Oremus for Thursday, February 17, 2022

Janani Luwum

Janani Luwum
Janani Luwum was born in 1922 and became Bishop of Northern Uganda in 1969 and Archbishop of the Church of Uganda in 1974. He was murdered on the orders of President Idi Amin on 16 Febru-ary 1977. His death was a direct result of protests made by the Ugandan bishops about the abuse of human rights under Amin’s re-gime. With great courage he had carried a personal protest to the president on behalf of the Church of Uganda, knowing that in doing so he was probably signing his own death warrant. FATS

Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/2p9cmfae

Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed the man who seeks refuge in him. Psalm 34

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: Carolyn McDade ©
Tune: https://tinyurl.com/2p98whyv

Spirit of Life, come unto me.
Sing in my heart all the stirrings of compassion,
Blow in the wind, rise in the sea;
move in the hand, giving life the shape of justice.
Roots hold me close; wings set me free:
Spirit of life, come to me, come to me.

PSALMS

Psalm 89 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/ydygwbyj)
1  My song shall be alway of the loving kindness of the Lord *
 with my mouth will I ever be shewing thy truth
from one generation to another.
2  For I have said, Mercy shall be set up for ever *
 thy truth shalt thou stablish in the heavens.
3  I have made a covenant with my chosen *
 I have sworn unto David my servant;
4  Thy seed will I stablish for ever *
 and set up thy throne from one generation to another.
5  O Lord, the very heavens shall praise thy wondrous works *
 and thy truth in the congregation of the saints.
6  For who is he among the clouds *
 that shall be compared unto the Lord?
7  And what is he among the gods *
 that shall be like unto the Lord?
8  God is very greatly to be feared in the council of the saints *
 and to be had in reverence of all them that are round about him.
9  O Lord God of hosts, who is like unto thee *
 thy truth, most mighty Lord, is on every side.
10  Thou rulest the raging of the sea *
 thou stillest the waves thereof when they arise.
11  Thou hast subdued Egypt, and destroyed it *
 thou hast scattered thine enemies abroad with thy mighty arm.
12  The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine *
 thou hast laid the foundation of the round world, and all that therein is.
13  Thou hast made the north and the south *
 Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy Name.
14  Thou hast a mighty arm *
 strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
15  Righteousness and equity are the habitation of thy seat *
 mercy and truth shall go before thy face.
16  Blessed is the people, O Lord, that can rejoice in thee *
 they shall walk in the light of thy countenance.
17  Their delight shall be daily in thy Name *
 and in thy righteousness shall they make their boast.
18  For thou art the glory of their strength *
 and in thy loving-kindness thou shalt lift up our horns.
19  For the Lord is our defence *
 the Holy One of Israel is our King.
20  Thou spakest sometime in visions unto thy saints, and saidst *
 I have laid help upon one that is mighty;
I have exalted one chosen out of the people.
21  I have found David my servant *
 with my holy oil have I anointed him.
22  My hand shall hold him fast *
 and my arm shall strengthen him.
23  The enemy shall not be able to do him violence *
 the son of wickedness shall not hurt him.
24  I will smite down his foes before his face *
 and plague them that hate him.
25  My truth also and my mercy shall be with him *
 and in my Name shall his horn be exalted.
26  I will set his dominion also in the sea *
 and his right hand in the floods.
27  He shall call me, Thou art my Father *
 my God, and my strong salvation.
28  And I will make him my first-born *
 higher than the kings of the earth.
29  My mercy will I keep for him for evermore *
 and my covenant shall stand fast with him.
30  His seed also will I make to endure for ever *
 and his throne as the days of heaven.
31  But if his children forsake my law *
 and walk not in my judgements;
32  If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments *
 I will visit their offences with the rod, and their sin with scourges.
33  Nevertheless, my loving-kindness will I not utterly take from him *
 nor suffer my truth to fail.
34  My covenant will I not break,
nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips *
 I have sworn once by my holiness, that I will not fail David.
35  His seed shall endure for ever *
 and his seat is like as the sun before me.
36  He shall stand fast for evermore as the moon *
 and as the faithful witness in heaven.
37  But thou hast abhorred and forsaken thine Anointed *
 and art displeased at him.
38  Thou hast broken the covenant of thy servant *
 and cast his crown to the ground.
39  Thou hast overthrown all his hedges *
 and broken down his strong holds.
40  All they that go by spoil him *
 and he is become a reproach to his neighbours.
41  Thou hast set up the right hand of his enemies *
 and made all his adversaries to rejoice.
42  Thou hast taken away the edge of his sword *
 and givest him not victory in the battle.
43  Thou hast put out his glory *
 and cast his throne down to the ground.
44  The days of his youth hast thou shortened *
 and covered him with dishonour.
45  Lord, how long wilt thou hide thyself, for ever *
 and shall thy wrath burn like fire?
46  O remember how short my time is *
 wherefore hast thou made all men for nought?
47  What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death *
 and shall he deliver his soul from the hand of hell?
48  Lord, where are thy old loving-kindnesses *
 which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?
49  Remember, Lord, the rebuke that thy servants have *
 and how I do bear in my bosom the rebukes of many people;
50  Wherewith thine enemies have blasphemed thee, and slandered the footsteps of thine Anointed *
 Praised be the Lord for evermore. Amen, and Amen.
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 89 (Karl Kohlhase: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-89-KH.mp3)
I will sing of the LORD’s love forever,
tell your faithfulness to all generations.
Say “His love is established forever,
and his faithfulness set in the heavens.”
With my chosen one I made a covenant;
I have sworn to David My servant,
“I’ll establish your seed forever,
build your throne to all generations.”

