Oremus for Thursday, August 12, 2021

Florence Nightingale, Henry Hering, 1860

Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale was born in 1820 into a wealthy family. In the face of their opposition, she insisted that she wished to train in nursing. In 1853, she finally achieved her wish and headed her own private nursing institute in London. Her efforts at improving conditions for the wounded during the Crimean War won her great acclaim and she devoted the rest of her life to reforming nursing care. Her school at St Thomas’s Hospital became significant in helping to elevate nursing into a profession. An Anglican, she remained committed to a personal mystical religion which sustained her through many years of poor health until her death in 1910. EH

Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/492hwvfc

Let them thank the Lord for his mercy,
his wonders for the children of men,
for he satisfies the thirsty soul,
and the hungry he fills with good things. Psalm 107

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: Henry Twells
Tune: Angelus https://tinyurl.com/t6hjuwb2

1 At even, ere the sun was set,
the sick, O Lord, around thee lay;
O in what divers pains they met!
O with what joy they went away!

2 Once more ’tis eventide, and we
oppressed with various ills draw near;
what if thy form we cannot see?
we know and feel that thou art here.

3 O Saviour Christ, our woes dispel;
for some are sick, and some are sad,
and some have never loved thee well,
and some have lost the love they had;

4 And some have found the world is vain,
yet from the world they break not free;
and some have friends who give them pain,
yet have not sought a friend in thee;

5 And none, O Lord, have perfect rest,
for none are wholly free from sin;
and they who fain would serve thee best
are conscious most of wrong within.

6 O Saviour Christ, thou too art man;
thou hast been troubled, tempted, tried;
thy kind but searching glance can scan
the very wounds that shame would hide.

7 Thy touch has still its ancient power;
no word from thee can fruitless fall:
Hear, in this solemn evening hour,
and in thy mercy heal us all.

PSALMS

Psalm 65 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y9fmulwv)
1  Thou, O God, art praised in Sion *
 and unto thee shall the vow be performed in Jerusalem.
2  Thou that hearest the prayer *
 unto thee shall all flesh come.
3  My misdeeds prevail against me *
 O be thou merciful unto our sins.
4  Blessed is the man, whom thou choosest, and receivest unto thee *
 he shall dwell in thy court, and shall be satisfied
with the pleasures of thy house, even of thy holy temple.
5  Thou shalt shew us wonderful things in thy righteousness,
O God of our salvation *
 thou that art the hope of all the ends of the earth,
and of them that remain in the broad sea.
6  Who in his strength setteth fast the mountains *
 and is girded about with power.
7  Who stilleth the raging of the sea *
 and the noise of his waves, and the madness of the people.
8  They also that dwell in the uttermost parts of the earth shall be afraid at thy tokens *
 thou that makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to praise thee.
9  Thou visitest the earth, and blessest it *
 thou makest it very plenteous.
10  The river of God is full of water *
 thou preparest their corn, for so thou providest for the earth.
11  Thou waterest her furrows,
thou sendest rain into the little valleys thereof *
 thou makest it soft with the drops of rain, and blessest the increase of it.
12  Thou crownest the year with thy goodness *
 and thy clouds drop fatness.
13  They shall drop upon the dwellings of the wilderness *
 and the little hills shall rejoice on every side.
14  The folds shall be full of sheep *
 the valleys also shall stand so thick with corn,
that they shall laugh and sing.
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 65 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-65.mp3)
1 You are to be praised, O God, in Zion; *
to you shall vows be performed in Jerusalem.
2 To you that hear prayer shall all flesh come, *
because of their transgressions.
3 Our sins are stronger than we are, *
but you will blot them out.
4 Happy are they whom you choose
and draw to your courts to dwell there! *
they will be satisfied by the beauty of your house,
by the holiness of your temple.
5 Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness,
O God of our salvation, *
O Hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the seas that are far away.
6 You make fast the mountains by your power; *
they are girded about with might.
7 You still the roaring of the seas, *
the roaring of their waves,
and the clamor of the peoples.
8 Those who dwell at the ends of the earth will tremble at your
 marvelous signs; *
you make the dawn and the dusk to sing for joy.
9 You visit the earth and water it abundantly;
you make it very plenteous; *
the river of God is full of water.
10 You prepare the grain, *
for so you provide for the earth.
11 You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges; *
with heavy rain you soften the ground and bless its increase.
12 You crown the year with your goodness, *
and your paths overflow with plenty.
13 May the fields of the wilderness be rich for grazing, *
and the hills be clothed with joy.
14 May the meadows cover themselves with flocks,
and the valleys cloak themselves with grain; *
let them shout for joy and sing.
| 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.

