Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/yckvuff7
Behold the One of whom John said:
I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God. John 1
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: Herman G Stuempfle ©
Tune: Ebenezer http://tinyurl.com/eauvkwx7
1 Jesus, tempted in the desert,
lonely, hungry, filled with dread:
“Use your pow’r,” the tempter tells him;
“turn these barren rocks to bread!”
“Not alone by bread,” he answers,
“can the human heart be filled.
Only by the Word that calls us
is our deepest hunger stilled!”
2 Jesus tempted at the temple,
high above its ancient wall:
“Throw yourself from lofty turret;
angels wait to break your fall!”
Jesus shuns such empty marvels,
feats that fickle crowds request:
“God, whose grace protects, preserves us,
we must never vainly test.”
3 Jesus tempted on the mountain
by the lure of vast domain:
“Fall before me! Be my servant!
Glory, fame, you’re sure to gain!”
Jesus sees the dazzling vision,
turns his eyes another way:
“God alone deserves our homage!
God alone will I obey.”
4 When we face temptation’s power,
lonely struggling, filled with dread,
Christ, who knew the tempter’s hour,
come and be our living bread.
By your grace, protect, preserve us,
lest we fall, your trust betray.
Yours, above all other voices,
be the Word we hear, obey.
PSALMS
Psalm 44 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/4mebue34)
1 We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us :
what thou hast done in their time of old;
2 How thou hast driven out the heathen with thy hand,
and planted them in :
how thou hast destroyed the nations and cast them out.
3 For they gat not the land in possession through their own sword :
neither was it their own arm that helped them;
4 But thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance :
because thou hadst a favour unto them.
5 Thou art my King, O God :
send help unto Jacob.
6 Through thee will we overthrow our enemies :
and in thy Name will we tread them under, that rise up against us.
7 For I will not trust in my bow :
it is not my sword that shall help me;
8 But it is thou that savest us from our enemies :
and puttest them to confusion that hate us.
9 We make our boast of God all day long :
and will praise thy Name for ever.
10 But now thou art far off, and puttest us to confusion :
and goest not forth with our armies.
11 Thou makest us to turn our backs upon our enemies :
so that they which hate us spoil our goods.
12 Thou lettest us be eaten up like sheep :
and hast scattered us among the heathen.
13 Thou sellest thy people for nought :
and takest no money for them.
14 Thou makest us to be rebuked of our neighbours :
to be laughed to scorn, and had in derision of them
that are round about us.
15 Thou makest us to be a by-word among the heathen :
and that the people shake their heads at us.
16 My confusion is daily before me :
and the shame of my face hath covered me;
17 For the voice of the slanderer and blasphemer:
for the enemy and avenger.
18 And though all this be come upon us, yet do we not forget thee :
nor behave ourselves frowardly in thy covenant.
19 Our heart is not turned back :
neither our steps gone out of thy way;
20 No, not when thou hast smitten us into the place of dragons :
and covered us with the shadow of death.
21 If we have forgotten the Name of our God,
and holden up our hands to any strange god :
shall not God search it out? for he knoweth the very secrets of the heart.
22 For thy sake also are we killed all the day long :
and are counted as sheep appointed to be slain.
23 Up, Lord, why sleepest thou :
awake, and be not absent from us for ever.
24 Wherefore hidest thou thy face :
and forgettest our misery and trouble?
25 For our soul is brought low, even unto the dust :
our belly cleaveth unto the ground.
26 Arise, and help us :
and deliver us for thy mercy’s sake.
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 45 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/ybupe5te)
1 My heart is inditing of a good matter *
I speak of the things which I have made unto the King.
2 My tongue is the pen *
of a ready writer.
3 Thou art fairer than the children of men *
full of grace are thy lips, because God hath blessed thee for ever.
4 Gird thee with thy sword upon thy thigh, O thou most Mighty *
according to thy worship and renown.
5 Good luck have thou with thine honour *
ride on, because of the word of truth, of meekness,
and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.
6 Thy arrows are very sharp,
and the people shall be subdued unto thee *
even in the midst among the King’s enemies.
7 Thy seat, O God, endureth for ever *
the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.
