Oremus for Monday, February 1, 2021

Antiphon¹

Ant. The sparrow has found herself a home, *
and the turtle dove a nest in which to lay her young:
at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God!
Blessed are they who dwell in your house,
they shall praise you for ever and ever.
V. How lovely is your dwelling place, *
O Lord of hosts.
My soul is longing and yearning *
for the courts of the Lord.
My heart and my flesh cry out *
to the living God. Psalm 84

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: Shirley Erena Murray ©
Tune: Vater Unser (Old 112th) https://tinyurl.com/y2nlwrey
Tune: Khao i dang https://tinyurl.com/y4ha2kon

1 Here to the house of God we come,
home of the people of the Way,
here to give thanks for all we have,
naming our needs for every day,
we who have roof and rent and bread,
sure of a place to rest our head.

2 There is a knocking at our door,
sound of the homeless of the world,
voice of the frightened refugee,
cry of the children in the cold,
asking the least that is their right,
safety and shelter for the night.

3 God who is shelter, who is home,
in borrowed rooms you came to live,
pleaded to save the dispossessed,
crucified, lay in borrowed grave:
these are no strangers in your eyes,
this is your family which cries.

4 We are all tenants of your love;
gather us round a common fire,
warm us in company with Christ, 
give us the heart to feel, to share
table and lodging with free hand,
space in our living, in our land.

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

Psalm 6 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/yxx3vdzs)

1  O Lord, rebuke me not in thine indignation *
 neither chasten me in thy displeasure.
2  Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am weak *
 O Lord, heal me, for my bones are vexed.
3  My soul also is sore troubled *
 but, Lord, how long wilt thou punish me?
4  Turn thee, O Lord, and deliver my soul *
 O save me for thy mercy’s sake.
5  For in death no man remembereth thee *
 and who will give thee thanks in the pit?
6  I am weary of my groaning; every night wash I my bed *
 and water my couch with my tears.
7  My beauty is gone for very trouble *
 and worn away because of all mine enemies.
8  Away from me, all ye that work vanity *
 for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping.
9  The Lord hath heard my petition *
 the Lord will receive my prayer.
10  All mine enemies shall be confounded, and sore vexed *
 they shall be turned back, and put to shame suddenly.
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 7 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/u4vua9c)

1  O Lord my God, in thee have I put my trust *
 save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me;
2  Lest he devour my soul, like a lion, and tear it in pieces *
 while there is none to help.
3  O Lord my God, if I have done any such thing *
 or if there be any wickedness in my hands;
4  If I have rewarded evil unto him that dealt friendly with me *
 yea, I have delivered him that without any cause is mine enemy;
5  Then let mine enemy persecute my soul, and take me *
 yea, let him tread my life down upon the earth,
and lay mine honour in the dust.
6  Stand up, O Lord, in thy wrath, and lift up thyself,
because of the indignation of mine enemies *
 arise up for me in the judgement that thou hast commanded.
7  And so shall the congregation of the people come about thee *
 for their sakes therefore lift up thyself again.
8  The Lord shall judge the people; give sentence with me, O Lord *
 according to my righteousness,
and according to the innocency that is in me.
9  O let the wickedness of the ungodly come to an end *
 but guide thou the just.
10  For the righteous God *
 trieth the very hearts and reins.
11  My help cometh of God *
 who preserveth them that are true of heart.
12  God is a righteous Judge, strong, and patient *
 and God is provoked every day.
13  If a man will not turn, he will whet his sword *
 he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.
14  He hath prepared for him the instruments of death *
 he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.
15  Behold, he travaileth with mischief *
 he hath conceived sorrow, and brought forth ungodliness.
16  He hath graven and digged up a pit *
 and is fallen himself into the destruction that he made for other.
17  For his travail shall come upon his own head *
 and his wickedness shall fall on his own pate.
18  I will give thanks unto the Lord, according to his righteousness *
 and I will praise the Name of the Lord most High.
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 8 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/vtzy6pg)

1  O Lord our Governor, how excellent is thy Name in all the world *
 thou that has set thy glory above the heavens!
2  Out of the mouth of very babes and sucklings
hast thou ordained strength, because of thine enemies *
 that thou mightest still the enemy, and the avenger.
3  For I will consider thy heavens, even the works of thy fingers *
 the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained.
4  What is man, that thou art mindful of him *
 and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5  Thou madest him lower than the angels *
 to crown him with glory and worship.
6  Thou makest him to have dominion of the works of thy hands *
 and thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet;
7  All sheep and oxen *
 yea, and the beasts of the field;
8  The fowls of the air, and the fishes of the sea *
 and whatsoever walketh through the paths of the seas.
9  O Lord our Governor *
 how excellent is thy Name in all the world!
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 glory,
despite the majesty of your creation
you sought us out,
and through Christ
you crowned us with dignity and honor,
giving us dominion over your works.
Enable us so to care for the earth
that all creation may radiate the splendor
of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ^BCW

THE WORD OF GOD

Reading: Judges 14:1-19

Once Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw a Philistine woman. Then he came up, and told his father and mother, ‘I saw a Philistine woman at Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.’ But his father and mother said to him, ‘Is there not a woman among your kin, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?’ But Samson said to his father, ‘Get her for me, because she pleases me.’ His father and mother did not know that this was from the Lord; for he was seeking a pretext to act against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah. When he came to the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion roared at him. The spirit of the Lord rushed on him, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as one might tear apart a kid. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. Then he went down and talked with the woman, and she pleased Samson. After a while he returned to marry her, and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. He scraped it out into his hands, and went on, eating as he went. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the carcass of the lion.

