Oremus for Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Antiphon¹

Ant. I have called out because you answer me, O God;
incline your ear and hear my words; keep me, O Lord,
like the apple of your eye; protect me under the shadow of your wings.
V. O Lord, hear a cause that is just; *
pay heed to my cry.
Turn your ear to my prayer: *
no deceit is on my lips.
From you may my justice come forth. *
Your eyes discern what is upright. Psalm 17

Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires, known,
and from whom no secrets are hid:
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Music: https://tinyurl.com/ycn4djk5

O Lord, open my lips.
And my mouth will declare your praise.
Make haste, O God, to deliver me;
make haste to help me, O Lord.
Glory be 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.
Praise to you, O Christ, Alleluia!

HYMN: Horatius Bonar
Tune: Lawes’ Psalm 32 https://tinyurl.com/yaoxvvam

1 Thy way, not mine, O Lord,
however dark it be;
lead me by thine own hand,
choose out the path for me.

2 Smooth let it be or rough,
it will be still the best;
winding or straight, it leads
right onward to thy rest.

3 I dare not choose my lot;
I would not if I might:
choose thou for me, my God,
so shall I walk aright.

4 The kingdom that I seek
is thine, so let the way
that leads to it be thine,
else I must surely stray.

5 Take thou my cup, and it
with joy or sorrow fill,
as best to thee may seem;
choose thou my good and ill.

6 Choose thou for me my friends,
my sickness or my health;
choose thou my cares for me,
my poverty or wealth.

7 Not mine, not mine, the choice
in things or great or small;
be thou my guide, my strength,
my wisdom, and my all.

PSALMS
For psalms in contemporary language, https://tinyurl.com/y9tjh7rk

Psalm 37 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/tujglrg)

1  Fret not thyself because of the ungodly *
 neither be thou envious against the evil doers.
2  For they shall soon be cut down like the grass *
 and be withered even as the green herb.
3  Put thou thy trust in the Lord, and be doing good *
 dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4  Delight thou in the Lord *
 and he shall give thee thy heart’s desire.
5  Commit thy way unto the Lord, and put thy trust in him *
 and he shall bring it to pass.
6  He shall make thy righteousness as clear as the light *
 and thy just dealing as the noon-day.
7  Hold thee still in the Lord, and abide patiently upon him *
 but grieve not thyself at him, whose way doth prosper,
against the man that doeth after evil counsels.
8  Leave off from wrath, and let go displeasure *
 fret not thyself, else shalt thou be moved to do evil.
9  Wicked doers shall be rooted out *
 and they that patiently abide the Lord, those shall inherit the land.
10  Yet a little while, and the ungodly shall be clean gone *
 thou shalt look after his place, and he shall be away.
11  But the meek-spirited shall possess the earth *
 and shall be refreshed in the multitude of peace.
12  The ungodly seeketh counsel against the just *
 and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
13  The Lord shall laugh him to scorn *
 for he hath seen that his day is coming.
14  The ungodly have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow *
 to cast down the poor and needy,
and to slay such as are of a right conversation.
15  Their sword shall go through their own heart *
 and their bow shall be broken.
16  A small thing that the righteous hath *
 is better than great riches of the ungodly.
17  For the arms of the ungodly shall be broken *
 and the Lord upholdeth the righteous.
18  The Lord knoweth the days of the godly *
 and their inheritance shall endure for ever.
19  They shall not be confounded in the perilous time *
 and in the days of dearth they shall have enough.
20  As for the ungodly, they shall perish;
and the enemies of the Lord shall consume as the fat of lambs *
 yea, even as the smoke, shall they consume away.
21  The ungodly borroweth, and payeth not again *
 but the righteous is merciful, and liberal.
22  Such as are blessed of God shall possess the land *
 and they that are cursed of him shall be rooted out.
23  The Lord ordereth a good man’s going *
 and maketh his way acceptable to himself.
24  Though he fall, he shall not be cast away *
 for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.
25  I have been young, and now am old *
 and yet saw I never the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging their bread.
26  The righteous is ever merciful, and lendeth *
 and his seed is blessed.
27  Flee from evil, and do the thing that is good *
 and dwell for evermore.
28  For the Lord loveth the thing that is right *
 he forsaketh not his that be godly, but they are preserved for ever.
29  The unrighteous shall be punished *
 as for the seed of the ungodly, it shall be rooted out.
30  The righteous shall inherit the land *
 and dwell therein for ever.
31  The mouth of the righteous is exercised in wisdom *
 and his tongue will be talking of judgement.
32  The law of his God is in his heart *
 and his goings shall not slide.
33  The ungodly seeth the righteous *
 and seeketh occasion to slay him.
34  The Lord will not leave him in his hand *
 nor condemn him when he is judged.
35  Hope thou in the Lord, and keep his way,
and he shall promote thee, that thou shalt possess the land *
 when the ungodly shall perish, thou shalt see it.
36  I myself have seen the ungodly in great power *
 and flourishing like a green bay tree.
37  I went by, and lo, he was gone *
 I sought him, but his place could no where be found.
38  Keep innocency, and take heed unto the thing that is right *
 for that shall bring a man peace at the last.
39  As for the transgressors, they shall perish together *
 and the end of the ungodly is, they shall be rooted out at the last.
40  But the salvation of the righteous cometh of the Lord *
 who is also their strength in the time of trouble.
41  And the Lord shall stand by them, and save them *
 he shall deliver them from the ungodly,
and shall save them, because they put their trust in him.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.