I will establish his children forever,
and his throne like the days of heaven

LORD, the heavens will praise your wonders;
in the holy assembly Your faithfulness.
Who is like the LORD in the skies?
Or among the sons of the mighty?
A God greatly feared in the holy court,
and awesome above all around him?
O LORD God of hosts, who is like you?
Mighty LORD, surrounded by faithfulness.

You master the sea in its swelling,
when its waves rise up You still them;
Crushing Rahab like one who is slain;
with your strong arm scatter your foes
The heavens are yours, the earth also,
the world and all it contains,
Creating both north and south,
Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your name.

I will establish his children forever,
and his throne like the days of heaven

Your arm is strong, your hand mighty,
and your right hand is exalted.
Right and just the foundation of your throne;
love and truth proceed before you.
Blessed are they who know joyful shouting!
LORD, they walk by the light of your face.
In your name they’ll rejoice all day,
by your righteousness they are lifted.

For you are the glory of our strength,
by your favor our horn is exalted.
For our shield belongs to the LORD,
and our king to the Holy One of Israel.
Saying once to your saints in a vision,
“I will help a mighty one;
From the people I’ll lift up a chosen one;
then I found my servant, David.”

I will establish his children forever,
and his throne like the days of heaven

I anointed him with my holy oil,
my hand was set, and my arm gave strength.
His foe will not deceive him,
nor the son of wickedness hurt him;
I will crush his foes before him,
and strike all those who hate him.
Faithfulness and love will be with him;
in My name his horn will be lifted.

I will set his hand on the sea,
and his right hand on the rivers.
He will cry to me, ‘You are my Father;
my God, my rock of salvation.’
I will make him as my firstborn,
the highest of kings on the earth.
I will bear my love for him always,
my covenant shall be confirmed.

I will establish his children forever,
and his throne like the days of heaven

If his sons forsake my law,
not walking in my judgments;
If they violate my statutes,
not keeping my commandments,
I will punish their sins with the rod,
their iniquity with stripes;
but I will not break off my love,
nor will I betray my faithfulness.

I will not break off my covenant,
change the utterance of my lips
Once I have sworn by my holiness,
unto David I will not lie
His descendants shall last forever,
his throne like the sun before Me.
Like the moon established forever,
and the witness in the sky is faithful.

I will establish his children forever,
and his throne like the days of heaven

But you cast off and reject him,
full of wrath against your anointed.
You have spurned your servant’s covenant,
and profaned his crown in the dust.
You have broken down all his walls;
you have brought his strongholds to ruin.
All who pass his way now plunder him;
he’s become a reproach to his neighbors.

