Sat. morning Oct. 3
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
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
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;
andall that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all His benefits.
Psalm 76
𝙍: The LORD has established His throne for judgment.
In Judah God is known;
His name is great in Israel.
His abode is in Salem,
His dwelling place in Zion.
There He broke the flaming arrows of the bow,
the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war.
𝙍: The LORD has established His throne for judgment.
You are more glorious and excellent
than the mountains of prey.
The stouthearted were plundered;
they sank into sleep;
and none of the mighty men
could use his hands.
At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
both the rider and horse lay stunned.
𝙍: The LORD has established His throne for judgment.
But You indeed are to be feared;
who may stand in Your presence once You are angry?
You caused judgment to be heard from heaven;
the earth feared and was still,
when God arose to judgment,
to save all the meek of the earth.
𝙍: The LORD has established His throne for judgment.
Surely the wrath of man shall praise You;
with the remainder of wrath You will gird Yourself.
Make your vows to the LORD your God and fulfill them;
let all who are around Him
bring tribute to Him who is to be feared.
He will cut off the spirit of princes;
He is feared by the kings of the earth.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be forever. Amen.
𝙍: The LORD has established His throne for judgment.
Psalm prayer
Majestic and gracious God, more awesome than the agents of war, more powerful than the wrath of nations, restrain the violence of the peoples, and draw the despised of the earth into the joyful life of your kingdom, where you live and reign forever and ever.
Psalm 79
𝙍: Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name.
O God, the nations have come into Your inheritance;
Your holy temple have they defiled;
they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
The dead bodies of Your servants
have they given to the birds of the heavens as food,
the flesh of Your faithful to the beasts of the earth.
Their blood have they poured out like water
all around Jerusalem,
and there was no one to bury them.
We have become a reproach to our neighbors,
a scorn and derision to those who are around us.
𝙍: Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name.
How long, O LORD? Will You be angry forever?
Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
Pour out Your wrath
upon the nations that do not know You,
and upon the kingdoms
that do not call upon Your name.
For they have devoured Jacob,
and laid waste his dwelling place.
𝙍: Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name.
Do not remember against us the iniquities of our forefathers;
let Your tender mercies come speedily to us,
for we have been brought very low.
Help us, O God of our salvation,
for the glory of Your name;
deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins,
for Your name’s sake!
Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
𝙍: Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name.
Let the avenging of the shed blood of Your servants
be known among the nations before our eyes!
Let the groaning of the prisoners come before You;
according to the greatness of Your power
preserve those who are appointed to die.
And render to our neighbors sevenfold into their lap
the reproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord.
But we, Your people and the sheep of Your pasture,
will give You thanks forever;
we will declare Your praise
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: Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name.
Psalm prayer
When faith is scorned, and love grows cold, then, God of hosts, rebuild your Church on lives of thankfulness and patient prayer; through Christ your eternal Son.
Old Testament reading
2 Kings 4:1-37
Now one of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD, but a creditor has come to take my two sons as slaves.”
Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?”
She said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.”
Then he said, “Go, ask for vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not just a few. Then go in, shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour the oil into all these vessels. When each is full, set it aside.”
So she left him and shut the door behind her and her sons, and they kept bringing vessels to her, and she kept pouring. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.”
But he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” And the oil ceased.
Then she went and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil, and pay your debt, and you and your children can live on the rest.”
One day Elisha passed through Shunem, and a noble woman was there who urged him to eat a meal. So whenever he passed through, he stopped there to eat a meal. And she said to her husband, “Behold, I know that he is a holy man of God regularly passing through near us. Let us make a little walled upper room and put for him there a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so when he comes to us he can stay there.”
One day he came by there, and he turned aside to the upper room and lay down. He said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite woman.” So he called her and she stood before him. He said to him, “Say to her, Look, you have gone to all this trouble for us. What may be done for you? Would you have a word spoken on your behalf to the king, or to the captain of the army?”
And she answered, “I am living among my people.”
He said, “What may be done for her?”
And Gehazi said, “Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old.”
He said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the entrance. He said, “At this season, when it is time, you will embrace a son.”
