Thu. morning Jul. 30
Opening response
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
Prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Sovereign God, creator of all, to you be glory and praise forever. You founded the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands. In the fullness of time, you made us in your image, and in these last days you have spoken to us in your Son Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. As we rejoice in the gift of your presence among us, let the light of your love always shine in our hearts, your Spirit ever renew our lives, and your praises ever be on our lips.
Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God forever.
The night has passed, and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind.
Silence is kept.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of your presence, O God, set our hearts on fire with love for you; now and forever.
Amen.
Hymn
He Died for Me
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 37
𝙍: The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD.
Fret not because of evildoers,
nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
For they will soon fade like the grass,
and wither like the green herb.
Trust in the LORD, and do good;
dwell in the land, and shepherd faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the LORD,
and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD;
trust also in Him, and He will bring it to pass.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
𝙍: The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD.
Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;
fret not because of those who prosper in their way,
because of those who bring wicked schemes to pass.
Let go of anger and forsake wrath;
fret not—it leads only to evil.
For evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait on the LORD shall inherit the earth.
Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look diligently for his place, he will not be there.
But the meek shall inherit the land,
and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
𝙍: The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD.
The wicked plots against the righteous,
and gnashes his teeth at him.
The Lord laughs at him,
for He sees that his day is coming.
The wicked have drawn the sword
and have bent their bows,
to cast down the poor and needy,
and to slay those who walk uprightly.
Their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.
Better is a little that the righteous man has
than the abundance of many wicked.
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.
𝙍: The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD.
The LORD knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will abide forever.
They shall not be ashamed in evil times,
and in the days of famine they shall have abundance.
But the wicked shall perish,
and the enemies of the LORD, like the glory of the meadows,
shall vanish; like smoke they shall vanish away.
The wicked borrows and does not repay,
but the righteous is generous and gives.
For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,
but those cursed by Him shall be cut off.
𝙍: The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD.
The steps of a man are made firm by the LORD
when He delights in his way.
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down,
for the LORD upholds him with His hand.
I have been young, and now am old;
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
nor his descendants begging bread.
The righteous is ever generous and lends,
and his descendants become a blessing.
𝙍: The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD.
Depart from evil, and do good;
so shall you abide forever.
For the LORD loves justice,
and does not forsake His saints;
they are preserved forever,
but the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.
The righteous shall inherit the land,
and live in it forever.
𝙍: The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD.
The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
The law of his God is in his heart;
none of his steps shall slip.
The wicked watches the righteous,
and seeks to kill him.
The LORD will not abandon him to his power,
or let him be condemned when he is judged.
𝙍: The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD.
Wait on the LORD,
and keep His way,
and He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are cut off, you will look on.
I have seen the wicked in great power,
and spreading himself like a luxuriant tree.
Yet he passed by, and behold, he was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.
Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright,
for there is a future for the man of peace.
𝙍: The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD.
But the transgressors shall be destroyed together;
the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;
He is their refuge in the time of trouble.
The LORD shall help them and deliver them;
He shall deliver them from the wicked,
and save them, because they take 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 salvation of the righteous is from the LORD.
Psalm prayer
Blessed and holy God, ever merciful and forgiving, may we turn from what is evil and do what is good in your sight, for you have saved us by the cross of your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.
Old Testament reading
1 Samuel 17:1-30
Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle, and were gathered at Sokoh, which belongs to Judah. And they camped between Sokoh and Azekah in Ephes Dammim. Saul and Israel’s fighting men were gathered, and they camped in the Valley of Elah. And they drew up in battle order to meet the Philistines. Now the Philistines were standing at the base of the mountain on the one side, and Israel was standing at the base of the mountain on the other side, and the valley was between them.
There went out a champion from the camp of the Philistines, Goliath was his name, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and one span. He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail. Now the weight of the bronze coat was five thousand shekels. He had greaves of bronze on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. The staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam. His iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels. And a shield-bearer was walking before him.
He stood and called out to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am not I the Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose for yourselves a man and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and to strike me down, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and strike him down, then you will be our servants and will serve us.” The Philistine said, “I defy the battle lines of Israel this day. Give me a man, and let us fight together.” When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were filled with terror and were greatly afraid.
Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah whose name was Jesse, who had eight sons. And the man was old in the days of Saul and advanced in years. The three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third was Shammah. As for David, he was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul, but David would go back and forth from Saul to shepherd his father’s flock in Bethlehem.
The Philistine stepped forward morning and evening and took his stand daily for forty days.
Then Jesse said to David his son, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain and these ten loaves and run to the camp to your brothers. Carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and look into your brothers’ health, and bring back news of them.” Now Saul, and they, and all Israel’s fighting men were in the Valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines.
So David rose up early in the morning and left the flock with a keeper. And he carried away the provisions and went as Jesse had commanded him. And when he came to the encampment, the army was going out to the battle line, and they shouted a war cry. And Israel and the Philistines ordered themselves in battle lines, army against army. David left his things with the keeper of the equipment, and he ran to the battle line. And he went and greeted his brothers. As he was speaking with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine from Gath, Goliath by name, was going up from the battle line of the Philistines. And he spoke these same words and David heard them. When all Israel’s fighting men saw the man, they fled from him, and were very afraid.
The men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel, and it will be that the man who kills him, the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and will make his father’s house exempt from taxes in Israel.”
David spoke to the men that stood by him, saying, “What will be done for the man that kills this Philistine and takes away this reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
And the people answered him in the same way, saying, “So will it be done to the man who kills him.”
Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, “Why have you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the evil of your heart, for you have come down that you might see the battle.”
David said, “What have I done now? Was it not only a word?” And he turned from him toward another and spoke in the same way. And the people answered him again as at the first.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Luke 23:56-24:12
On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. But when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were greatly perplexed concerning this, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. As they were afraid and bowed their faces to the ground, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen! Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ ” Then they remembered His words.
And they returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. But their words seemed like fables to them, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb. Stooping down, he saw the linen clothes lying by themselves. He departed, wondering in himself what had happened.
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:
Local government, community leaders
All who provide local services
Those who work with young or elderly people
Schools, colleges, and universities
Emergency and rescue organizations
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
Almighty Lord and everlasting God, we beseech you to direct, sanctify and govern both our hearts and bodies in the ways of your laws and the works of your commandments; that through your most mighty protection, both here and ever, we may be preserved in body and soul; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
As our Savior taught us, so we pray
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever. Amen.
Conclusion
The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil, and keep us in eternal life.
Amen.
Wed. morning Jul. 29
Opening response
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
Prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Sovereign God, creator of all, to you be glory and praise forever. You founded the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands. In the fullness of time, you made us in your image, and in these last days you have spoken to us in your Son Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. As we rejoice in the gift of your presence among us, let the light of your love always shine in our hearts, your Spirit ever renew our lives, and your praises ever be on our lips.
Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God forever.
The night has passed, and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind.
Silence is kept.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of your presence, O God, set our hearts on fire with love for you; now and forever.
Amen.
Hymn
Jesus, Thine All-Victorious Love
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 34
𝙍: Taste and see that the LORD is good.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise will continually be in my mouth.
My soul will make its boast in the LORD;
the humble will hear of it and be glad.
Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt His name together.
I sought the LORD, and He answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
They looked to Him and became radiant,
and their faces were not ashamed.
𝙍: Taste and see that the LORD is good.
This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him,
and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him,
and delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.
Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints,
for those who fear Him have no want.
The young lions suffer want and hunger,
but those who seek the LORD will not lack any good thing.
𝙍: Taste and see that the LORD is good.
Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Who is the man who desires life,
and loves many days that he may see good?
Keep your tongue from evil,
and your lips from speaking deceit.
Depart from evil, and do good;
seek peace, and pursue it.
𝙍: Taste and see that the LORD is good.
The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
and His ears are open to their cry.
The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears,
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The LORD is near to the broken-hearted,
and saves the contrite of spirit.
𝙍: Taste and see that the LORD is good.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the LORD delivers him out of them all.
He protects all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
Evil will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The LORD redeems the life of His servants,
and none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.
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: Taste and see that the LORD is good.