You exalt the hand of his enemies;
you have made his foes rejoice.
You turn back the edge of his sword,
and have not let him stand in the battle.
You have made his glory to cease,
and have cast his throne to the ground.
You have shortened the days of his youth;
you have covered him over with shame.

How long, O LORD will you hide yourself?
Will your anger burn like fire?
Remember the span of my life;
you create sons of men for such vanity
What man can live and not see death?
Spare his soul from Sheol’s power?
Lord, where are your former graces,
which you swore to David in faithfulness?

I will establish his children forever,
and his throne like the days of heaven

Lord, remember your servant’s reproach;
my heart bears from the nations,
with which your foes reproach, O LORD,
the steps of your anointed.

I will establish his children forever,
and his throne like the days of heaven
Blessed be the LORD, forever! Amen and Amen.

PRAYER

Remember us, gracious God,
when we cannot see your way and purpose,
and renew in us the joy of your kingdom of light and life.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen. BCW

THE WORD OF GOD

Reading: Genesis 32:3-21

Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, instructing them, ‘Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, “I have lived with Laban as an alien, and stayed until now; and I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male and female slaves; and I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may find favour in your sight.” 

The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, ‘We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.’ Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies, thinking, ‘If Esau comes to one company and destroys it, then the company that is left will escape.’

And Jacob said, ‘O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, “Return to your country and to your kindred, and I will do you good”, I am not worthy of the least of all the steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan; and now I have become two companies. Deliver me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him; he may come and kill us all, the mothers with the children. Yet you have said, “I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted because of their number.” 

So he spent that night there, and from what he had with him he took a present for his brother Esau, two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty milch camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. These he delivered into the hand of his servants, each drove by itself, and said to his servants, ‘Pass on ahead of me, and put a space between drove and drove.’ He instructed the foremost, ‘When Esau my brother meets you, and asks you, “To whom do you belong? Where are you going? And whose are these ahead of you?” then you shall say, “They belong to your servant Jacob; they are a present sent to my lord Esau; and moreover he is behind us.” ’ He likewise instructed the second and the third and all who followed the droves, ‘You shall say the same thing to Esau when you meet him, and you shall say, “Moreover your servant Jacob is behind us.” ’ For he thought, ‘I may appease him with the present that goes ahead of me, and afterwards I shall see his face; perhaps he will accept me.’ So the present passed on ahead of him; and he himself spent that night in the camp.

HYMN: Psalm 34; para. Marie J Post ©
Tune: Ratisbon https://tinyurl.com/2n3mtzt9

1 LORD, I bring my songs to you,
every day declaring praise.
All the meek shall hear my words
always telling of your ways.
Join with me your heart and voice,
praise the LORD, in him rejoice.

2 I sought God, he answered me;
he delivered me from fear.
Look to him; your face will shine,
free from shame and from despair.
Lo, the angel of our God
camps near those who fear the LORD.

3 Taste and see that God is good,
sheltering all who love his name.
Fear the LORD and heed his word;
those who fear him know no shame.
Lions young from hunger cry;
God his own will satisfy.

4 Come, my children, hear me speak.
This is how to fear the LORD:
If good days you would enjoy,
keep your tongue from lying words.
Turn from evil, do the good,
seek the peace that comes from God.

5 God the LORD sees all our needs;
he will answer us in grace.
But against all evil ones
God will surely turn his face.
When the contrite cry, he hears,
saving them and ending fears.

6 Though our troubles multiply,
God the LORD will save his own.
He will turn the wrong aside,
keep unbroken every bone.
Wicked ones the LORD condemns,
but his servants he defends.

Reading: Acts 19:23-40

About that time no little disturbance broke out concerning the Way. A man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the artisans. These he gathered together, with the workers of the same trade, and said, ‘Men, you know that we get our wealth from this business. You also see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost the whole of Asia this Paul has persuaded and drawn away a considerable number of people by saying that gods made with hands are not gods. And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be scorned, and she will be deprived of her majesty that brought all Asia and the world to worship her.’

