Oremus for Thursday, October 22, 2020

Antiphon¹

Ant. Have mercy on me, O Lord, *
for I have called out to you all the day;
for you, O Lord, are good and forgiving
and plenteous in mercy to all who call upon you.
V. Turn your ear, O Lord, and answer me, *
for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my soul, for I am faithful; *
save the servant who trusts in you, my God. Psalm 86

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: Harry Emerson Fosdick
Tune: Cwm Rhondda https://tinyurl.com/ybezym5p

1 God of grace and God of glory,
on thy people pour thy power;
now fulfil thy church’s story;
bring her bud to glorious flower.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
for the facing of this hour.

2 Lo, the hosts of evil round us
scorn thy Christ, assail his ways;
from the fears that long have bound us
free our hearts to faith and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
for the living of these days.

3 Cure thy children’s warring madness,
bend our pride to thy control;
shame our wanton selfish gladness,
rich in goods and poor in soul.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
lest we miss thy kingdom’s goal.

4 Set our feet on lofty places,
gird our lives that they may be
armoured with all Christlike graces
in the fight till all be free.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
that we fail not earth nor thee.

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

Psalm 108 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y9us7zs5)

1  O God, my heart is ready, my heart is ready *
 I will sing and give praise with the best member that I have.
2  Awake, thou lute, and harp *
 I myself will awake right early.
3  I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the people *
 I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.
4  For thy mercy is greater than the heavens *
 and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.
5  Set up thyself, O God, above the heavens *
 and thy glory above all the earth.
6  That thy beloved may be delivered *
 let thy right hand save them, and hear thou me.
7  God hath spoken in his holiness *
 I will rejoice therefore, and divide Sichem,
and mete out the valley of Succoth.
8  Gilead is mine, and Manasses is mine *
 Ephraim also is the strength of my head.
9  Judah is my law-giver, Moab is my wash-pot *
 over Edom will I cast out my shoe; upon Philistia will I triumph.
10  Who will lead me into the strong city *
 and who will bring me into Edom?
11  Hast not thou forsaken us, O God *
 and wilt not thou, O God, go forth with our hosts?
12  O help us against the enemy *
 for vain is the help of man.
13  Through God we shall do great acts *
 and it is he that shall tread down our enemies.
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.

Psalm 109 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y9dslk3v)

1  Hold not thy tongue, O God of my praise *
 for the mouth of the ungodly, yea,
the mouth of the deceitful is opened upon me.
2  And they have spoken against me with false tongues *
 they compassed me about also with words of hatred,
and fought against me without a cause.
3  For the love that I had unto them, lo, they take now my contrary part *
 but I give myself unto prayer.
4  Thus have they rewarded me evil for good *
 and hatred for my good will.
5  Set thou an ungodly man to be ruler over him *
 and let Satan stand at his right hand.
6  When sentence is given upon him, let him be condemned *
 and let his prayer be turned into sin.
7  Let his days be few *
 and let another take his office.
8  Let his children be fatherless *
 and his wife a widow.
9  Let his children be vagabonds, and beg their bread *
 let them seek it also out of desolate places.
10  Let the extortioner consume all that he hath *
 and let the stranger spoil his labour.
11  Let there be no man to pity him *
 nor to have compassion upon his fatherless children.
12  Let his posterity be destroyed *
 and in the next generation let his name be clean put out.
13  Let the wickedness of his fathers be had
in remembrance in the sight of the Lord *
 and let not the sin of his mother be done away.
14  Let them alway be before the Lord *
 that he may root out the memorial of them from off the earth;
15  And that, because his mind was not to do good *
 but persecuted the poor helpless man,
that he might slay him that was vexed at the heart.
16  His delight was in cursing, and it shall happen unto him *
 he loved not blessing, therefore shall it be far from him.
17  He clothed himself with cursing, like as with a raiment *
 and it shall come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.
18  Let it be unto him as the cloke that he hath upon him *
 and as the girdle that he is alway girded withal.
19  Let it thus happen from the Lord unto mine enemies *
 and to those that speak evil against my soul.
20  But deal thou with me, O Lord God, according unto thy Name *
 for sweet is thy mercy.
21  O deliver me, for I am helpless and poor *
 and my heart is wounded within me.
22  I go hence like the shadow that departeth *
 and am driven away as the grasshopper.
23  My knees are weak through fasting *
 my flesh is dried up for want of fatness.
24  I became also a reproach unto them *
 they that looked upon me shaked their heads.
25  Help me, O Lord my God *
 O save me according to thy mercy;
26  And they shall know, how that this is thy hand *
 and that thou, Lord, hast done it.
27  Though they curse, yet bless thou *
 and let them be confounded that rise up against me;
but let thy servant rejoice.
28  Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame *
 and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a cloke.
29  As for me, I will give great thanks unto the Lord with my mouth *
 and praise him among the multitude;
30  For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor *
 to save his soul from unrighteous judges.
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

