Oremus for Thursday, October 8, 2020

Antiphon¹

Ant. If a man wishes to come after me,
let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
V. I will bless the Lord at all times; *
praise of him is always in my mouth.
Look towards him and be radiant; *
let your faces not be abashed.
This lowly one called; the Lord heard, *
and rescued him from all his distress. Matthew 16; Psalm 34

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: David W Romig ©
Tune: Genevan 22^nd https://tinyurl.com/y2aealuh

1 When we are tempted to deny Your Son,
Because we fear the anger of the world,
And we are few who bear the insults hurled,
Your will, O God, be done.

2 When we are tempted to betray Your Son,
Because He leads us in a harder way,
And makes demands we do not want to pay,
Your will, O God, be done.

3 When we forget the cross that held Your Son,
And would avoid the burden of this life,
The cry for justice and an end to strife,
Your will, O God, be done.

4 When doubt obscures the victory of Your Son,
And faith is weak and all resolve has fled,
Help us to know Him risen from the dead;
Your will, O God, be done.

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

Psalm 41 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/urktsqu)

1  Blessed is he that considereth the poor and needy *
 the Lord shall deliver him in the time of trouble.
2  The Lord preserve him, and keep him alive,
that he may be blessed upon earth *
 and deliver not thou him into the will of his enemies.
3  The Lord comfort him, when he lieth sick upon his bed *
 make thou all his bed in his sickness.
4  I said, Lord, be merciful unto me *
 heal my soul, for I have sinned against thee.
5  Mine enemies speak evil of me *
 When shall he die, and his name perish?
6  And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity *
 and his heart conceiveth falsehood within himself,
and when he cometh forth he telleth it.
7  All mine enemies whisper together against me *
 even against me do they imagine this evil.
8  Let the sentence of guiltiness proceed against him *
 and now that he lieth, let him rise up no more.
9  Yea, even mine own familiar friend, whom I trusted *
 who did also eat of my bread, hath laid great wait for me.
10  But be thou merciful unto me, O Lord *
 raise thou me up again, and I shall reward them.
11  By this I know thou favourest me *
 that mine enemy doth not triumph against me.
12  And when I am in my health, thou upholdest me *
 and shalt set me before thy face for ever.
13  Blessed be the Lord God of Israel *
 world without end. Amen.
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.

Psalms 42 and 43 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/wxrfhr8)
sung as the one psalm they originally were

1  Like as the hart desireth the water-brooks *
 so longeth my soul after thee, O God.
2  My soul is athirst for God, yea, even for the living God *
 when shall I come to appear before the presence of God?
3  My tears have been my meat day and night *
 while they daily say unto me, Where is now thy God?
4  Now when I think thereupon, I pour out my heart by myself *
 for I went with the multitude, and brought them forth into the house of God;
5  In the voice of praise and thanksgiving *
 among such as keep holy-day.
6  Why art thou so full of heaviness, O my soul *
 and why art thou so disquieted within me?
7  Put thy trust in God *
 for I will yet give him thanks for the help of his countenance.
8  My God, my soul is vexed within me *
 therefore will I remember thee concerning the land of Jordan,
and the little hill of Hermon.
9  One deep calleth another, because of the noise of the water-pipes *
 all thy waves and storms are gone over me.
10  The Lord hath granted his loving-kindness in the day-time *
 and in the night-season did I sing of him,
and made my prayer unto the God of my life.
11  I will say unto the God of my strength, Why hast thou forgotten me *
 why go I thus heavily, while the enemy oppresseth me?
12  My bones are smitten asunder as with a sword *
 while mine enemies that trouble me cast me in the teeth;
13  Namely, while they say daily unto me *
 Where is now thy God?
14  Why art thou so vexed, O my soul *
 and why art thou so disquieted within me?
15  O put thy trust in God *
 for I will yet thank him, which is the help of my countenance, and my God.
1  Give sentence with me, O God,
and defend my cause against the ungodly people *
 O deliver me from the deceitful and wicked man.
2  For thou art the God of my strength, why hast thou put me from thee *
 and why go I so heavily, while the enemy oppresseth me?
3  O send out thy light and thy truth, that they may lead me *
 and bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy dwelling.
4  And that I may go unto the altar of God,
even unto the God of my joy and gladness *
 and upon the harp will I give thanks unto thee, O God, my God.
5  Why art thou so heavy, O my soul *
 and why art thou so disquieted within me?
6  O put thy trust in God *
 for I will yet give him thanks, which is the help of my countenance, and my God.
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

Gracious God,
in the night of distress we forget the days of sun and joy.
When we do not know your presence,
preserve us from the deep torrent of despair.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ^BCW

THE WORD OF GOD

Reading: Numbers 16:36-50

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to take the censers out of the blaze; then scatter the fire far and wide. For the censers of these sinners have become holy at the cost of their lives. Make them into hammered plates as a covering for the altar, for they presented them before the Lord and they became holy. Thus they shall be a sign to the Israelites. So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers that had been presented by those who were burned; and they were hammered out as a covering for the altar— a reminder to the Israelites that no outsider, who is not of the descendants of Aaron, shall approach to offer incense before the Lord, so as not to become like Korah and his company—just as the Lord had said to him through Moses.

