Oremus for Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Within your will, O Lord, all things are established,
and there is none that can resist your will.
For you have made all things, the heaven and the earth,
and all that is held within the circle of heaven;
you are the Lord of all. Esther 4

Gracious God,
our sins are too heavy to carry,
too real to hide,
and too deep to undo.
Forgive what our lips tremble to name,
what our hearts can no longer bear,
and what has become for us
a consuming fire of judgment.
Set us free from a past that we cannot change;
open to us a future in which we can be changed;
and grant us grace
to grow more and more in your likeness and image;
through Jesus Christ, the light of the world. Amen. ^BCW

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: Fred Kaan ©
Tune: Merton https://tinyurl.com/2s39ww9y

1 God, when human bonds are broken
and we lack the love or skill
to restore the hope of healing,
give us grace and make us still.

2 Through that stillness, with your Spirit
come into our world of stress,
for the sake of Christ forgiving
all the failures we confess.

3 You in us are bruised and broken:
hear us as we seek release
from the pain of earlier living;
set us free and grant us peace.

4 Send us, God of new beginnings,
humbly hopeful into life.
Use us as a means of blessing:
make us stronger, give us faith.

5 Give us faith to be more faithful,
give us hope to be more true,
give us love to go on learning:
God, encourage and renew!

PSALMS

Psalm 79 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/ssjuezl)
1  O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance *
thy holy temple have they defiled,
and made Jerusalem an heap of stones.
2  The dead bodies of thy servants have they given
to be meat unto the fowls of the air *
and the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the land.
3  Their blood have they shed like water on every side of Jerusalem *
and there was no man to bury them.
4  We are become an open shame to our enemies *
a very scorn and derision unto them that are round about us.
5  Lord, how long wilt thou be angry *
shall thy jealousy burn like fire for ever?
6  Pour out thine indignation upon the heathen
that have not known thee *
and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy Name.
7  For they have devoured Jacob *
and laid waste his dwelling-place.
8  O remember not our old sins, but have mercy upon us, and that soon *
for we are come to great misery.
9  Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy Name *
O deliver us, and be merciful unto our sins, for thy Name’s sake.
10  Wherefore do the heathen say *
Where is now their God?
11  O let the vengeance of thy servants’ blood that is shed *
be openly shewed upon the heathen in our sight.
12  O let the sorrowful sighing of the prisoners come before thee *
according to the greatness of thy power,
preserve thou those that are appointed to die.
13  And for the blasphemy
wherewith our neighbours have blasphemed thee *
reward thou them, O Lord, seven-fold into their bosom.
14  So we, that are thy people, and sheep of thy pasture,
shall give thee thanks for ever *
and will alway be shewing forth thy praise from generation to generation.
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 79 (Sons of Korah: https://tinyurl.com/xsyj848h)
O, God the nations have
Invaded your inheritance
Defiled your holy temple
Destroyed your city
As food to wild animals
They were given over
They poured out blood like water
Around Jerusalem

How long? How long?
How long? (How long, how long, O Lord)
How long? (How long, how long, O Lord)

We are objects of reproach
To our neighbors
Scorn and derision
To those around us
Pour upon the enemy
Who will not acknowledge you
Your anger on the kingdom
For they devoured us

How long? (How long, how long, O Lord)
How long? (How long, how long, O Lord)

Do not hold against us
The sins of the fathers
May your mercy quickly come
For we are in need
Help us God our Savior
For the glory of your name
Deliver and forgive us
For your name’s sake
Why should the nations say
‘Where is their God today?’
Before our eyes, make known to them
That you avenge us

How long, O, Lord
Will you be angry?
How long, Lord
Will your jealousy burn?

