Shane Raynor 5/20/26 Shane Raynor 5/20/26

Thu. morning May 21

Opening response

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

Send your Holy Spirit upon us,
and clothe us with power from on high. Alleluia.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, creator God, to you be praise and glory forever. As your Spirit moved over the face of the waters, bringing light and life to your creation, pour out your Spirit on us today that we may walk as children of light and by your grace reveal your presence.

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

I Am Thine, O Lord

Words: Fanny J. Crosby (1875)
Music: William H. Doane (1875)
Our Great Redeemer’s Praise (#591)

I am Thine, O Lord,
I have heard Thy voice,
and it told Thy love to me;
but I long to rise
in the arms of faith,
and be closer drawn to Thee.

Refrain:
Draw me nearer,
nearer, blessed Lord,
to the cross where
Thou hast died;
draw me nearer,
nearer, blessed Lord,
to Thy precious, bleeding side.

Consecrate me now
to Thy service, Lord,
by the pow'r of grace divine;
let my soul look up
with a steadfast hope,
and my will be lost in Thine. [Refrain]

O, the pure delight
of a single hour
that before Thy throne I spend,
when I kneel in prayer,
and with Thee, my God,
I commune as friend with friend! [Refrain]

There are depths of love
that I cannot know
till I cross the narrow sea;
there are heights of joy
that I may not reach
till I rest in peace with Thee. [Refrain]

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 24

𝙍: The LORD of Hosts, He is the King of glory.

The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof,
the world, and those who dwell therein.
For He has founded it on the seas,
and established it on the rivers.

𝙍: The LORD of Hosts, He is the King of glory.

Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?
Who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood,
nor sworn deceitfully.

He will receive the blessing from the LORD,
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him,
who seek Your face.

𝙍: The LORD of Hosts, He is the King of glory.

Lift up your heads, O you gates!
Be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory will come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O you gates!
Lift up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of Hosts,
He is the King of glory.

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 of Hosts, He is the King of glory.

Psalm prayer

O LORD of hosts, purify our hearts that the glorious King may come in, your Son, Jesus our Redeemer.

Psalm 72

𝙍: The LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice.

Give the king Your justice, O God,
and Your righteousness to the king’s son!
May he judge Your people with righteousness
and Your poor with justice.

May the mountains bring peace to the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
May he vindicate the afflicted of the people,
save the children of the needy,
and crush the oppressor.

𝙍: The LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice.

May they fear You while the sun endures
and as long as the moon shines, throughout all generations.
May he descend like rain upon the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth.
In his days may the righteous flourish
and peace abound, until the moon is no more.

𝙍: The LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice.

May he have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
May those who dwell in the wilderness bow before him,
and his enemies lick the dust.
May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles
bring gifts;
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
render tribute.
May all kings bow down before him,
all nations serve him.

𝙍: The LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice.

For he will deliver the needy when he cries,
the poor also, and him who has no helper.
He will have compassion on the poor and needy,
and will save the lives of the needy.
He will redeem their life from oppression and violence,
and precious shall be their blood in his sight.

𝙍: The LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice.

So may he live,
and may the gold of Sheba be given to him.
May prayer also be made for him continually,
and blessings invoked for him all day long.
May there be an abundance of grain in the land;
may it wave on the tops of the mountains;
may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may those from the city flourish like grass of the earth.
May his name endure forever;
may his name continue as long as the sun shines.

And may men be blessed in him;
and may all nations call him blessed!

𝙍: The LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice.

Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
And blessed be His glorious name forever;
and may the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen.

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 reigns; let the earth rejoice.

Psalm prayer

O God, may your kingdom come, with deliverance for the needy, with peace for the righteous, with overflowing blessing for all nations, with glory, honor, and praise for Christ, the only Savior.

Old Testament reading

Numbers 24

And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go as other times to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness. Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling in their tents by their tribes, and the Spirit of God came on him. He took up his proverb and said:

“Balaam the son of Beor has said,
and the man whose eyes are open has said,
he has said, who heard the words of God,
who saw the vision of the Almighty,
falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:

“How lovely are your tents, O Jacob,
and your tabernacles, O Israel!