On the next day, however, the whole congregation of the Israelites rebelled against Moses and against Aaron, saying, ‘You have killed the people of the Lord.’ And when the congregation had assembled against them, Moses and Aaron turned towards the tent of meeting; the cloud had covered it and the glory of the Lord appeared. Then Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting, and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Get away from this congregation, so that I may consume them in a moment.’ And they fell on their faces. Moses said to Aaron, ‘Take your censer, put fire on it from the altar and lay incense on it, and carry it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them. For wrath has gone out from the Lord; the plague has begun.’ So Aaron took it as Moses had ordered, and ran into the middle of the assembly, where the plague had already begun among the people. He put on the incense, and made atonement for the people. He stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stopped. Those who died by the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died in the affair of Korah. When the plague was stopped, Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

HYMN: Psalm 99; para. Psalter, 1912
Tune: Ellacombe https://tinyurl.com/y36kakev

1 The LORD God reigns in majesty;
let all the nations quake.
He dwells between the cherubim;
let earth’s foundations shake.
Supreme in Zion is the LORD,
exalted gloriously.
All nations, praise his name with awe:
the Holy One is he.

2 The mighty King loves justice well
and equity ordains.
He rules his people righteously
and faithfulness maintains.
In worship at his footstool bow,
let him exalted be.
O magnify the LORD our God:
the Holy One is he.

3 When priests and prophets called on God,
he their petitions heard.
His cloudy pillar led them on,
and they obeyed his word.
Though sending judgments for their sins,
he pardoned graciously.
Exalt the LORD and worship him:
the Holy One is he.

Reading: Ephesians 2:11-23

So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called ‘the uncircumcision’ by those who are called ‘the circumcision’—a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling-place for God.

HYMN: Thomas H Troeger ©
Tune: Marion https://tinyurl.com/yaxln75u

1 O praise the gracious power That tumbles walls of fear
And gathers in one house of faith All strangers far and near:
We praise You, Christ! Your cross has made us one!

2 O praise persistent truth That opens fisted minds
And eases from their anxious clutch The prejudice that blinds:
We praise You, Christ! Your cross has made us one!

3 O praise inclusive love, Encircling every race,
Oblivious to gender, wealth, To social rank or place:
We praise You, Christ! Your cross has made us one!

4 O praise the word of faith That claims us as God’s own,
A living temple built on Christ, Our rock and cornerstone:
We praise You, Christ! Your cross has made us one!

Reading: Luke 22:54-71

Then they seized Jesus and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house. But Peter was following at a distance. When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. Then a servant-girl, seeing him in the firelight, stared at him and said, ‘This man also was with him.’ But he denied it, saying, ‘Woman, I do not know him.’ A little later someone else, on seeing him, said, ‘You also are one of them.’ But Peter said, ‘Man, I am not!’ Then about an hour later yet another kept insisting, ‘Surely this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean.’ But Peter said, ‘Man, I do not know what you are talking about!’ At that moment, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly.

Now the men who were holding Jesus began to mock him and beat him; they also blindfolded him and kept asking him, ‘Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?’ They kept heaping many other insults on him.

When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, gathered together, and they brought him to their council. They said, ‘If you are the Messiah, tell us.’ He replied, ‘If I tell you, you will not believe; and if I question you, you will not answer. But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.’ All of them asked, ‘Are you, then, the Son of God?’ He said to them, ‘You say that I am.’ Then they said, ‘What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips!’

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

Loving God, as the rising sun chases away the night, so you have scattered the
power of death in the rising of Jesus Christ, and you bring us all blessings in him.
Especially we thank you for
the community of faith in our church . . .
those with whom we work or share common concerns . . .
the diversity of your children . . .
indications of your love at work in the world . . .
those who work for reconciliation. . . .

Mighty God, with the dawn of your love you reveal your victory over all that would
destroy or harm, and you brighten the lives of all who need you.
Especially we pray for
families suffering separation . . .
people different from ourselves . . .
those isolated by sickness or sorrow . . .
the victims of violence or warfare . . .
the church in the Pacific region. . . .

Setting by Eric Wyse:²

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.

O Holy and Immortal One,
hear us as we pray through Jesus, our high priest:
heal all our divisions,
reconcile all who are estranged,
console all who suffer,
and finally raise up to new life
all that is bound by death. Amen. ^RCLP

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

---

^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.

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

2 Eric Wyse, Lord’s Prayer, ©; audio from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_a40ME7aVk

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.