8 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity *
wherefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee
with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
9 All thy garments smell of myrrh, aloes, and cassia *
out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.
10 Kings’ daughters were among thy honourable women *
upon thy right hand did stand the queen in a vesture of gold,
wrought about with divers colours.
11 Hearken, O daughter, and consider, incline thine ear *
forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house.
12 So shall the King have pleasure in thy beauty *
for he is thy Lord God, and worship thou him.
13 And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift *
like as the rich also among the people shall make their supplication before thee.
14 The King’s daughter is all glorious within *
her clothing is of wrought gold.
15 She shall be brought unto the King in raiment of needle-work *
the virgins that be her fellows shall bear her company,
and shall be brought unto thee.
16 With joy and gladness shall they be brought *
and shall enter into the King’s palace.
17 Instead of thy fathers thou shalt have children *
whom thou mayest make princes in all lands.
18 I will remember thy Name from one generation to another *
therefore shall the people give thanks unto thee, world without end.
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 46 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y7svqcl3)
1 God is our hope and strength *
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be moved *
and though the hills be carried into the midst of the sea.
3 Though the waters thereof rage and swell *
and though the mountains shake at the tempest of the same.
4 The rivers of the flood thereof shall make glad the city of God *
the holy place of the tabernacle of the most Highest.
5 God is in the midst of her, therefore shall she not be removed *
God shall help her, and that right early.
6 The heathen make much ado, and the kingdoms are moved *
but God hath shewed his voice, and the earth shall melt away.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us *
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
8 O come hither, and behold the works of the Lord *
what destruction he hath brought upon the earth.
9 He maketh wars to cease in all the world *
he breaketh the bow, and knappeth the spear in sunder,
and burneth the chariots in the fire.
10 Be still then, and know that I am God *
I will be exalted among the heathen, and I will be exalted in the earth.
11 The Lord of hosts is with us *
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
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 44 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-44-MH.mp3)
2 We heard with our own ears, O God,
our fathers have told us the story
of the things you did in their days,
you yourself, in days long ago.
3 To plant them you uprooted the nations;
to let them spread you laid peoples low.
4 No sword of their own won the land;
no arm of their own brought them victory.
It was your right hand, your arm
and the light of your face; for you loved them.
5 It is you, my king, my God,
who granted victories to Jacob.
6 Through you we beat down our foes;
in your name we trampled down our aggressors.
7 For it was not in my bow that I trusted
nor yet was I saved by my sword:
8 it was you who saved us from our foes,
it was you who put our foes to shame.
9 All day long our boast was in God
and we praised your name without ceasing.
10 Yet now you have rejected us, disgraced us;
you no longer go forth with our armies.
11 You make us retreat from the foe
and our enemies plunder us at will.
12 You make us like sheep for the slaughter
and scatter us among the nations.
13 You sell your own people for nothing
and make no profit by the sale.
14 You make us the taunt of our neighbors,
the laughing stock of all who are near.
15 Among the nations, you make us a byword,
among the peoples a thing of derision.
16 All day long my disgrace is before me;
my face is covered with shame
17 at the voice of the taunter, the scoffer,
at the sight of the foe and avenger.
18 This befell us though we had not forgotten you,
though we had not been false to your covenant,
19 though we had not withdrawn our hearts;
though our feet had not strayed from your path.
20 Yet you have crushed us in a place of sorrows
and covered us with the shadow of death.
21 Had we forgotten the name of our God,
or stretched out our hands to another god
22 would not God have found this out,
he who knows the secrets of the heart?
23 It is for you that we face death all day long
and are counted as sheep for the slaughter.
24 Awake, O Lord, why do you sleep?
Arise, do not reject us for ever!
25 Why do you hide your face
and forget our oppression and misery?
26 For we are brought down low to the dust;
our body lies prostrate on the earth.
27 Stand up and come to our help!
Redeem us because of your love!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 45 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-45.mp3)
1 My heart is stirring with a noble song;
let me recite what I have fashioned for the king; *
my tongue shall be the pen of a skilled writer.
2 You are the fairest of men; *
grace flows from your lips,
because God has blessed you for ever.
3 Strap your sword upon your thigh, O mighty warrior, *
in your pride and in your majesty.