And she said, “No, my lord, man of God, do not lie to your servant.”
But the woman conceived and bore a son at that season, at the time that Elisha had told her.
When the child was older, he went out one day to his father with the reapers. He said to his father, “My head, my head!”
And he said to a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, the boy sat on her knees until noon, and died. She went up, and laid him down on the bed of the man of God, shut the door on him, and went out.
Then she called to her husband, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so that I may run to the man of God and return.”
He said, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither New Moon nor Sabbath.”
She said, “It will be all right.”
Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Lead on, and do not hold back for me unless I tell you.” So she went and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.
And when the man of God saw her far off, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Look, over there is the Shunammite woman. Now run to meet her, and say to her, Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is the child all right?”
And she said, “It is all right.”
When she came to the man of God at the mountain, she grabbed his feet. Gehazi approached to push her away. But the man of God said, “Let her alone, for she is in bitter distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me and has not told me.”
Then she said, “Did I ask for a son from my lord? Did I not say, Do not give me false hope?”
Then he said to Gehazi, “Prepare yourself, take my staff in your hand, and go. If you find anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer him, and lay my staff on the face of the boy.”
Then the boy’s mother said, “As the LORD lives, and as you live, I will not leave without you.” And he got up and followed her.
Gehazi passed through ahead of them and laid the staff on the face of the boy, but there was no sound or response. So he returned to meet him and told him, “The boy is not awake.”
When Elisha came into the house, he saw that the boy was dead, lying on his bed. So he went in, and shut the door on the two of them, and prayed to the LORD. He went up and lay on the child, put his face on his face, and his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. Then he bent over the child, and the child’s flesh warmed. Then he got down, walked once back and forth in the house, and went up, and bent over him; the boy sneezed seven times, and the boy opened his eyes.
Then Elisha called Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite woman.” So he called her, and she came to him. Then he said, “Pick up your son.” Then she came in, fell at his feet, and bowed down to the ground. Then she picked up her son and went out.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Acts 25:13-27
After several days King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to welcome Festus. When they had been there many days, Festus stated Paul’s case to the king, saying, “There is a man left as a prisoner by Felix. When I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me about him, asking for a sentence against him.
“I answered, ‘It is not the custom of the Romans to deliver any man to die before he who is accused meets the accusers face to face and has the opportunity to make his defense concerning the charge brought against him.’ So when they assembled here, without delay I sat on the judgment seat the next day and ordered that the man be brought in. When the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation against him of such crimes as I had supposed. But they had disagreements with him about their own religion and about a Man named Jesus, who had died, but whom Paul asserted was alive. Being perplexed about such questions, I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there concerning these charges. But when Paul had appealed to be under guard for the decision of Caesar, I ordered that he be secured until I could send him to Caesar.”
Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the man myself.”
He said, “Tomorrow you shall hear him.”
The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the hall with the commanders and the leading men of the city. When Festus gave the order, Paul was brought in. Festus said, “King Agrippa, and all the men who are present with us, you see this man, concerning whom the whole assembly of the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death. But when he himself appealed to Caesar, I decided to send him. But I have nothing to write to my lord concerning him. Therefore I have brought him before you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the examination has taken place, I might have something to write. For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without signifying the charges against 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:
Our homes, families, friends, and all whom we love
Those whose time is spent caring for others
Those who are close to death
Those who have lost hope
The worship of the church
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 God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you: pour your love into our hearts and draw us to yourself, and so bring us at last to your heavenly city where we shall see you face to face; 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
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.
Fri. morning Oct. 2
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
Are You Washed in the Blood
Confession of Sin
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Silence may be kept.
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.
Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life.
Amen.
Psalm 55
𝙍: Cast your burden on the LORD, and He will sustain you.
Give ear to my prayer, O God,
and do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
Attend to me, and answer me;
I am restless in my complaint, and I murmur,
because of the voice of the enemy,
because of the oppression of the wicked;
for they bring down trouble upon me,
and in anger they hate me.
My heart is in anguish within me,
and the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
Fear and trembling have come upon me,
and horror has overwhelmed me.
