The Martyrs of Japan
In 1597 twenty-six Christians (some priests or monks, but mostly lay folk, including three altar boys) were put to death near Nagasaki as part of a persecution aimed at wiping out Christianity in Japan. Sub-sequently, many more Christian converts were put to death. The teaching of Christianity was proscribed until the middle of the nine-teenth century. But when missionaries were allowed into Japan in the 1850s, they discovered that there were several thousand Chris-tians, who, though without priests and teachers for over two hun-dred years, had preserved and practised the faith in secret. FATS
Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/y4eddx4h
Arise, Jerusalem, and look to the East
and see your children gathered from the rising to the setting of the sun. Baruch 5
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: Tokuo Yamaguchi; trans. Everett M. Stowe
Tune: Tokyo https://tinyurl.com/2p9xx48t
1 Here, O Lord, your servants gather,
hand we link with hand;
looking toward our Savior’s cross,
joined in love we stand.
As we seek the realm of God,
we unite to pray:
Jesus, Savior, guide our steps,
for you are the Way.
2 Many are the tongues we speak,
scattered are the lands;
yet our hearts are one in God,
one in love’s demands.
While in darkness hope appears,
calling age and youth:
Jesus, teacher, dwell with us,
for you are the Truth.
3 Nature’s secrets open wide,
changes never cease;
where, O where, can weary souls
find the source of peace?
Unto all those sore distressed,
torn by endless strife:
Jesus, healer, bring your balm,
for you are the Life.
4 Grant, O God, an age renewed,
filled with deathless love;
help us as we work and pray;
send us from above
truth and courage, faith and power
needed in our strife:
Jesus, Savior, be our Way;
be our Truth, our Life.
PSALMS
Psalm 32 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/twtffy5)
1 Blessed is he whose unrighteousness is forgiven *
and whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth no sin *
and in whose spirit there is no guile.
3 For while I held my tongue *
my bones consumed away through my daily complaining.
4 For thy hand is heavy upon me day and night *
and my moisture is like the drought in summer.
5 I will acknowledge my sin unto thee *
and mine unrighteousness have I not hid.
6 I said, I will confess my sins unto the Lord *
and so thou forgavest the wickedness of my sin.
7 For this shall every one that is godly make his prayer unto thee,
in a time when thou mayest be found *
but in the great water-floods they shall not come nigh him.
8 Thou art a place to hide me in, thou shalt preserve me from trouble *
thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.
9 I will inform thee, and teach thee in the way wherein thou shalt go *
and I will guide thee with mine eye.
10 Be ye not like to horse and mule, which have no understanding *
whose mouths must be held with bit and bridle, lest they fall upon thee.
11 Great plagues remain for the ungodly *
but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord,
mercy embraceth him on every side.
12 Be glad, O ye righteous, and rejoice in the Lord *
and be joyful, all ye that are true of heart.
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 33 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/qsa6l3x)
1 Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous *
for it becometh well the just to be thankful.
2 Praise the Lord with harp *
sing praises unto him with the lute, and instrument of ten strings.
3 Sing unto the Lord a new song *
sing praises lustily unto him with a good courage.
4 For the word of the Lord is true *
and all his works are faithful.
5 He loveth righteousness and judgement *
the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made *
and all the hosts of them by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together, as it were upon an heap *
and layeth up the deep, as in a treasure-house.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord *
stand in awe of him, all ye that dwell in the world.
9 For he spake, and it was done *
he commanded, and it stood fast.
10 The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought *
and maketh the devices of the people to be of none effect,
and casteth out the counsels of princes.
11 The counsel of the Lord shall endure for ever *
and the thoughts of his heart from generation to generation.
12 Blessed are the people, whose God is the Lord Jehovah *
and blessed are the folk, that he hath chosen to him to be his inheritance.
13 The Lord looked down from heaven,
and beheld all the children of men *
from the habitation of his dwelling
he considereth all them that dwell on the earth.
14 He fashioneth all the hearts of them *
and understandeth all their works.
15 There is no king that can be saved by the multitude of an host *
neither is any mighty man delivered by much strength.
16 A horse is counted but a vain thing to save a man *
neither shall he deliver any man by his great strength.
17 Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him *
and upon them that put their trust in his mercy;
18 To deliver their soul from death *
and to feed them in the time of dearth.
19 Our soul hath patiently tarried for the Lord *
for he is our help, and our shield.
20 For our heart shall rejoice in him *
because we have hoped in his holy Name.
21 Let thy merciful kindness, O Lord, be upon us *
like as we do put our trust in 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 32 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-32.mp3)
1 Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven, *
and whose sin is put away!
2 Happy are they to whom the LORD imputes no guilt, *
and in whose spirit there is no guile!
3 While I held my tongue, my bones withered away, *
because of my groaning all day long.