His father went down to the woman, and Samson made a feast there as the young men were accustomed to do. When the people saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him. Samson said to them, ‘Let me now put a riddle to you. If you can explain it to me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty festal garments. But if you cannot explain it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty festal garments.’ So they said to him, ‘Ask your riddle; let us hear it.’ He said to them,
‘Out of the eater came something to eat.
Out of the strong came something sweet.’
But for three days they could not explain the riddle.

On the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, ‘Coax your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?’ So Samson’s wife wept before him, saying, ‘You hate me; you do not really love me. You have asked a riddle of my people, but you have not explained it to me.’ He said to her, ‘Look, I have not told my father or my mother. Why should I tell you?’ She wept before him for the seven days that their feast lasted; and because she nagged him, on the seventh day he told her. Then she explained the riddle to her people. The men of the town said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down,
‘What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?’
And he said to them,
‘If you had not ploughed with my heifer,
you would not have found out my riddle.’
Then the spirit of the Lord rushed on him, and he went down to Ashkelon. He killed thirty men of the town, took their spoil, and gave the festal garments to those who had explained the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father’s house.

HYMN: John Bunyan
Tune: Monks Gate https://tinyurl.com/y8at2r8c

1 Who would true valour see,
let him come hither;
one here will constant be,
come wind, come weather;
there’s no discouragement
shall make him once relent
his first avowed intent
to be a pilgrim.

2 Whoso beset him round
with dismal stories,
do but themselves confound,
his strength the more is.
No lion can him fright:
he’ll with a giant fight,
but he will have the right
to be a pilgrim.

3 Hobgoblin nor foul fiend
can daunt his spirit;
he knows he at the end
shall life inherit.
Then, fancies, fly away;
he’ll not fear what men say;
he’ll labour night and day
to be a pilgrim.

Reading: Romans 9:19-33 

You will say to me then, ‘Why then does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?’ But who indeed are you, a human being, to argue with God? Will what is moulded say to the one who moulds it, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one object for special use and another for ordinary use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the objects of wrath that are made for destruction; and what if he has done so in order to make known the riches of his glory for the objects of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— including us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? As indeed he says in Hosea,
‘Those who were not my people I will call “my people”,
   and her who was not beloved I will call “beloved”. ’
‘And in the very place where it was said to them, “You are not my people”,
   there they shall be called children of the living God.’

And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, ‘Though the number of the children of Israel were like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved; for the Lord will execute his sentence on the earth quickly and decisively.’ And as Isaiah predicted, ‘If the Lord of hosts had not left survivors to us, we would have fared like Sodom and been made like Gomorrah.’

What then are we to say? Gentiles, who did not strive for righteousness, have attained it, that is, righteousness through faith; but Israel, who did strive for the righteousness that is based on the law, did not succeed in fulfilling that law. Why not? Because they did not strive for it on the basis of faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling-stone, as it is written, ‘See, I am laying in Zion a stone that will make people stumble, a rock that will make them fall, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’

HYMN: Psalm 55:2; Psalm 16:8
Tune: from Mendelssohn’s Elijah https://tinyurl.com/y3dsre3g

Cast thy burden upon the Lord,
who ever sustains thee,
who never will suffer the righteous to fall,
and is at thy right hand.
Thy mercy, Lord, is great,
and far above the heav’ns.
Let none be made ashamed,
that wait upon thee.

Reading: Matthew 8:18-27

Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. A scribe then approached and said, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ Another of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A gale arose on the lake, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!’ And he said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you of little faith?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, ‘What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?’

CANTICLE Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55)
(Andrew Rottner: https://tinyurl.com/ybqv7yxk)

He who is mighty, has shown great strength to me
And his mercy is for those who fear his holy name
And he has shown strength with his arm and his law
And he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He who is mighty has brought the wicked shame
And his anger is for those who curse his holy name
And he has shown rage with the mighty in their thrones
And he has lifted the low into his glorious home

O my soul magnifies the Lord,
Yes my soul magnifies the Lord.

He who is mighty has not forgotten me
And his helping is for those to serve his holy name
He has shown remembrance with his servant Israel
And he spoke the promise from which all my doubts dispel

O my soul magnifies the Lord,
Yes my soul magnifies the Lord.
O my soul magnifies the Lord,
Yes my soul magnifies the Lord.

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. . . .

(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.

God, you call us to go where Christ leads.
Turn us from the ways of the world;
guide us to fullness of joy in the Spirit,
where bodies and souls rest secure;
and grant us strength
to follow the way of the cross,
which frees us to love one another
for the sake of all creation. 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.

^FAS For All the Saints, Revised Ed. © Anglican Church of Canada

^WS2 The Worship Sourcebook, 2^nd 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.