Ascension Day
Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/47syb79m
You kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;
praise the Lord, who ascends above the highest heavens;
his majesty and might are in the skies, alleluia.
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/mb6h9xfa
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall declare your praise.
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.
Alleluia, alleluia!
HYMN: Charles Wesley
Tune: Llanfair https://tinyurl.com/45v5phet
1 Hail the day that sees him rise, Alleluia!
to his throne beyond the skies. Alleluia!
Christ, the Lamb for sinners given, Alleluia!
enters now the highest heaven. Alleluia!
2 There for him high triumph waits; Alleluia!
lift your heads, eternal gates. Alleluia!
He has conquered death and sin; Alleluia!
take the King of glory in. Alleluia!
3 Highest heaven its Lord receives; Alleluia!
yet he loves the earth he leaves. Alleluia!
Though returning to his throne, Alleluia!
still he calls us all his own. Alleluia!
4 See, he lifts his hands above; Alleluia!
see, he shews the prints of love; Alleluia!
hark, his gracious lips bestow, Alleluia!
blessings on his church below. Alleluia!
5 Still for us he intercedes;
his atoning death he pleads, Alleluia!
near himself prepares our place, Alleluia!
he the firstfruits of our race. Alleluia!
6 There we shall with you remain, Alleluia!
partners of your endless reign. Alleluia!
There thy face unclouded see, Alleluia!
Find our heav’n of heav’ns in thee! Alleluia!
PSALMS
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.
Psalm 8 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-8.mp3)
1 O LORD our Governor, *
how exalted is your Name in all the world!
2 Out of the mouths of infants and children *
your majesty is praised above the heavens.
3 You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries, *
to quell the enemy and the avenger.
4 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, *
the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,
5 What is man that you should be mindful of him? *
the son of man that you should seek him out?
6 You have made him but little lower than the angels; *
you adorn him with glory and honor;
7 You give him mastery over the works of your hands; *
you put all things under his feet:
8 All sheep and oxen, *
even the wild beasts of the field,
9 The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, *
and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea.
10 O LORD our Governor, *
how exalted is your Name in all the world!
Psalm 15 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y88d98g2)
1 Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle *
or who shall rest upon thy holy hill?
2 Even he that leadeth an uncorrupt life *
and doeth the thing which is right,
and speaketh the truth from his heart.
3 He that hath used no deceit in his tongue,
nor done evil to his neighbour *
and hath not slandered his neighbour.
4 He that setteth not by himself,
but is lowly in his own eyes *
and maketh much of them that fear the Lord.
5 He that sweareth unto his neighbour,
and disappointeth him not *
though it were to his own hindrance.
6 He that hath not given his money upon usury *
nor taken reward against the innocent.
7 Whoso doeth these things *
shall never fall.
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 15 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-15-1.mp3)
1 LORD, who may dwell in your tabernacle? *
who may abide upon your holy hill?
2 Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right, *
who speaks the truth from his heart.
3 There is no guile upon his tongue;
he does no evil to his friend; *
he does not heap contempt upon his neighbor.
4 In his sight the wicked is rejected, *
but he honors those who fear the LORD.
5 He has sworn to do no wrong *
and does not take back his word.
6 He does not give his money in hope of gain, *
nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.
7 Whoever does these things *
shall never be overthrown.
Psalm 21 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/yccrfx9l)
1 The King shall rejoice in thy strength, O Lord *
exceeding glad shall he be of thy salvation.
2 Thou hast given him his heart’s desire *
and hast not denied him the request of his lips.
3 For thou shalt prevent him with the blessings of goodness *
and shalt set a crown of pure gold upon his head.
4 He asked life of thee, and thou gavest him a long life *
even for ever and ever.
5 His honour is great in thy salvation *
glory and great worship shalt thou lay upon him.
6 For thou shalt give him everlasting felicity *
and make him glad with the joy of thy countenance.
7 And why? because the King putteth his trust in the Lord *
and in the mercy of the most Highest he shall not miscarry.
8 All thine enemies shall feel thine hand *
thy right hand shall find out them that hate thee.
9 Thou shalt make them like a fiery oven in time of thy wrath *
the Lord shall destroy them in his displeasure,
and the fire shall consume them.
10 Their fruit shalt thou root out of the earth *
and their seed from among the children of men.
11 For they intended mischief against thee *
and imagined such a device as they are not able to perform.
12 Therefore shalt thou put them to flight *
and the strings of thy bow shalt thou make ready
against the face of them.
13 Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength *
so will we sing, and praise thy power.
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 21 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-21-MH.mp3)
2 O Lord, your strength gives joy to the King; how your saving help makes him glad!
3 You have granted him his heart’s desire;
you have not refused the prayer of his lips.
4 You came to meet him with the blessings of success,
you have set on his head a crown of pure gold.
5 He asked you for life and this you have given,
days that will last from age to age.
6 Your saving help has given him glory.
You have laid upon him majesty and splendor,
7 you have granted your blessings to him forever.
You have made him rejoice with the joy of your presence.
8 The king has put his trust in the Lord:
through the mercy of the Most High he shall stand firm.
9 His hand will seek and find all his foes,
his right hand find out those that hate him.
10 You will burn them like a blazing furnace
on the day when you appear.
And the Lord will destroy them in his anger;
fire will swallow them up.
11 You will wipe out their race from the earth
and their children from the sons of men.
12 Though they plan evil against you,
though they plot, they shall not prevail.
13 For you will force them to retreat;
at them you will aim with your bow.