Psalm prayer
Send your holy angels to watch over us, O God, that on our lips will be found your truth and in our hearts your love; so we may ever taste your goodness in the land of the living; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Old Testament reading
1 Samuel 16
The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from ruling over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have chosen a king for Myself from among his sons.”
Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.”
And the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’Call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you will do. And you will anoint for Me him whom I tell to you.”
Samuel did that which the LORD spoke, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, “Do you come in peace?”
And he said, “I have come in peace to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and called them to the sacrifice.
When they came, he looked on Eliab, and said, “Surely the anointed of the LORD is before Him.”
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him, for the LORD sees not as men see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”
Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” So Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all your young men?”
And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and behold, there he is shepherding the flock.”
Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him, for we will not sit down until he comes here.”
So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy with beautiful eyes and a good appearance.
And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.”
Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD came on David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.
Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the LORD terrified him.
So the servants of Saul said to him, “Behold, an evil spirit from God troubles you. Let our lord now tell your servants, who are before you, that they might seek out a man experienced in playing the lyre. And it will come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is on you, that he will play with his hand, and you will be well.”
Saul said to his servants, “Find for me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me.”
Then one from the servants answered, and said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is experienced in playing music, a mighty man of valor, a man of battle, and skillful in words, even a man of fine appearance. And the LORD is with him.”
Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.” Jesse took a donkey laden with bread, a bottle of wine, and a young goat and he sent them with his son David to Saul.
David came to Saul, and stood before him. And Saul loved him greatly and he became his armor bearer. Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.”
It happened that when the evil spirit from God came on Saul, David would take the lyre in his hand and play. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Luke 23:44-55
It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour, while the sun was darkened. And the veil of the temple was torn in the middle. And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He gave up the spirit.
When the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God and said, “Certainly, this was a righteous Man.” All the crowds who came together to that sight, witnessing what occurred, struck their chests and returned. But all those who knew Him and the women accompanying Him from Galilee stood at a distance, seeing these things.
Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, who was a good and just man. He had not consented to their counsel and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, and he himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took Him down, and wrapped Him in linen, and placed Him in a hewn tomb, where no one had ever been buried. It was the Day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was drawing near.
The women who came with Him from Galilee followed, and saw the tomb and how His body was placed. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments.
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 social services
All who work in the criminal justice system
Victims and perpetrators of crime
The work of aid agencies throughout the world
Those living in poverty or under oppression
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
God our Father, whose Son enjoyed the love of his friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus, in learning, argument and hospitality: may we so rejoice in your love that the world may come to know the depths of your wisdom, the wonder of your compassion, and your power to bring life out of death; through the merits of Jesus Christ, our friend and brother, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
As our Savior taught us, so we pray
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever. Amen.
Conclusion
The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil, and keep us in eternal life.
Amen.
Tue. morning Jul. 28
Opening response
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
Prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Sovereign God, creator of all, to you be glory and praise forever. You founded the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands. In the fullness of time, you made us in your image, and in these last days you have spoken to us in your Son Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. As we rejoice in the gift of your presence among us, let the light of your love always shine in our hearts, your Spirit ever renew our lives, and your praises ever be on our lips.
Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God forever.
The night has passed, and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind.
Silence is kept.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of your presence, O God, set our hearts on fire with love for you; now and forever.
Amen.
Hymn
Day by Day
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 32
𝙍: Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones.
Blessed is he
whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man
against whom the LORD imputes no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
When I kept silent,
my body wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
For day and night
Your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was turned
into the drought of summer.
𝙍: Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones.
I acknowledged my sin to You,
and my iniquity I did not conceal.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the LORD,”
and You forgave
the iniquity of my sin.
For this cause everyone who is godly will pray to You
in a time when You may be found;
surely in the flood of great waters,
they shall not reach him.
You are my hiding place;
You will preserve me from trouble;
You will surround me with songs of deliverance.
𝙍: Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Do not be like the horse or like the mule,
which have no understanding,
which must be restrained with bit and bridle,
or they will not come near you.
Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but lovingkindness will surround
the man who trusts in the LORD.
Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones;
and shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart!