The groans of the prisoners
May they come before you
By the strength of your arm
Preserve those condemned to die
Pay back our enemies
They’re taunting toward you lord
And lead your flock, who praise you
For every
Every generation

Psalm 80 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/ry2whon)
1  Hear, O thou Shepherd of Israel,
thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep *
shew thyself also, thou that sittest upon the cherubims.
2  Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasses *
stir up thy strength, and come, and help us.
3  Turn us again, O God *
shew the light of thy countenance, and we shall be whole.
4  O Lord God of hosts *
how long wilt thou be angry with thy people that prayeth?
5  Thou feedest them with the bread of tears *
and givest them plenteousness of tears to drink.
6  Thou hast made us a very strife unto our neighbours *
and our enemies laugh us to scorn.
7  Turn us again, thou God of hosts *
shew the light of thy countenance, and we shall be whole.
8  Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt *
thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
9  Thou madest room for it *
and when it had taken root it filled the land.
10  The hills were covered with the shadow of it *
and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedar-trees.
11  She stretched out her branches unto the sea *
and her boughs unto the river.
12  Why hast thou then broken down her hedge *
that all they that go by pluck off her grapes?
13  The wild boar out of the wood doth root it up *
and the wild beasts of the field devour it.
14  Turn thee again, thou God of hosts, look down from heaven *
behold, and visit this vine;
15  And the place of the vineyard that thy right hand hath planted *
and the branch that thou madest so strong for thyself.
16  It is burnt with fire, and cut down *
and they shall perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.
17  Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand *
and upon the son of man,
whom thou madest so strong for thine own self.
18  And so will not we go back from thee *
O let us live, and we shall call upon thy Name.
19  Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts *
shew the light of thy countenance, and we shall be whole.
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 80 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-80.mp3)
1 Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock; *
shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim.
2 In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, *
stir up your strength and come to help us.
3 Restore us, O God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
4 O LORD God of hosts, *
how long will you be angered
despite the prayers of your people?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears; *
you have given them bowls of tears to drink.
6 You have made us the derision of our neighbors, *
and our enemies laugh us to scorn.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
8 You have brought a vine out of Egypt; *
you cast out the nations and planted it.
9 You prepared the ground for it; *
it took root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered by its shadow *
and the towering cedar trees by its boughs.
11 You stretched out its tendrils to the Sea *
and its branches to the River.
12 Why have you broken down its wall, *
so that all who pass by pluck off its grapes?
13 The wild boar of the forest has ravaged it, *
and the beasts of the field have grazed upon it.
14 Turn now, O God of hosts, look down from heaven;
behold and tend this vine; *
preserve what your right hand has planted.
15 They burn it with fire like rubbish; *
at the rebuke of your countenance let them perish.
16 Let your hand be upon the man of your right hand, *
and son of man you have made so strong for yourself.
17 And so will we never turn away from you; *
give us life, that we may call upon your Name.
18 Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

Psalm 81 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/tl45xkf)
1  Sing we merrily unto God our strength *
make a cheerful noise unto the God of Jacob.
2  Take the psalm, bring hither the tabret *
the merry harp with the lute.
3  Blow up the trumpet in the new-moon *
even in the time appointed, and upon our solemn feast-day.
4  For this was made a statute for Israel *
and a law of the God of Jacob.
5  This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony *
when he came out of the land of Egypt, and had heard a strange language.
6  I eased his shoulder from the burden *
and his hands were delivered from making the pots.
7  Thou calledst upon me in troubles, and I delivered thee *
and heard thee what time as the storm fell upon thee.
8  I proved thee also *
at the waters of strife.
9  Hear, O my people, and I will assure thee, O Israel *
if thou wilt hearken unto me,
10  There shall no strange god be in thee *
neither shalt thou worship any other god.
11  I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt *
open thy mouth wide, and I shall fill it.
12  But my people would not hear my voice *
and Israel would not obey me.
13  So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lusts *
and let them follow their own imaginations.
14  O that my people would have hearkened unto me *
for if Israel had walked in my ways,
15  I should soon have put down their enemies *
and turned my hand against their adversaries.
16  The haters of the Lord should have been found liars *
but their time should have endured for ever.
17  He should have fed them also with the finest wheat-flour *
and with honey out of the stony rock should I have satisfied thee.
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 81 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-81.mp3)
1 Sing with joy to God our strength *
and raise a loud shout to the God of Jacob.
2 Raise a song and sound the timbrel, *
the merry harp, and the lyre.
3 Blow the ram’s-horn at the new moon, *
and at the full moon, the day of our feast.
4 For this is a statute for Israel, *
a law of the God of Jacob.
5 He laid it as a solemn charge upon Joseph, *
when he came out of the land of Egypt.
6 I heard an unfamiliar voice saying, *
“I eased his shoulder from the burden;
his hands were set free from bearing the load.”
7 You called on me in trouble, and I saved you; *
I answered you from the secret place of thunder
and tested you at the waters of Meribah.
8 Hear, O my people, and I will admonish you: *
O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
9 There shall be no strange god among you; *
you shall not worship a foreign god.
10 I am the LORD your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt and said, *
“Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.”
11 And yet my people did not hear my voice, *
and Israel would not obey me.
12 So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their hearts, *
to follow their own devices.
13 Oh, that my people would listen to me! *
that Israel would walk in my ways!
14 I should soon subdue their enemies *
and turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him, *
and their punishment would last for ever.
16 But Israel would I feed with the finest wheat *
and satisfy him with honey from the rock.

