Shane Raynor 10/4/26 Shane Raynor 10/4/26

Mon. morning Oct. 5

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

And Can It Be

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 80

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
You who lead Joseph like a flock;
You who are enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth!
Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh,
stir up Your strength,
and come and save us!

Restore us, O God,
and cause Your face to shine,
and we shall be saved!

O LORD God of Hosts,
how long will You be angry
with the prayers of Your people?
You have fed them with the bread of tears,
and given them tears to drink in great measure.
You have made us a source of contention to our neighbors,
and our enemies laugh among themselves.

Restore us, O God of Hosts,
and cause Your face to shine,
and we shall be saved.

You have brought a vine out of Egypt;
You have cast out the nations and planted it.
You cleared the ground for it;
it took deep root and filled the land.
The mountains were covered with its shadow
and the mighty cedars with its branches.
It sent out its branches to the sea
and its shoots to the Euphrates River.

Why have You broken down its walls,
so that all those who pass by the way pluck its fruit?
The boar from the woods ravages it,
and the insects of the field devour it.
Return, we beseech You, O God of Hosts;
look down from heaven and see;
have regard for this vine,
the shoot that Your right hand planted,
and for the son whom You made strong for Yourself.

It is burned with fire, it is cut down;
they perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.
Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand,
the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself.
Then we will not turn back from You;
give us life, and we will call upon Your name.

Restore us, O LORD God of Hosts;
cause Your face to shine,
and we shall be saved!

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

Faithful shepherd of your people, as we look for the light of your countenance, restore in us the image of your glory and graft us into the risen life of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament reading

2 Kings 5

Now Naaman, captain of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man before his master and held favor because by him the LORD had given deliverance to Aram. He was also a mighty warrior, but he had leprosy.

The Arameans had gone out raiding and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel, and she waited on the wife of Naaman. She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were before the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would take away his leprosy from him.”

So Naaman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel.” 5The king of Aram said, “Go, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he went and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of clothes. He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “Now when this letter comes to you, know that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may take away from him his leprosy.”

When the king of Israel had read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to give life, that this man sends a man to me to take away his leprosy? But consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.”

But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent word to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and chariot and stood at the entrance to the house of Elisha. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be returned and cleansed.”

But Naaman became angry and went away and said to himself, “Behold, he could have come out, and stood and called on the name of the LORD his God, and waved his hand over the infected area, and taken away the leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.

But his servants approached and spoke to him, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more when he said to you, ‘Wash and be clean’?” So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh returned like the flesh of a little boy, and he was clean.

Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company. He came and stood before him, and he said, “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the land, except in Israel. Now take a gift from your servant.”

But he said, “As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will take no gift.” He urged him to take it, but he refused.

Then Naaman said, “If not, let two mule loads of dirt be given to your servant, for your servant will no longer offer a burnt offering or sacrifice to any god, except the LORD. But may the LORD pardon your servant on one account: When my master enters the house of Rimmon to worship, and he leans on my hand, and I bow down in the house of Rimmon, when I do bow down in the house of Rimmon, may the LORD pardon your servant on this one account.”

He said to him, “Go in peace.” So he departed from him a short distance.

Then Gehazi the servant of Elisha the man of God said, “My master has spared Naaman the Aramean by not taking from his hands what he brought. As the LORD lives, I will run after him and take something from him.”

So Gehazi pursued Naaman. Then Naaman saw him running after him, jumped down from the chariot to meet him, and said, “Is everything all right?”

And he said, “Everything is all right. My master has sent me and says, ‘Even now two servants from Ephraim, from the sons of the prophets, have come to me. Give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothes.’ ”

Naaman said, “Please, take two talents.” He urged him and tied up two talents of silver in two bags with two changes of clothes and gave them to two of his servants, who carried them before Gehazi. When he came to Ophel, he took them from their hand and put them away in the house. Then he sent the men away, and they departed.

Then he entered and stood before his master. And Elisha said to him, “Where have you come from, Gehazi?”

And he said, “Your servant went here and there.”

He said to him, “Did my heart not go with you when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to take money, and to take garments, olives and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants? The leprosy of Naaman will cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence, leprous like snow.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

Act 26:1-23

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.”

So Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense: “King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate that today I shall make my defense before you against all the accusations of the Jews, especially because you are an expert in all customs and controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to patiently listen to me.

“My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning in my own nation and at Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews. They knew me from the beginning and could testify, if they wished, how according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived as a Pharisee. And now I stand on trial for hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God day and night. Concerning this hope, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. Why is it judged incredible by you that God raises the dead?

“I myself was convinced that I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I locked up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests. And when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme. And being extremely enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

“So I went to Damascus with authority and a commission from the chief priests. At midday, O King, I saw along the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Aramaic language, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

“I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’

“He said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and a witness both of what you have seen and of what I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from your people and from the Gentiles to whom I now send you, to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and do works proving their repentance. For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. Therefore having obtained help from God, I continue to this day, testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would happen: that the Christ must suffer, that He would be the first who would rise from the dead, and would announce light to His own people and to the Gentiles.”

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 media and the arts
Farming and fishing
Commerce and industry
Those whose work is unfulfilling, stressful, or fraught with danger
All who are unemployed

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

Response

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

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us your gift of faith that, forsaking what lies behind and reaching out to that which is before, we may run the way of your commandments and win the crown of everlasting joy; 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.

