Oremus for Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Antiphon¹

Ant. I will relate all your wondrous deeds.
I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing to the honor of your name, O Most High.
V. But the Lord sits enthroned forever; *
he has set up his throne for judgment.
He will judge the world with justice; *
he will govern the peoples with equity. Psalm 9

Almighty God,
give us grace to cast away the works of darkness,
and put on the armor of light,
now in the time of this mortal life
in which your Son Jesus Christ came
to visit us in great humility;
that in the last day,
when he shall come again in his glorious majesty
to judge both the living and the dead,
we may rise to the life immortal;
through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. 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: Charles Wesley
Tune: Surrey https://tinyurl.com/yxc3bd3e

1. Give me the faith which can remove 
and sink the mountain to a plain; 
give me the childlike praying love, 
which longs to build thy house again; 
thy love, let it my heart o’er-power, 
and all my simple soul devour. 

2. I would the precious time redeem, 
and longer live for this alone, 
to spend and to be spent for them
who have not yet my Savior known; 
fully on these my mission prove, 
and only breathe, to breathe thy love. 

3. My talents, gifts, and graces, Lord, 
into thy blessed hands receive; 
and let me live to preach thy word, 
and let me to thy glory live; 
my every sacred moment spend 
in publishing the sinner’s Friend. 

4. Enlarge, inflame, and fill my heart 
with boundless charity divine, 
so shall I all my strength exert, 
and love them with a zeal like thine, 
and lead them to thy open side, 
the sheep for whom the Shepherd died.

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

Psalm 12 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/sjldexv)

1  Help me, Lord, for there is not one godly man left *
 for the faithful are minished from among the children of men.
2  They talk of vanity every one with his neighbour *
 they do but flatter with their lips, and dissemble in their double heart.
3  The Lord shall root out all deceitful lips *
 and the tongue that speaketh proud things;
4  Which have said, With our tongue will we prevail *
 we are they that ought to speak, who is lord over us?
5  Now for the comfortless troubles’ sake of the needy *
 and because of the deep sighing of the poor,
6  I will up, saith the Lord *
 and will help every one from him that swelleth against him,
and will set him at rest.
7  The words of the Lord are pure words *
 even as the silver, which from the earth is tried,
and purified seven times in the fire.
8  Thou shalt keep them, O Lord *
 thou shalt preserve him from this generation for ever.
9  The ungodly walk on every side *
 when they are exalted, the children of men are put to rebuke.
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 13 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/qpwp7bw)

1  How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord, for ever *
 how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?
2  How long shall I seek counsel in my soul, and be so vexed in my heart *
 how long shall mine enemies triumph over me?
3  Consider, and hear me, O Lord my God *
 lighten mine eyes, that I sleep not in death.
4  Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him *
 for if I be cast down, they that trouble me will rejoice at it.
5  But my trust is in thy mercy *
 and my heart is joyful in thy salvation.
6  I will sing of the Lord, because he hath dealt so lovingly with me *
 yea, I will praise the Name of the Lord most Highest.
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 14 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/sgyfvnc)

1  The fool hath said in his heart *
 There is no God.
2  They are corrupt, and become abominable in their doings *
 there is none that doeth good, no not one.
3  The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men *
 to see if there were any that would understand, and seek after God.
4  But they are all gone out of the way,
they are altogether become abominable *
 there is none that doeth good, no not one.
5  Their throat is an open sepulchre,
with their tongues have they deceived *
 the poison of asps is under their lips.
6  Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness *
 their feet are swift to shed blood.
7  Destruction and unhappiness is in their ways,
and the way of peace have they not known *
 there is no fear of God before their eyes.
8  Have they no knowledge, that they are all such workers of mischief *
 eating up my people as it were bread, and call not upon the Lord?
9  There were they brought in great fear, even where no fear was *
 for God is in the generation of the righteous.
10  As for you, ye have made a mock at the counsel of the poor *
 because he putteth his trust in the Lord.
11  Who shall give salvation unto Israel out of Sion?
When the Lord turneth the captivity of his people *
 then shall Jacob rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
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 of justice, in Jesus Christ you championed the weak
and befriended outcasts.
Through the shining light of his goodness
you expose hypocrisy.
Give us courage to follow his example,
that we may be faithful disciples
of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. ^BCW

THE WORD OF GOD

Reading: Hosea 5:1-14

Hear this, O priests!
   Give heed, O house of Israel!
Listen, O house of the king!
   For the judgement pertains to you;
for you have been a snare at Mizpah,
   and a net spread upon Tabor,
and a pit dug deep in Shittim;
   but I will punish all of them.

I know Ephraim,
   and Israel is not hidden from me;
for now, O Ephraim, you have played the whore;
   Israel is defiled.
Their deeds do not permit them
   to return to their God.
For the spirit of whoredom is within them,
   and they do not know the Lord.

