Antiphon1
Ant. O Lord, grant me life according to your word,
so that I may learn your commandments.
V. Blessed are those whose way is blameless, *
who walk in the law of the Lord!
Blessed are those who keep his decrees! *
With all their hearts they seek him. Psalm 119
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: Timothy Rees
Tune: Paderborn https://tinyurl.com/47zsuw4v
1 A spendthrift lover is the Lord
who never counts the cost
or asks if heaven can afford
to woo a world that’s lost.
Our lover tosses coins of gold
across the midnight skies
and stokes the sun against the cold
to warm us when we rise.
2 Still more is spent in blood and tears
to win the human heart,
to overcome the violent fears
that drive the world apart.
Behold the bruised and thorn-crowned face
of one who bears our scars,
and empties out the wealth of grace
that’s hinted by the stars.
3 How shall we love this heart-strong God
who gives us everything,
whose ways to us are strange and odd;
what can we give or bring?
Acceptance of the matchless gift
is gift enough to give;
the very act will shake and shift
the way we love and live.
PSALMS
Psalm 108 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y9us7zs5)
1 O God, my heart is ready, my heart is ready *
I will sing and give praise with the best member that I have.
2 Awake, thou lute, and harp *
I myself will awake right early.
3 I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the people *
I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.
4 For thy mercy is greater than the heavens *
and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.
5 Set up thyself, O God, above the heavens *
and thy glory above all the earth.
6 That thy beloved may be delivered *
let thy right hand save them, and hear thou me.
7 God hath spoken in his holiness *
I will rejoice therefore, and divide Sichem,
and mete out the valley of Succoth.
8 Gilead is mine, and Manasses is mine *
Ephraim also is the strength of my head.
9 Judah is my law-giver, Moab is my wash-pot *
over Edom will I cast out my shoe; upon Philistia will I triumph.
10 Who will lead me into the strong city *
and who will bring me into Edom?
11 Hast not thou forsaken us, O God *
and wilt not thou, O God, go forth with our hosts?
12 O help us against the enemy *
for vain is the help of man.
13 Through God we shall do great acts *
and it is he that shall tread down our enemies.
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 109 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y9dslk3v)
1 Hold not thy tongue, O God of my praise *
for the mouth of the ungodly, yea,
the mouth of the deceitful is opened upon me.
2 And they have spoken against me with false tongues *
they compassed me about also with words of hatred,
and fought against me without a cause.
3 For the love that I had unto them, lo, they take now my contrary part *
but I give myself unto prayer.
4 Thus have they rewarded me evil for good *
and hatred for my good will.
5 Set thou an ungodly man to be ruler over him *
and let Satan stand at his right hand.
6 When sentence is given upon him, let him be condemned *
and let his prayer be turned into sin.
7 Let his days be few *
and let another take his office.
8 Let his children be fatherless *
and his wife a widow.
9 Let his children be vagabonds, and beg their bread *
let them seek it also out of desolate places.
10 Let the extortioner consume all that he hath *
and let the stranger spoil his labour.
11 Let there be no man to pity him *
nor to have compassion upon his fatherless children.
12 Let his posterity be destroyed *
and in the next generation let his name be clean put out.
13 Let the wickedness of his fathers be had
in remembrance in the sight of the Lord *
and let not the sin of his mother be done away.
14 Let them alway be before the Lord *
that he may root out the memorial of them from off the earth;
15 And that, because his mind was not to do good *
but persecuted the poor helpless man,
that he might slay him that was vexed at the heart.
16 His delight was in cursing, and it shall happen unto him *
he loved not blessing, therefore shall it be far from him.
17 He clothed himself with cursing, like as with a raiment *
and it shall come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.
18 Let it be unto him as the cloke that he hath upon him *
and as the girdle that he is alway girded withal.
19 Let it thus happen from the Lord unto mine enemies *
and to those that speak evil against my soul.
20 But deal thou with me, O Lord God, according unto thy Name *
for sweet is thy mercy.
21 O deliver me, for I am helpless and poor *
and my heart is wounded within me.