Shane Raynor 10/3/26 Shane Raynor 10/3/26

Sun. morning Oct. 4

Opening response

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

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

It Is Well with My Soul

Confession of Sin

Let us admit to God the sin which always confronts us.

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

Almighty God, patient and of great goodness: I confess to you, I confess with my whole heart my neglect and forgetfulness of your commandments, my wrong doing, thinking, and speaking; the hurts I have done to others, and the good I have left undone. O God, forgive me, for I have sinned against you; and raise me to newness of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

May the God of love and power forgive us and free us from our sins, heal and strengthen us by his Spirit, and raise us to new life in Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Psalm 128

𝙍: How great is Your goodness, O God.

Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in His ways.
For you shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you.

𝙍: How great is Your goodness, O God.

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house,
your children like olive plants
around your table.
Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the LORD.

𝙍: How great is Your goodness, O God.

The LORD bless you from Zion,
and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
Indeed, may you see your children’s children.
Peace be upon Israel!

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

𝙍: How great is Your goodness, O God.

Psalm prayer

O Christ, our true vine, may we your branches be ever fruitful in your service, and share your love and peace with all your children, in the power of the Spirit and to the glory of the Father.

Psalm 129

𝙍: The LORD redeems the life of His servants.

“Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth—”
let Israel now say —
“Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth;
yet they have not prevailed against me.
The plowers plowed upon my back;
they made long their furrows.”
The LORD is righteous;
He has cut the cords of the wicked.

𝙍: The LORD redeems the life of His servants.

Let all those who hate Zion
be put to shame and turned backward.
Let them be like grass on the housetops,
which withers before it grows up,
with which the reaper does not fill his hand,
nor the binder of sheaves his arms;
nor do those who pass by say,
“The blessing of the LORD be upon you;
we bless you in the name of the LORD!”

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

𝙍: The LORD redeems the life of His servants.

Psalm prayer

Jesus our redeemer, you bore the cut of the lash for us and our salvation; help us to bear our sufferings and to share in the affliction of all who suffer for your holy name.

Psalm 134

𝙍: Bless the LORD, O my soul

Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD,
who stand by night in the house of the LORD!
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary,
and bless the LORD.

May the LORD who made heaven and earth
bless you from Zion!

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: Bless the LORD, O my soul

Psalm prayer

Guard all your household, Lord, through the dark night of faith, and purify the hearts of those who wait on you, until your kingdom dawns with the rising of your Son, Christ, the morning star.

Old Testament reading

Isaiah 49:13-23

Sing, O heavens!
And be joyful, O earth!
And break forth into singing, O mountains!
For the LORD has comforted His people
and will have mercy on His afflicted.

But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me,
and the Lord has forgotten me.”

Can a woman forget her nursing child,
and have no compassion on the son of her womb?

Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget.
Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
your walls are continually before Me;
your builders hurry;
your destroyers and those who devastated you shall depart from you.
Lift up your eyes and look all around;
all these gather themselves together and come to you.
As I live, says the LORD,
you shall surely put on all of them as ornaments
and bind them on you as a bride does.

For your waste and your desolate places,
and the land of your destruction,
shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants,
and those who swallowed you up shall be far away.
The children whom you shall have,
after you have lost the others,
shall say again in your ears,
“The place is too cramped for me;
make room for me that I may dwell here.”
Then you shall say in your heart,
“Who bore these for me,
since I have lost my children and am barren,
a captive and a wanderer?
And who has brought these up?
Behold, I was left alone;
from where have these come?”

Thus says the Lord GOD:

Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations
and set up My standard to the peoples;
and they shall bring your sons in their arms,
and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders;
kings shall be your foster fathers
and their queens your nursing mothers;
they shall bow down to you with their faces toward the ground
and lick up the dust of your feet.
And you shall know that I am the LORD,
for those who wait for Me shall not be ashamed.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

Luke 12:1-12

Meanwhile, when thousands of the crowd were assembled, so as to trample on one another, He began to say to His disciples first, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore what you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light. And what you have whispered in the ear in private rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

“I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that can do no more. But I will warn you whom you shall fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell. Yes, I say to you, fear Him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies ? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore do not fear. You are more valuable than many sparrows.

“I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him will the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

“When they bring you to the synagogues, rulers, and authorities, do not be anxious how you will answer or what you will say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”

Silence may be kept.

The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)

Luke 1:68-79

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

Brief silence.

The Apostle’s Creed

Let us unite in this historic confession of the Christian faith:

I believe in God,
the Father Almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.

Amen.

Intercession and thanksgiving

Prayers may be offered for:

the day and its tasks
the world and its needs
the church and her life

Prayers may include the following concerns:

The universal church
Bishops, superintendents, and all who lead the church
The leaders of the nations
The natural world and the resources of the earth
All who are in any kind of need

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

Response

Loving God, we look to you.
Receive our prayer.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

The Lord’s Prayer

As our Savior taught us, so we pray

Conclusion

The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil, and keep us in eternal life.
Amen.

Shane Raynor 10/2/26 Shane Raynor 10/2/26

Sat. morning Oct. 3

Opening response

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

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

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

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:

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

Conclusion

The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil, and keep us in eternal life.
Amen.