Oremus for Saturday, November 7, 2020

Antiphon¹

Ant. The Angel of the Lord shall encamp *
round about those who fear him and shall deliver them;
taste and see how good the Lord is.
V. I will bless the Lord at all times; *
praise of him is always in my mouth.
In the Lord my soul shall make its boast; *
the humble shall hear and be glad. 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: Bernard of Cluny; trans. John Mason Neale
Tune: Ewing https://tinyurl.com/ya7zkvoz

1 Jerusalem the golden,
with milk and honey blest,
beneath your contemplation
sink heart and voice oppressed.
I know not, O I know not,
what joys await us there;
what radiancy of glory,
what bliss beyond compare.

2 They stand, those halls of Zion,
all jubilant with song,
and bright with many an angel,
and all the martyr throng.
The Prince is ever in them,
the daylight is serene;
the pastures of the blessed
are decked in glorious sheen.

3 There is the throne of David;
and there, from care released,
the song of them that triumph,
the shout of them that feast;
and they who with their Leader
have conquered in the fight,
forever and forever
are clad in robes of white.

4 O sweet and blessed country,
the home of God’s elect!
O sweet and blessed country
that eager hearts expect!
Jesus, in mercy bring us
to that dear land of rest;
who are, with God the Father
and Spirit, ever blest.

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

Psalm 35 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y8onefhr)

1  Plead thou my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me *
 and fight thou against them that fight against me.
2  Lay hand upon the shield and buckler *
 and stand up to help me.
3  Bring forth the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me *
 say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.
4  Let them be confounded, and put to shame, that seek after my soul *
 let them be turned back, and brought to confusion,
that imagine mischief for me.
5  Let them be as the dust before the wind *
 and the angel of the Lord scattering them.
6  Let their way be dark and slippery *
 and let the angel of the Lord persecute them.
7  For they have privily laid their net to destroy me without a cause *
 yea, even without a cause have they made a pit for my soul.
8  Let a sudden destruction come upon him unawares,
and his net, that he hath laid privily, catch himself *
 that he may fall into his own mischief.
9  And, my soul, be joyful in the Lord *
 it shall rejoice in his salvation.
10  All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto thee,
who deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him *
 yea, the poor, and him that is in misery, from him that spoileth him?
11  False witnesses did rise up *
 they laid to my charge things that I knew not.
12  They rewarded me evil for good *
 to the great discomfort of my soul.
13  Nevertheless, when they were sick, I put on sackcloth,
and humbled my soul with fasting *
 and my prayer shall turn into mine own bosom.
14  I behaved myself as though it had been my friend, or my brother *
 I went heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother.
15  But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together *
 yea, the very abjects came together against me unawares,
making mouths at me, and ceased not.
16  With the flatterers were busy mockers *
 who gnashed upon me with their teeth.
17  Lord, how long wilt thou look upon this *
 O deliver my soul from the calamities which they bring on me,
and my darling from the lions.
18  So will I give thee thanks in the great congregation *
 I will praise thee among much people.
19  O let not them that are mine enemies triumph over me ungodly *
 neither let them wink with their eyes that hate me without a cause.
20  And why? their communing is not for peace *
 but they imagine deceitful words against them that are quiet in the land.
21  They gaped upon me with their mouths, and said *
 Fie on thee, fie on thee, we saw it with our eyes.
22  This thou hast seen, O Lord *
 hold not thy tongue then, go not far from me, O Lord.
23  Awake, and stand up to judge my quarrel *
 avenge thou my cause, my God, and my Lord.
24  Judge me, O Lord my God, according to thy righteousness *
 and let them not triumph over me.
25  Let them not say in their hearts, There, there, so would we have it *
 neither let them say, We have devoured him.
26  Let them be put to confusion and shame together,
that rejoice at my trouble *
 let them be clothed with rebuke and dishonour,
that boast themselves against me.
27  Let them be glad and rejoice, that favour my righteous dealing *
 yea, let them say alway, Blessed be the Lord,
who hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.
28  And as for my tongue, it shall be talking of thy righteousness *
 and of thy praise all the day long.
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 36 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y82f3wv5)

1  My heart sheweth me the wickedness of the ungodly *
 that there is no fear of God before his eyes.
2  For he flattereth himself in his own sight *
 until his abominable sin be found out.
3  The words of his mouth are unrighteous, and full of deceit *
 he hath left off to behave himself wisely, and to do good.
4  He imagineth mischief upon his bed, and hath set himself in no good way *
 neither doth he abhor any thing that is evil.
5  Thy mercy, O Lord, reacheth unto the heavens *
 and thy faithfulness unto the clouds.
6  Thy righteousness standeth like the strong mountains *
 thy judgements are like the great deep.
7  Thou, Lord, shalt save both man and beast;
How excellent is thy mercy, O God *
 and the children of men shall put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
8  They shall be satisfied with the plenteousness of thy house *
 and thou shalt give them drink of thy pleasures, as out of the river.
9  For with thee is the well of life *
 and in thy light shall we see light.
10  O continue forth thy loving-kindness unto them that know thee *
 and thy righteousness unto them that are true of heart.
11  O let not the foot of pride come against me *
 and let not the hand of the ungodly cast me down.
12  There are they fallen, all that work wickedness *
 they are cast down, and shall not be able to stand.
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

Eternal God,
you satisfy our hunger
by feeding us with the bread of life,
and you quench our thirst for righteousness
by your mighty acts.
Nourish us always by your Spirit,
that we may grow into the stature of Jesus Christ. Amen. ^BCW

THE WORD OF GOD

Reading: Joshua 10:1-15

When King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them, he became greatly frightened, because Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities, and was larger than Ai, and all its men were warriors. So King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem sent a message to King Hoham of Hebron, to King Piram of Jarmuth, to King Japhia of Lachish, and to King Debir of Eglon, saying, ‘Come up and help me, and let us attack Gibeon; for it has made peace with Joshua and with the Israelites.’ Then the five kings of the Amorites—the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon—gathered their forces, and went up with all their armies and encamped against Gibeon, and made war against it.