22 I go hence like the shadow that departeth *
and am driven away as the grasshopper.
23 My knees are weak through fasting *
my flesh is dried up for want of fatness.
24 I became also a reproach unto them *
they that looked upon me shaked their heads.
25 Help me, O Lord my God *
O save me according to thy mercy;
26 And they shall know, how that this is thy hand *
and that thou, Lord, hast done it.
27 Though they curse, yet bless thou *
and let them be confounded that rise up against me;
but let thy servant rejoice.
28 Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame *
and let them cover themselves with their own confusion,
as with a cloke.
29 As for me, I will give great thanks unto the Lord with my mouth *
and praise him among the multitude;
30 For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor *
to save his soul from unrighteous judges.
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 108 (Karl Kohlhase: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-108-KH.mp3)
My heart is ready, O God;
I will sing, sing praises with my glory.
Awake, awake, both harp and lyre;
I will awaken the dawn!
I’ll give thanks to you, O LORD, among the people,
and sing praises to you among the nations.
For your love is great above the heavens,
and your faithfulness unto the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
and your glory above all the earth.
Let the one whom you love be delivered;
O save him by your right hand, and give answer.
Our God has spoken in his holiness:
“I’ll rejoice, and Shechem I will portion out
I will measure out Succoth’s Valley:
Gilead and Manasseh are mine.
Also Ephraim is the helmet of my head;
Judah’s my scepter, and Moab is my washbowl;
Over Edom I will throw my shoe;
o’er Philistia I will shout aloud.”
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
and your glory above all the earth.
Let the one whom you love be delivered;
O save him by your right hand, and give answer.
Who will bring me into a walled-in city?
And who will lead me into Edom?
Have you not, O God, rejected us?
Will you not lead our armies, O God?
Give us help against our oppressor,
for deliverance by man is in vain.
Through God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
and your glory above all the earth.
Let the one whom you love be delivered;
O save him by your right hand, and give answer.
O save him by your right hand,
please save him by your right hand, and give answer.
Psalm 109 (Karl Kohlhase: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-109-KH.mp3)
The LORD is at the right hand of the poor,
to save him from the ones who judge his soul
O God of my praise, please do not be silent,
because the mouth of wickedness, and the mouth of deceit,
have opened up to speak against me,
with lying tongues and hateful words.
They have encompassed me round about,
they fight against me for no reason.
and for my love they accuse me,
and yet I am in prayer for them!
Repaying me with evil for my good,
and hatred in return for my love.
The LORD is at the right hand of the poor,
to save him from the ones who judge his soul
You set over him an evil one,
an accuser to stand at his right hand.
So he’ll come out guilty when he is judged,
his prayer is made an offense.
His days are few, another takes his office;
his sons are fatherless, his wife a widow.
His sons always roaming and begging,
and they will ever seek in barren places.
A creditor shall plunder all that he owns,
and strangers shall plunder all he worked for.
He’ll have not a one extending kindness,
nor any showing favor to his orphans.
The LORD is at the right hand of the poor,
to save him from the ones who judge his soul
For his posterity shall be cut off,
his name be erased in coming ages.
His fathers’ sins remembered by the LORD,
his mothers’ sins are not erased.
They are before the LORD continually,
so he will cut them off from earth’s memory.
For he did not remember to show kindness,
and he pursued the poor and the needy,
And those discouraged within their heart,
he sought them out so as to slay them.
He loves to curse and so it comes to him;
he hates to bless and so it is far from him.
The LORD is at the right hand of the poor,
to save him from the ones who judge his soul
For cursing he wears like a robe,
like water in his innards, oil within his bones.
His clothing with which he hides himself,
the belt with which he always binds himself.
The wage of my accusers from the LORD,
of those who speak against my soul for harm.
O LORD my Lord, deal kindly for your name’s sake;
your love is great, so please deliver me.
For I am poor and needy,
my heart has been pierced within me.
Departing as a shadow when it stretches out,
I have been swept away like a locust.
The LORD is at the right hand of the poor,
to save him from the ones who judge his soul
My knees become feeble from my fasting;
my flesh has been denied of its fatness.
