The Confession of St Peter
Today we commemorate the confession of Simon Peter as told in the Gospel according to Matthew. When Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon spoke up and said, “You are the
Christ, the Son of the living God!” Jesus then responded: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! It was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” In telling this story, the evangelist showed that every confession of Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” is always a gift from God. It is not something that human beings can discover by their own powers, nor is it a truth obvious to anyone who looks at the historical Jesus without the help of the Holy Spirit. The natural power of sight needs to be fulfilled by God’s merciful gift of insight. FAS
Antiphon1
Ant. With expectation I have waited for the Lord, *
and he has cast his look upon me;
he has heard my supplication
and he has put a new canticle into my mouth, a song to our God.
V. Blessed the man who has placed *
his trust in the Lord,
and has not gone over to the proud *
who follow false gods. Psalm 40
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: William Walsham How
Tune: Love Unknown https://tinyurl.com/y46nb2bf
1 “Thou art the Christ, O Lord,
The Son of God, most high!”
Forever be adored,
That Name in earth and sky.
In which, tho’ mortal strength may fail,
The saints of God at last prevail!
2 Oh, surely he was blest,
With blessedness unpriced,
Who taught of God, confessed
The Godhead in the Christ!
For of Thy Church, Lord, Thou didst own
Thy saint a true foundation-stone.
3 Thrice fallen, thrice restored!
The bitter lesson learnt,
That heart for Thee, O Lord,
With triple ardor burnt.
The cross he took he laid not down
Until he grasped the martyr’s crown.
4 Oh bright triumphant faith!
Oh courage void of fears!
Oh love, most strong in death!
Oh penitential tears!
By these, Lord, keep us lest we fall,
And make us go where Thou shalt call.
PSALMS
For psalms in contemporary language, https://tinyurl.com/y9tjh7rk
Psalm 90 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/uzj6wj2
1 Lord, thou hast been our refuge *
from one generation to another.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever the earth and the world were made *
thou art God from everlasting, and world without end.
3 Thou turnest man to destruction *
again thou sayest, Come again, ye children of men.
4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday *
seeing that is past as a watch in the night.
5 As soon as thou scatterest them they are even as a sleep *
and fade away suddenly like the grass.
6 In the morning it is green, and groweth up *
but in the evening it is cut down, dried up, and withered.
7 For we consume away in thy displeasure *
and are afraid at thy wrathful indignation.
8 Thou hast set our misdeeds before thee *
and our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
9 For when thou art angry all our days are gone *
we bring our years to an end, as it were a tale that is told.
10 The days of our age are threescore years and ten;
and though men be so strong that they come to fourscore years *
yet is their strength then but labour and sorrow;
so soon passeth it away, and we are gone.
11 But who regardeth the power of thy wrath *
for even thereafter as a man feareth, so is thy displeasure.
12 So teach us to number our days *
that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
13 Turn thee again, O Lord, at the last *
and be gracious unto thy servants.
14 O satisfy us with thy mercy, and that soon *
so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life.
15 Comfort us again now after the time that thou hast plagued us *
and for the years wherein we have suffered adversity.
16 Shew thy servants thy work *
and their children thy glory.
17 And the glorious Majesty of the Lord our God be upon us *
prosper thou the work of our hands upon us,
O prosper thou our handy-work.
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 91 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/w5pwhvg)
1 Whoso dwelleth under the defence of the most High *
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say unto the Lord, Thou art my hope, and my strong hold *
my God, in him will I trust.
3 For he shall deliver thee from the snare of the hunter *
and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall defend thee under his wings,
and thou shalt be safe under his feathers *
his faithfulness and truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for any terror by night *
nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 For the pestilence that walketh in darkness *
nor for the sickness that destroyeth in the noon-day.
7 A thousand shall fall beside thee, and ten thousand at thy right hand *
but it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Yea, with thine eyes shalt thou behold *
and see the reward of the ungodly.
9 For thou, Lord, art my hope *
thou hast set thine house of defence very high.
10 There shall no evil happen unto thee *
neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee *
to keep thee in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear thee in their hands *
that thou hurt not thy foot against a stone.
13 Thou shalt go upon the lion and adder *
the young lion and the dragon shalt thou tread under thy feet.
14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him *
I will set him up, because he hath known my Name.
15 He shall call upon me, and I will hear him *
yea, I am with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and bring him to honour.
16 With long life will I satisfy him *
and shew him my salvation.
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 92 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/v6sub7d)
1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord *
and to sing praises unto thy Name, O most Highest;
2 To tell of thy loving-kindness early in the morning *
and of thy truth in the night-season;
3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the lute *
upon a loud instrument, and upon the harp.
4 For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy works *
and I will rejoice in giving praise for the operations of thy hands.
5 O Lord, how glorious are thy works *
thy thoughts are very deep.
6 An unwise man doth not well consider this *
and a fool doth not understand it.
7 When the ungodly are green as the grass,
and when all the workers of wickedness do flourish *
then shall they be destroyed for ever;
but thou, Lord, art the most Highest for evermore.
8 For lo, thine enemies, O Lord, lo, thine enemies shall perish *
and all the workers of wickedness shall be destroyed.
9 But mine horn shall be exalted like the horn of an unicorn *
for I am anointed with fresh oil.
10 Mine eye also shall see his lust of mine enemies *
and mine ear shall hear his desire of the wicked that arise up against me.
11 The righteous shall flourish like a palm-tree *
and shall spread abroad like a cedar in Libanus.
