Oremus for Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Antiphon¹

Ant. I prayed to my God, I, Daniel, and I said: *
“Hearken, O Lord, unto the prayers of your servant,
and cause your face to shine upon your sanctuary;
look with forgiveness upon this nation
over whom your name has been invoked, O God.”
V. I was still occupied with my prayer, *
confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel,
presenting my petition to the lord, *
my God, on behalf of his holy mountain. Daniel 9

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: Fred Kaan ©
Tune: Merton https://tinyurl.com/y57c787m

1 God, when human bonds are broken
and we lack the love or skill
to restore the hope of healing,
give us grace and make us still.

2 Through that stillness, with your Spirit
come into our world of stress,
for the sake of Christ forgiving
all the failures we confess.

3 You in us are bruised and broken:
hear us as we seek release
from the pain of earlier living;
set us free and grant us peace.

4 Send us, God of new beginnings,
humbly hopeful into life.
Use us as a means of blessing:
make us stronger, give us faith.

5 Give us faith to be more faithful,
give us hope to be more true,
give us love to go on learning:
God, encourage and renew!

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

Psalm 95 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/yx5ywz8t)

1  O come, let us sing unto the Lord *
 let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.
2  Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *
 and shew ourselves glad in him with psalms.
3  For the Lord is a great God *
 and a great King above all gods.
4  In his hand are all the corners of the earth *
 and the strength of the hills is his also.
5  The sea is his, and he made it *
 and his hands prepared the dry land.
6  O come, let us worship and fall down *
 and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
7  For he is the Lord our God *
 and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
8  To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts *
 as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness;
9  When your fathers tempted me *
 proved me, and saw my works.
10  Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said *
 It is a people that do err in their hearts,
for they have not known my ways;
11  Unto whom I sware in my wrath *
 that they should not enter into my rest.
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 96 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/u9ylore)

1  O sing unto the Lord a new song *
 sing unto the Lord, all the whole earth.
2  Sing unto the Lord, and praise his Name *
 be telling of his salvation from day to day.
3  Declare his honour unto the heathen *
 and his wonders unto all people.
4  For the Lord is great, and cannot worthily be praised *
 he is more to be feared than all gods.
5  As for all the gods of the heathen, they are but idols *
 but it is the Lord that made the heavens.
6  Glory and worship are before him *
 power and honour are in his sanctuary.
7  Ascribe unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people *
 ascribe unto the Lord worship and power.
8  Ascribe unto the Lord the honour due unto his Name *
 bring presents, and come into his courts.
9  O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness *
 let the whole earth stand in awe of him.
10  Tell it out among the heathen that the Lord is King *
 and that it is he who hath made the round world
so fast that it cannot be moved;
and how that he shall judge the people righteously.
11  Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad *
 let the sea make a noise, and all that therein is.
12  Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it *
 then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord.
13  For he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth *
 and with righteousness to judge the world,
and the people with his truth.
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 97 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/qm79zby)

1  The Lord is King, the earth may be glad thereof *
 yea, the multitude of the isles may be glad thereof.
2  Clouds and darkness are round about him *
 righteousness and judgement are the habitation of his seat.
3  There shall go a fire before him *
 and burn up his enemies on every side.
4  His lightnings gave shine unto the world *
 the earth saw it, and was afraid.
5  The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord *
 at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
6  The heavens have declared his righteousness *
 and all the people have seen his glory.
7  Confounded be all they that worship carved images,
and that delight in vain gods *
 worship him, all ye gods.
8  Sion heard of it, and rejoiced *
 and the daughters of Judah were glad, because of thy judgements, O Lord.
9  For thou, Lord, art higher than all that are in the earth *
 thou art exalted far above all gods.
10  O ye that love the Lord, see that ye hate the thing which is evil *
 the Lord preserveth the souls of his saints;
he shall deliver them from the hand of the ungodly.
11  There is sprung up a light for the righteous *
 and joyful gladness for such as are true-hearted.
12  Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous *
 and give thanks for a remembrance of his holiness.
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,
you clothe the sky with light, and ocean depths with darkness.
You work your mighty wonders among us.
Claim us for your purposes,
that we may be among those who see your glory and give you praise,
for you live and reign, now and forever. Amen. ^BCW

THE WORD OF GOD

Reading: Isaiah 48:12-21

Listen to me, O Jacob,
   and Israel, whom I called:
I am He; I am the first,
   and I am the last.
My hand laid the foundation of the earth,
   and my right hand spread out the heavens;
when I summon them,
   they stand at attention.

Assemble, all of you, and hear!
   Who among them has declared these things?
The Lord loves him;
   he shall perform his purpose on Babylon,
   and his arm shall be against the Chaldeans.
I, even I, have spoken and called him,
   I have brought him, and he will prosper in his way.
Draw near to me, hear this!
   From the beginning I have not spoken in secret,
   from the time it came to be I have been there.
And now the Lord God has sent me and his spirit.

Thus says the Lord,
   your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
I am the Lord your God,
   who teaches you for your own good,
   who leads you in the way you should go.
O that you had paid attention to my commandments!
   Then your prosperity would have been like a river,
   and your success like the waves of the sea;
your offspring would have been like the sand,
   and your descendants like its grains;
their name would never be cut off
   or destroyed from before me.

Go out from Babylon, flee from Chaldea,
   declare this with a shout of joy, proclaim it,
send it forth to the end of the earth;
   say, ‘The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob!’
They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts;
   he made water flow for them from the rock;
   he split open the rock and the water gushed out.

HYMN: Ernest W Shurtleff
Tune: Lancashire https://tinyurl.com/y7lmx5dp

1 Lead on, O King eternal,
the day of march has come;
henceforth in fields of conquest
your tents will be our home.
Through days of preparation
your grace has made us strong;
and now, O King eternal,
we lift our battle song.

2 Lead on, O King eternal,
till sin’s fierce war shall cease,
and holiness shall whisper
the sweet amen of peace.
For not with swords’ loud clashing
or roll of stirring drums
with deeds of love and mercy
the heavenly kingdom comes.

3 Lead on, O King eternal;
we follow, not with fears,
for gladness breaks like morning
where’er your face appears.
Your cross is lifted o’er us,
we journey in its light;
the crown awaits the conquest;
lead on, O God of might. 

Reading: Romans 4:13-25

For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.

For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, ‘I have made you the father of many nations’)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become ‘the father of many nations’, according to what was said, ‘So numerous shall your descendants be.’ He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.  Therefore his faith ‘was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ Now the words, ‘it was reckoned to him’, were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.

HYMN: Isaac Watts
Music: St Magnus https://tinyurl.com/y6kulq8l

1 Begin, my tongue, some heavenly theme,
And speak some boundless thing,
The mighty works, or mightier Name,
Of our eternal King.

2 Tell of His wondrous faithfulness,
And sound His power abroad;
Sing the sweet promise of His grace,
And our redeeming God.

3 His very word of grace is strong
As that which built the skies;
The voice that rolls the stars along
Speaks all the promises.

4 O might I hear Thy heavenly tongue
But whisper, “Thou art Mine,”
Those gentle words should raise my song
To notes almost divine.

Reading: Matthew 5:27-37

Jesus said, ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.

‘It was also said, “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.” But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

‘Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.” But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be “Yes, Yes” or “No, No”; anything more than this comes from the evil one.’

CANTICLE Isaiah 12:2-6
(Uptown Worship Band: https://tinyurl.com/y8q877og)

Refrain:
Surely, it is God who saves;
I will and not be afraid.
For the Lord is my sure defense,
and he will be my Savior.

Therefore you shall draw water
and rejoice from the salvation spring.
On that day you shall say,
give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name. Refrain

Make his deeds known among the people;
they remember his Name on high.
Sing praise to the Lord, for he has done great things,
and this is known in all the world. Refrain

Cry aloud, O Zion, ring out your joy,
for the great one in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

THE PRAYERS ^BCW

We rejoice in your generous goodness, O God, and celebrate your lavish gifts to
us this day, for you have shown your love in giving Jesus Christ for the salvation
of the world. Especially we give thanks for
the labors of those who have served us today . . .
friends with whom we have shared . . .
those whom we love and have loved us . . .
opportunities for our work to help others . . .
all beauty that delights us. . . .

Gracious God, we know you are close to all in need, and by our prayers for others
we come closer to you. We are bold to claim for others your promises of new
life in Jesus Christ, as we claim them for ourselves. Especially we pray for
those in dangerous occupations . . .
physicians and nurses . . .
those who are ill or confined to nursing homes . . .
those who mourn . . .
the Roman Catholic Church. . . .

(Karin Simmons: https://tinyurl.com/y7vwp7dd)

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.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Living One,
in whose freedom creation was born as gift:
free us from the need
to possess, define and silence others,
so that we might rejoice
in the strangeness of your beauty
revealed in flesh and blood;
through Jesus Christ, our reconciliation. Amen. ^PIC

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.

^RCLP Revised Common Lectionary Prayers. © 2002 Consultation on Common Texts admin. Augsburg Fortress.

^PIC Prayers for an Inclusive Church, Steven Shakespeare.

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.