4 For your hand was heavy upon me day and night; *
my moisture was dried up as in the heat of summer.
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, *
and did not conceal my guilt.
6 I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” *
Then you forgave me the guilt of my sin.
7 Therefore all the faithful will make their prayers to you
in time of trouble; *
when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach them.
8 You are my hiding-place; you preserve me from trouble; *
you surround me with shouts of deliverance.
9 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go; *
I will guide you with my eye.
10 Do not be like horse or mule, which have no understanding; *
who must be fitted with bit and bridle,
or else they will not stay near you.”
11 Great are the tribulations of the wicked; *
but mercy embraces those who trust in the LORD.
12 Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the LORD; *
shout for joy, all who are true of heart.
Psalm 33 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-33.mp3)
1 Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous; *
it is good for the just to sing praises.
2 Praise the LORD with the harp; *
play to him upon the psaltery and lyre.
3 Sing for him a new song; *
sound a fanfare with all your skill upon the trumpet.
4 For the word of the LORD is right, *
and all his works are sure.
5 He loves righteousness and justice; *
the loving-kindness of the LORD fills the whole earth.
6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, *
by the breath of his mouth all the heavenly hosts.
7 He gathers up the waters of the ocean as in a water-skin *
and stores up the depths of the sea.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; *
let all who dwell in the world stand in awe of him.
9 For he spoke, and it came to pass; *
he commanded, and it stood fast.
10 The LORD brings the will of the nations to naught; *
he thwarts the designs of the peoples.
11 But the LORD’S will stands fast for ever, *
and the designs of his heart from age to age.
12 Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD! *
happy the people he has chosen to be his own!
13 The LORD looks down from heaven, *
and beholds all the people in the world.
14 From where he sits enthroned he turns his gaze *
on all who dwell on the earth.
15 He fashions all the hearts of them *
and understands all their works.
16 There is no king that can be saved by a mighty army; *
a strong man is not delivered by his great strength.
17 The horse is a vain hope for deliverance; *
for all its strength it cannot save.
18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon those who fear him, *
on those who wait upon his love,
19 To pluck their lives from death, *
and to feed them in time of famine.
20 Our soul waits for the LORD; *
he is our help and our shield.
21 Indeed, our heart rejoices in him, *
for in his holy Name we put our trust.
22 Let your loving-kindness, O LORD, be upon us, *
as we have put our trust in you.
PRAYER
God of mystery and power,
open our eyes to the fire of your love,
and open our ears to the thunder of your justice,
that we may receive your gifts of blessing and peace,
to the glory of your name;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
Reading: Ezra 9:5-15
At the time of the evening sacrifice, I ended my penitential acts. While still wearing my torn clothes and cloak, I fell upon my knees, spread out my hands to the Lord my God, and said,
“My God, I’m too ashamed to lift up my face to you. Our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown to the heavens.
“From the days of our ancestors to this day, we’ve been deep in guilt. On account of our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been handed over to the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as is now the case.
“But now, for a brief while the Lord our God has shown favor in leaving us survivors and in giving us a stake in his holy place. Our God cheered us and revived us for a little while in our slavery. Even though we are slaves, our God hasn’t abandoned us in our slavery. Instead, he’s shown us his graciousness before Persia’s kings by reviving us to set up our God’s house, to repair its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judea and Jerusalem.
“And now, our God, what will we say after this? We have abandoned your commandments, which you commanded through your servants the prophets, saying: ‘The land which you are about to enter to possess is a land polluted by the impurity of the neighboring peoples. Their detestable practices have filled it with uncleanness from end to end. So now, do not give your daughters to their sons in marriage, do not take their sons for your daughters to marry, and never seek their peace or prosperity. This is so you may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.’
“After all that has happened to us because of our evil deeds and our great guilt—although you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserve and have allowed us to survive as we do— will we once again break your commandments and intermarry with the peoples who practice these detestable things? Would you not be so angry with us that you leave us without remnant or survivor? Lord, God of Israel, you are righteous, for we have survived and a few remain until now. Here we are before you in our guilt, though no one can face you because of this guilt.”
HYMN: Charles Wesley
Tune: Grosvenor https://tinyurl.com/2fswdnrt
1 What shall I do my God to love,
my loving God to praise?
the length, and breadth, and height to prove,
and depth of sovereign grace?
2 Your sovereign grace to all extends,
immense and unconfined;
from age to age it never ends,
to reach all humankind.
3 Throughout the world its breadth is known,
wide as infinity;
so wide it never passed by one,
or it had passed by me.
4 My trespass was grown up to heav’n;
but far above the skies,
in Christ abundantly forgiv’n,
I see your mercies rise.
5 The depth of all-redeeming love,
what angel tongue can tell?