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: Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones.
Psalm prayer
Give us honest hearts, O God, and send your kindly Spirit to help us confess our sins and bring us the peace of your forgiveness; in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Psalm 36
𝙍: With You, O God, is the fountain of life.
An oracle within my heart
about the transgression of the wicked:
There is no fear of God
before their eyes.
For he flatters himself in his own eyes,
so that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
he has ceased to be wise and to do good.
He devises mischief on his bed;
he sets himself on a path that is not good;
he does not reject evil.
𝙍: With You, O God, is the fountain of life.
Your mercy, O LORD, extends to the heavens,
and Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the great mountains,
Your judgments are like the great deep;
O LORD, You preserve man and beast.
How excellent is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore mankind
seeks refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
They will drink their fill from the abundance of Your house,
and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
For with You is the fountain of life;
in Your light we see light.
𝙍: With You, O God, is the fountain of life.
Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,
and Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
Let not the foot of the arrogant tread on me,
and let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.
There the workers of iniquity have fallen;
they are cast down and are not able to rise.
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: With You, O God, is the fountain of life.
Psalm prayer
O God, the fountain of life, make us bright with wisdom, that we may be lightened with the knowledge of your glory in the face of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Old Testament reading
1 Samuel 15:1-23
Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you to be king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore listen to the voice of the words of the LORD. Thus says the LORD of Hosts, ‘I remember what Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not have compassion on them but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”
So Saul summoned the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah. Then Saul came to the city of Amalek and laid an ambush in the valley. Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart, go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
Then Saul struck the Amalekites from Havilah until you come to Shur, which is near Egypt. He took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings, and lambs. And of all that was good, they were not willing to utterly destroy them. But everything that was despised and weak, that they completely destroyed.
Then came the word of the LORD to Samuel, saying, “I regret that I have set up Saul to be king because he has turned back from following Me, and he has not carried out My words.” And it grieved Samuel, and he cried to the LORD all night.
When Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself. Then he turned and has passed on down to Gilgal.”
Samuel came to Saul. And Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the LORD. I have carried out the word of the LORD.”
Samuel said, “Then what is the sound of this flock of sheep in my ears? And the sound of the cattle which I am hearing?”
And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites. For the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God, and the rest we have utterly destroyed.”
Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop, and I will tell you what the LORD spoke to me this night.”
And he said to him, “Speak.”
Samuel said, “When you were little in your own sight, were you not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed you king over Israel? And the LORD sent you on a journey, and said, ‘Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are destroyed.’ Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? And why did you rush upon the spoil and do evil in the sight of the LORD?”
And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the LORD. And I have followed in the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took from the plunder sheep and oxen, the firstfruits of the banned things to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.”
Samuel said,
“Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice,
a listening ear than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
He has also rejected you from being king.”
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Luke 23:26-43
As they led Him away, they seized Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him to carry it behind Jesus. A large number of people followed Him, including women who mourned and lamented Him. Jesus turned to them, saying, “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, who never bore and never nursed!’ Then
they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’
and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’
For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
Two different men, who were criminals, also were led with Him to be killed. When they came to the place which is called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they divided His clothes by casting lots.
The people stood by watching. But the rulers with them scoffed, saying, “He saved others. Let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the Chosen One of God.”
And the soldiers also mocked Him, coming to Him and offering Him sour wine, saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”
An inscription was written over Him in letters of Greek and Latin and Hebrew:
THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
One of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us!”
But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, seeing you are under the same sentence? And we indeed, justly. For we are receiving the due reward of our deeds. But this Man has done nothing amiss.”
Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”
Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
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:
All who are sick in body, mind, or spirit
Those in the midst of famine or disaster
Victims of abuse and violence, intolerance, and prejudice
Those who are bereaved
All who work in the medical and healing professions
Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.
Response
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
Almighty Lord and everlasting God, we beseech you to direct, sanctify and govern both our hearts and bodies in the ways of your laws and the works of your commandments; that through your most mighty protection, both here and ever, we may be preserved in body and soul; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
As our Savior taught us, so we pray
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever. Amen.
Conclusion
The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil, and keep us in eternal life.
Amen.