I have become to them as a reproach;
and when they look at me they shake their head.
Please help me, O LORD my God;
and save me, according to your love.
O LORD, may they know it is from your hand;
that you are the one who has done this.
So let them curse while you bless;
they’ll rise to shame while Your servant sings.
My accusers put on shame and are covered,
their shame has become their robe.
I thank the LORD greatly with my mouth,
and in the midst of many I will praise Him,
The LORD is at the right hand of the poor,
to save him from the ones who judge his soul
PRAYER
O God,
your love is wider than all the universe
and your mercy greater than the heights of heaven.
When we are tempted to break faith with you,
put a new song of love on our lips,
that we may sing your praises to all nations on earth,
through your Son, our only hope and defense. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
The Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whom I have grasped by the strong hand,
to conquer nations before him,
disarming kings,
and opening doors before him,
so no gates will be shut:
I myself will go before you,
and I will level mountains.
I will shatter bronze doors;
I will cut through iron bars.
I will give you hidden treasures of secret riches,
so you will know that I am the Lord,
the God of Israel, who calls you by name.
For the sake of my servant Jacob and Israel my chosen,
I called you by name.
I gave you an honored title,
though you didn’t know me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other;
besides me there is no God.
I strengthen you—
though you don’t know me—
so all will know, from the rising of the sun to its setting,
that there is nothing apart from me.
I am the Lord; there’s no other.
I form light and create darkness,
make prosperity and create doom;
I am the Lord, who does all these things.
HYMN: Psalm 96; para. Psalter, 1912, alt.
Tune: Wesley https://tinyurl.com/mpw9sxf8
1 Sing to the LORD, sing his praise, all you peoples;
new be your song as new honors you pay.
Sing of his majesty, praise him forever,
show his salvation from day to day.
2 Tell of his wondrous works, tell of his glory
till through the nations his name is revered.
Praise and exalt him, for he is almighty;
God over all, let the LORD be feared.
3 Vain are the idols and gods of the nations;
God made the heavens, and his glory they tell.
Splendor and majesty shine out before him;
glory and strength in his temple dwell.
4 Give unto God Most High glory and honor;
come with your offerings and humbly draw near.
Worship the LORD in all beauty and splendor;
tremble before him with godly fear.
5 Say to the nations, “The LORD reigns forever.”
Earth is established as he did decree.
Righteous and just is the King of the nations,
judging the peoples with equity.
6 Let heaven and earth be glad; oceans, be joyful;
forest and field, exultation express.
For God is coming, the judge of the nations,
coming to judge in his righteousness.
From Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy. To the Thessalonians’ church that is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and peace to all of you.
We always thank God for all of you when we mention you constantly in our prayers. This is because we remember your work that comes from faith, your effort that comes from love, and your perseverance that comes from hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father. Brothers and sisters, you are loved by God, and we know that he has chosen you. We know this because our good news didn’t come to you just in speech but also with power and the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know as well as we do what kind of people we were when we were with you, which was for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord when you accepted the message that came from the Holy Spirit with joy in spite of great suffering. As a result you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The message about the Lord rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia but in every place. The news about your faithfulness to God has spread so that we don’t even need to mention it. People tell us about what sort of welcome we had from you and how you turned to God from idols. As a result, you are serving the living and true God, and you are waiting for his Son from heaven. His Son is Jesus, who is the one he raised from the dead and who is the one who will rescue us from the coming wrath.
HYMN: John Oxenham
Tune: Diademata (Elvey) https://tinyurl.com/krfy9eaf
1 Peace in our time, O Lord,
To all the peoples—peace!
Peace surely based upon thy will
And built in righteousness.
Thy power alone can break
The fetters that enchain
The sorely stricken soul of life,
And make it live again.
2 Too long mistrust and fear
Have held our souls in thrall;
Sweep through the earth, keen Breath of Heaven,
And sound a nobler call!
Come, as thou didst of old,
In love so great that men
Shall cast aside all other gods
And turn to thee again.
