Shane Raynor 3/25/26 Shane Raynor 3/25/26

Thu. morning Mar. 26

Opening response

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

Let your ways be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Lord God of our salvation, to you be praise and glory forever. As a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, your only Son was lifted up that he might draw the whole world to himself. May we walk this day in the way of the cross and always be ready to share its weight, declaring your love for all the world.

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

New Every Morning Is the Love

Words: John Keble (1792-1866)
Music: Samuel Webbe the elder (1740-1816)
Our Great Redeemer’s Praise (#333)

New every morning is the love
Our wakening and uprising prove;
Through sleep and darkness safely brought,
Restored to life, and power, and thought.

New mercies, each returning day,
Hover around us while we pray;
New perils past, new sins forgiven,
New thoughts of God, new hopes of heaven.

If on our daily course our mind
Be set to hallow all we find,
New treasures still, of countless price,
God will provide for sacrifice.

The trivial round, the common task,
Would furnish all we ought to ask,
Room to deny ourselves, a road
To bring us daily nearer God.

Only, O Lord, in thy dear love
Fit us for perfect rest above;
And help us this and every day
To live more nearly as we pray.

Confession of Sin

Come, Holy Spirit of God,
and search our hearts with the light of Christ.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said:

“The first of all the commandments is, ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Amen. Lord, have mercy.

After a period of reflection

Come, let us return to the Lord and say:

Lord our God, in our sin, we have avoided your call. Our faithfulness is like a morning cloud, and like the early dew, it goes away. Have mercy on us; deliver us from judgment; bind up our wounds and revive us; in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

cf Hosea 6

May Almighty God, who sent his Son into the world to save sinners, bring us his pardon and peace, now and forever.
Amen.

Psalm 40

𝙍: You have multiplied your wondrous deeds, O LORD.

I waited patiently for the LORD,
and He turned to me and heard my cry.
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
out of the miry clay,
and set my feet upon a rock,
and established my steps.
He has put a new song in my mouth,
praise to our God;
many will see it and fear,
and will trust in the LORD.

Blessed is the man
who makes the LORD his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after lies.
You have multiplied, O LORD my God,
Your wondrous deeds
and Your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with You.
if I would declare and speak of them,
they are more than can be numbered.

𝙍: You have multiplied your wondrous deeds, O LORD.

Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
my ears You have opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering
You have not required.
Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me.
I delight to do Your will, O my God;
Your law is within my heart.”

I have proclaimed the glad news of righteousness in the great congregation;
behold, I have not restrained my lips,
O LORD, as You know.
I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth
from the great congregation.

𝙍: You have multiplied your wondrous deeds, O LORD.

Withhold not Your mercy from me, O LORD;
let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.
For innumerable evils have surrounded me;
my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up;
they are more than the hairs of my head;
therefore my heart fails me.
Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me;
O LORD, make haste to help me.

Let them be ashamed and confounded together
who seek to snatch away my life;
let them be driven backward and dishonored
who desire my hurt.
Let them be appalled because of their shame
who say to me, “Aha, aha!”

𝙍: You have multiplied your wondrous deeds, O LORD.

Let all those who seek You
rejoice and be glad in You;
let those who love Your salvation say continually,
“The LORD be magnified!”

But I am poor and needy;
yet the LORD is mindful of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God.

Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be forever. Amen.

𝙍: You have multiplied your wondrous deeds, O LORD.

Psalm prayer

Free us from our sins, God, and may our sacrifices be of praise to the glory of your Son, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Psalm 125

𝙍: Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God.

Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the LORD surrounds His people,
from this time forth and forevermore.

𝙍: Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God.

For the scepter of the wicked shall not rest
on the land allotted to the righteous,
lest the righteous put forth
their hands to do wrong.

Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,
and to those who are upright in their hearts.
As for those who turn aside to their crooked ways,
the Lord will lead them away with the workers of iniquity.

Peace be upon Israel!

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: Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God.

Psalm prayer

God of power, you are strong to save, and you never fail those who trust in you; keep us under your protection and spread abroad your reign of peace through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament reading

Exodus 9:13-35

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. For I will at this time send all My plagues upon you and your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. For by now I could have stretched out My hand, so that I might strike you and your people with pestilence, and you would be cut off from the earth. But, indeed, for this cause I have raised you up, in order to show in you My power, so that My name may be declared throughout all the earth. Still, you exalt yourself against My people by forbidding them to go. Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very severe hail, such as has not happened in Egypt since it was founded until now. Send therefore now and bring your livestock and all that you have in the field to safety. Every man and beast which shall be found in the field and not brought home when the hail comes down upon them will die.’ ”

He that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses. But he that failed to regard the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field.

