
Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/8yn2nv7k
O God, come to my assistance;
O Lord, make haste to help me!
You are my rescuer, my help;
O Lord, do not delay. Psalm 70
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: Charles Wesley
Tune: Azmon https://tinyurl.com/yc4wj3w2
1 O for a thousand tongues to sing
my dear Redeemer’s praise,
the glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of his grace!
2 Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
that bids our sorrows cease;
’tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’tis life and health and peace.
3 He breaks the power of cancelled sin,
he sets the prisoner free:
his blood can make the foulest clean;
his blood availed for me.
4 He speaks; and, listening to his voice,
new life the dead receive,
the mournful broken hearts rejoice,
the humble poor believe.
5 Hear him, ye deaf; his praise, ye dumb,
your loosened tongues employ;
ye blind, behold your Saviour come;
and leap, ye lame, for joy!
6 My gracious Master and my God,
assist me to proclaim
and spread through all the earth abroad
the honours of thy name.
PSALMS
Psalm 75 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/w8cy5dn)
1 Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks *
yea, unto thee do we give thanks.
2 Thy Name also is so nigh *
and that do thy wondrous works declare.
3 When I receive the congregation *
I shall judge according unto right.
4 The earth is weak, and all the inhabiters thereof *
I bear up the pillars of it.
5 I said unto the fools, Deal not so madly *
and to the ungodly, Set not up your horn.
6 Set not up your horn on high *
and speak not with a stiff neck.
7 For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west *
nor yet from the south.
8 And why? God is the Judge *
he putteth down one, and setteth up another.
9 For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red *
it is full mixed, and he poureth out of the same.
10 As for the dregs thereof *
all the ungodly of the earth shall drink them, and suck them out.
11 But I will talk of the God of Jacob *
and praise him for ever.
12 All the horns of the ungodly also will I break *
and the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.
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 76 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/r9ym7fd)
1 In Jewry is God known *
his Name is great in Israel.
2 At Salem is his tabernacle *
and his dwelling in Sion.
3 There brake he the arrows of the bow *
the shield, the sword, and the battle.
4 Thou art of more honour and might *
than the hills of the robbers.
5 The proud are robbed, they have slept their sleep *
and all the men whose hands were mighty have found nothing.
6 At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob *
both the chariot and horse are fallen.
7 Thou, even thou art to be feared *
and who may stand in thy sight when thou art angry?
8 Thou didst cause thy judgement to be heard from heaven *
the earth trembled, and was still,
9 When God arose to judgement *
and to help all the meek upon earth.
10 The fierceness of man shall turn to thy praise *
and the fierceness of them shalt thou refrain.
11 Promise unto the Lord your God, and keep it,
all ye that are round about him *
bring presents unto him that ought to be feared.
12 He shall refrain the spirit of princes *
and is wonderful among the kings of the earth.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost,*
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 77 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/vmyxazc)
1 I will cry unto God with my voice *
even unto God will I cry with my voice, and he shall hearken unto me.
2 In the time of my trouble I sought the Lord *
my sore ran, and ceased not in the night-season;
my soul refused comfort.
3 When I am in heaviness, I will think upon God *
when my heart is vexed, I will complain.
4 Thou holdest mine eyes waking *
I am so feeble, that I cannot speak.
5 I have considered the days of old *
and the years that are past.
6 I call to remembrance my song *
and in the night I commune with mine own heart, and search out my spirits.
7 Will the Lord absent himself for ever *
and will he be no more intreated?
8 Is his mercy clean gone for ever *
and is his promise come utterly to an end for evermore?
9 Hath God forgotten to be gracious *
and will he shut up his loving-kindness in displeasure?
10 And I said, It is mine own infirmity *
but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most Highest.
11 I will remember the works of the Lord *
and call to mind thy wonders of old time.
12 I will think also of all thy works *
and my talking shall be of thy doings.
13 Thy way, O God, is holy *
who is so great a God as our God?
14 Thou art the God that doeth wonders *
and hast declared thy power among the people.
15 Thou hast mightily delivered thy people *
even the sons of Jacob and Joseph.
16 The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee, and were afraid *
the depths also were troubled.
17 The clouds poured out water, the air thundered *
and thine arrows went abroad.
18 The voice of thy thunder was heard round about *
the lightnings shone upon the ground;
the earth was moved, and shook withal.
19 Thy way is in the sea, and thy paths in the great waters *
and thy footsteps are not known.
20 Thou leddest thy people like sheep *
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
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 75 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-75-1.mp3)
1 We give you thanks, O God, we give you thanks, *
calling upon your Name and declaring all your wonderful deeds.
2 “I will appoint a time,” says God; *
“I will judge with equity.
3 Though the earth and all its inhabitants are quaking, *
I will make its pillars fast.
4 I will say to the boasters, ‘Boast no more,’ *
and to the wicked, ‘Do not toss your horns;
5 Do not toss your horns so high, *
nor speak with a proud neck.’”
6 For judgment is neither from the east nor from the west, *
nor yet from the wilderness or the mountains.
7 It is God who judges; *
he puts down one and lifts up another.