“Like palm trees are they spread out,
like gardens by the river’s side,
like the aloe plant, which the LORD has planted,
and like cedar trees beside the waters.
He will pour the water out of his buckets,
and his seed will be in many waters.

“His king will be higher than Agag,
and his kingdom will be exalted.

“God brings him out of Egypt;
he has the horns of a wild ox;
he will eat up the nations, his enemies,
and will break their bones,
and pierce them through with his arrows.
He crouches, he lies down as a lion, and as a lion,
who will stir him up?

“Blessed is he who blesses you,
and cursed is he who curses you.”

The anger of Balak was inflamed against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them these three times. Now flee to your own place. I thought to promote you to great honor. But certainly, the LORD has kept you back from honor.”

Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not speak to your messengers which you sent to me, saying, ‘If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the mouth of the LORD, to do either good or bad of my own mind. But what the LORD speaks, I will speak’? And now, behold, I am going to my people. Come, I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the latter days.”

He took up his parable and said:

“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
and the oracle of the man whose eyes are open;
the oracle of the one hearing the words of God,
and knowing the knowledge of the Most High,
who sees the vision of the Almighty,
falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:

“I will see him, but not now;
I will behold him, but not near;
a star will come out of Jacob,
and a scepter will rise out of Israel,
and will crush the borderlands of Moab,
and destroy all the Shethites.
Edom will be a possession,
and Seir, a possession of its enemies,
while Israel does valiantly.
One out of Jacob shall have dominion,
and destroy the survivors of the city.”

Then he looked on Amalek; he took up his proverb and said:

“Amalek was the first of the nations,
but his end will be that he perishes forever.”

He looked on the Kenites and took up his proverb and said:

“Strong is your dwelling place,
and you put your nest in a rock;
nevertheless the Kenite will be wasted.
How long until Ashur carries you away captive?”

He took up his proverb and said:

“Alas, who will live when God does this?
And ships will come from the coasts of Cyprus
and will afflict Ashur and will afflict Eber,
and he also will perish forever.”

Balaam rose up and went and returned to his place, and Balak also went his way.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

Luke 8:26-39

They sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is across from Galilee. When He stepped out on land, a man from the city who had demons for a long time met Him. He wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have You to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I plead with You, do not torment me.” For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. It often had seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles. But he broke the shackles and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.

Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

He said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him. And they begged Him not to command them to go out into the abyss.

There was a large herd of swine feeding on the mountain. They begged Him to permit them to enter them, and He permitted them. Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and reported it in the city and in the country. Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how he who had been possessed by demons was healed. Then the whole crowd from the surrounding country of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So He went into the boat and returned.

Now the man from whom the demons had departed asked Him if he could stay with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” So he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

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:

God’s royal priesthood, for empowerment by the Spirit
Those who wait on God, that they may find renewal
All people, that they may acknowledge the kingdom of the ascended Christ
The earth, for productivity and for fruitful harvests
All who are struggling with broken relationships

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

O God the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: we beseech you, leave us not comfortless, but send your Holy Spirit to strengthen us and exalt us to the place where our Savior Christ is gone before, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Being made one by the power of the Spirit, 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 the Spirit kindle in us the fire of God’s love.
Amen.

Shane Raynor 5/19/26 Shane Raynor 5/19/26

Wed. morning May 20

Opening response

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

Send your Holy Spirit upon us,
and clothe us with power from on high. Alleluia.

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

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Words: Robert Robinson (1758)
Music: Wyeth’s Repository of Sacred Music, Part II (1813)
Our Great Redeemer’s Praise (#37)

Come, thou Fount of every blessing;
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above;
praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
mount of God’s unchanging love!

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I’m come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor
daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that grace now, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here’s my heart; O take and seal it;
seal it for thy courts above.

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 2

𝙍: The LORD is the strength of His people, and He is the saving refuge of His anointed.

Why do the nations rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD
and against His anointed, saying,
“Let us tear off their bonds
and cast away their ropes from us.”

𝙍: The LORD is the strength of His people, and He is the saving refuge of His anointed.

He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the LORD ridicules them.
Then He will speak to them in His wrath
and terrify them in His burning anger:
“I have set My king
on Zion, My holy hill.”

𝙍: The LORD is the strength of His people, and He is the saving refuge of His anointed.

