Shane Raynor 3/19/26 Shane Raynor 3/19/26

Fri. morning Mar. 20

Support Methodist Prayer with a one-time or recurring gift.

Opening response

O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.

Hear my voice according to your lovingkindness.
O LORD, give me life according to your judgment.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, God of compassion and mercy, to you be praise and glory forever. In the darkness of our sin, your light breaks forth like the dawn and your healing springs up for deliverance. As we rejoice in the gift of your saving help, sustain us with your bountiful Spirit and open our lips to sing your praise.

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

More Love to Thee, O Christ

Words: Elizabeth P. Prentiss (1869)
Music: William H. Doane (1870)
Our Great Redeemer’s Praise (#588)

More love to Thee, O Christ,
More love to Thee!
Hear Thou the prayer I make
On bended knee;
This is my earnest plea:
More love, O Christ, to Thee,
More love to Thee,
More love to Thee!

Once earthly joy I craved,
Sought peace and rest;
Now Thee alone I seek,
Give what is best;
This all my prayer shall be:
More love, O Christ, to Thee,
More love to Thee,
More love to Thee!

Then shall my latest breath
Whisper Thy praise;
This be the parting cry
My heart shall raise;
This still its prayer shall be:
More love, O Christ, to Thee,
More love to Thee,
More love to Thee!

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 102

𝙍: My help comes from the LORD.

Hear my prayer, O LORD,
and let my cry come to You.
Do not hide Your face from me
in the day of my trouble;
incline Your ear to me;
in the day when I call, answer me speedily.

𝙍: My help comes from the LORD.

For my days pass away like smoke,
and my bones burn like a furnace.
My heart is stricken and withered like grass,
so that I forget to eat my bread.
Because of the sound of my groaning
my bones cling to my skin.
I am like an owl of the wilderness;
like an owl of the desert.
I lie awake, and am
like a sparrow alone on the housetop.
My enemies reproach me all the day;
those who deride me use my name for a curse.
For I eat ashes like bread
and mingle my drink with tears,
because of Your indignation and Your wrath;
for You have lifted me up and cast me away.
My days are like an evening shadow;
I wither away like grass.

𝙍: My help comes from the LORD.

But You, O LORD, shall endure forever,
the remembrance of Your name to all generations.
You will arise and have mercy on Zion,
for it is time to favor her;
the appointed time has come.
For Your servants take pleasure in her stones,
and take pity on her dust.
So the nations will fear the name of the LORD,
and all the kings of the earth Your glory.
For the LORD will build up Zion;
He will appear in His glory.
He will regard the prayer of the destitute,
and will not despise their prayer.

𝙍: My help comes from the LORD.

Let this be recorded for the generation to come,
so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD.
For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary;
from heaven the LORD beheld the earth,
to hear the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those who were appointed to die,
to declare the name of the LORD in Zion,
and His praise in Jerusalem,
when the peoples are gathered together,
and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.

𝙍: My help comes from the LORD.

He has weakened my strength in midcourse;
He has shortened my days.
I said,
“O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days;
Your years endure throughout all generations.”
Of old You laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of Your hands.
They will perish, but You will endure;
indeed, they will all wear out like a garment;
like a robe You will change them,
and they will pass away.
But You are the same,
and Your years will have no end.
The children of Your servants shall continue;
and their descendants shall be established before You.

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 help comes from the LORD.

Psalm prayer

Have pity on our frailty, O God, and in the hour of our death cast us not away as clothing that is worn, for you are our eternal refuge; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament reading

Exodus 6:2-13

Then God spoke to Moses, and said to him, “I am the LORD, and I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by My name, The LORD, I was not known to them. I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they sojourned. I have also heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant.

“Therefore say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. And I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God. And you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land, which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and I will give it to you for an inheritance. I am the LORD.’ ”

Moses spoke so to the Israelites, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their anguish of spirit and for cruel bondage.

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his land.”

Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, “Behold, the Israelites have not listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, as I am of uncircumcised lips?”

And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a command for the Israelites, and for Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

Hebrews 10:26-39

For if we willfully continue to sin after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation, which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who despised Moses’ law died without mercy in the presence of two or three witnesses. How much more severe a punishment do you suppose he deserves, who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded the blood of the covenant that sanctified him to be a common thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine,” says the Lord, “I will repay.” And again He says, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Remember the former days, after you were enlightened, in which you endured a great struggle of afflictions. In part you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and afflictions. And in part you became companions of those who were so abused. For you had compassion on me in my chains and joyfully endured the confiscation of your property, knowing that you have in heaven a better and an enduring possession for yourselves. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which will be greatly rewarded.

For you need patience, so that after you have done the will of God, you will receive the promise. For,

“In yet a little while,
He who is to come will come, and will not wait.
Now the just shall live by faith;
but if anyone draws back,
My soul shall have no pleasure in him.”

But we are not of those who draw back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the saving of the soul.

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:

Those preparing for baptism and confirmation
Those serving through leadership
Those looking for forgiveness
Those misled by the false gods of this present age
All who are hungry

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

Merciful Lord, absolve your people from their offenses, that through your bountiful goodness we may all be delivered from the chains of those sins which by our frailty we have committed; grant this, heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake, our blessed Lord and Savior, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Trusting in the compassion of God, 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 God our Redeemer show us compassion and love.
Amen.