8 For in the LORD’S hand there is a cup,
full of spiced and foaming wine, which he pours out, *
and all the wicked of the earth shall drink and drain the dregs.
9 But I will rejoice for ever; *
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 He shall break off all the horns of the wicked; *
but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.
Psalm 76 (Karl Kohlhase: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-76-KH.mp3)
God is known in Judah;
his name is great in Israel.
His tabernacle is in Salem;
his dwelling place in Zion.
There he broke the flaming arrows,
the shield and sword, all weapons of war.
Selah, selah, his tabernacle is in Salem
You are very resplendent,
more than mountains of prey.
Plundered, the strong-willed sank in sleep;
no warrior could use his hands.
At your rebuke, God of Jacob,
horse and rider both sank into sleep.
Selah, selah, his tabernacle is in Salem
You, even you, are feared;
who stands in your presence once angered?
Your judgment was heard from heaven;
the earth then feared and was silenced
When God arose for judgment,
to save the humble on earth.
Selah, selah, his tabernacle is in Salem
The wrath of man shall praise you;
with a remnant of wrath you gird yourself.
To the LORD God vow and fulfill;
all surrounding him bring gifts with fear.
He blocks the spirit of rulers;
he is feared by the kings of the earth.
Selah, selah, his Tabernacle is in Salem
Psalm 77 (Karl Kohlhase: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-77-KH.mp3)
My voice rises to God, I will cry aloud;
my voice rises to God, he will hear me.
In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;
in the night my hand stretched without fainting;
My soul refused to be comforted.
Yes, my soul refused to be comforted.
I’m disturbed when I remember God;
when I sigh my spirit faints.
You have held my eyelids open;
so troubled I can’t even speak.
I considered the days of old,
and all those years long ago;
I remember my song in the night;
my heart meditates and spirit ponders:
Will the Lord reject forever?
Will he never again show favor?
Has his kindness ceased for all time?
Has his promise come to an end?
Has God forgotten to be gracious,
or in anger withdrawn his compassion?
Then I said, “It is surely my grief,
the right hand of the Most High has changed.”
My voice rises to God, I will cry aloud;
my voice rises to God, he will hear me.
I’ll remember the deeds of the LORD;
I’ll recall your wonders of old.
On all your works I’ll meditate,
and will muse upon your deeds
Your way, O God, is holy;
what god is great like our God?
You are the God of wonders;
your strength is known through the lands.
You save your people with power,
the sons of Jacob and Joseph.
The waters then saw you, O God;
the waters then saw you, O God,
Then they were in anguish;
the depths started to quake.
The clouds then poured down water;
the skies gave forth a sound;
My voice rises to God, I will cry aloud;
my voice rises to God, he will hear me.
Your arrows flashed here and there.
The sound of your thunder in a whirlwind;
your lightnings lit up the world;
the earth then trembled and shook.
Your paths through sea and water;
your footprints may not be known.
Like a flock you led your people forth,
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
My voice rises to God, I will cry aloud;
my voice rises to God, he will hear me. (repeat)
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: Joshua 6:15-27
On the seventh day, they got up at dawn. They circled the city in this way seven times. It was only on that day that they circled the city seven times. The seventh time, the priests blew the trumpets. Then Joshua said to the people, “Shout, because the Lord has given you the city! The city and everything in it is to be utterly wiped out as something reserved for the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute is to stay alive, along with everyone with her in her house. This is because she hid the messengers we sent. But you, keep away from the things set aside for God so that you don’t desire and take some of the things reserved. That would turn the camp of Israel into a thing doomed to be utterly wiped out and bring calamity on it. All silver and gold, along with bronze and iron equipment, are holy to the Lord. They must go into the Lord’s treasury.” Then the people shouted. They blew the trumpets. As soon as the people heard the trumpet blast, they shouted a loud war cry. Then the wall collapsed. The people went up against the city, attacking straight ahead. They captured the city. Without mercy, they wiped out everything in the city as something reserved for God—man and woman, young and old, cattle, sheep, and donkeys.
Joshua spoke to the two men who had scouted out the land. “Go to the prostitute’s house. Bring out the woman from there, along with everyone related to her, exactly as you pledged to her.” So the young men who had been spies went and brought Rahab out, along with her father, her mother, her brothers, and everyone related to her. They brought her whole clan out and let them stay outside Israel’s camp. They burned the city and everything in it. But they put the silver and gold, along with the bronze and iron equipment, into the treasury of the Lord’s house. Joshua let Rahab the prostitute live, her family, and everyone related to her. So her family still lives among Israel today, because she hid the spies whom Joshua had sent to scout out Jericho.
At that time Joshua made this decree: “Anyone who starts to rebuild this city of Jericho will be cursed before the Lord. Laying its foundations will cost them their oldest child. Setting up its gates will cost them their youngest child.” The Lord was with Joshua. News about him spread throughout the land.
HYMN: Andrew Donaldson
Tune: Como poden per sas culpas https://tinyurl.com/5e88wzy2
1 With astonishment, fear, and wonder,
we are walking the road with Jesus;
we are walking the peaceful pathway;
we are singing the coming kingdom.
As the legions of fear and power
are approaching with sword and armor,
with Emmanuel we are marching,
with no sword but a song: Hosanna!
Refrain:
Come and help us, O God, Hosanna!
Come deliver, O God, hosanna!
Give us courage and joy, Hosanna!
For your song is our strength, Hosanna!
With astonishment, fear, and wonder,
we are walking the road with Jesus:
we are walking the peaceful pathway;
we are singing the coming kingdom.
2 We’re surrounded by glad companions,
holy company, great and awesome:
all our ancestors singing witness
to the Holy One, working among us.
Here is Miriam, with her timbrel;
here is Joshua, with the shofars;
here are Silas and Paul, from prison;
they are singing God’s reign, Hosanna! [Refrain]
READING: Revelation 14:1-13
Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion. With him were one hundred forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. I heard a sound from heaven that was like the sound of rushing water and loud thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. They sing a new song in front of the throne, the four living creatures, and the elders. And no one could learn the song except the one hundred forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. They weren’t defiled with women, for these people who follow the Lamb wherever he goes are virgins. They were purchased from among humankind as early produce for God and the Lamb. No lie came from their mouths; they are blameless.
Then I saw another angel flying high overhead with eternal good news to proclaim to those who live on earth, and to every nation, tribe, language, and people. He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come. Worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”
Another angel, a second one, followed and said, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She made all the nations drink the wine of her lustful passion.”
Then another angel, a third one, followed them and said in a loud voice, “If any worship the beast and its image, and receive a mark on their foreheads or their hands, they themselves will also drink the wine of God’s passionate anger, poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will suffer the pain of fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. The smoke of their painful suffering goes up forever and always. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, and those who receive the mark of its name.”
This calls for the endurance of the saints, who keep God’s commandments and keep faith with Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Favored are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so they can rest from their labors, because their deeds follow them.”
HYMN: Isaac Watts
Tune: Warwick https://tinyurl.com/bdb46prf
1 Hear what the voice from heaven proclaims
For all the pious dead!
Sweet is the savour of their names,
And soft their dying bed.
2 They die in Jesus, and are blest;
How calm their slumbers are!
From sufferings and from woes released,
And freed from every snare:
3 Till that illustrious morning come,
When all Thy saints shall rise,
And, decked in full immortal bloom,
Attend Thee to the skies.
4 Their tongues, great Prince of Life, shall join
With their recovered breath,
And all the immortal host ascribe
Their victory to Thy death.
After leaving the region of Tyre, Jesus went through Sidon toward the Galilee Sea through the region of the Ten Cities. Some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly speak, and they begged him to place his hand on the man for healing. Jesus took him away from the crowd by himself and put his fingers in the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. Looking into heaven, Jesus sighed deeply and said, “Ephphatha,” which means, “Open up.” At once, his ears opened, his twisted tongue was released, and he began to speak clearly.
Jesus gave the people strict orders not to tell anyone. But the more he tried to silence them, the more eagerly they shared the news. People were overcome with wonder, saying, “He does everything well! He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who can’t speak.”
CANTICLE Colossians 1:12-20
(Chant by John Michael Talbot https://tinyurl.com/ya95yzto)
Ant. He is the first born of all creation,
in every way the primacy is his.
Let us give thanks to the Father
for having made you worthy
to share the lot of the saints in light.
He rescued us from the power of darkness
and brought us into the kingdom of his beloved Son.
Through him we have redemption,
the forgiveness of our sins.
He is the image of the invisible God,
the first-born of all creatures.
In him everything in heaven and on earth was created,
things visible and invisible.
All were created through him; all were created for him.
He is before all else that is.
In him everything continues in being.
It is he who is head of the body, the church!
He who is the beginning, the first-born of the dead,
so that primacy may be his in everything.
It pleased God to make absolute fullness reside in him
and, by means of him, to reconcile everything in his person,
both on earth and in the heavens,
making peace through the blood of his cross.
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 BCW
Eternal God, we rejoice today in the gift of life, which we have received
by your grace, and the new life you give in Jesus Christ.
Especially we thank you for
the love of our families . . .
the affection of our friends . . .
strength and abilities to serve your purpose today . . .
this community in which we live . . .
opportunities to give as we have received. . . .
God of grace, we offer our prayers for the needs of others and commit ourselves
to serve them even as we have been served in Jesus Christ. Especially we pray for
those closest to us, families, friends, neighbors . . .
refugees and homeless men, women and children . . .
the outcast and persecuted . . .
those from whom we are estranged . . .
the church in Africa. . . .
(Traditional chant: http://oremus.org/chant/LP-1940.mp3)
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And 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.
Lord of the changing,
you help us find our voice
that we might find our faith:
release us from the crowds
which command our silence
and free our tongues
to demand from you
the healing of the earth;
through Jesus Christ, the opener of the gate. Amen. PIC, alt.
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
Support this ministry
$10.00
BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.
The Lord’s Prayer is the traditional chant as set in The Hymnal 1940 and sung by Kathryn Mannyng https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsJ2TB9pLbU
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 80 and 81 are from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and is sung by Ryland Angel. Psalm 79 is by Sons of Korah.
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.