Oremus for Wednesday, October 12, 2022

Elizabeth Fry
Elizabeth Gurney was born at Earlham in Norfolk in 1780. At the age of twenty, she married Joseph Fry, a London merchant and a strict Quaker. She was admitted as a minister in the Society of Friends and became a noted preacher. The appalling state of the prisons came to her notice and she devoted much of her time to the welfare of female prisoners in Newgate. In 1820 she took part in the formation of a nightly shelter for the homeless in London. She travelled all over Europe in the cause of prison reform. She was a woman of a strong Christian and evangelistic impulse and this inspired all her work. She died on this day in 1845. ^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: Douglas Romanow ©
Tune: 

Refrain:
Let justice flow down, down like a river,
down to the valleys where the helpless cry.
Let righteousness flow through us forever;
lead us to the stream that will never run dry.

1 Flow to the mouths of the hungry;
flow to the hands of the poor.
Flow to the hearts of the orphans,
heal the wounds of war. [Refrain]

2 Flow to the streets of the homeless, 
finding no place they can go.
Flow to the cells of the prisoners,
facing each day alone. [Refrain]

3 Flow through the courts of our nation,
guide us in love’s decrees.
Lead us to streams of salvation; 
fill our lands with peace. [Refrain]

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 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 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 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
[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 (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: Daniel 2:17-30

Then Daniel went to his house and explained the situation to his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah so that they would ask the God of heaven for help about this mystery, in hopes that Daniel and his friends wouldn’t die with the rest of Babylon’s sages. Then, in a vision by night, the mystery was revealed to Daniel! Daniel praised the God of heaven:

So Daniel went to Arioch, the man the king had appointed to wipe out Babylon’s sages. Daniel said to him, “Don’t wipe out the sages of Babylon! Bring me before the king, and I will explain the dream’s meaning to him.” Wasting no time, Arioch brought Daniel before the king, telling him, “I have found someone from the Judean exiles who will tell the dream’s meaning to the king.”

In reply the king said to Daniel (whose name was Belteshazzar), “Can you really tell me the dream that I saw, as well as its meaning?”

Daniel answered the king, “Sages, enchanters, dream interpreters, and diviners can’t explain to the king the mystery he seeks. But there is a God in heaven, a revealer of mysteries, who has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the days to come! Now this was your dream—this was the vision in your head as you lay in your bed:

“As you lay in bed, Your Majesty, your thoughts turned to what will happen in the future. The revealer of mysteries has revealed to you what will happen. Now this mystery was revealed to me, not because I have more wisdom than any other living person but so that the dream’s meaning might be made known to the king, and so that you might know the thoughts of your own mind.

HYMN: Bernadette Farrell ©
Tune: https://tinyurl.com/39t62d76

1 Longing for light, we wait in darkness.
Longing for truth, we turn to you.
Make us your own, your holy people,
light for the world to see.

Refrain:
Christ, be our light!
Shine in our hearts. Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in your church gathered today.

2 Longing for peace, our world is troubled.
Longing for hope, many despair.
Your word alone has pow’r to save us.
Make us your living voice. [Refrain]

3 Longing for food, many are hungry.
Longing for water, many still thirst.
Make us your bread, broken for others,
shared until all are fed. [Refrain]

4 Longing for shelter, many are homeless.
Longing for warmth, many are cold.
Make us your building, sheltering others,
walls made of living stone. [Refrain]

5 Many the gifts, many the people,
many the hearts that yearn to belong.
Let us be servants to one another,
making your kingdom come. [Refrain]

Reading: Hebrews 6:1-8

So let’s press on to maturity, by moving on from the basics about Christ’s word. Let’s not lay a foundation of turning away from dead works, of faith in God, of teaching about ritual ways to wash with water, laying on of hands, the resurrection from the dead, and eternal judgment—all over again. We’re going to press on, if God allows it.