I will declare the decree of the LORD:

He said to me, “You are My son;
today have I begotten you.
Ask of Me,
and I will give you the nations for your inheritance,
and the ends of the earth for your possession.
You will break them with a rod of iron;
you will dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

𝙍: The LORD is the strength of His people, and He is the saving refuge of His anointed.

Now then, you kings, be wise;
be admonished, you judges of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear;
and tremble with trepidation!
Kiss the son, lest He become angry,
and you perish in the way,
when His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all who seek refuge in Him.

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 the strength of His people, and He is the saving refuge of His anointed.

Psalm prayer

Most high and holy God, lift our eyes to your Son enthroned on Calvary; and as we behold his meekness, shatter our earthly pride; for he is Lord forever and ever.

Psalm 29

𝙍: The LORD will bless His people with peace.

Ascribe to the LORD, O you mighty ones,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name;
worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders;
the LORD is over many waters.

𝙍: The LORD will bless His people with peace.

The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD splinters the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes them skip like a calf,
Lebanon and Sirion like a wild ox.

𝙍: The LORD will bless His people with peace.

The voice of the LORD divides
the flames of fire.
The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;
the LORD shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth,
and strips the forests bare;
and in His temple everyone says, “Glory!”

The LORD sat enthroned over the flood;
and the LORD sits as King forever.
The LORD will give strength to His people;
the LORD will bless His people with 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.

𝙍: The LORD will bless His people with peace.

Psalm prayer

Open our ears, glorious Lord Christ, to hear the music of your voice above the chaos of this world; open our eyes to see the vision of your glory, for you are our King, now and forever.

Old Testament reading

Numbers 23:13-30

And Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from where you may see them. You will see part of them, but will not see them all. Curse them for me from there.” He brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

He said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offerings while I meet the LORD over there.”

The LORD met Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, “Go again to Balak, and thus you will speak.”

When he came to him, behold, he was standing beside his burnt offerings with the princes of Moab. And Balak said to him, “What has the LORD spoken?”

And he took up his parable and said:

“Rise up, Balak, and hear!
Listen to me, you son of Zippor!
God is not a man, that He should lie,
nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He spoken, and will He not do it?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
Behold, I have received a commandment to bless,
and He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.

“He has not beheld iniquity in Jacob,
nor has He seen perverseness in Israel.
The LORD his God is with him,
and the shout of a king is among them.
God, who brings them out of Egypt,
has strength like a wild ox.
Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob,
nor is there any divination against Israel.
For this time it will be said of Jacob and of Israel,
‘See what God has done!’
Behold, a people rises up as a lioness, and lifts himself up as a lion;
it shall not lie down until it eats the prey
and drinks the blood of the slain.”

Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all, nor bless them at all.”

But Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell you, saying, ‘All that the LORD speaks, I must do’?”

And Balak said to Balaam, “Please come. I will bring you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there.” Balak brought Balaam to the top of Peor, which looks toward Jeshimon.

Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me seven altars, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams.” Balak did as Balaam said and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

Luke 8:16-25

“No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and revealed. Take heed therefore how you hear. For whoever has, to him will be given. And whoever has not, from him will be taken even what he thinks he has.”

Then His mother and His brothers came to Him, but could not reach Him, because of the crowd. Someone told Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You.”

But He said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”

One day He went into a boat with His disciples, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they launched out. As they sailed, He fell asleep. Then a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in danger.

They came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”

Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?”

Being afraid, they marveled, saying to each other, “Who then is this Man? He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him.”

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:

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

Being made one by the power of the Spirit, as our Savior taught us, so we pray

Conclusion

May the Spirit kindle in us the fire of God’s love.
Amen.

Shane Raynor 5/18/26 Shane Raynor 5/18/26

Tue. morning May 19

Opening response

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

Send your Holy Spirit upon us,
and clothe us with power from on high. Alleluia.

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

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 98

𝙍: The LORD has made known His salvation.

Oh sing to the LORD a new song,
for He has done marvelous things!
His right hand and His holy arm
have gained the victory for Him.
The LORD has made known His salvation;
He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered His mercy
and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.

𝙍: The LORD has made known His salvation.

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song, and sing praises.
Sing to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of a psalm,
with trumpets and the sound of the horn;
make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King!