O God,
your love is wider than all the universe
and your mercy greater than the heights of heaven.
When we are tempted to break faith with you,
put a new song of love on our lips,
that we may sing your praises to all nations on earth,
through your Son, our only hope and defense. Amen. ^BCW

THE WORD OF GOD

Reading: Joshua 1:1-9

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying, ‘My servant Moses is dead. Now proceed to cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the Israelites. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and the Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, to the Great Sea in the west shall be your territory. No one shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous; for you shall put this people in possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful. I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.’

HYMN: Bernhard Severin Ingemann; trans. Sabine Baring-Gould
Tune: Ebenezer https://tinyurl.com/y6kwj3cc

1 Singing songs of expectation,
onward goes the pilgrim band,
through the night of doubt and sorrow,
marching to the promised land.
Clear before us through the darkness
gleams and burns the guiding light:
trusting God we march together
stepping fearless through the night.

2 One the light of God’s own presence,
o’er his ransomed people shed,
chasing far the gloom and terror,
brightening all the path we tread:
one the object of our journey,
one the faith which never tires,
one the earnest looking forward,
one the hope our God inspires.

3 One the strain the lips of thousands
lift as from the heart of one;
one the conflict, one the peril,
one the march in God begun:
one the gladness of rejoicing
on the far eternal shore,
where the one almighty Father
reigns in love for evermore.

Reading: Romans 10:1-10

Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. I can testify that they have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened. For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they have not submitted to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that ‘the person who does these things will live by them.’ But the righteousness that comes from faith says, ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?” ’ (that is, to bring Christ down) ‘or “Who will descend into the abyss?” ’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.

HYMN: Tate and Brady’s New Version, 1696
Tune: Wiltshire https://tinyurl.com/y2w3bfsd

1 Through all the changing scenes of life,
in trouble and in joy,
the praises of my God shall still
my heart and tongue employ.

2 O magnify the Lord with me,
with me exalt his name;
when in distress to him I called,
he to my rescue came.

3 The hosts of God encamp around
the dwellings of the just;
deliverance he affords to all
who on his succour trust.

4 O make but trial of his love,
experience will decide
how blest are they, and only they,
who in his truth confide!

5 Fear him, ye saints, and you will then
have nothing else to fear;
make you his service your delight,
your wants shall be his care.

6 To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
the God whom we adore,
be glory, as it was, is now,
and shall be evermore.

Reading: Mark 3:19b-30

Then Jesus went home; and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind.’ And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.’ And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.

‘Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin’— for they had said, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’

CANTICLE Isaiah 55:6-11
(Setting by Gregory Wilbur: https://tinyurl.com/yawmg8fp)

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found,
Call ye upon him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts:

And let him return unto the Lord,
and he will have mercy upon him;
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
As the heavens are higher than the earth,
My ways and thoughts are higher than yours.

And let him return unto the Lord,
and he will have mercy upon him;
and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

For as the rain cometh down, and snow from heaven,
And maketh it bring forth and bud that it may give seed to sow,
that it may give bread to eat.

So shall my world be that goeth forth out of my mouth:
It shall not return unto me void,
but it shall accomplish that which I please it shall prosper
in the thing whereunto I sent it.

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.

God of the unexpected,
you take what is old and make it new,
and what is dead and bring it to life;
you take our false expectations
and transform them into your truth.
Help us to accept the challenge of your call,
so that, trusting in your promise,
we may journey by faith in Jesus Christ. Amen. ^{FWM, alt.}

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.

^FWM FWM Proposed Prayers, as alt. in GS 2016 Trial Use Collects, Anglican Church of Canada.

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.