in lies,
they bless with their mouth,
but they curse inwardly.
My soul, wait in silence for God alone,
for my expectation is from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense; I shall not be moved.
𝙍: My soul, wait in silence for God alone.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.
Trust in Him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us.
Surely men of low degree are but a vapor;
men of high degree are a lie;
in the balances they go up;
they are together lighter than vapor.
Trust not in oppression;
put no vain hope in robbery;
if riches increase,
set not your heart on them.
God has spoken once;
twice have I heard this:
that power belongs to God.
Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy.
For You render to every man
according to his work.
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: Rest in God alone, O my soul.
Psalm prayer
God, teach us to seek security, not in money or theft, not in human ambition or malice, not in our own ability or power, but in you, the only God, our rock and our salvation.
Old Testament reading
Isaiah 10:33-11:9
Behold, the Lord, the LORD of Hosts,
shall lop the bough with terror;
and the tall ones of stature shall be hewn down,
and the haughty shall be humbled.
He shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron,
and Lebanon shall fall by the Mighty One.
And there shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
He shall delight in the fear of the LORD,
and he shall not judge by what his eyes see,
nor reprove by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and reprove with fairness for the meek of the earth.
He shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt of his loins,
and faithfulness the belt about his waist.
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze;
their young ones shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play by the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
They shall not hurt or destroy
in all My holy mountain,
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD,
as the waters cover the sea.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Matthew 8:14-22
When Jesus entered Peter’s house, He saw his wife’s mother, lying sick with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she rose and served them.
When the evening came, they brought to Him many who were possessed with demons. And He cast out the spirits with His word, and healed all who were sick, to fulfill what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet,
“He Himself took our infirmities
and bore our sicknesses.”
Now when Jesus saw large crowds around Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”
Jesus replied, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”
Another of His other disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their dead.”
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 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
In faith we pray
We pray to you, our God.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son was revealed to destroy the works of the devil and to make us the children of God and heirs of eternal life: grant that we, having this hope, may purify ourselves even as he is pure; that when he shall appear in power and great glory we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he 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, 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
May Christ, who has opened the kingdom of heaven, bring us to reign with him in glory.
Amen.
Wed. morning Nov. 19
Opening response
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
All your saints shall bless you.
They shall 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
Come, Let Us Join Our Friends Above
Music by The Hymnodist: Spotify, Apple, Amazon, iHeart, YouTube Music, Pandora, Boomplay, Deezer
Lyrics by Charles Wesley
Chorus
Come, let us join our friends above
Who have obtained the prize
And on the eagle wings of love
To joys celestial rise
Let saints on earth unite to sing
With those to glory gone
For all the servants of our King
In earth and heaven are one
Verse 1
One family we dwell in Him
One church above, beneath
Though now divided by the stream
The narrow stream of death
One army of the living God
To His command we bow
Part of His host have crossed the flood
And part are crossing now
Chorus
Verse 2
Ten thousand to their endless home
This solemn moment fly
And we are to the margin come
And we expect to die
Even now by faith we join our hands
With those that went before
And greet the blood-besprinkled bands
On the eternal shore
Chorus
Verse 3
Our spirits too shall quickly join
Like theirs with glory crowned
And shout to see our Captain's sign
To hear His trumpet sound
O that we now might grasp our Guide
O that the word were given
Come, Lord of Hosts, the waves divide
And land us all in heaven
Chorus
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;
and all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all His benefits.
Psalm 56
𝙍: In God have I put my trust; I will not fear.
Be gracious to me, O God, for man would trample on me;
fighting all day long he oppresses me.
My enemies would trample on me all day long,
for there are many who fight against me, O Most High.
When I am afraid,
I will trust in You.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God have I put my trust; I will not fear.
What can mere flesh do to me?
𝙍: In God have I put my trust; I will not fear.
All day they twist my words;
all their thoughts are against me for evil.
