Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/kstdbwh2
Look toward the Lord and be radiant;
let your faces not be abashed. Psalm 34
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 Dudley-Smith ©
Tune: Bridegroom http://tinyurl.com/w3cwbdxb
1 Not for tongues of heaven’s angels,
Not for wisdom to discern,
Not for faith that masters mountains,
For this better gift we yearn:
May love be ours, O Lord.
2 Love is humble, love is gentle,
Love is tender, true, and kind;
Love is gracious, ever patient,
Generous of heart and mind:
May love be ours, O Lord.
3 Never jealous, never selfish,
Love will not rejoice in wrong;
Never boastful nor resentful,
Love believes and suffers long:
May love be ours, O Lord.
4 In the day this world is fading
Faith and hope will play their part;
But when Christ is seen in glory
Love shall reign in ev’ry heart:
May love be ours, O Lord.
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 (Acoustic Psalms; https://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-76.mp3)
In Judah God is known;
his name is great in Israel.
His abode has been established in Salem,
his dwelling place in Zion.
There he broke the flashing arrows,
the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah
Glorious are you, more majestic
than the mountains full of prey.
The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil;
they sank into sleep;
all the men of war
were unable to use their hands.
At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
both rider and horse lay stunned.
But you, you are to be feared!
Who can stand before you
when once your anger is roused?
From the heavens you uttered judgment;
the earth feared and was still,
when God arose to establish judgment,
to save all the humble of the earth. Selah
Surely the wrath of man shall praise you;
the remnant of wrath you will put on like a belt.
Make your vows to the Lord your God and perform them;
let all around him bring gifts
to him who is to be feared,
who cuts off the spirit of princes,
who is to be feared by the kings of the earth.
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
Abimelech, Jerubbaal’s son, went to his mother’s brothers in Shechem. He spoke to them and to the entire clan of the household to which his mother belonged: “Ask all the leaders of Shechem, ‘Which do you think is better to have ruling over you: seventy men—all of Jerubbaal’s sons—or one man?’ And remember that I’m your flesh and blood!”
So his mother’s brothers spoke all these words on his behalf to all the leaders of Shechem. They decided to follow Abimelech because they said, “He’s our relative.” They gave him seventy pieces of silver from the temple of Baal-berith, with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless men, who became his posse. He went to his household in Ophrah and killed all seventy of his brothers, Jerubbaal’s sons, on a single stone. Only Jotham the youngest of Jerubbaal’s sons survived, because he had hidden himself. Then all the leaders of Shechem and all Beth-millo assembled and proceeded to make Abimelech king by the oak at the stone pillar in Shechem.
HYMN: Psalms 58-61; para. Carol Bechtel ©
Tune: Kingsfold http://tinyurl.com/5etwj7p3
1 O when will we see justice done?
When will the righteous win?
O speed the day when we can say,
“God judges human sin!”
The venom of the wicked’s lies
destroys all in their path.
Their fangs are bared; no one is spared,
and to our cries they’re deaf.
Refrain:
God, hear my cry!
To you I call even when my heart is faint.
To your strong tower lead me in power,
and keep me ever safe.
2 Deliver me, O God my strength,
from those who lie in wait,
from enemies who prowl and plot,
whose only law is hate.
But you, O Lord, could come and save,
deflating their false pride,
and show the earth your righteous worth
as in your love we hide. [Refrain]
3 O God, have you rejected us,
or do you only sleep?
Give victory with your mighty hand,
your promises to keep.
For you have caused our land to quake;
no step now seems secure.
We stagger in our suffering;
our faith seems less than sure. [Refrain]
So what are we going to say? Are we going to find that Abraham is our ancestor on the basis of genealogy? Because if Abraham was made righteous because of his actions, he would have had a reason to brag, but not in front of God. What does the scripture say? Abraham had faith in God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Workers’ salaries aren’t credited to them on the basis of an employer’s grace but rather on the basis of what they deserve. But faith is credited as righteousness to those who don’t work, because they have faith in God who makes the ungodly righteous. In the same way, David also pronounces a blessing on the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from actions:
Happy are those whose actions outside the Law are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered.