Psalm 66 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/ybnhonff)
1  O be joyful in God, all ye lands *
 sing praises unto the honour of his Name,
make his praise to be glorious.
2  Say unto God, O how wonderful art thou in thy works *
 through the greatness of thy power
shall thine enemies be found liars unto thee.
3  For all the world shall worship thee *
 sing of thee, and praise thy Name.
4  O come hither, and behold the works of God *
 how wonderful he is in his doing toward the children of men.
5  He turned the sea into dry land *
 so that they went through the water on foot; there did we rejoice thereof.
6  He ruleth with his power for ever; his eyes behold the people *
 and such as will not believe shall not be able to exalt themselves.
7  O praise our God, ye people *
 and make the voice of his praise to be heard;
8  Who holdeth our soul in life *
 and suffereth not our feet to slip.
9  For thou, O God, hast proved us *
 thou also hast tried us, like as silver is tried.
10  Thou broughtest us into the snare *
 and laidest trouble upon our loins.
11  Thou sufferedst men to ride over our heads *
 we went through fire and water,
and thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.
12  I will go into thine house with burnt-offerings *
 and will pay thee my vows, which I promised with my lips,
and spake with my mouth, when I was in trouble.
13  I will offer unto thee fat burnt-sacrifices, with the incense of rams *
 I will offer bullocks and goats.
14  O come hither, and hearken, all ye that fear God *
 and I will tell you what he hath done for my soul.
15  I called unto him with my mouth *
 and gave him praises with my tongue.
16  If I incline unto wickedness with mine heart *
 the Lord will not hear me.
17  But God hath heard me *
 and considered the voice of my prayer.
18  Praised be God who hath not cast out my prayer *
 nor turned his mercy from me.
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 66
[Karl Kohlhase http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-66-Kohlhase.mp3)
Refrain:
Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth,
sing the glory of his name;
give unto him glorious praise

Say to God, “How awesome are your works,
Your pow’r is so great that your enemies cringe
All of the earth shall worship you;
They sing praises, sing praises to your name
Come and see what our God has done;
he is awesome in his deeds among men
He turned the sea into dry land;
men passed through the river on foot
There did we rejoice in him,
who rules by His might forever
Whose eyes keep watch o’er the nations,
so rebels may not exalt themselves [Refrain]

Bless our God, all you people,
let the sound of His praises be heard
For He has kept us among the living,
and has not allowed our feet to slip
O God, even though You have tried us,
You have tested like silver is tested
You have led us through fire and through water,
and brought us to the land of abundance
I will come into Your house,
with burnt offerings I will pay my vows
Those which my lips have spoken,
and my mouth promised You in the midst of troubles [Refrain]

Yes, I will offer unto You, burnt offerings of the fatlings
And with the smoke of sacrificial rams,
I’ll bring offerings of bulls and of goats
Come and hear, all you who fear God,
I will tell what He has done for me
I cried aloud unto Him;
He was highly praised with my tongue
Had I clung to sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened
But truly God has listened,
and has heard the sound of my prayer
Bless God who rejected not my prayer
nor removed His love from me [Refrain]

Psalm 67 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y7vuwqcm)
1  God be merciful unto us, and bless us *
 and shew us the light of his countenance, and be merciful unto us;
2  That thy way may be known upon earth *
 thy saving health among all nations.
3  Let the people praise thee, O God *
 yea, let all the people praise thee.
4  O let the nations rejoice and be glad *
 for thou shalt judge the folk righteously, and govern the nations upon earth.
5  Let the people praise thee, O God *
 let all the people praise thee.
6  Then shall the earth bring forth her increase *
 and God, even our own God, shall give us his blessing.
7  God shall bless us *
 and all the ends of the world shall fear 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.

Psalm 67 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-67.mp3)
1 May God be merciful to us and bless us, *
show us the light of his countenance and come to us.
2 Let your ways be known upon earth, *
your saving health among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, *
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide all the nations upon earth.
5 Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
6 The earth has brought forth her increase; *
may God, our own God, give us his blessing.
7 May God give us his blessing, *
and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe of him.
| 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.

PRAYER

Light of the world,
you have come into the world’s darkness
and the darkness cannot overwhelm the light.
Let your holy name be known through all the earth,
that all people and nations may praise you
and walk in your ways;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCW

THE WORD OF GOD

Reading: 2 Samuel 17:1-23

Moreover, Ahithophel said to Absalom, ‘Let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will set out and pursue David tonight. I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged, and throw him into a panic; and all the people who are with him will flee. I will strike down only the king, and I will bring all the people back to you as a bride comes home to her husband. You seek the life of only one man, and all the people will be at peace.’ The advice pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel.

Then Absalom said, ‘Call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear too what he has to say.’ When Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom said to him, ‘This is what Ahithophel has said; shall we do as he advises? If not, you tell us.’ Then Hushai said to Absalom, ‘This time the counsel that Ahithophel has given is not good.’ Hushai continued, ‘You know that your father and his men are warriors, and that they are enraged, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. Besides, your father is expert in war; he will not spend the night with the troops. Even now he has hidden himself in one of the pits, or in some other place. And when some of our troops fall at the first attack, whoever hears it will say, “There has been a slaughter among the troops who follow Absalom.” Then even the valiant warrior, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will utterly melt with fear; for all Israel knows that your father is a warrior, and that those who are with him are valiant warriors. But my counsel is that all Israel be gathered to you, from Dan to Beer-sheba, like the sand by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person. So we shall come upon him in whatever place he may be found, and we shall light on him as the dew falls on the ground; and he will not survive, nor will any of those with him. If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we shall drag it into the valley, until not even a pebble is to be found there.’ Absalom and all the men of Israel said, ‘The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.’ For the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring ruin on Absalom.