𝙍: Cast your burden on the LORD, and He will sustain you.
I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
Indeed, I would wander far off,
and remain in the wilderness.
I would hasten my escape
from the windy storm and tempest.”
Confuse, O Lord, divide their tongues,
for I have seen violence and strife in the city.
Day and night they go around it on its walls;
iniquity and trouble are in its midst.
Destruction is in its midst;
oppression and deceit do not depart from its marketplace.
𝙍: Cast your burden on the LORD, and He will sustain you.
For it is not an enemy who reproaches me;
then I could bear it;
nor is it he who hates me who has exalted himself against me;
then I could hide from him.
But it was you, a man, my equal,
my companion, and my acquaintance.
We took sweet counsel together,
and walked in the house of God in the throng.
Let death seize them,
and let them go down alive to Sheol,
for wickedness is in their dwellings and in their midst.
𝙍: Cast your burden on the LORD, and He will sustain you.
As for me, I will call upon God,
and the LORD will save me.
Evening and morning and at noon
will I reflect and groan,
and He will hear my voice.
He has redeemed my soul in peace
from the battle that was against me,
for there were many against me.
God will hear and afflict them,
even He who sits enthroned from of old.
Because they do not change,
therefore they do not fear God.
𝙍: Cast your burden on the LORD, and He will sustain you.
He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him;
he has violated his covenant.
His speech was smoother than butter,
but war was in his heart;
his words were softer than oil,
yet they were drawn swords.
Cast your burden on the LORD,
and He will sustain you;
He will never permit
the righteous to be moved.
But You, O God, will cast the wicked down
to the pit of destruction;
bloodthirsty and deceitful men
shall not live out half their days.
But I will trust in You.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be forever. Amen.
𝙍: Cast your burden on the LORD, and He will sustain you.
Psalm prayer
Lord, in all times of fear and dread, grant that we may so cast our burdens upon you, that you may bear us on the holy wings of the Spirit to the stronghold of your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Old Testament reading
2 Kings 2:1-18
Then when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, “Tarry here, I ask you, for the LORD has sent me to Bethel.”
But Elisha said to him, “As the LORD lives, and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
The sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the LORD is taking away your master from you?”
And he said, “Yes, I know. Keep silent.”
Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Jericho.”
And he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they entered Jericho.
The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the LORD is taking away your master from you?”
And he said, “Yes, I know. Keep silent.”
Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.”
And he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you live, I will not leave you.” And the two of them went on.
Fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood at a distance, and the two of them stood by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his robe and rolled it up and struck the water, and it was divided from one side to the other. Then the two of them crossed on dry ground.
And as they were crossing, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask for something, and I will do it for you before I am taken away from you.”
And Elisha said, “Let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”
He said, “You have asked for a difficult thing, but if you see me when I am taken from you, it will happen to you. If not, it will not.”
As they continued walking and talking, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha was watching and crying, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” And he did not see him again. Then he grabbed his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
He picked up the robe of Elijah that fell from him, and he returned and stood on the bank of the Jordan. And he took the robe of Elijah that fell from him, and struck the water, and said, “Where is the LORD, God of Elijah?” When he had struck the water, it parted from one side to the other, and Elisha crossed over.
When the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him from far off, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him. They said to him, “Behold now, there are fifty strong men with your servants. Let them go and look for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has lifted him up and thrown him on some mountain or into some valley.”
He said, “Do not send them.”
When they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, “Send them.” So they sent fifty men, and they searched for three days but did not find him. When they returned to him (for he had stayed at Jericho), he said to them, “Did I not say to you, do not go?”
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Acts 24:24-25:12
After several days, when Felix arrived with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewish woman, he sent for Paul and heard him speak concerning faith in Christ. As he lectured about righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix was afraid and answered, “For now, leave! When time permits, I will send for you.” At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul, that he might release him. So he sent for him more often and conversed with him.
But after two years Porcius Festus succeeded Felix. And Felix, desiring to do the Jews a favor, left Paul imprisoned.