Shane Raynor 3/18/26 Shane Raynor 3/18/26

Thu. morning Mar. 19

Support Methodist Prayer with a one-time or recurring financial contribution.

Opening response

O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.

Hear my voice according to your lovingkindness.
O LORD, give me life according to your judgment.

Prayer of thanksgiving

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

My Faith Looks Up to Thee

Words: Ray Palmer (1875)
Music: Lowell Mason (1831)
Our Great Redeemer’s Praise (#351)

My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary,
Savior divine!
Now hear me while I pray,
take all my guilt away;
O let me from this day
be wholly Thine.

May Thy rich grace impart
strength to my fainting heart,
my zeal inspire;
as Thou hast died for me,
O may my love to Thee
pure, warm, and changeless be,
a living fire.

While life’s dark maze I tread,
and griefs around me spread,
be Thou my Guide;
bid darkness turn to day,
wipe sorrow’s tears away,
nor let me ever stray
from Thee aside.

When ends life's transient dream,
when death’s cold, sullen stream
shall o'er me roll,
blest Savior, then in love,
fear and distrust remove;
O bear me safe above,
a ransomed soul.

Confession of Sin

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Silence may be kept.

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life.
Amen.

Psalm 25

𝙍: Remember, O LORD, Your mercies and Your lovingkindness.

To You, O LORD,
I lift up my soul.

O my God, I trust in You;
let me not be ashamed;
let not my enemies triumph over me.
Let no one who waits on You
be ashamed;
let them be ashamed
who transgress without cause.

Show me Your ways, O LORD;
teach me Your paths.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
for You are the God of my salvation;
on You I wait all day long.
Remember, O LORD, Your mercies and Your lovingkindness,
for they are from of old.

𝙍: Remember, O LORD, Your mercies and Your lovingkindness.

Do not remember the sins of my youth
or my transgressions;
according to Your lovingkindness remember me,
for Your goodness’ sake, O LORD.

Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore He teaches sinners in the way.
He leads the humble in justice,
and teaches the humble His way.
All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth,
for those who keep His covenant and His decrees.

𝙍: Remember, O LORD, Your mercies and Your lovingkindness.

For Your name’s sake, O LORD, pardon my iniquity,
for it is great.

Who is the man who fears the LORD?
He will teach him the way that he should choose.
He will dwell at ease,
and his descendants will inherit the land.
The secret counsel of the LORD is with those who fear Him,
and He will make His covenant known to them.
My eyes are ever toward the LORD,
for He will pluck my feet out of the net.

𝙍: Remember, O LORD, Your mercies and Your lovingkindness.

Turn to me, and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
The troubles of my heart have increased;
bring me out of my distresses.
Look on my affliction and my pain,
and forgive all my sins.
Consider my enemies, for they are many,
and with what violent hatred they hate.

Guard my soul, and deliver me;
do not let me suffer shame,
for I take refuge in You.
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
for I wait for You.

Redeem Israel, O God,
out of all its troubles.

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: Remember, O LORD, Your mercies and Your lovingkindness.

Psalm prayer

Free us, God of mercy, from all that keeps us from you; relieve the misery of the anxious and the ashamed and fill us with the hope of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 147

𝙍: Great is our Lord, and mighty in power.

Praise the LORD!

For it is good to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.

The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.

𝙍: Great is our Lord, and mighty in power.

He counts the number of the stars;
He calls them all by their names.
Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;
His understanding is infinite.
The LORD lifts up the humble;
He casts the wicked down to the ground.

𝙍: Great is our Lord, and mighty in power.

Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
sing praises on the harp to our God,
who covers the heavens with clouds,
who prepares rain for the earth,
who makes grass to grow on the mountains.

𝙍: Great is our Lord, and mighty in power.

He gives to the beast its food
and to the young ravens that cry.

He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
in those who hope in His mercy.

𝙍: Great is our Lord, and mighty in power.

Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!

For He has strengthened the bars of your gates;
He has blessed your children within you.
He makes peace in your borders,
and fills you with the finest wheat.

𝙍: Great is our Lord, and mighty in power.

He sends forth His commandment to the earth;
His word runs very swiftly.
He gives snow like wool;
He scatters the frost like ashes;
He casts forth His ice like morsels;
who can stand before His cold?

𝙍: Great is our Lord, and mighty in power.

He sends out His word and melts them;
He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.

He declares His word to Jacob,
His statutes and His judgments to Israel.
He has not dealt so with any nation;
and as for His judgments, they have not known them.

Praise the LORD!

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 11:1-10

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.

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.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

Matthew 13:54-58

When He came to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is He not the carpenter’s son? Is His mother not called Mary? And are not His brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” And they took offense at Him.

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.”

And He did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

Silence may be kept.

The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)

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.

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 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:

Those preparing for baptism and confirmation
Those serving through leadership
Those looking for forgiveness
Those misled by the false gods of this present age
All who are hungry

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

Response

Lord of life
In your mercy, hear us.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

The Lord’s Prayer

Trusting in the compassion of God, as our Savior taught us, so we pray

Conclusion

May Christ, who bore our sins on the cross, set us free to serve him with joy.
Amen.