𝙍: The LORD has made known His salvation.

Let the sea roar, and all that fills it,
the world and those who dwell in it;
let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills be joyful together
before the LORD,
for He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.

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 has made known His salvation.

Psalm prayer

Lord God, just and true, you make your salvation known in the sight of the nations; tune the song of our hearts to the music of creation as you come among us to judge the earth; through our Savior Jesus Christ.

Psalm 99

The LORD reigns;
let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned above the cherubim;
let the earth quake.
The LORD is great in Zion;
He is exalted above all the peoples.
Let them praise Your great and awesome name!
Holy is He!

The King in His might loves justice;
You have established equity;
You have executed justice
and righteousness in Jacob.
Exalt the LORD our God,
and worship at His footstool!
Holy is He!

Moses and Aaron were among His priests,
and Samuel was among those who called upon His name.
They called upon the LORD,
and He answered them.
He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud;
they kept His testimonies and the statute that He gave them.

You answered them,
O LORD our God;
You were a forgiving God to them,
though You took vengeance on their deeds.
Exalt the LORD our God
and worship at His holy mountain,
for the LORD our God is holy!

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

Lord God, mighty king, you love justice and establish equity; may we love justice more than gain and mercy more than power; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 100

𝙍: The LORD is good; His mercy endures forever.

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
come before Him with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God!
It is He who has made us, and we are His;
we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

𝙍: The LORD is good; His mercy endures forever.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving,
and His courts with praise!
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the LORD is good; His mercy endures forever,
and His faithfulness to all generations.

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 good; His mercy endures forever.

Psalm prayer

O Christ, door of the sheepfold, may we enter your gates with praise and go from your courts to serve you in the poor, the lost, and the wandering, this day and all our days.

Old Testament reading

Numbers 22:36-23:12

When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to meet him in a city of Moab which is on the border of Arnon, which is at the furthest end of the border. Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not earnestly send to summon you? Why did you not come to me? Indeed am I not able to honor you?”

And Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come to you. Have I any power of my own to speak anything? The word God puts in my mouth is what I will speak.”

Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. Balak offered oxen and sheep and sent them to Balaam and to the officials who were with him.

On the next day Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-baal, and from there he saw the extent of the people.

And Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me seven altars, and prepare for me seven oxen and seven rams.” Balak did as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bull and a ram.

Balaam said to Balak, “Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps the LORD will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you.” And he went to a high place.

God met Balaam, and he said to Him, “I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered on every altar a bull and a ram.”

The LORD put a word in the mouth of Balaam and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you will speak.”

And he returned to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering with all the princes of Moab. Then Balaam uttered his oracle, saying:

“Balak has brought me from Aram,
the king of Moab from the mountains of the east,
saying, ‘Come, curse Jacob for me,
and come, defy Israel!’
How will I curse
whom God has not cursed?
Or how will I defy
whom the LORD has not defied?
For from the top of the rocks I see him,
and from the hills I behold him;
there, the people will dwell alone
and will not be counted among the nations.
Who can count the dust of Jacob
and the number of one-fourth of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous,
and let my last end be like his!”

And Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have done nothing but bless them.”

He answered, “Must I not take heed to speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?”

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

Luke 8:1-15

Afterward, He went throughout every city and village, preaching and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. With Him were the twelve and some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had come out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, who supported Him with their possessions.

When a large crowd had gathered together and people were coming to Him from every city, He told this parable: “A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on a rock. And as soon as it sprang up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. Yet some fell among thorns. And the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. And other seed fell on good ground and sprang up and yielded a hundred times the amount sown.”

When He had said these things, He cried out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

His disciples asked Him, “What might this parable mean?” He said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but to others they are in parables, so that

‘seeing they may not see,
and hearing they may not understand.’

“Now the parable means this: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are those who hear. Then comes the devil, who takes away the word from their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root, for they believe for a while, then in the time of temptation fall away. That which fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the seed on the good ground are those who, having heard the word, keep it in an honest and good heart and bear fruit with patience.

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:

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

The Lord’s Prayer

Being made one by the power of the Spirit, as our Savior taught us, so we pray

Conclusion

May the risen Christ grant us the joys of eternal life.
Amen.