So the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch forth your hand toward the heavens, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man and beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” Moses stretched forth his rod toward the heavens, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran along upon the ground. So the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail. It was so severe that there had been none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. The hail struck all the land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast, and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were, was there no hail.

Then Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time. The LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Entreat the LORD, for there has been enough of God’s mighty thunder and hail, and I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”

Moses said to him, “As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD. The thunder shall cease, and there shall no longer be any more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s. But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear the LORD God.”

Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was in bud. But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they grow up later.

So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to the LORD, and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was no longer poured upon the earth. However, when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. The heart of Pharaoh hardened, and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had spoken by Moses.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

Hebrews 12:14-29

Pursue peace with all men, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord, watching diligently so that no one falls short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness spring up to cause trouble, and many become defiled by it, lest there be any sexually immoral or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected. For he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and storm, and to the sound of a trumpet and to a voice speaking words, such that those who heard them begged that the word not be spoken to them anymore. For they could not endure that which was commanded: “If so much as a beast touches the mountain, it must be stoned or thrust through with a spear.” So terrible was the sight that Moses said, “I am terrified and trembling.”

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels; to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven; to God, the Judge of all; and to the spirits of the righteous ones made complete; and to Jesus, the Mediator of a new covenant; and to the sprinkled blood that speaks better than that of Abel.

See that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused Him who spoke on earth, much less shall we escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven. At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has given us a promise, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also heaven.” And this statement, “Yet once more,” signifies the removal of those things that can be shaken, things that are created, so that only those things that cannot be shaken will remain.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be moved, let us be gracious, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.

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 persecuted church
The oppressed peoples of the world
All who are lonely
All who are near to death
All who are facing loss

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

Most merciful God, who by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ delivered and saved the world: grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross we may triumph in the power of his victory; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Standing at the foot of the cross, 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 bore our sins on the cross, set us free to serve him with joy.
Amen.

Shane Raynor 3/24/26 Shane Raynor 3/24/26

Wed. morning Mar. 25

Opening response

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

You laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, sovereign God, creator of heaven and earth, to you be praise and glory forever. As your living Word, eternal in heaven, assumed the frailty of our mortal flesh, may the light of your love be born in us to fill our hearts with joy as we sing:

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

O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

Words: S. Trevor Francis (1890)
Music: Thomas J. Williams (1890)
Our Great Redeemer’s Praise (#121)

Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus—
Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free—
Rolling as a mighty ocean
In its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me
Is the current of His love—
Leading onward, leading homeward
To His glorious rest above.

Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus—
Spread His praise from shore to shore!
Praise His mercy, praise His goodness;
Praise His love forevermore.
How He watcheth o’er His loved ones,
Died to call them all His own;
How for them He intercedeth,
Watcheth o’er them from His throne.

Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus—
Love of ev’ry love the best—
’Tis an ocean vast of blessing;
’Tis a haven sweet of rest.
Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus—
’Tis a heav’n of heav’ns to me;
And it lifts me up to glory,
Lifts me up eternally.

Confession of Sin

Seek the LORD while He may be found,
call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
and let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him,
and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

cf Isaiah 55

A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.

Lord God, I have sinned against you; I have done what is evil in your sight. I am sorry and repent. Have mercy on me according to your lovingkindness. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Renew a right spirit within me, and restore unto me the joy of your salvation, through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

cf Psalm 51

May the Father of all mercies cleanse us from our sins, and restore us in his image to the praise and glory of his name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Blessed be the LORD,
because He has heard the voice of my supplications.
Therefore my heart rejoices,
and with my song I will thank Him.

cf Psalm 28:7,9

Psalm 111

𝙍: The LORD is gracious and compassionate.

Praise the LORD!

I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart,
in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.

Great are the works of the LORD,
studied by all who have pleasure in them.
Honorable and majestic is His work,
and His righteousness endures forever.
He has made His wonderful works to be remembered;
the LORD is gracious and compassionate.

𝙍: The LORD is gracious and compassionate.

He has given food to those who fear Him;
He will ever be mindful of His covenant.

He has shown His people the power of His works,
in giving them the inheritance of the nations.
The works of His hands are truth and justice;
all His precepts are trustworthy.

𝙍: The LORD is gracious and compassionate.