12 Such as are planted in the house of the Lord *
shall flourish in the courts of the house of our God.
13 They also shall bring forth more fruit in their age *
and shall be fat and well-liking.
14 That they may shew how true the Lord my strength is *
and that there is no unrighteousness in him.
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
Creator God,
you have planted your Word in our hearts
that you might harvest forth justice.
So root us in your love,
that we may always flourish,
yielding all the fruits of the Spirit
from youth to old age;
through Christ our Lord. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
Reading: Isaiah 48:1-11
Hear this, O house of Jacob,
who are called by the name of Israel,
and who came forth from the loins of Judah;
who swear by the name of the Lord,
and invoke the God of Israel,
but not in truth or right.
For they call themselves after the holy city,
and lean on the God of Israel;
the Lord of hosts is his name.
The former things I declared long ago,
they went out from my mouth and I made them known;
then suddenly I did them and they came to pass.
Because I know that you are obstinate,
and your neck is an iron sinew
and your forehead brass,
I declared them to you from long ago,
before they came to pass I announced them to you,
so that you would not say, ‘My idol did them,
my carved image and my cast image commanded them.’
You have heard; now see all this;
and will you not declare it?
From this time forward I make you hear new things,
hidden things that you have not known.
They are created now, not long ago;
before today you have never heard of them,
so that you could not say, ‘I already knew them.’
You have never heard, you have never known,
from of old your ear has not been opened.
For I knew that you would deal very treacherously,
and that from birth you were called a rebel.
For my name’s sake I defer my anger,
for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you,
so that I may not cut you off.
See, I have refined you, but not like silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of adversity.
For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it,
for why should my name be profaned?
My glory I will not give to another.
HYMN: K. in John Rippon’s A Selection of Hymns
Tune: Foundation https://tinyurl.com/y4t7w7sp
1 How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in his excellent word!
What more can he say than to you he hath said,
to you that for refuge to Jesus have fled?
2 “Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed!
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.
3 “When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
the rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
for I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
4 “When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
my grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
the flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
5 “The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
that soul, though all hell shall endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake.”
Reading: Romans 4:1-12
What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness. So also David speaks of the blessedness of those to whom God reckons righteousness irrespective of works:
‘Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
blessed is the one against whom the Lord will not reckon sin.’
Is this blessedness, then, pronounced only on the circumcised, or also on the uncircumcised? We say, ‘Faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness.’ How then was it reckoned to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the ancestor of all who believe without being circumcised and who thus have righteousness reckoned to them, and likewise the ancestor of the circumcised who are not only circumcised but who also follow the example of the faith that our ancestor Abraham had before he was circumcised.
HYMN: Charles Wesley
Tune: Aberystwyth https://tinyurl.com/y7qaogb2
1 Jesus, lover of my soul,
let me to thy bosom fly,
while the nearer waters roll,
while the tempest still is high;
hide me, O my Savior, hide,
till the storm of life is past;
safe into the haven guide,
O receive my soul at last!
2 Other refuge have I none;
hangs my helpless soul on thee;
leave, ah! leave me not alone,
still support and comfort me.
All my trust on thee is stayed,
all my help from thee I bring;
cover my defenseless head
with the shadow of thy wing.
3 Plenteous grace with thee is found,
grace to cover all my sin;
let the healing streams abound;
make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life the fountain art;
freely let me take of thee;
spring thou up within my heart,
rise to all eternity.
Reading: Matthew 16.13–19
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’
CANTICLE Te Deum
(Chant by Joe Cox: https://tinyurl.com/ybzyundx)
We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting.
To thee all Angels cry aloud,
the Heavens and all the Powers therein.
To thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth;
Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy glory.
The glorious company of the apostles praise thee.
The goodly fellowship of the prophets praise thee.
The noble army of martyrs praise thee.
The holy Church throughout all the world
doth acknowledge thee,
the Father, of an infinite majesty,
thine adorable, true, and only Son,
also the Holy Ghost the Comforter.
Thou art the King of glory, O Christ.
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man,
thou didst humble thyself to be born of a Virgin.
When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death,
thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
We believe that thou shalt come to be our judge.
We therefore pray thee, help thy servants,
whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with thy saints,
in glory everlasting.
THE PRAYERS WS2
Tender and compassionate God,
we thank you for inviting all your children into your kingdom.
Let us see each other with your eyes.
Too often we are afraid
to examine ways in which we fall short of your kingdom purpose
for our lives as individuals and as a community,
to accept without reservation those who are disabled in body or mind.
Forgive our apathy, our narrow-mindedness,
our misunderstandings.
Forgive our laziness of effort to be inclusive,
to love spontaneously, to welcome genuinely.
Call forth our best selves and help us to lift each other up.
Bless those among us with disabilities,
those who are still outside looking in,
those who long to feel included.
Prepare our hearts to set about the work of being one people,
the inclusive body of Christ, ministers of unconditional love.
May we follow the example of Christ, who opened himself to all,
the powerful and powerless alike.
Through his name we pray. 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 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.
Almighty God,
you inspired Simon Peter, first among the apostles,
to confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of the living God.
Keep your Church steadfast upon the rock of this faith,
so that in unity and peace
we may proclaim the one truth
and follow the one Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen. FAS
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.
DL © Daniel Lawson; used with permission.
FAS For All the Saints, Revised Ed. © Anglican Church of Canada
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 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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