4 Ride out and conquer in the cause of truth *
and for the sake of justice.
5 Your right hand will show you marvelous things; *
your arrows are very sharp, O mighty warrior.
6 The peoples are falling at your feet, *
and the king’s enemies are losing heart.
7 Your throne, O God, endures for ever and ever, *
a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom;
you love righteousness and hate iniquity.
8 Therefore God, your God, has anointed you *
with the oil of gladness above your fellows.
9 All your garments are fragrant with myrrh, aloes, and cassia, *
and the music of strings from ivory palaces makes you glad.
10 Kings’ daughters stand among the ladies of the court; *
on your right hand is the queen,
adorned with the gold of Ophir.
11 “Hear, O daughter; consider and listen closely; *
forget your people and your father’s house.
12 The king will have pleasure in your beauty; *
he is your master; therefore do him honor.
13 The people of Tyre are here with a gift; *
the rich among the people seek your favor.”
14 All glorious is the princess as she enters; *
her gown is cloth-of-gold.
15 In embroidered apparel she is brought to the king; *
after her the bridesmaids follow in procession.
16 With joy and gladness they are brought, *
and enter into the palace of the king.
17 “In place of fathers, O king, you shall have sons; *
you shall make them princes over all the earth.
18 I will make your name to be remembered
from one generation to another; *
therefore nations will praise you for ever and ever.”
Psalm 46 (LSB Tone C: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-46-LSB.mp3)
1 God is our refuge and strength,*
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,*
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,*
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,*
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;*
God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;*
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us;*
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come, behold the works of the LORD,*
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;*
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.*
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The LORD of hosts is with us;*
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
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
God our strength, you are the only refuge of all who trust you.
Fortify us with your goodness to live in quietness of spirit,
that we may serve you all our days;
through Jesus Christ, your Son. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
Then the Lord’s messenger came and sat under the oak at Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites. The Lord’s messenger appeared to him and said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior!”
But Gideon replied to him, “With all due respect, my Lord, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his amazing works that our ancestors recounted to us, saying, ‘Didn’t the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and allowed Midian to overpower us.”
Then the Lord turned to him and said, “You have strength, so go and rescue Israel from the power of Midian. Am I not personally sending you?”
But again Gideon said to him, “With all due respect, my Lord, how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I’m the youngest in my household.”
The Lord replied, “Because I’m with you, you’ll defeat the Midianites as if they were just one person.”
Then Gideon said to him, “If I’ve gained your approval, please show me a sign that it’s really you speaking with me. Don’t leave here until I return, bring out my offering, and set it in front of you.”
The Lord replied, “I’ll stay until you return.”
So Gideon went and prepared a young goat and used an ephah of flour for unleavened bread. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot and brought them out to him under the oak and presented them. Then God’s messenger said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and set them on this rock, then pour out the broth.” And he did so. The Lord’s messenger reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire came up from the rock and devoured the meat and the unleavened bread; and the Lord’s messenger vanished before his eyes. Then Gideon realized that it had been the Lord’s messenger. Gideon exclaimed, “Oh no, Lord God! I have seen the Lord’s messenger face-to-face!”
But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Don’t be afraid! You won’t die.”
So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it “The Lord makes peace.” It still stands today in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
HYMN: Michael Altenburg; trans. Elizabeth Rundle Charles
Tune:
1 Be not dismayed, thou little flock,
Although the foe’s fierce battle shock
Loud on all sides, assail thee.
Though o’er thy fall they laugh secure,
Their triumph cannot long endure,
Let not thy courage fail thee.
2 Thy cause is God’s–go at His call,
And to His hand commit thine all;
Fear thou no ill impending;
His Gideon shall arise for thee,
God’s Word and people manfully,
In God’s own time, defending.
3 Our hope is sure in Jesus’ might;
Against themselves the godless fight,
Themselves, not us, distressing;
Shame and contempt their lot shall be;
God is with us, with Him are we;
To us belongs His blessing.