They stand forever and ever,
and are performed in truth and uprightness.
He has sent redemption to His people;
He has commanded His covenant forever;
holy and awesome is His name.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
a good understanding have all those who do His commands.
His praise endures forever!

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 is gracious and compassionate.

Psalm prayer

Gracious God, you are full of compassion; may we who long for your kingdom to come rejoice to do your will and acknowledge your power alone to save; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 113

𝙍: From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised.

Praise the LORD!

Praise, O servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
from this time forth and forevermore.
From the rising of the sun to its setting,
the name of the LORD is to be praised.

The LORD is high above all nations,
and His glory above the heavens.

𝙍: From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised.

Who is like the LORD our God,
who dwells on high,
who looks far down
on the heavens and on the earth?

He raises the poor from the dust,
and lifts the needy out of the ash heap,
to seat him with princes,
with the princes of His people.
He gives the barren woman a home,
to be a joyful mother of children.
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: From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised.

Psalm prayer

From the rising of the sun to its setting, we praise your name, Lord; may your promise to raise the poor from the dust and turn the fortunes of the needy upside down be fulfilled in our time also, as it was in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament reading

1 Samuel 2:1-10

Hannah prayed, saying:

“My heart rejoices in the LORD;
my horn is exalted in the LORD.
My mouth is bold against my enemies,
because I rejoice in Your salvation.

“There is none holy as the LORD,
for there is none besides You,
and there is no rock like our God.

“Do not multiply proud speech,
nor let arrogance come out of your mouth,
for the LORD is the God of knowledge,
and by Him actions are examined.

“The bows of the mighty are broken,
but those who stumbled are girded with strength.
Those that were full have hired out themselves for bread,
and those that were hungry ceased to hunger.
Even the barren has borne seven,
and she that has many children wastes away.

“The LORD kills and makes alive;
He brings down to the grave and brings up.
The LORD makes poor and makes rich;
He brings low and lifts up.
He raises up the poor out of the dust
and lifts up the oppressed from the dunghill
to make them sit with princes
and inherit a throne of glory.

“For the pillars of the earth belong to the LORD,
and He has set the world upon them.
He will guard the feet of His saints,
but the wicked will be silent in darkness.

“For by strength shall no man prevail.
The adversaries of the LORD will be broken to pieces;
He will thunder against them out of heaven.
The LORD will judge the ends of the earth.

“He will give strength to His king
and exalt the horn of His anointed.”

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

Romans 5:12-21

Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, so death has spread to all men, because all have sinned.

For until the law, sin was in the world. But sin is not counted when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of Adam’s sin, who was a type of Him who was to come.

But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if through the trespass of one man many died, then how much more has the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. The gift is not like the result that came through the one who sinned. For the judgment from one sin led to condemnation, but the free gift, which came after many trespasses, leads to justification. For if by one man’s trespass death reigned through him, then how much more will those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

Therefore just as through the trespass of one man came condemnation for all men, so through the righteous act of One came justification of life for all men. For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One the many will be made righteous.

But the law entered, so that sin might increase, but where sin increased, grace abounded much more, so that just as sin reigned in death, grace might reign through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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:

The persecuted church
The oppressed peoples of the world
All who are lonely
All who are near to death
All who are facing loss

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

Response

Father, hear our prayer,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

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.

Shane Raynor 3/23/26 Shane Raynor 3/23/26

Tue. morning Mar. 24

Opening response

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

Let your ways be known upon earth,
your saving power among the nations.

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

The King of Love My Shepherd Is

Words: Henry W. Baker (1868)
Music: Irish melody
Our Great Redeemer’s Praise (#90)

The King of love my shepherd is,
whose goodness faileth never.
I nothing lack if I am his,
and he is mine forever.

Where streams of living water flow,
my ransomed soul he leadeth;
and where the verdant pastures grow,
with food celestial feedeth.

In death's dark vale I fear no ill,
with thee, dear Lord, beside me;
thy rod and staff my comfort still,
thy cross before to guide me.

And so through all the length of days,
thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise
within thy house forever.

Confession of Sin

Come, Holy Spirit of God,
and search our hearts with the light of Christ.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said:

Amen. Lord, have mercy.

After a period of reflection

Come, let us return to the Lord and say:

cf Hosea 6

May Almighty God, who sent his Son into the world to save sinners, bring us his pardon and peace, now and forever.
Amen.

Psalm 35

𝙍: Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness.

