Oremus for Sunday, February 19, 2023

Antiphon ¹

Ant. I will relate all your wondrous deeds.
I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing to the honor of your name, O Most High.
Ps. But the Lord sits enthroned forever; *
he has set up his throne for judgment.
He will judge the world with justice; *
he will govern the peoples with equity. Psalm 9

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: Thomas Troeger ©
Tune: Geneva

1 Swiftly pass the clouds of glory,
heaven’s voice, the dazzling light;
Moses and Elijah vanish;
Christ alone commands the height!
Peter, James, and John fall silent,
turning from the summit’s rise
downward toward the shadowed valley
where their Lord has fixed his eyes.

2 Glimpsed and gone the revelation,
they shall gain and keep its truth,
not by building on the mountain
any shrine or sacred booth,
but by following the Savior
through the valley to the cross
and by testing faith’s resilience
through betrayal, pain, and loss.

3 Lord, transfigure our perception
with the purest light that shines,
and recast our life’s intentions
to the shape of your designs,
till we seek no other glory
than what lies past Calvary’s hill
and our living and our dying
and our rising by your will.

PSALMS

Psalm 98 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/ybagfe5m)
1  O sing unto the Lord a new song *
 for he hath done marvellous things.
2  With his own right hand, and with his holy arm *
 hath he gotten himself the victory.
3  The Lord declared his salvation *
 his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.
4  He hath remembered his mercy and truth toward the house of Israel *
 and all the ends of the world have seen the salvation of our God.
5  Shew yourselves joyful unto the Lord, all ye lands *
 sing, rejoice, and give thanks.
6  Praise the Lord upon the harp *
 sing to the harp with a psalm of thanksgiving.
7  With trumpets also, and shawms *
 O shew yourselves joyful before the Lord the King.
8  Let the sea make a noise, and all that therein is *
 the round world, and they that dwell therein.
9  Let the floods clap their hands,
and let the hills be joyful together before the Lord *
 for he is come to judge the earth.
10  With righteousness shall he judge the world *
 and the people with equity.
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 99 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/ycxaq7mg)
1  The Lord is King, be the people never so impatient *
 he sitteth between the cherubims, be the earth never so unquiet.
2  The Lord is great in Sion *
 and high above all people.
3  They shall give thanks unto thy Name *
 which is great, wonderful, and holy.
4  The king’s power loveth judgement; thou hast prepared equity *
 thou hast executed judgement and righteousness in Jacob.
5  O magnify the Lord our God *
 and fall down before his footstool, for he is holy.
6  Moses and Aaron among his priests,
and Samuel among such as call upon his Name *
 these called upon the Lord, and he heard them.
7  He spake unto them out of the cloudy pillar *
 for they kept his testimonies, and the law that he gave them.
8  Thou heardest them, O Lord our God *
 thou forgavest them, O God, and punishedst their own inventions.
9  O magnify the Lord our God, and worship him upon his holy hill *
 for the Lord our God is holy.
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 100 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/ycklx9gf)
1  O be joyful in the Lord, all ye lands *
 serve the Lord with gladness, and come before his presence with a song.
2  Be ye sure that the Lord he is God *
 it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
3  O go your way into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise *
 be thankful unto him, and speak good of his Name.
4  For the Lord is gracious, his mercy is everlasting *
 and his truth endureth 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 101 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y7mv7duf)
1  My song shall be of mercy and judgement *
 unto thee, O Lord, will I sing.
2  O let me have understanding *
 in the way of godliness.
3  When wilt thou come unto me *
 I will walk in my house with a perfect heart.
4  I will take no wicked thing in hand; I hate the sins of unfaithfulness *
 there shall no such cleave unto me.
5  A froward heart shall depart from me *
 I will not know a wicked person.
6  Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour *
 him will I destroy.
7  Whoso hath also a proud look and high stomach *
 I will not suffer him.
8  Mine eyes look upon such as are faithful in the land *
 that they may dwell with me.
9  Whoso leadeth a godly life *
 he shall be my servant.
10  There shall no deceitful person dwell in my house *
 he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.
11  I shall soon destroy all the ungodly that are in the land *
 that I may root out all wicked doers from the city of the Lord.
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 98 (LSB Tone F: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-98-LSB.mp3)
Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! For he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
2 The Lord has made known his salvation;
he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered his steadfast love
and faithfulness to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
5 Sing to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody!
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn;
make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!.
7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it,
the world and those who dwell in it!
8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord,
9 For he will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.
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.