Then Hushai said to the priests Zadok and Abiathar, ‘Thus and so did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and so I have counselled. Therefore send quickly and tell David, “Do not lodge tonight at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means cross over; otherwise the king and all the people who are with him will be swallowed up.” ’ Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En-rogel; a servant-girl used to go and tell them, and they would go and tell King David; for they could not risk being seen entering the city. But a boy saw them, and told Absalom; so both of them went away quickly, and came to the house of a man at Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard; and they went down into it. The man’s wife took a covering, stretched it over the well’s mouth, and spread out grain on it; and nothing was known of it. When Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house, they said, ‘Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?’ The woman said to them, ‘They have crossed over the brook of water.’ And when they had searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

After they had gone, the men came up out of the well, and went and told King David. They said to David, ‘Go and cross the water quickly; for thus and so has Ahithophel counselled against you.’ So David and all the people who were with him set out and crossed the Jordan; by daybreak not one was left who had not crossed the Jordan.

When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and went off home to his own city. He set his house in order, and hanged himself; he died and was buried in the tomb of his father.

HYMN: Charles Wesley
Tune: Aberystwyth https://tinyurl.com/3najnw4n

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: Romans 16:1-16

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church at Cenchreae, so that you may welcome her in the Lord as is fitting for the saints, and help her in whatever she may require from you, for she has been a benefactor of many and of myself as well.

Greet Prisca and Aquila, who work with me in Christ Jesus, and who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert in Asia for Christ. Greet Mary, who has worked very hard among you. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives who were in prison with me; they are prominent among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. Greet my relative Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; and greet his mother—a mother to me also. Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who are with them. Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

HYMN: Frances Ridley Havergal
Tune: Llef https://tinyurl.com/3efmsccd

1 Lord, speak to me, that I may speak
in living echoes of thy tone;
as thou hast sought, so let me seek
thy erring children lost and lone.

2 O lead me, Lord, that I may lead
the wandering and the wavering feet;
O feed me, Lord, that I may feed
thy hungering ones with manna sweet.

3 O strengthen me, that, while I stand
firm on the rock, and strong in thee,
I may stretch out a loving hand
to wrestlers with the troubled sea.

4 O teach me, Lord, that I may teach
the precious things thou dost impart;
and wing my words, that they may reach
the hidden depths of many a heart.

5 O give thine own sweet rest to me,
that I may speak with soothing power
a word in season, as from thee,
to weary ones in needful hour.

6 O use me, Lord, use even me,
just as thou wilt, and when, and where,
until thy blessèd face I see,
thy rest, thy joy, thy glory share.

Reading: Luke 4:38-44

After leaving the synagogue he entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked him about her. Then he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately she got up and began to serve them.

As the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various kinds of diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on each of them and cured them. Demons also came out of many, shouting, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Messiah.

At daybreak he departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowds were looking for him; and when they reached him, they wanted to prevent him from leaving them. But he said to them, ‘I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.’ So he continued proclaiming the message in the synagogues of Judea.

CANTICLE Revelation 15:3-4
(Setting: Peter La Grand https://tinyurl.com/wvxnqrj)

You alone are holy
You alone are holy
Great and marvelous are your deeds
For you alone are holy

Who will not fear you O Lord?
And bring glory to your name
Just and true are you ways
King of the ages

All nations will come and worship you
For you alone are holy

All your righteous ways have been seen
For you alone are holy 

THE PRAYERS PWC

Send forth your strength, O God;
establish what you have wrought in us.
Uphold all those who fall
and raise up those who are bowed down.
Open the eyes of the blind
and set the prisoners free.
Sustain the orphan and widowed
and give food to those who hunger.
Grant them the joy of your help again
and sustain them with your Spirit.
Giver of peace, judge the peoples
and take all nations for your own.

(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.

Life-giving God, you alone have power over life and death, over health and sickness: Give power, wisdom, and gentleness to those who follow the lead of Florence Nightingale, that they, bearing with them your presence, may not only heal but bless, and shine as lanterns of hope in the darkest hours of pain and fear; through Jesus Christ, the healer of body and soul, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.HWHM

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


Support this ministry

Since 1993, Oremus has been sent daily to hundreds of people around the world. It is done entirely on a volunteer basis and the resources are purchased by Steve with his own funds. If you could support this ministry, I would appreciate it. Thank you advance.

$10.00

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

DL © Daniel Lawson; used with permission.

PWC PRAY WITHOUT CEASING: Morning and Evening Prayer for the Seasons of the Church Year Prepared by The Rev’d Dr Richard Geoffrey Leggett on behalf of The Liturgy Task Force of the Anglican Church of Canada, May 2016.

HWHM Holy Women, Holy Men © Church Publishing, Inc.

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 traditional-language psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The modern versions of Psalms 65 and 67 are from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and are chanted by Ryland Angel. Psalm 66 is in the version sung by Karl Kohlhase http://www.k4communications.com/karl/index.html.

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.

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s

%d bloggers like this: