Oremus for Friday, March 19, 2021

Joseph of Nazareth
In the gospel of Matthew, Joseph is depicted as a good man, a working carpenter, who trusted in God. He received God’s messenger who shared with him God’s will for him and for Mary, to whom he was engaged to be married. Luke’s gospel describes how Joseph took the new-born child as if he were his own. He was with Mary when, on the fortieth day after the birth, Jesus was presented in the Temple, ‘where every first-born male is designated as holy to the Lord’. The adoption of Jesus by Joseph also established Jesus in the descent of David, to accord with the prophecy that Israel’s deliverer would be of the House and lineage of David. ^EH

Antiphon¹

Ant. The righteous man shall flourish like the palm tree;
he shall grow up like a cedar of Lebanon.
V. It is good to give thanks to the Lord, *
to make music to your name, O Most High,
to proclaim your loving mercy in the morning, *
and your truth in the watches of the night,
on the ten-stringed lyre and the lute, *
with the sound of song on the harp. Psalm 92

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/ufxekitx

God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory 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.

HYMN: Marty Haugen ©
Tune: https://tinyurl.com/v65u2n45

1 Let us build a house where love can dwell
and all can safely live,
a place where saints and children tell
how hearts learn to forgive.
Built of hopes and dreams and visions,
rock of faith and vault of grace;
here the love of Christ shall end divisions:

Refrain:
all are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.

2 Let us build a house where prophets speak,
and words are strong and true,
where all God’s children dare to seek
to dream God’s reign anew.
Here the cross shall stand as witness
and as symbol of God’s grace;
here as one we claim the faith of Jesus: [Refrain]

3 Let us build a house where love is found
in water, wine, and wheat:
a banquet hall on holy ground,
where peace and justice meet.
Here the love of God, through Jesus,
is revealed in time and space;
as we share in Christ the feast that frees us: [Refrain]

4 Let us build a house where hands will reach
beyond the wood and stone
to heal and strengthen, serve and teach,
and live the Word they’ve known.
Here the outcast and the stranger
bear the image of God’s face;
let us bring an end to fear and danger: [Refrain]

5 Let us build a house where all are named,
their songs and visions heard
and loved and treasured, taught and claimed
as words within the Word.
Built of tears and cries and laughter,
prayers of faith and songs of grace,
let this house proclaim from floor to rafter: [Refrain]

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 63:7-16

I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord,
   the praiseworthy acts of the Lord,
because of all that the Lord has done for us,
   and the great favour to the house of Israel
that he has shown them according to his mercy,
   according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
For he said, ‘Surely they are my people,
   children who will not deal falsely’;
and he became their saviour
   in all their distress.
It was no messenger or angel
   but his presence that saved them;
in his love and in his pity he redeemed them;
   he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

But they rebelled
   and grieved his holy spirit;
therefore he became their enemy;
   he himself fought against them.
Then they remembered the days of old,
   of Moses his servant.
Where is the one who brought them up out of the sea
   with the shepherds of his flock?
Where is the one who put within them
   his holy spirit,
who caused his glorious arm
   to march at the right hand of Moses,
who divided the waters before them
   to make for himself an everlasting name,
   who led them through the depths?
Like a horse in the desert,
   they did not stumble.
Like cattle that go down into the valley,
   the spirit of the Lord gave them rest.
Thus you led your people,
   to make for yourself a glorious name.

Look down from heaven and see,
   from your holy and glorious habitation.
Where are your zeal and your might?
   The yearning of your heart and your compassion?
   They are withheld from me.
For you are our father,
   though Abraham does not know us
   and Israel does not acknowledge us;
you, O Lord, are our father;
   our Redeemer from of old is your name.

HYMN: Julia C. Cory, alt.
Tune: Kremser https://tinyurl.com/dcx3rttv

1 We praise you, O God, our Redeemer, Creator;
in grateful devotion our tribute we bring;
we lay it before you; we kneel and adore you;
we bless your holy name: glad praises we sing.

2 We worship you, God of our fathers and mothers;
through life’s storm and tempest our guide you have been;
when perils o’ertake us, you never forsake us,
and with your help, O Lord, our battles we win.

3 With voices united our praises we offer,
our songs of thanksgiving to you we now raise;
your strong arm will guide us, our God is beside us,
to you, our great Redeemer, forever be praise!

Reading: Ephesians 3:14-21

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.

HYMN: Isaac Watts
Tune: Federal Street https://tinyurl.com/h2f32acm

1 Come, dearest Lord, descend and dwell
by faith and love in every breast;
then shall we know and taste and feel
the joys that cannot be expressed.

2 Come, fill our hearts with inward strength,
make our enlargèd souls possess
and learn the height and breadth and length
of thine immeasurable grace.

3 Now to the God whose power can do
more than our thoughts or wishes know,
be everlasting honours done
by all the church, through Christ his Son.

Reading: Matthew 1:18-25

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
   and they shall name him Emmanuel’,
which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

CANTICLE Philippians 2:6-11
(Chant by John Michael Talbot: https://tinyurl.com/y8ljx8y7)

Though he was in the form of God,
Jesus did not deem equality with God
something to be grasped at.
Rather, he emptied himself
and took the form of a slave,
being born in the likeness of men.
He was known to be of human estate
and it was thus that he humbled himself,
obediently accepting even death,
death on a cross!
Because of this,
God highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
above every other name,  
So that at Jesus’ name
every knee must bend
in the heavens, on the earth,
and under the earth,
and every tongue proclaim
to the glory of God the Father:  
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

THE PRAYERS ^{Universalis, alt.}

Whatever we do or say, let us do it in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father. Lord, hear us.

As Joseph believed what you had told him, and became the guardian of your only Son:  so may we put our faith in you, and receive the fulfilment of your promise. Lord, hear us.

Father, give us that faith which gives substance to our hopes,  and make us certain of realities we do not see. Lord, hear us.

Joseph took the child Jesus into his care, loving and accepting him as his own Son:  may we accept all that God gives us, and care for those entrusted to us. Lord, hear us.

You have given humankind authority over the work of your hands and invited us to share in your creation:  help us to accept our responsibility by working for your glory and the good of all. Lord, hear us.

Setting: Sanford Dole https://tinyurl.com/y7ldq7h5

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as 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 of grace,
give us the faith of Joseph
to see the Spirit’s work
where the world sees only shame;
to listen to the promise
and to awaken to the cry of life renewed and love reborn;
through Jesus Christ, the one who is to come. 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.

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

^EH Exciting Holiness, Ed. Brother Tristram SSF © European Province of the Society of Saint Francis, 1997

^PIC Prayers for an Inclusive Church, Steven Shakespeare, as altered in GS2016 Trial Use Collects, Anglican Church of Canada.

^Universalis https://universalis.com/20210319/lauds.htm

¹ Adam Bartlett, Simple English Propers; audio from https://musicasacra.com/additional-publications/sep-practice-videos/ ©

2 Eric Wyse, Lord’s Prayer, ©; audio from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_a40ME7aVk

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.