Psalm 99 (LSB Tone F: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-99-LSB.mp3)
1 The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
2 The Lord is great in Zion,
he is exalted over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name!
Holy. is he!
4 The king in his might loves justice;
you have established equity;
you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt the Lord our God, worship at His footstool!
Holy is he!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel also was among those who called upon his name.
They called to the Lord, and he answered them.
7 In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them;
they kept his testimonies and the statute that he gave them.
8 O Lord our God, you answered them;
you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrong-doing.
9 Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain;
for the Lord our God is holy!
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.

Psalm 100 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-100.mp3)
1 Be joyful in the LORD, all you lands; *
serve the LORD with gladness
and come before his presence with a song.
2 Know this: The LORD himself is God; *
he himself has made us, and we are his;
we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
3 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise; *
give thanks to him and call upon his Name.
4 For the LORD is good;
his mercy is everlasting; *
and his faithfulness endures from age to age.

Psalm 101 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-101.mp3)
1 I will sing of mercy and justice; *
to you, O LORD, will I sing praises.
2 I will strive to follow a blameless course;
oh, when will you come to me? *
I will walk with sincerity of heart within my house.
3 I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; *
I hate the doers of evil deeds;
they shall not remain with me.
4 A crooked heart shall be far from me; *
I will not know evil.
5 Those who in secret slander their neighbors I will destroy; *
those who have a haughty look and a proud
 heart I cannot abide.
6 My eyes are upon the faithful in the land, that they may
 dwell with me, *
and only those who lead a blameless life shall
 be my servants.
7 Those who act deceitfully shall not dwell in my house, *
and those who tell lies shall not continue in my sight.
8 I will soon destroy all the wicked in the land, *
that I may root out all evildoers from the city of the LORD.

PRAYER

Blessed are you, God of hope;
you restore the fallen
and rebuild the broken walls.
Teach us the song of thanksgiving,
for you are the strength of your people;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ^BCW

THE WORD OF GOD

Reading: Exodus 24:12-18

The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there. I’ll give you the stone tablets with the instructions and the commandments that I’ve written in order to teach them.”

So Moses and his assistant Joshua got up, and Moses went up God’s mountain. Moses had said to the elders, “Wait for us here until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur will be here with you. Whoever has a legal dispute may go to them.”

Then Moses went up the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The Lord’s glorious presence settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from the cloud. To the Israelites, the Lord’s glorious presence looked like a blazing fire on top of the mountain. Moses entered the cloud and went up the mountain. Moses stayed on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.

HYMN: Psalm 2; para. Psalter, 1912,alt.
Tune: Messiah https://tinyurl.com/239a4dkw

1 Wherefore do the nations rage
and the people vainly dream
that in triumph they can wage
war against the LORD supreme?
His Anointed they deride,
and the rulers, plotting, say,
“Their dominion be defied,
let us cast their bonds away.”

2 But the Lord will scorn them all;
calm, he sits enthroned on high.
Soon his wrath will on them fall;
angered, he will then reply,
“Yet according to my will
I have set my King to reign,
and on Zion’s holy hill
my Anointed I maintain.”

3 My LORD speaks, “You are my Son;
yes, I have begotten you.
I will give you every one
of the nations as your due.
From your rule, now let them learn:
break them with an iron rod,
dash them like a potter’s urn,
crush those enemies of God.”

4 Therefore, rulers, kings, come near,
listen to God’s holy word.
Come with reverence, come with fear.
Kiss the Son and serve the LORD,
lest his anger quickly flame
and you perish in your way.
All are blest who trust in him;
yes, supremely blest are they.

Reading: 2 Peter 1:16-21

We didn’t repeat crafty myths when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Quite the contrary, we witnessed his majesty with our own eyes. He received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice came to him from the magnificent glory, saying, “This is my dearly loved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain. In addition, we have a most reliable prophetic word, and you would do well to pay attention to it, just as you would to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Most important, you must know that no prophecy of scripture represents the prophet’s own understanding of things, because no prophecy ever came by human will. Instead, men and women led by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

HYMN: J Armitage Robinson
Tune: Carlisle https://tinyurl.com/2p98zhba

1 ‘Tis good, Lord, to be here!
Thy glory fills the night;
thy face and garments, like the sun,
shine with unborrowed light.

2 ‘Tis good, Lord, to be here,
thy beauty to behold
where Moses and Elijah stand,
thy messengers of old.