Israel’s pride testifies against him;
   Ephraim stumbles in his guilt;
   Judah also stumbles with them.
With their flocks and herds they shall go
   to seek the Lord,
but they will not find him;
   he has withdrawn from them.
They have dealt faithlessly with the Lord;
   for they have borne illegitimate children.
   Now the new moon shall devour them along with their fields.

Blow the horn in Gibeah,
   the trumpet in Ramah.
Sound the alarm at Beth-aven;
   look behind you, Benjamin!
Ephraim shall become a desolation
   on the day of punishment;
among the tribes of Israel
   I declare what is sure.
The princes of Judah have become
   like those who remove the landmark;
on them I will pour out
   my wrath like water.
Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgement,
   because he was determined to go after vanity.
Therefore I am like maggots to Ephraim,
   and like rottenness to the house of Judah.
When Ephraim saw his sickness,
   and Judah his wound,
then Ephraim went to Assyria,
   and sent to the great king.
But he is not able to cure you
   or heal your wound.
For I will be like a lion to Ephraim,
   and like a young lion to the house of Judah.
I myself will tear and go away;
   I will carry off, and no one shall rescue.

HYMN: Spiritual
Tune: https://tinyurl.com/yy3mnxjk

Refrain:
My Lord, what a morning!
My Lord, what a morning!
O my Lord, what a morning
When the stars begin to fall,
When the stars begin to fall.

1 You will hear the trumpet sound
To wake the nations underground,
Looking to my God’s right hand
When the stars begin to fall. [Refrain]

2 You will hear the sinner cry
To wake the nations underground,
Looking to my God’s right hand
When the stars begin to fall. [Refrain]

3 You will hear the Christian shout
To wake the nations underground,
Looking to my God’s right hand
When the stars begin to fall. [Refrain]

Reading: Philippians 1:21-30

For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.

Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well— since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

HYMN: Ralph Wardlaw
Tune: Hendon https://tinyurl.com/y4wfynfm

1 Christ of all my hopes the Ground,
Christ, the Spring of all my joy,
Still in Thee may I be found,
Still for Thee my powers employ,
Still for Thee my powers employ.

2 Let Thy love my heart inflame;
Keep Thy fear before my sight;
Be Thy praise my highest aim;
Be Thy smile my chief delight.

3 Fountain of o’erflowing grace,
Freely from Thy fullness give;
Till I close my earthly race,
May I prove it “Christ to live.”

4 Firmly trusting in Thy blood,
Nothing shall my heart confound;
Safely I shall pass the flood,
Safely reach Emmanuel’s ground.

5 Thus, O thus, an entrance give
To the land of cloudless sky;
Having known it “Christ to live,”
Let me know it “gain to die.”

Reading: Mark 11:20-33

In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. Then Peter remembered and said to him, ‘Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, “Be taken up and thrown into the sea”, and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

‘Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.’

Again they came to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?’ Jesus said to them, ‘I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin? Answer me.’ They argued with one another, ‘If we say, “From heaven”, he will say, “Why then did you not believe him?” But shall we say, “Of human origin”?’—they were afraid of the crowd, for all regarded John as truly a prophet. So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.’

CANTICLE Isaiah 12:1-6
(Stephen Wozny https://tinyurl.com/y8lfq94d)

You will say on that day:
I will give thanks to the Lord,
Though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
and you comforted me
Refrain:
So give thanks to the Lord, and call on his name,
Shout, and sing for joy, all you daughters of Zion,
He is with you now, the Son of God!
He is with you now, the Son of God.

Behold, my God is salvation; I will not be afraid;
The Lord, my God, is my song; I will sing of all he’s done,
and make everything known Refrain

I will sing his name! I will sing his name!
I will sing his name for all the world and everyone!
Sing his name! I will sing his name!
I will sing his name for all the world and everyone!
Sing his name! I will sing his name!
I will sing his name for all the world and everyone!
He is with you now, the Son of God.

THE PRAYERS ^WS2

God, our hope,
we rejoice that you became flesh and made your dwelling among us,
even as we long for your return.
As we wait, our hearts overflow with gratitude:
for the beauty of creation . . .
for your work in the world . . .
for signs of peace and reconciliation . . .
for our community and its leaders . . .
for your work accomplished through your church, especially for . . .

For all these reasons and so much more we give you praise.
As we celebrate the first coming of your Son as a helpless child,
we also yearn for his return,
for the day in which there will be no more sorrow, pain, or death.
Today we remember in prayer:
the nations of the world . . .
those in authority . . .
the needs of the community . . .
the church universal, its mission, and those who minister . . .
the local congregation and its ministry, especially . . .
those with particular needs . . .

We offer these prayers in the name Jesus Christ, our source of hope. Amen.

(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.

God of Israel,
with expectant hearts
we your people await Christ’s coming.
As once he came in humility,
so now may he come in glory,
that he may make all things perfect
in your everlasting kingdom.
For he is Lord for ever and ever. Amen. ^WS2

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.

^WS2 The Worship Sourcebook, 2nd edition, © 2013, Faith Alive Christian Resources

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.