Because it’s impossible to restore people to changed hearts and lives who turn away once they have seen the light, tasted the heavenly gift, become partners with the Holy Spirit, and tasted God’s good word and the powers of the coming age. They are crucifying God’s Son all over again and exposing him to public shame. The ground receives a blessing from God when it drinks up the rain that regularly comes and falls on it and yields a useful crop for those people for whom it is being farmed. But if it produces thorns and thistles, it’s useless and close to being cursed. It ends up being burned.

HYMN: Shirley Erena Murray ©
Tune: Song 1 https://tinyurl.com/3u93crkf

1 O God, we bear the imprint of your face:
the colors of our skin are your design,
and what we have of beauty in our race
as man or woman, you alone define,
who stretched a living fabric on our frame
and gave to each a language and a name.

2 Where we are torn and pulled apart by hate
because our race, our skin is not the same,
while we are judged unequal by the state
and victims made because we own our name,
humanity reduced to little worth,
dishonored is your living face on earth.

3 O God, we share the image of the One
whose flesh and blood are ours, whatever skin;
in Christ’s humanity we find our own,
and in his family our proper kin:
Christ is the brother we still crucify,
his love the language we must learn, or die.

Reading: Matthew 13:18-23

Jesus said, “Consider then the parable of the farmer. Whenever people hear the word about the kingdom and don’t understand it, the evil one comes and carries off what was planted in their hearts. This is the seed that was sown on the path. As for the seed that was spread on rocky ground, this refers to people who hear the word and immediately receive it joyfully. Because they have no roots, they last for only a little while. When they experience distress or abuse because of the word, they immediately fall away. As for the seed that was spread among thorny plants, this refers to those who hear the word, but the worries of this life and the false appeal of wealth choke the word, and it bears no fruit. As for what was planted on good soil, this refers to those who hear and understand, and bear fruit and produce—in one case a yield of one hundred to one, in another case a yield of sixty to one, and in another case a yield of thirty to one.”

CANTICLE Isaiah 60:1-19
(Jered McKenna https://tinyurl.com/y7ccoep2)

Arise shine for your light has come and the glory of God is on you
Arise see when the earth grows dark that the Lord will arise upon you
The Lord will arise upon you

Nations will come to your light lift up your eyes and see
We’ll gather together and come to you
And your love will be all that we know
Your love will be all that we know
The sun will not shine cause you’ll be all the light that we need
and violence will end all the wars that we wage will cease

We will glorify your name
We will glorify your name.

Arise come to the open gates for the Father is welcoming you
Fear not for the Lord brings peace and redemption to all who believe
Redemption to all who believe

Nations will come to your light lift up your eyes and see
We’ll gather together and come to you
And your love will be all that we know
Your love will be all that we know
The sun will not shine cause you’ll be all the light that we need
and violence will end all the wars that we wage will cease

We will glorify your name
We will glorify your name.

THE PRAYERS ^PWC

God of Jacob, may all who call themselves Christians
become a priestly people to the praise of Christ Jesus our Saviour.
God of compassion, teach us your ways.
May all bishops and other ministers
remain faithful to their calling and rightly proclaim the word of truth.
God of compassion, teach us your ways.
May the leaders of the nations and all in authority
lead their peoples into quiet and peaceable lives.
God of compassion, teach us your ways.
Show your good will to all who live in this city, the poor and the rich,
the elderly and the young, men and women.
God of compassion, teach us your ways.
Help and defend the victims of our society
and those who minister to them.
God of compassion, teach us your ways.
Strengthen the faith of those who are preparing for baptism
and for those who have been recently baptized.
God of compassion, teach us your ways.
Count us among all your faithful witnesses:
all the saints who have found favour in your sight from earliest times,
prophets, apostles, martyrs and those whose names are known to you alone.
God of compassion, teach us your ways.

(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.

Gracious and loving God,
you bring good tidings to the afflicted,
bind up the broken-hearted,
and proclaim liberty to the captives;
we thank you for sending Elizabeth Fry into the prisons
with words of comfort and deeds of care:
grant that all who minister to those in prison
may be filled with your compassion and be bearers of your hope;
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

---

^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.

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

The main scripture readings are © 2011 Common English Bible.

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 © 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.