And the Gibeonites sent to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, saying, ‘Do not abandon your servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us; for all the kings of the Amorites who live in the hill country are gathered against us.’ So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the fighting force with him, all the mighty warriors. The Lord said to Joshua, ‘Do not fear them, for I have handed them over to you; not one of them shall stand before you.’ So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who inflicted a great slaughter on them at Gibeon, chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled before Israel, while they were going down the slope of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down huge stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died because of the hailstones than the Israelites killed with the sword.

On the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the Lord; and he said in the sight of Israel,
‘Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
   and Moon, in the valley of Aijalon.’
And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
   until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.
Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in mid-heaven, and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded a human voice; for the Lord fought for Israel.

Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.

HYMN: Reginald Heber
Tune: Gott sei Dank https://tinyurl.com/y548hm6q

1. In the sun, and moon, and stars,
Signs and wonders have appeared;
Earth has groan’d with bloody wars,
And the hearts of men have fear’d.

2. Soon shall ocean’s hoary deep,
Tossed with stronger tempests, rise;
Darker storms the mountains sweep,
Fiercer lightnings rend the skies.

3. Dread alarms shall shake the proud,
Pale amazement, restless fear;
And amid the thunder cloud
Shall the Judge of men appear.

4. But, tho’ from his awful face,
Heav’n shall fade, and earth shall fly,
Fear not ye, his chosen race,
Your redemption draweth nigh.

Reading: Revelation 11:19 – 12:12

Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth. Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne; and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, so that there she can be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, proclaiming,
‘Now have come the salvation and the power
   and the kingdom of our God
   and the authority of his Messiah,
for the accuser of our comrades has been thrown down,
   who accuses them day and night before our God.
But they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb
   and by the word of their testimony,
for they did not cling to life even in the face of death.
Rejoice then, you heavens
   and those who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
   for the devil has come down to you
with great wrath,
   because he knows that his time is short!’

HYMN: Reginald Heber
Tune: All Saints New https://tinyurl.com/y4mwujfu

1 The Son of God goes forth to war,
a kingly crown to gain;
his blood-red banner streams afar:
who follows in his train?
Who best can drink his cup of woe,
triumphant over pain,
who patient bears his cross below,
he follows in his train.

2 The martyr first, whose eagle eye
could pierce beyond the grave,
who saw his Master in the sky
and called on him to save:
like him, with pardon on his tongue
in midst of mortal pain,
he prayed for them that did the wrong:
who follows in his train?

3 A glorious band, the chosen few
on whom the Spirit came,
twelve valiant saints, their hope they knew,
and mocked the cross and flame:
they met the tyrant’s brandished steel,
the lion’s gory mane;
they bowed their necks the death to feel:
who follows in their train?

4 A noble army, men and boys,
the matron and the maid,
around the Savior’s throne rejoice,
in robes of light arrayed:
they climbed the steep ascent of heav’n
through peril, toil, and pain:
O God, to us may grace be giv’n
to follow in their train.

Reading: Mark 6:53-56

When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the market-places, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

CANTICLE Luke 1:46-55
(Cyprian Consiglio: https://tinyurl.com/y6vrp28t)

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
and my spirit finds its joy in God my Savior.
For God has looked with favor on this lowly servant
and from this day forth all ages call me blest.

The Mighty One has done great things for me,
and from age to age God’s Name is ever holy.
Great mercy God has always shown to those who fear the Lord,
whose right arm defeats the proud in their conceit.

Our God has cast the mighty from their thrones,
and then in their place are lifted up the lowly.
The hungry ones are given everything they need to live,
while the rich are sent away with empty hands.

The Lord has helped his servant Israel,
by remembering the promise of his mercy,
the promise that was spoken to our father Abraham
and the promise to his children forevermore.

THE PRAYERS ^BCW

Great and wonderful God, we praise and thank you for the gift of renewal in Jesus
Christ. Especially we thank you for
opportunities for rest and recreation . . .
the regenerating gifts of the Holy Spirit . . .
activities shared by young and old . . .
fun and laughter . . .
every service that proclaims your love. . . .

You make all things new, O God, and we offer our prayers for the renewal of the
world and the healing of its wounds. Especially we pray for
those who have no leisure . . .
people enslaved by addictions . . .
those who entertain and enlighten . . .
those confronted with temptation . . .
the church in North America. . . .

(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 it is in heaven.
Give us today the bread of life;
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 God,
in Christ you give us hope
for a new heaven and a new earth.
Grant us wisdom to interpret the signs of our times,
courage to stand in the time of trial,
and faith to witness to your truth and love. 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.

^DL © Daniel Lawson; used with permission.

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.