O may I to the utmost prove
the gift unspeakable.
6 Come quickly, gracious Lord, and take
possession of your own;
my longing heart be pleased to make
your everlasting throne.
Reading: Hebrews 12:14-29
Pursue the goal of peace along with everyone—and holiness as well, because no one will see the Lord without it. Make sure that no one misses out on God’s grace. Make sure that no root of bitterness grows up that might cause trouble and pollute many people. Make sure that no one becomes sexually immoral or ungodly like Esau. He sold his inheritance as the oldest son for one meal. You know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected because he couldn’t find a way to change his heart and life, though he looked for it with tears.
You haven’t drawn near to something that can be touched: a burning fire, darkness, shadow, a whirlwind, a blast of a trumpet, and a sound of words that made the ones who heard it beg that there wouldn’t be one more word. They couldn’t stand the command, If even a wild animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned. The sight was so frightening that Moses said, “I’m terrified and shaking!”
But you have drawn near to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem, to countless angels in a festival gathering, to the assembly of God’s firstborn children who are registered in heaven, to God the judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous who have been made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks better than Abel’s blood.
See to it that you don’t resist the one who is speaking. If the people didn’t escape when they refused to listen to the one who warned them on earth, how will we escape if we reject the one who is warning from heaven? His voice shook the earth then, but now he has made a promise: Still once more I will shake not only the earth but heaven also. The words “still once more” reveal the removal of what is shaken—the things that are part of this creation—so that what isn’t shaken will remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that can’t be shaken, let’s continue to express our gratitude. With this gratitude, let’s serve in a way that is pleasing to God with respect and awe, because our God really is a consuming fire.
HYMN: William Longstaff
Tune: Holiness https://tinyurl.com/48nxzp7e
1. Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.
2. Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.
3. Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide;
And run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,
And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.
4. Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,
Each thought and each motive beneath His control.
Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.
Reading: John 7:1-13
After this Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. He didn’t want to travel in Judea, because the Jewish authorities wanted to kill him. When it was almost time for the Jewish Festival of Booths, Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee. Go to Judea so that your disciples can see the amazing works that you do. Those who want to be known publicly don’t do things secretly. Since you can do these things, show yourself to the world.” His brothers said this because even they didn’t believe in him.
Jesus replied, “For you, anytime is fine. But my time hasn’t come yet. The world can’t hate you. It hates me, though, because I testify that its works are evil. You go up to the festival. I’m not going to this one because my time hasn’t yet come.” Having said this, he stayed in Galilee. However, after his brothers left for the festival, he went too—not openly but in secret.
The Jewish leaders were looking for Jesus at the festival. They kept asking, “Where is he?” The crowds were murmuring about him. “He’s a good man,” some said, but others were saying, “No, he tricks the people.” No one spoke about him publicly, though, for fear of the Jewish authorities.
CANTICLE Micah 6:6-8
(Tune: Sharpthorne https://tinyurl.com/yafplab4)
What does the Lord require
for praise and offering?
What sacrifice, desire,
or tribute bid you bring?
Do justly,
love mercy,
walk humbly with your God.
Rulers of earth, give ear!
Should you not justice know?
Will God your pleading hear
while crime and cruelty grow?
Do justly,
love mercy,
walk humbly with your God.
Still down the ages ring
the prophet’s stern commands;
to merchant, worker, king
he brings God’s high commands:
do justly,
love mercy,
walk humbly with your God.
How shall our life fulfill
God’s law so hard and high?
Let Christ endue our will
with grace to fortify.
Then justly,
in mercy,
we’ll humbly walk with God.
THE PRAYERS PWC
God of Jerusalem, send the riches of your grace
upon the church throughout the world.
Creator of all, carry us in your arms.
Fill all who proclaim the word of truth with the infinite wisdom of Christ.
Creator of all, carry us in your arms.
Inspire all who have consecrated their lives to your reign
and all who are struggling to follow the way of Christ with the gifts of the Spirit.
Creator of all, carry us in your arms.
Strengthen all who govern the nations
so that they strive for justice and peace.
Creator of all, carry us in your arms.
Enlighten scholars and research-workers
so that their studies may benefit humanity.
Creator of all, carry us in your arms.
Give your peace to all who have passed from this life in faith and obedience.
Creator of all, carry us in your arms.
(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.
Everloving God,
the source of strength for all your saints,
you upheld the martyrs of Japan in the way of the cross;
grant that, encouraged by their example,
we may hold fast the faith we profess,
even to death itself;
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
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BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.
DL © Daniel Lawson; used with permission.
FATS For All the Saints, © The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, 2014
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.
The main scripture readings are © 2011 Common English Bible.
The traditional version of the psalms is from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The modern versions are from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and are sung by Ryland Angel.
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 © 2023 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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