When they heard this, they were enraged and shouted, ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’ The city was filled with the confusion; and people rushed together to the theatre, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s travelling-companions. Paul wished to go into the crowd, but the disciples would not let him; even some officials of the province of Asia, who were friendly to him, sent him a message urging him not to venture into the theatre. Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing, some another; for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. Some of the crowd gave instructions to Alexander, whom the Jews had pushed forward. And Alexander motioned for silence and tried to make a defence before the people. But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours all of them shouted in unison, ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’ But when the town clerk had quietened the crowd, he said, ‘Citizens of Ephesus, who is there that does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple-keeper of the great Artemis and of the statue that fell from heaven? Since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. You have brought these men here who are neither temple-robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess. If therefore Demetrius and the artisans with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges there against one another. If there is anything further you want to know, it must be settled in the regular assembly. For we are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.’

HYMN: Arthur T Pierson
Tune: Old 148th https://tinyurl.com/2rk3ntdm

1. The gospel of your grace
my stubborn heart has won,
for God so loved the world
he gave his only Son
so that whoever will believe
shall everlasting life receive!

2. The serpent lifted up
could life and healing give,
so Jesus on the cross
tells me to look and live;
he says whoever will believe
shall everlasting life receive!

3. The soul that sins shall die!
My awful doom I heard;
I was for ever lost
but for your gracious word,
which says whoever will believe
shall everlasting life receive!

4. Not to condemn the world
the Man of sorrows came,
but that the world might have
salvation through his name,
because whoever will believe
shall everlasting life receive!

5. Then help my unbelief
and grant me faith, O Lord,
to rest with child-like trust
upon your gospel word,
because whoever will believe
shall everlasting life receive!

Reading: John 3:7-15

Jesus said, ‘Do not be astonished that I said to you, “You must be born from above.” The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can these things be?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

‘Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.’

CANTICLE Deuteronomy 32:1-12
(Luke Brawner https://tinyurl.com/ybe98e62)

Give ear, O Heaven, and I will speak
Let the earth hear the words of my mouth
May my song fall soft like gentle rains
Upon the tender grass

Refrain:
(I will) proclaim the name of the Lord
(I will) ascribe greatness to our God
(I will) proclaim the name of the Lord
(I will) ascribe greatness to our God, greatness to our God

His work is perfect, his ways are just
without iniquity.
The Rock, a God of faithfulness
upright and just is he. Refrain
Rejoice with him, O heavens
Bow down to him, all gods
for he alone is worthy of your praise.
Rejoice with him, O heavens
Bow down to him, all gods
for he alone is worthy of your praise
for he alone is worthy of your praise.

Proclaim the name of the Lord.
O ascribe greatness to our God.
Proclaim the name of the Lord.
Ascribe greatness to our God, greatness to our God.

THE PRAYERS BCW

We give you our praise and thanks, O God, for all gifts of love we have received
from you, and for your persistent mercy in Jesus Christ.
Especially we thank you for
work we have accomplished pleasing to you . . .
the faithful witness of Christian people . . .
the example of righteousness we see in parents and teachers . . .
the innocence and openness we see in children . . .
all works of Christian compassion. . . .

We give you our cares and concerns, O God, because we know you are kind and
care for your children in every circumstance. Especially we pray for
those who struggle with doubt and despair . . .
people afflicted with disease . . .
those called to special ministries . . .
people neglected or abused . . .
Anabaptist, Disciples of Christ, and other free churches. . . .

(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 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.

Everliving God,
you gave to Janani Luwum
an infectious enthusiasm for your gospel
and courage to proclaim a prophet’s word
at the cost of his life;
give us zeal in your service
and hope in the face of adversity;
through Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen. FATS

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 done on a volunteer basis. If you are able, please consider supporting this work at the PayPal link below. For software reasons, I’ve set the value at $10.00, but feel free to change it. Thank you.

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BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.

FATS For All the Saints, © The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, 2014

The 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 Psalm 89 is 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 © 2022 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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