Happy are those whose sin isn’t counted against them by the Lord.
Is this state of happiness only for the circumcised or is it also for those who aren’t circumcised? We say, “Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.” So how was it credited? When he was circumcised, or when he wasn’t circumcised? In fact, it was credited while he still wasn’t circumcised, not after he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that comes from the faith he had while he still wasn’t circumcised. It happened this way so that Abraham could be the ancestor of all those people who aren’t circumcised, who have faith in God, and so are counted as righteous. He could also be the ancestor of those circumcised people, who aren’t only circumcised but who also walk in the path of faith, like our ancestor Abraham did while he wasn’t circumcised.
HYMN: James Allen, alt. William Shirley
Tune: Ringe recht http://tinyurl.com/yz3ae7np
1 Sweet the moments, rich in blessing,
which before the cross we spend,
life and health and peace possessing
from the sinner’s dying friend.
2 Here we rest in wonder, viewing
all our sins on Jesus laid;
here we see redemption flowing
from the sacrifice he made.
3 Here we find the dawn of heaven
while upon the cross we gaze,
see our trespasses forgiven,
and our songs of triumph raise.
4 Oh, that, near the cross abiding,
we may to the Savior cleave,
naught with him our hearts dividing,
all for him content to leave!
5 Lord, in loving contemplation
fix our hearts and eyes on you
till we taste your full salvation
and your unveiled glory view.
Jesus continued, “I say to you that unless your righteousness is greater than the righteousness of the legal experts and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to those who lived long ago, Don’t commit murder, and all who commit murder will be in danger of judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with their brother or sister will be in danger of judgment. If they say to their brother or sister, ‘You idiot,’ they will be in danger of being condemned by the governing council. And if they say, ‘You fool,’ they will be in danger of fiery hell. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift at the altar and go. First make things right with your brother or sister and then come back and offer your gift. Be sure to make friends quickly with your opponents while you are with them on the way to court. Otherwise, they will haul you before the judge, the judge will turn you over to the officer of the court, and you will be thrown into prison. I say to you in all seriousness that you won’t get out of there until you’ve paid the very last penny.”
CANTICLE Exodus 15
(John Schiavone: https://tinyurl.com/ybknobsb)
Ant. I will sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
I will sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously triumphant;
horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
He is my God, I praise him;
the God of my father, I extol him. Ant.
The Lord is a warrior, LORD is his name!
Pharaoh’s chariots and army he hurled into the sea;
the elite of his officers were submerged in the Red Sea. Ant.
The flood waters covered them,
they sank into the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, O Lord, magnificent in power,
your right hand, O Lord, has shattered the enemy. Ant.
You brought in the people you redeemed
and planted them on the mountain of your inheritance—
the place where you made your seat, O Lord,
the sanctuary, Lord, which your hands established.
The Lord shall reign forever and ever. Ant.
THE PRAYERS BCW
Eternal God, we praise you for your mighty love given in Christ’s sacrifice on the
cross, and the new life we have received by his resurrection.
Especially we thank you for
the presence of Christ in our weakness and suffering . . .
the ministry of Word and Sacrament . . .
all who work to help and heal . . .
sacrifices made for our benefit . . .
opportunities for our generous giving. . . .
God of grace, let our concern for others reflect Christ’s self-giving love, not only
in our prayers, but also in our practice.
Especially we pray for
those subjected to tyranny and oppression . . .
wounded and injured people . . .
those who face death . . .
those who may be our enemies . . .
the church in Latin America. . . .
(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.
Living One,
in whose freedom
creation was born as gift:
free us from the need
to possess, define and silence others
that we might rejoice
in the strangeness of your beauty
revealed in flesh and blood;
through Jesus Christ, our reconciliation. 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.
PIC Prayers for An Inclusive Church. Steven Shakespeare © 2008 Canterbury Press.
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 Psalm 76 is from the English Standard Version in a recording from the Acoustic Psalms YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@acousticpsalms/featured. Psalm 77 is in the version sung by Karl Kohlhase https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpnf6eoqQUh2xZ3_4C7dmiA
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.
Oremus 