God’s wrath is being revealed from heaven against all the ungodly behavior and the injustice of human beings who silence the truth with injustice. This is because what is known about God should be plain to them because God made it plain to them. Ever since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—God’s eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, because they are understood through the things God has made. So humans are without excuse. Although they knew God, they didn’t honor God as God or thank him. Instead, their reasoning became pointless, and their foolish hearts were darkened. While they were claiming to be wise, they made fools of themselves. They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images that look like mortal humans: birds, animals, and reptiles.
HYMN: Isaac Watts
Tune: Warrington http://tinyurl.com/2j8rhtzj
1 Nature with open volume stands
to spread her Maker’s praise abroad,
and every labour of his hands
shows something worthy of our God.
2 But in the grace that rescued man
his brightest form of glory shines;
here on the cross ’tis fairest drawn
in precious blood and crimson lines.
3 Here his whole name appears complete;
nor wit can guess, nor reason prove
which of the letters best is writ,
the power, the wisdom, or the love.
4 O the sweet wonders of that cross
where God the Saviour loved and died;
her noblest life my spirit draws
from his dear wounds and bleeding side.
5 I would for ever speak his name
in sounds to mortal ears unknown,
with angels join to praise the Lamb,
and worship at his Father’s throne.
Then the Spirit led Jesus up into the wilderness so that the devil might tempt him. After Jesus had fasted for forty days and forty nights, he was starving. The tempter came to him and said, “Since you are God’s Son, command these stones to become bread.” Jesus replied, “It’s written, People won’t live only by bread, but by every word spoken by God.”
After that the devil brought him into the holy city and stood him at the highest point of the temple. He said to him, “Since you are God’s Son, throw yourself down; for it is written, I will command my angels concerning you, and they will take you up in their hands so that you won’t hit your foot on a stone.” Jesus replied, “Again it’s written, Don’t test the Lord your God.”
Then the devil brought him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. He said, “I’ll give you all these if you bow down and worship me.” Jesus responded, “Go away, Satan, because it’s written,You will worship the Lord your God and serve only him.” The devil left him, and angels came and took care of him.
CANTICLE 1 Samuel 2
(Jason Silver: https://tinyurl.com/y3zdb8z9)
My heart exults in the Lord;
and my strength is exalted in God.
I loudly denounce my enemies,
for I am so glad you rescued me.
There is no Holy One like the Lord,
There is no Rock like our God.
Boast no more so very proud,
no arrogance come out of your mouth;
the Lord is our God who knows,
and by him our actions they are weighed.
The bows of the mighty are broken,
the feeble ones strengthened anew.
The well-fed hire themselves for bread,
but those who are hungry are fat with spoil.
The barren has borne seven babes,
but she who has many is forlorn.
The Lord kills and the Lord brings to life;
brings down to the grave, raises up.
The Lord makes poor and he makes rich;
he brings us low, also exalts.
He raises the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit down with princes
and to inherit an honorable seat.
The pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
and on them he set the world.
He watches over his holy ones,
but the wicked shall be cut off in the dark.
For not by might does one prevail;
the Lord’s adversaries shall be shattered.
The Most High will thunder in heaven.
the Lord will judge the ends of the earth.
He will give strength to his king,
and exalt the power of his anointed ones.
THE PRAYERS BCW
We praise you, God our creator, for your handiwork in shaping and sustaining
your wondrous creation. Especially we thank you for
the miracle of life and the wonder of living . . .
particular blessings coming to us in this day . . .
the resources of the earth . . .
gifts of creative vision and skillful craft . . .
the treasure stored in every human life. . . .
We dare to pray for others, God our Savior, claiming your love in Jesus Christ for
the whole world, committing ourselves to care for those around us in his name.
Especially we pray for
those who work for the benefit of others . . .
those who cannot work today . . .
those who teach and those who learn . . .
people who are poor . . .
the church in Europe. . . .
(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.
Spirit of the desert,
you drove Jesus
to the edge of the world
to find his truth and calling:
scour our hearts
and awaken our hunger
that freed from empty clinging
we might find ourselves in you;
through Jesus Christ, the Lord of the wilds. 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 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 language version of Psalm 44 is from The Grail Psalter and is from the Manual Hopper YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA7dFvm3xGcnay-IeuplWww. Psalm 45 is from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and is sung by Ryland Angel. Psalm 46 is the version in Lutheran Service Book and is 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 © 2024 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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