They stir up strife, they lurk,
they watch my steps,
when they wait for my life.
For their wickedness will they escape?
In Your anger cast down the peoples, O God.
You keep count of my wanderings;
put my tears in Your bottle;
are they not in Your book?
𝙍: In God have I put my trust; I will not fear.
Then my enemies will turn back
in the day when I call;
this I know, that God is for me.
In God, whose word I praise,
in the LORD, whose word I praise,
in God have I put my trust; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
My vows to You are binding upon me, O God;
I will render thank offerings to You;
for You have delivered my soul from death,
and kept my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of the living.
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: In God have I put my trust; I will not fear.
Psalm prayer
Faithful God, your deliverance is nearer than we know; free us from fear and help us to find courage in your Word, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Psalm 57
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
For in You my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of Your wings will I take refuge,
until these calamities pass by.
I will cry out to God Most High,
to God who performs all things for me.
He will send from heaven and save me;
He will reproach him who tramples on me.
God will send forth His mercy and His truth.
My soul is among lions;
I lie among the sons of men who are set on fire,
whose teeth are spears and arrows,
and their tongue a sharp sword.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let Your glory be above all the earth.
They have prepared a net for my steps;
my soul is bowed down;
they have dug a pit before me,
but they have fallen into it themselves.
My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and give praise.
Awake, my glory!
Awake, psaltery and harp!
I will awaken the dawn.
I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing to You among the nations.
For Your mercy is great unto the heavens,
and Your truth unto the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.
Let Your glory be above all 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.
Psalm prayer
Tender God, gentle protector in time of trouble, pierce the gloom of despair and give us, with all your people, the song of freedom and the shout of praise; in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Old Testament reading
Isaiah 10:20-32
In that day the remnant of Israel
and those who have escaped of the house of Jacob
shall never again depend on him
who struck them,
but shall depend on the LORD,
the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob,
to the mighty God.
For though your people, O Israel, are as the sand of the sea,
yet a remnant of them shall return;
the destruction is decreed,
overflowing with righteousness.
For the Lord GOD of Hosts shall make a complete destruction,
as decreed, in the midst of all the land.
Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD of Hosts:
O My people who dwell in Zion,
do not be afraid of the Assyrian.
He shall strike you with a rod
and shall lift up his staff against you, after the manner of Egypt.
For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease,
and My anger will be directed to their destruction.
The LORD of Hosts shall stir up a scourge for him
according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb;
and as His rod was over the sea, so shall He lift it up
after the manner of Egypt.
In that day his burden shall be taken away from off your shoulder,
and his yoke from off your neck;
and the yoke shall be destroyed
because of the anointing oil.
He has come against Aiath,
he has passed through Migron;
at Mikmash he has laid up his carriages.
They are gone over the pass,
they have taken up their lodging at Geba.
Ramah is afraid,
Gibeah of Saul has fled.
Lift up your voice, O daughter of Gallim.
Listen, Laishah
and poor Anathoth.
Madmenah has fled,
the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee.
Yet today he shall remain at Nob;
he shakes his fist
against the mount of the daughter of Zion,
the hill of Jerusalem.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Matthew 8:1-13
When He came down from the mountains, large crowds followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshipped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
Jesus reached out His hand and touched him, saying, “I will. Be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one. But go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded as a testimony to them.”
And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, entreating Him, and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home, sick with paralysis, terribly tormented.”
Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But speak the word only, and my servant will be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this man, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard it, He was amazed and said to those who followed, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say to you that many will come from the east and west and will dine with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way. And as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that very moment.
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 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
Lord, hear your people
and answer our prayers.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son was revealed to destroy the works of the devil and to make us the children of God and heirs of eternal life: grant that we, having this hope, may purify ourselves even as he is pure; that when he shall appear in power and great glory we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he 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, 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
May Christ, who has opened the kingdom of heaven, bring us to reign with him in glory.
Amen.