Oremus for Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Widows of India, Series I: The Beggar

Antiphon1

Ant. The Lord is my support, my refuge and my deliverer;
God is my only help.
V. I cry out, “Praised be the Lord!” *
and see, I am saved from my foes.
In my anguish I called to the Lord; *
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice; *
my cry to him reached his ears. Psalm 18

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: Henry Elliott Fox
Tune: Ombersley https://tinyurl.com/ya78x4x3

1 Send out the gospel! Let it sound
northward and southward, east and west;
tell all the world Christ died and lives-
he gives us pardon, life and rest.

2 Send out the gospel, mighty Lord!
Out of this chaos bring to birth
your own creation’s promised hope:
the coming days of heaven on earth.

3 Send out your gospel, gracious Lord!
Yours was the blood for sinners shed;
your voice still pleads in human hearts-
let all the world to you be led.

4 Send out your gospel, holy Lord!
Kindle in us love’s sacred flame;
love giving all with heart and mind,
for Jesus’ sake, in Jesus’ name.

5 Send out the gospel! Make it known!
Christians, obey your master’s call;
sing out his praise! he comes to reign,
the King of Kings and Lord of all.

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

Psalm 47 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/sk7c3h7)

1  Clap your hands together, all ye people *
 O sing unto God with the voice of melody.
2  For the Lord is high, and to be feared *
 he is the great King upon all the earth.
3  He shall subdue the people under us *
 and the nations under our feet.
4  He shall choose out an heritage for us *
 even the worship of Jacob, whom he loved.
5  God is gone up with a merry noise *
 and the Lord with the sound of the trump.
6  O sing praises, sing praises unto our God *
 O sing praises, sing praises unto our King.
7  For God is the King of all the earth *
 sing ye praises with understanding.
8  God reigneth over the heathen *
 God sitteth upon his holy seat.
9  The princes of the people are joined
unto the people of the God of Abraham *
 for God, which is very high exalted,
doth defend the earth, as it were with a shield.
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 48 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/rhcanfm)

1  Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised *
 in the city of our God, even upon his holy hill.
2  The hill of Sion is a fair place, and the joy of the whole earth *
 upon the north-side lieth the city of the great King;
God is well known in her palaces as a sure refuge.
3  For lo, the kings of the earth *
 are gathered, and gone by together.
4  They marvelled to see such things *
 they were astonished, and suddenly cast down.
5  Fear came there upon them, and sorrow *
 as upon a woman in her travail.
6  Thou shalt break the ships of the sea *
 through the east-wind.
7  Like as we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts,
in the city of our God *
 God upholdeth the same for ever.
8  We wait for thy loving-kindness, O God *
 in the midst of thy temple.
9  O God, according to thy Name, so is thy praise unto the world’s end *
 thy right hand is full of righteousness.
10  Let the mount Sion rejoice, and the daughter of Judah be glad *
 because of thy judgements.
11  Walk about Sion, and go round about her *
 and tell the towers thereof.
12  Mark well her bulwarks, set up her houses *
 that ye may tell them that come after.
13  For this God is our God for ever and ever *
 he shall be our guide unto death.
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 49 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/v8qpz99)