3 O shall we never learn
The truth all time has taught,
That without God as architect
Our building comes to naught?
Lord, help us, and inspire
Our hearts and lives that we
May build, with all thy wondrous gifts,
A Kingdom meet for thee.
4 Peace in our time, O Lord,
To all the peoples-peace!
Peace that shall build a glad new world,
And make for life’s increase.
O, living Christ, who still
Dost all our burdens share,
Come now and dwell within the hearts
Of all men everywhere.
Then the Pharisees met together to find a way to trap Jesus in his words. They sent their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are genuine and that you teach God’s way as it really is. We know that you are not swayed by people’s opinions, because you don’t show favoritism. So tell us what you think: Does the Law allow people to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
Knowing their evil motives, Jesus replied, “Why do you test me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used to pay the tax.” And they brought him a denarion. “Whose image and inscription is this?” he asked. “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” When they heard this they were astonished, and they departed.
CANTICLE Jonah 2:2-9
(Patrick Schlabs: https://tinyurl.com/yy9zwfv6)
You cast me out into the deep
And there your floods surround
I sank beneath the raging sea
As billows crashed around
I was thrown out from your sight
And I was driven away
I know I will see with my eyes
Again your holy place
Refrain:
I called to God in my distress
He has heard my voice
I cried to him out of the depths
He answered my call, he answered my call
The waters closed in over me
They came to bring me death
I was covered up by the deep
Weeds choked out my breath
I sank down to the mountain roots
The earth had locked me in
Just as the grave sealed up its gates
You saved me from the pit Refrain
As my life fainted away
I remembered you my God
All those who hope in idols vain
Forsake their hope of loveI called to God in my distress
He has heard my voice
I cried to him out of the depths
He answered my call
So with my voice I will give thanks
A sacrifice to you
What I have vowed I now will pay
Salvation comes from you
Salvation comes from you
Salvation comes from you
THE PRAYERS Joe Milner
For the Church: that we may manifest each day the work of faith, the labor of love, and the endurance of hope that is ours as God’s people
For the grace of discernment: that we may recognize the various motives in our hearts and respond to those that come from the Holy Spirit
For Wisdom: that God will guide us in being faithful citizens without compromising our discipleship and service of God
For all who will be voting: that the Spirit of God will help them recognize the critical issues before them and guide them in applying the Gospel messages in their choices
For growth in our commitment to God: that we may know God as the one and only Lord in our lives and fully dedicate ourselves to the service of God
For the conversion of our hearts: that the false gods of power, prestige, pleasure, and security may be dethroned so that the God of mercy, compassion, forgiveness, and justice may receive our service
For all who are searching: that the Holy Spirit may open the power of the Gospel to them and lead them to a fuller life in Christ
For all God’s people: that formed in the image and likeness of God, we will manifest God’s presence in our workplaces, our families, and our society
For all government officials and employees: that they may wisely use their offices to promote justice and the common good
For civic leaders in places of unrest: that God will inspire their efforts to communicate, guide them in establishing just policies in their communities, and help them recognize the d\giftedness and dignity of each person
For greater respect for life: that the Holy Spirit will open all to a deeper recognition of the beauty and mystery of life in all its stages
For all who serve in mission territories: that God will strengthen their spirits and help them to be effective witnesses to the Gospel
For conversion from violence: that the Spirit of God will impel us toward resolving conflicts through dialogue and mutual cooperation
For all recovering from storms and wildfires: that God will give them strength, a spirit of hope, and a supportive community so that they may rebuild their lives
For all educational leaders: that God will give them insight and courage as they strive to balance the educational needs with the concerns for the safety of students and staff
Setting by Eric Wyse:2
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.
God of servant rule,
your kingdom breaks our tangled webs
where state and church collude
to worship power and trade on fear:
grant us the wit and will
to give you what is your own,
no more nor less
than all the world and time;
through Jesus Christ, whose kingdom comes. Amen. PIC
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.
The three main scripture readings are © 2011 Common English Bible.
The traditional language psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The modern language versions of Psalms 108 and 109 are 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 © 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.
Oremus 