14 O Lord, arise in your strength;
we shall sing and praise your power.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
PRAYER
Loving God,
glorious in giving and restoring life,
do not hide your face from your people overcome with loneliness and fear.
Turn our weeping into dancing,
our despair into joy,
and raise us up with Christ,
that we may rejoice in your presence forever. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
Reading: Daniel 7:9-14
As I watched,
thrones were set in place,
and an Ancient One took his throne;
his clothing was white as snow,
and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames,
and its wheels were burning fire.
A stream of fire issued
and flowed out from his presence.
A thousand thousand served him,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him.
The court sat in judgement,
and the books were opened.
I watched then because of the noise of the arrogant words that the horn was speaking. And as I watched, the beast was put to death, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. As I watched in the night visions,
I saw one like a human being
coming with the clouds of heaven.
And he came to the Ancient One
and was presented before him.
To him was given dominion
and glory and kingship,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not pass away,
and his kingship is one
that shall never be destroyed.
HYMN: William Croswell Doane
Tune: L’Omnipotent https://tinyurl.com/2pxsf7fj
1 Ancient of Days, who sittest throned in glory,
to thee all knees are bent, all voices pray;
thy love has blessed the wide world’s wondrous story
with light and life since Eden’s dawning day.
2 O Holy Father, who hast led thy children
in all the ages, with the fire and cloud,
through seas dry-shod, through weary wastes bewild’ring
to thee, in rev’rent love, our hearts are bowed.
3 O Holy Jesus, Prince of Peace and Savior,
to thee we owe the peace that still prevails,
stilling the rude wills of our wild behavior,
and calming passion’s fierce and stormy gales.
4 O Holy Ghost, the Lord and the Life-giver,
thine is the quickening power that gives increase;
from thee have flowed, as from a pleasant river,
our plenty, wealth, prosperity, and peace.
5 O Triune God, with heart and voice adoring,
praise we the goodness that doth crown our days;
pray we that thou wilt hear us, still imploring
thy love and favor, kept to us always.
Reading: Acts 1:1-11
In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over the course of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. ‘This’, he said, ‘is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’
So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’
HYMN: Timothy Dudley-Smith ©
Tune: Iste Confessor https://tinyurl.com/xpaw9d7f
1 Christ high ascended, now in glory seated,
Throned and exalted, victory completed,
Death’s dread dominion finally defeated,
We are his witnesses.
2 Christ from the Father ev’ry pow’r possessing,
Who on his chosen lifted hands in blessing,
Sends forth his servants, still in faith confessing,
We are his witnesses.
3 Christ, who in dying won for us salvation,
Lives now the firstborn of the new creation;
To win disciples out of ev’ry nation,
We are his witnesses.
4 Christ in his splendor, all dominion gaining,
Christ with his people evermore remaining,
Christ to all ages gloriously reigning,
We are his witnesses.
5 As at his parting, joy shall banish grieving,
Faith in his presence strengthen our believing;
Filled with his Spirit, love and pow’r receiving,
We are his witnesses.
Reading: Luke 24:44-53
Then Jesus said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’
Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.
CANTICLE Revelation 5:12-14 (LBW)
(Mark Mummert ELW Setting 1: https://tinyurl.com/rszj732y)
Refrain:
This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
1 Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain,
whose blood set us free to be people of God.
2 Power, riches, wisdom, and strength,
and honor, blessing, and glory are his. [Refrain]
3 Sing with all the people of God,
and join in the hymn of all creation.
4 Blessing, honor, glory, and might
be to God and the Lamb forever. Amen. [Refrain]
5 For the Lamb who was slain
has begun his reign. Alleluia. [Refrain]
THE PRAYERS CW:TS
Let us join our prayers with those of our Saviour Christ,
seeking the Father’s blessing and the gifts of the Spirit.
Jesus Christ, great high priest,
living for ever to intercede for us,
pray for the Church, your broken body in the world …
Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.
Jesus Christ, king of righteousness,
enthroned at the right hand of the majesty on high,
pray for the world, and make it subject to your gentle rule …
Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.
Jesus Christ, Son of Man,
drawing humanity into the life of God,
pray for your brothers and sisters in need, distress or sorrow …
Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.
Jesus Christ, pioneer of our salvation,
bringing us to glory through your death and resurrection,
surround with your saints and angels
those who have died trusting your promises …
Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.
Jesus Christ, Lord over all things,
ascended far above the heavens and filling the universe,
pray for us who receive the gifts you give us for work in your service …
Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.
Jesus Christ,
keep the Church in the unity of the Spirit and in the bond of peace,
and bring the whole created order to worship at your feet;
for you are alive and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Setting by Eric Wyse:2
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.
Precious love,
your ascended Son promised the gift of holy power.
Send your Spirit of revelation and wisdom,
that in the blessed freedom of hope,
we may witness to the grace of forgiveness
and sing songs of joy with the peoples of earth
to the One who makes us one body. Amen. RCLP
https://tinyurl.com/rkxkpmc
Go in peace, alleluia, alleluia!
Thanks be to God, alleluia, alleluia!
Glory to God whose power, working in us,
can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine:
Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church,
and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21
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BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.
RCLP Revised Common Lectionary Prayers. © 2002 Consultation on Common Texts admin. Augsburg Fortress.
CW:TS Common Worship: Times and Seasons, material from which is included here,
is copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2006 and published by Church House Publishing.
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 traditional language psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The modern language version of Psalms 8 and 15 is from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and are sung by Ryland Angel. Psalm 21 is from The Grail Psalter and are from the Manual Hopper YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/manualhopper/featured.
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 © 2021 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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