Shane Raynor 3/17/26 Shane Raynor 3/17/26

Wed. morning Mar. 18

Support Methodist Prayer with a one-time or recurring donation.

Opening response

O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.

Hear my voice according to your lovingkindness.
O LORD, give me life according to your judgment.

Prayer of thanksgiving

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

Am I a Soldier of the Cross

Words: Isaac Watts (c. 1721)
Music: Thomas A. Arne (1762)
Our Great Redeemer’s Praise (#600)

Am I a soldier of the cross,
a follower of the Lamb,
and shall I fear to own His cause,
or blush to speak His name?

Must I be carried to the skies
on flow'ry beds of ease,
while others fought to win the prize,
and sailed through bloody seas?

Are there no foes for me to face?
Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace,
to help me on to God?

Sure I must fight, if I would reign;
increase my courage, Lord!
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain,
supported by Thy word.

Am I a soldier of the cross,
a follower of the Lamb,
and shall I fear to own His cause,
or blush to speak His name?

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 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 90

𝙍: O LORD my God, in You I put my trust.

Lord, You have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever You had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

You return man to the dust
and say, “Return, O sons of men.”
For a thousand years in Your sight
are like yesterday when it is past,
and like a watch in the night.
You carry them away like a flood;
they fall asleep; in the morning they are like grass that grows anew:
In the morning it flourishes and grows up;
in the evening it fades and withers.

𝙍: O LORD my God, in You I put my trust.

For we are consumed by Your anger;
by Your wrath we are terrified.
You have set our iniquities before You,
our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.
For all our days pass away under Your wrath;
we finish our years like a whisper.
The years of our life are seventy,
or even, by reason of strength, eighty;
yet their span is but toil and sorrow;
they soon pass away, and we fly away.
Who knows the power of Your anger?
For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.
So teach us to number our days,
that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

𝙍: O LORD my God, in You I put my trust.

Return, O LORD! How long?
Have compassion on Your servants!
Satisfy us in the early morning with Your mercy,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen evil.
Let Your work appear to Your servants,
and Your glory to their children.

Let the favor of the LORD our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands among us;
yes, establish the work of our hands.

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: O LORD my God, in You I put my trust.

Psalm prayer

Almighty God, our eternal refuge, teach us to live with the knowledge of our death and to rejoice in the promise of your glory, revealed to us in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament reading

Exodus 4:1-23

Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me, nor listen to my voice. For they will say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ ”

The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?”

And he said, “A rod.”

He said, “Throw it on the ground.”

And he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent. Then Moses fled from it. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Put forth your hand and take it by the tail.” And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand. “This is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

The LORD said furthermore to him, “Now put your hand into your bosom.” He put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow.

He said, “Put your hand into your bosom again.” So he put his hand into his bosom again, and brought it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh.

“If they will not believe you, nor listen to the voice of the first sign, then they may believe the voice of the latter sign. But if they will not believe also these two signs or listen to your voice, then you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land, and the water which you take out of the river will become blood on the dry land.”

Then Moses said to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant. But I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.”

The LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who made the mute, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you must say.”

He said, “O my Lord, send, I pray, by the hand of whomever else You will send.”

The anger of the LORD was inflamed against Moses, and He said, “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what you must do. What’s more, he will be your spokesman to the people, and he will be as a mouth for you, and you will be as God to him. You must take this rod in your hand, with which you will perform the signs.”

Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive.”

And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”

The LORD said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt, for all the men are dead who sought your life.” Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

The LORD said to Moses, “When you go to return into Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in your hand, but I will harden his heart, so that he shall not let the people go. You shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD: Israel is My son, even My firstborn. So I say to you, “Let My son go, that he may serve Me. And if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay your firstborn son.” ’ ”

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

Hebrews 10:1-18

For the law is a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of those things. It could never by the same sacrifices, which they offer continually year after year, perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshippers, once purified, would no longer be conscious of sins? But in those sacrifices there is an annual reminder of sins. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:

“Sacrifices and offerings You did not desire,
but a body You have prepared for Me.
In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You have had no pleasure.
Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God,’ as it is written of Me
in the volume of the book.”

Previously when He said, “You did not desire sacrifices and offerings. You have had no pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin,” which are offered in accordance with the law, then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

But every priest stands daily ministering and repetitively offering the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time He has been waiting for His enemies to be made His footstool. For by one offering He has forever perfected those who are sanctified.

The Holy Spirit also witnesses to us about this. For after saying,

“This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws into their hearts,
and in their minds I will write them,”

then He adds,

“Their sins and lawless deeds
will I remember no more.”

Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

Silence may be kept.

The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)

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.

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 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:

Those preparing for baptism and confirmation
Those serving through leadership
Those looking for forgiveness
Those misled by the false gods of this present age
All who are hungry

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

The Lord’s Prayer

Trusting in the compassion of God, as our Savior taught us, so we pray

Conclusion

May God our Redeemer show us compassion and love.
Amen.