Plead my cause, O LORD, with those who contend with me;
fight against those who fight against me!
Take hold of shield and buckler,
and rise up to help me!
Draw the spear and javelin
against those who pursue me.
Say to my soul,
“I am your salvation.”

Let them be put to shame and dishonor
who seek after my life.
Let them be turned back and confounded
who devise evil against me.
Let them be like chaff before the wind,
and let the angel of the LORD drive them away.
Let their way be dark and slippery,
and let the angel of the LORD pursue them.

𝙍: Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness.

For without cause they have hidden their net for me in a pit,
which they have dug without cause for my life.
Let destruction come upon him unawares,
and let the net that he hid ensnare him;
let him fall in it, to his destruction.
Then my soul shall rejoice in the LORD;
it shall rejoice in His salvation.
All my bones shall say,
“LORD, who is like You,
delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him,
the poor and the needy from him who plunders him?”

𝙍: Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness.

Malicious witnesses rise up;
they ask me of things I do not know.
They repay me evil for good,
to the sorrow of my soul.
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth;
I humbled my soul with fasting;
and my prayer would return to my own heart.
I paced about as though he were my friend or brother;
I bowed down lamenting,
as one who mourns for his mother.

𝙍: Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness.

But in my adversity they rejoiced and gathered together;
assailants gathered against me, and I did not know it;
they tore me apart without ceasing;
with hypocritical mockers at feasts,
they gnashed at me with their teeth.

Lord, how long will You look on?
Rescue me from their destruction,
my precious life from the lions!
I will give You thanks in the great assembly;
I will praise You in the mighty throng.

𝙍: Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness.

Let not my treacherous enemies
rejoice over me,
nor let those who hate me without cause
wink the eye.
For they do not speak peace,
but they devise deceitful matters
against those who are quiet in the land.
They opened wide their mouths against me,
and said, “Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it.”

This You have seen, O LORD; do not be silent!
O Lord, be not far from me!
Stir up Yourself, and awake for my defense,
for my cause, my God and my Lord!
Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness,
and let them not rejoice over me.

𝙍: Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness.

Let them not say in their hearts, “Ah, we have our heart’s desire!”
Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.”

Let those who rejoice at my calamity be ashamed
and brought to confusion;
let them be clothed with shame and dishonor
who exalt themselves against me.
Let those who favor my vindication
shout for joy and be glad;
let them say continually, “Let the LORD be magnified,
who delights in the peace of His servant.”

Then my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness
and of Your praise all day long.

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: Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness.

Psalm prayer

Free us, righteous God, from all oppression, and bring justice to the nations, that all the world may know you as King of kings and Lord of lords, now and forever.

Psalm 123

𝙍: Our eyes wait upon the LORD our God.

Unto You do I lift up my eyes,
O You who are enthroned in the heavens.
Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God,
until He has mercy upon us.

𝙍: Our eyes wait upon the LORD our God.

Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us,
for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.
Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorn of those who are at ease,
and with the contempt of the proud.

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: Our eyes wait upon the LORD our God.

Psalm prayer

Sovereign God, enthroned in the heavens, look upon us with your eyes of mercy, as we look on you with humility and love, and fill our souls with your peace through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament reading

Exodus 8:20-32

So the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes forth to the water and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. Otherwise, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and on your servants and on your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies and also the ground wherever they are.

“ ‘I will in that day set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. I will put a division between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign will happen.’ ”

The LORD did so, and great swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies.

Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God in the land.”

Moses said, “It is not right to do so, for what we shall sacrifice to the LORD our God would be an abomination to the Egyptians. If we shall sacrifice what is an abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness, and then we will sacrifice to the LORD our God, as He shall command us.”

Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness. Only you shall not go very far away. Make entreaty for me.”

Then Moses said, “Behold, I am leaving you, and I will plead with the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow. But let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.”

Moses went away from Pharaoh and entreated the LORD. Then the LORD did according to the word of Moses, and He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. Not one remained. Nevertheless, Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, nor would he let the people go.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

Hebrews 11:32-12:2

And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in fighting, and turned the armies of foreign enemies to flight. Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured and did not accept deliverance, so that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trials of mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered around in sheepskins and goatskins, while destitute, afflicted, and tormented. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.

These all have obtained a good report through faith, but they did not receive the promise. For God provided something better for us, so that with us they would be made complete.

Therefore, since we are encompassed with such a great cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Let us look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

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:

The persecuted church
The oppressed peoples of the world
All who are lonely
All who are near to death
All who are facing loss

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

The Lord’s Prayer

Standing at the foot of the cross, 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.