1  O hear ye this, all ye people *
 ponder it with your ears, all ye that dwell in the world;
2  High and low, rich and poor *
 one with another.
3  My mouth shall speak of wisdom *
 and my heart shall muse of understanding.
4  I will incline mine ear to the parable *
 and shew my dark speech upon the harp.
5  Wherefore should I fear in the days of wickedness *
 and when the wickedness of my heels compasseth me round about?
6  There be some that put their trust in their goods *
 and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches.
7  But no man may deliver his brother *
 nor make agreement unto God for him;
8  For it cost more to redeem their souls *
 so that he must let that alone for ever;
9  Yea, though he live long *
 and see not the grave.
10  For he seeth that wise men also die, and perish together *
 as well as the ignorant and foolish, and leave their riches for other.
11  And yet they think that their houses shall continue for ever *
 and that their dwelling-places shall endure from one generation to another;
and call the lands after their own names.
12  Nevertheless, man will not abide in honour *
 seeing he may be compared unto the beasts that perish;
this is the way of them.
13  This is their foolishness *
 and their posterity praise their saying.
14  They lie in the hell like sheep, death gnaweth upon them,
and the righteous shall have domination over them in the morning *
 their beauty shall consume in the sepulchre out of their dwelling.
15  But God hath delivered my soul from the place of hell *
 for he shall receive me.
16  Be not thou afraid, though one be made rich *
 or if the glory of his house be increased ;
17  For he shall carry nothing away with him when he dieth *
 neither shall his pomp follow him.
18  For while he lived, he counted himself an happy man *
 and so long as thou doest well unto thyself, men will speak good of thee.
19  He shall follow the generation of his fathers *
 and shall never see light.
20  Man being in honour hath no understanding *
 but is compared unto the beasts that perish.
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

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

THE WORD OF GOD

Reading: Malachi 1:6-10

A son honours his father, and servants their master. If then I am a father, where is the honour due to me? And if I am a master, where is the respect due to me? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. You say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ By offering polluted food on my altar. And you say, ‘How have we polluted it?’ By thinking that the Lord’s table may be despised. When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not wrong? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not wrong? Try presenting that to your governor; will he be pleased with you or show you favour? says the Lord of hosts. And now implore the favour of God, that he may be gracious to us. The fault is yours. Will he show favour to any of you? says the Lord of hosts. O that someone among you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hands.

HYMN: Graham Kendrick ©
Tune: https://tinyurl.com/y5je4xvf

1 Beauty for brokenness, hope for despair,
Lord, in your suffering world this is our prayer.
Bread for the children, justice, joy peace,
sunrise to sunset your kingdom increase!

2 Shelter for fragile lives, cures for their ills,
work for the craftsmen, trade for their skills.
Land for the dispossessed, rights for the weak,
voices to plead the cause of those who can’t speak.

Refrain:
God of the poor, friend of the weak,
give us compassion, we pray:
melt our cold hearts, let tears fall like rain.
Come, change our love from a spark to a flame.

3 Refuge from cruel wars, havens from fear,
cities for sanctuary, freedoms to share.
Peace to the killing fields, scorched earth to green,
Christ for the bitterness, his cross for the pain.

4 Rest for the ravaged earth, oceans and streams,
plundered and poisoned: our future, our dreams.
Lord, end our madness, carelessness, greed;
make us content with the things that we need. [Refrain]

5 Lighten our darkness, breathe on this flame,
until your justice burns brightly again;
until the nations learn of your ways,
seek your salvation and bring you their praise. [Refrain]

Reading: Philippians 3:17-21

Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation so that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.

HYMN: st. 1 Anonymous, trans. Elise S Elinger; sts. 2-4 Roberto Escamilla
Tune: Somos del Señor

1 When we are living, it is in Christ Jesus,
and when we’re dying, it is in the Lord.
Both in our living and in our dying,
we belong to God; we belong to God.

2 Through all our living, we our fruits must give.
Good works of service are for offering.
When we are giving, or when receiving,
we belong to God; we belong to God.

3 ’Mid times of sorrow and in times of pain,
when sensing beauty or in love’s embrace,
whether we suffer, or sing rejoicing,
we belong to God; we belong to God.

4 Across this wide world, we shall always find
those who are crying with no peace of mind,
but when we help them, or when we feed them,
we belong to God; we belong to God.

Reading: Mark 12:41-44

Jesus sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’

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 widows and strangers,
you protect the oppressed and forgotten
and feed the hungry with good things.
You stand among us in Christ, offering life to all.
Give us open hearts and minds
to respond with love to the world,
caring for those for whom you care. 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


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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.

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