PRAYER

Strength of the weak,
defender of the needy,
rescuer of the poor,
deliver us from the power of wickedness,
that we may rejoice in your justice now and forever;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.^BCW

THE WORD OF GOD

Reading: Genesis 42:18-28

On the third day Joseph said to them, ‘Do this and you will live, for I fear God: if you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here where you are imprisoned. The rest of you shall go and carry grain for the famine of your households, and bring your youngest brother to me. Thus your words will be verified, and you shall not die.’ And they agreed to do so. They said to one another, ‘Alas, we are paying the penalty for what we did to our brother; we saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this anguish has come upon us.’ Then Reuben answered them, ‘Did I not tell you not to wrong the boy? But you would not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.’ They did not know that Joseph understood them, since he spoke with them through an interpreter. He turned away from them and wept; then he returned and spoke to them. And he picked out Simeon and had him bound before their eyes. Joseph then gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return every man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. This was done for them.

They loaded their donkeys with their grain, and departed. When one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging-place, he saw his money at the top of the sack. He said to his brothers, ‘My money has been put back; here it is in my sack!’ At this they lost heart and turned trembling to one another, saying, ‘What is this that God has done to us?’

HYMN: John L Bell ©
Tune: Southwell https://tinyurl.com/3fbh3v9x

1 Though hope desert my heart,
though strangeness fill my soul,
though truth torment my troubled mind,
you have been here before.

2 Though confidence run dry,
though weary flesh be sore,
though conversation bear no fruit,
you have been here before.

3 There is no threatening place,
no trial I could know
which has not known your presence first:
you have been here before.

4 In Christ who, on the cross,
felt all our hurt and more,
and cried in deep abandonment,
you have been here before.

5 I will not dread the dark,
the fate beyond control,
nor fear what reigns in frightening things:
you will be there before.

Reading: Romans 5:1-11

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

HYMN: Jean Ingelow
Tune: Faith https://tinyurl.com/93weeczz

1 I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew
he moved my soul to seek him, seeking me.
It was not I that found, O Savior true,
no, I was found of thee.

2 Thou didst reach forth thy hand and mine enfold,
I walked and sank not on the storm-vexed sea.
‘Twas not so much that I on thee took hold
as thou, dear Lord, on me.

3 I find, I walk, I love, but, oh, the whole
of love is but my answer, Lord, to thee!
For thou wert long beforehand with my soul,
always thou lovedst me.

Reading: Mark 10:1-16

He left that place and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan. And crowds again gathered around him; and, as was his custom, he again taught them.

Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’ He answered them, ‘What did Moses command you?’ They said, ‘Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, “God made them male and female.” “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’

Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. He said to them, ‘Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.’

People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

CANTICLE Isaiah 12:2-6
(Uptown Worship Band: https://tinyurl.com/y8q877og)

Refrain:
Surely, it is God who saves;
I will and not be afraid.
For the Lord is my sure defense,
and he will be my Savior.

Therefore you shall draw water
and rejoice from the salvation spring.
On that day you shall say,
give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name. Refrain

Make his deeds known among the people;
they remember his Name on high.
Sing praise to the Lord, for he has done great things,
and this is known in all the world. Refrain

Cry aloud, O Zion, ring out your joy,
for the great one in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

LITANY OF CONFESSION ^CW:TS

We pray to the Lord for courage to give up other things
and to give ourselves to him this Lent.

Give your Church the courage
to give up her preoccupation with herself
and to give more time to your mission in the world.