PRAYER

God our strength,
give us the humility to trust in your loving care,
and the patience to be faithful in seeking your kingdom,
that we may come to share in the inheritance of your saints;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen. ^BCW

THE WORD OF GOD

Reading: Numbers 16:20-35

Then the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying: Separate yourselves from this congregation, so that I may consume them in a moment. They fell on their faces, and said, ‘O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one person sin and you become angry with the whole congregation?’

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Say to the congregation: Get away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. So Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram; the elders of Israel followed him. He said to the congregation, ‘Turn away from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, or you will be swept away for all their sins.’ So they got away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrance of their tents, together with their wives, their children, and their little ones. And Moses said, ‘This is how you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works; it has not been of my own accord: If these people die a natural death, or if a natural fate comes on them, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up, with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the Lord.’

As soon as he finished speaking all these words, the ground under them was split apart. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, along with their households—everyone who belonged to Korah and all their goods. So they with all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol; the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. All Israel around them fled at their outcry, for they said, ‘The earth will swallow us too!’ And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men offering the incense.

HYMN: Charlotte Elliott
Tune: Ins Feld geh https://tinyurl.com/y5n6lpae

1 My God and Father, day by day,
Far from my home in life’s rough way,
O teach me from my heart to say,
“Thy will be done.”

2 Though dark my path and sad my lot,
Let me be still and murmur not,
Or breathe the prayer divinely taught,
“Thy will be done.”

3 What though in lonely grief I sigh
For friends belov’d, no longer nigh,
Submissive still would I reply,
“Thy will be done.”

4 If thou shouldst call me to resign
What most I prize, it ne’er was mine;
I only yield thee what was thine,
“Thy will be done.”

5 Let but my fainting heart be blest
With thy sweet Spirit for its guest,
My God, to thee I leave the rest:
“Thy will be done.”

Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10

You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

HYMN: Philip Doddridge
Tune: Silver Street https://tinyurl.com/y34ehkc2

1 Grace has a thrilling sound 
To each believer’s ear;
That peace with God through Christ is found 
Is news I gladly hear.

2 Grace first inscribed my name 
In God’s eternal book,
And grace has brought me to the Lamb, 
Who all my sorrows took.

3 Grace led my wand’ring feet 
To tread the heav’nly road,
And grace supplies each hour 
I meet While pressing on to God.

4 Grace taught my soul to pray 
And made my eyes o’erflow;
His grace has kept me to this day 
And will not let me go.

5 Grace all our work shall crown 
Through everlasting days;
The heav’nly home God gives his own 
Shall echo with our praise.

Reading: Luke 22:39-53

He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. When he reached the place, he said to them, ‘Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.’ Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.’ Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground. When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief, and he said to them, ‘Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.’

While he was still speaking, suddenly a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him; but Jesus said to him, ‘Judas, is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?’ When those who were around him saw what was coming, they asked, ‘Lord, should we strike with the sword?’ Then one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, ‘No more of this!’ And he touched his ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple police, and the elders who had come for him, ‘Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a bandit? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness!’

CANTICLE Song of the Three Young Men 29-34
(Setting by Timothy R. Smith: https://tinyurl.com/ycrdhlqc)

Refrain:
Glory and praise, glory and praise, glory and praise for ever!

Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
and blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all ages. Refrain

Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Refrain

Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Refrain

Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Refrain

THE PRAYERS ^BCW

God of all mercies, we praise you that you have brought us to this new day, brightening
our lives with the dawn of promise and hope in Jesus Christ.
Especially we thank you for
the warmth of sunlight, the wetness of rain and snow, and all that nourishes the earth…
the presence and power of your Spirit . . .
the support and encouragement we receive from others . . .
those who provide for public safety and well-being . . .
the mission of the church around the world. . . .

Merciful God, strengthen us in prayer that we may lift up the brokenness of this
world for your healing, and share in the saving love of Jesus Christ.
Especially we pray for
those in positions of authority over others . . .
the lonely and forgotten . . .
children without families or homes . . .
agents of caring and relief . . .
the church in Asia and the Middle East. . . .

(Plainsong Mode 2: https://tinyurl.com/yctqq8cf)^DL

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread;
and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.

Giver of all wisdom,
deliver us from the folly of betraying our eternal birthright
for temporal gain.
Teach us to hold firmly to you
so that we may not treasure things,
but show the imperishable riches of your love
in Jesus Christ. Amen. ^BCW

Music: https://tinyurl.com/y9efvwm5
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen. 2 Cor. 13:14

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^BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.

^EH Exciting Holiness, Ed. Brother Tristram SSF © European Province of the Society of Saint Francis, 1997

^RCLP Revised Common Lectionary Prayers. © 2002 Consultation on Common Texts admin. Augsburg Fortress.

Opening Prayers – Collects in Contemporary Language, © 1998 ICEL/Canterbury Press

¹ Adam Bartlett, Simple English Propers; audio from https://musicasacra.com/additional-publications/sep-practice-videos/ ©

The three main scripture readings are from the The New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Edition, The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662).

Musical links are usually either to artists’ albums posted on Spotify or to recordings made available at smallchurchmusic.com. Audio stripped from YouTube videos is footnoted accordingly above.

Compilation © 2020 Stephen T. Benner. All links worked at the time they were created, but I cannot accept responsibility for their content or any damage resulting from their use. The linked content is under the control of the respective content creators and is subject to change at any time. Any copyright texts included in this compilation are provided for non-commercial purposes related to study or worship. Please contact the respective copyright holders for permission to use the texts in other contexts.