3 Fulfiller of the past
promise of things to be,
we hail thy body glorified,
and our redemption see!

4 Before we taste of death,
we see thy kingdom come:
O might we hold the vision bright
and make this hill our home!

5 ‘Tis good, Lord, to be here!
Yet we may not remain;
but, since thou bidst us leave the mount,
come with us to the plain.

Reading: Matthew 17:1-9

Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them to the top of a very high mountain. He was transformed in front of them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus. Peter reacted to all of this by saying to Jesus, “Lord, it’s good that we’re here. If you want, I’ll make three shrines: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, look, a bright cloud overshadowed them. A voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son whom I dearly love. I am very pleased with him. Listen to him!” Hearing this, the disciples fell on their faces, filled with awe. But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anybody about the vision until the Human One is raised from the dead.”

CANTICLE Revelation 11:17-18; 12:10b-12a
(Chant by John Michael Talbot: https://tinyurl.com/ycrn2d4f)

Ant. The Father has given Christ all power, honor, and kingship,
All people will obey him.
We praise you, the Lord God Almighty,
who is and who was.
You have assumed your great power,
you have begun your reign.
the nations have raged in anger,
but then came your day of wrath
and the moment to judge the dead:
the time to reward your servants the prophets
and the holy ones who revere you,
the great and the small alike.
Now have salvation and power come,
the reign of our god and the authority
of his anointed one,
for the accuser of our brothers is cast out,
who night and day accused them before God.
They defeated him by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
love for life did not deter them from death.
So rejoice, you heavens,
and you that dwell therein!
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.

THE PRAYERS ^{Joe Milner}

For the Church: that we may live as God’s holy people, manifesting God’s love and compassion in this time and place to all who enter our lives

For greater awareness: that we may recognize our dignity as a Temple of God in whom the Holy Spirit dwells and strive to bring the love and mercy of God into our relationships, workplaces, and communities

For our parish community: that we may recognize the Spirit at work within and among us and work together to serve God’s purpose

For freedom of spirit: that God will unbind us from possessions, grudges, and resentments so that we may be free to love and offer our gifts in service to others

For the grace of discernment: that the Spirit will guide us in recognizing the fears and desires which cloud our motivations so that we may wisely choose how to live and serve God each day

For the grace to love as God loves: that we may love others as God has loved us, unconditionally and without expectation

For all whom we perceive to be enemies: that God will free them from mistaken impressions, help them to perceive others in new ways, and be open to cooperating with others for a greater good

For renewal of our deepest self: that we may surrender our brokenness to God and allow God to lead us to fuller integrity, authenticity, and wholeness

For the grace of reconciliation: that God will heal the wounds and divisions amongst families, co-workers, neighborhoods, and nations so that we may work together to advance a greater good

For growth in holiness: that we may live the Gospel more fully, fulfill the work to which God has called us, and be drawn ever deeper into friendship with God

For courage to turn the other check: that God will strengthen us when we have been insulted or injured so that we may continue to love and serve without reservation

For those who have experienced abuse: that God will heal their pain, renew their spirits, and give them the strength to live each day fully

For all who are recovering from earthquakes and other disasters: that God will relieve the pain and suffering of the people in Turkey and Syria, provide warmer weather, and speed the assistance which they need

For all who have died and for those who are grieving them: that God will give eternal life to all who have died, particularly in the earthquakes, and comfort those who are grieving them

For peace: that God will transform hardened hearts and closed minds so that bloodshed may end and peace may be established for all who are experiencing conflict and violence, particularly in Ukraine

(Karin Simmons: https://tinyurl.com/y7vwp7dd)

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.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

O God of the covenant,
the cloud of your splendor and the fire of your love
revealed your Son on the mountain heights.
Transform our lives in his image,
write your law of love on our hearts,
and make us prophets of your glory,
that we may lead others into your presence. Amen. ^RCLP

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.

¹ Adam Bartlett, Simple English Propers; audio from https://musicasacra.com/additional-publications/sep-practice-videos/ ©

The intercession is by Joe Milner http://liturgy.slu.edu

^RCLP Revised Common Lectionary Prayers. © 2002 Consultation on Common Texts admin. Augsburg Fortress.

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 100 and 101 are from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and are chanted by Ryland Angel. The modern versions of Psalms 98 and 99 are from Lutheran Service Book and are from the Next to the Word of God YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkVRYL-MRebncw584Ql2xfg.

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.