Now three days after Festus had come into the province, he went from Caesarea up to Jerusalem. The high priest and the elders of the Jews spoke to him against Paul. And they begged him, asking as a favor against him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem, plotting to kill him along the way. Festus said that Paul should be kept at Caesarea and that he himself intended to go there shortly. He also said, “Let the men in authority go down with me. If there is anything wrong in the man, let them accuse him.”
Having stayed among them more than ten days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day he sat on the judgment seat and ordered that Paul be brought in. When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him and brought many serious charges against him which they could not prove, while he defended himself, saying, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I sinned at all.”
But Festus, desiring to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to be judged concerning these charges before me?”
Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you know very well. If I am doing wrong or have done anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die. But if these are empty charges of which these men accuse me, no one may deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar.”
When Festus had conferred with the council, he then answered, “To Caesar you have appealed. To Caesar you shall go.”
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:
Political leaders and the armed forces
Peace and justice in the world
Those who work for reconciliation
All whose lives are devastated by war and civil strife
Prisoners, refugees, and homeless people
Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.
Response
Lord of life
In your mercy, hear us.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
Almighty God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you: pour your love into our hearts and draw us to yourself, and so bring us at last to your heavenly city where we shall see you face to face; 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
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.
Thu. morning Oct. 1
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
O Worship the King
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 78:1-39
𝙍: How awesome are Your works, O Lord!
Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will speak mysteries of old,
which we have heard and known,
that our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children,
but tell the generation to come
the praises of the LORD,
and His strength and the wonderful works that He has done.
𝙍: How awesome are Your works, O Lord!
For He established a testimony in Jacob
and appointed a law in Israel,
which He commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
that the generation to come might know them,
the children yet to be born,
that they may arise and declare them to their children,
so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
but keep His commandments;
and that they may not be like their fathers,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation that did not set its heart aright,
whose spirit was not faithful to God.
𝙍: How awesome are Your works, O Lord!
The Ephraimites, being armed with bows,
turned back in the day of battle.
They did not keep the covenant of God
and refused to walk in His law;
they forgot His works
and the wonders that He had shown them.
In the sight of their fathers He performed marvelous wonders
in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.
𝙍: How awesome are Your works, O Lord!
He divided the sea and caused them to pass through,
and He made the waters stand up like a heap.
In the daytime He led them with a cloud,
and all the night with a light of fire.
He split rocks in the wilderness
and gave them plenty to drink like the depths.
He brought streams also out of the rock
and caused waters to run down like rivers.
𝙍: How awesome are Your works, O Lord!
But they sinned still more against Him
by rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
They tested God in their heart
by asking for the food they craved.
Then they spoke against God, saying,
“Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
Behold, He struck the rock, so that the waters gushed out
and the streams overflowed.
Can He give bread also?
Will He provide meat for His people?”
𝙍: How awesome are Your works, O Lord!
Therefore the LORD heard this and was full of wrath;
a fire was kindled against Jacob,
and anger also came up against Israel,
because they did not believe in God
and did not trust in His salvation.
Yet He had commanded the skies above
and opened the doors of heaven,
and He rained down manna upon them to eat
and gave them the grain of heaven.
Men ate the bread of angels;
He sent them food in abundance.
𝙍: How awesome are Your works, O Lord!
He caused an east wind to blow in the heavens,
and by His power He directed the south wind.
He rained meat on them like dust,
winged birds like the sand of the seas;
then He let them fall in the midst of their camp,
all around their dwellings.
So they ate and were well filled,
for He gave them their own desire.
They were not separated from their desire;
but while their food was still in their mouths,
the wrath of God came upon them,
and He killed the strongest of them
and struck down the young men of Israel.
𝙍: How awesome are Your works, O Lord!
For all this they still sinned,
and did not believe in His wondrous works.
Therefore their days did He consume like a breath,
and their years in terror.
When He killed them, then they sought Him;
they turned back and sought earnestly for God.
They remembered that God was their rock,
and the Most High God their Redeemer.
𝙍: How awesome are Your works, O Lord!
Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouths,
and they lied to Him with their tongues;
for their heart was not steadfast toward Him,
nor were they faithful in His covenant.
But He, being full of compassion,
forgave their iniquity
and did not destroy them.
He often restrained His anger,
and did not stir up all His wrath;
for He remembered that they were but flesh,
a wind that passes away and does not return.
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: How awesome are Your works, O Lord!
Psalm prayer
God our deliverer, as you led our ancestors through the wilderness, so lead us through the wilderness of this world, that we may be saved through Christ forever.
Old Testament reading
2 Kings 1:2-17
Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria and became ill. So he sent messengers and said to them, “Go, inquire of Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron whether I will recover from this illness.”
But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is not a God in Israel, that you go to inquire of Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron?’ Therefore thus says the LORD, ‘You will not come down from the bed on which you have gone up but will surely die.’ ” Then Elijah departed.
When the messengers returned to the king, he said to them, “Why have you returned?”
And they said to him, “A man came up to meet us and said to us, ‘Go, return to the king that sent you and say to him: Thus says the LORD: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not come down from the bed on which you have gone up, but you will surely die.’ ”
He said to them, “What sort of man was he who came up to meet you and told you these things?”
They answered him, “He was a hairy man with a leather belt around his waist.”
He said, “It was Elijah the Tishbite.”Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty men. He went up to Elijah, and there he was, sitting on the top of a hill, and he said to him, “Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’ ”
But Elijah answered the captain of fifty: “If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.
Again the king sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty men. He said, “Man of God, thus says the king: Come down quickly.”
Elijah answered them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.
Then again the king sent a third captain of fifty with his fifty men. The third captain of fifty went up, came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and pleaded with him, “Man of God, may my life and the life of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight. Behold, fire came down from heaven and consumed the two captains of the former fifties with their fifty men. May my life now be precious in your sight.”
Then the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, “Go down with him. Do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king.
Then he said to him, “Thus says the LORD: Have you sent messengers to inquire of Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron, because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word? Therefore you will not come down from the bed on which you have gone up, but you will surely die.” So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken.
Then Jehoram reigned in his place in the second year of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, because he had no son.
Silence may be kept.
New Testament reading
Acts 24:1-23
After five days Ananias the high priest arrived with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus. They brought before the governor their charges against Paul. When he was summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying, “Since through you we enjoy much peace, and your foresight is bringing reforms to this nation, with all thankfulness, most excellent Felix, we always welcome it everywhere. But not to detain you further, I beg you to briefly hear us in your patience.
“We have found this man a troublemaker, instigating riots among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. He even tried to profane the temple. So we seized him and wanted to judge him according to our law. But the commander, Lysias, came to us and forcefully took him out of our hands, ordering his accusers to come before you. By examining him yourself you will be able to learn about all these things concerning which we accuse him.”
The Jews assented, alleging these things to be true.
After the governor motioned to him to speak, Paul answered, “Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully defend myself. You may verify that it is no more than twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem to worship. They did not find me in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd. They cannot prove the things concerning which they now accuse me. However, I affirm that in accordance with the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of my fathers and believe everything written in the Law and in the Prophets. I have hope in God that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust, which they also expect. In this do I always strive to have a clear conscience toward God and toward men.
“Now after many years I came to bring alms and offerings to my nation, when some Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, neither with a crowd nor an uproar. 1They ought to be here before you to accuse me if they have any charges. Or let these men say what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin, 2unless it is concerning this one statement which I cried out while standing among them, ‘Concerning the resurrection of the dead, I am being judged by you this day.’ ”
When Felix, who had more exact knowledge concerning the Way, had heard this, he adjourned the proceedings and said, “When Lysias the commander arrives, I will decide your case.” Then he ordered the centurion to guard Paul, and to let him have liberty, and to forbid none of his own people from attending to 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:
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
Lord, hear your people
and answer our prayers.
Silence may be kept.
Collect of the day
Almighty God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you: pour your love into our hearts and draw us to yourself, and so bring us at last to your heavenly city where we shall see you face to face; 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
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.