Polycarp of Smyrna
Honoured as one of the first Christian martyrs, Polycarp had been Bishop of Smyrna on the Adriatic coast of Asia Minor for over forty years when the persecution of Christians began. He was arrested and given the option to renounce his faith and so save his life. His response was: “I have been Christ’s servant for eighty-six years and he has done me no harm. Can I now blaspheme my King and my Saviour?” He was immediately burnt at the stake. His remains were gathered together and buried outside the city; thus began the practice of celebrating the eucharist over his burial place on the anniversary of his death, a practice which also grew over the martyrs’ tombs in the Roman catacombs. Polycarp died in the year 155. EH
Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/jrf6v6t2
Say to the faint of heart: Be strong and do not fear.
Behold, our God will come, and he will save us. Isaiah 35
Almighty God,
you love us, but we have not loved you.
You call, but we have not listened.
We walk away from neighbors in need,
wrapped in our own concerns.
We condone evil, prejudice, warfare, and greed.
God of grace, help us to admit our sin,
so that as you come to us in mercy,
we may repent, turn to you, and receive forgiveness;
through Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen. BCW
Music: https://tinyurl.com/ufxekitx
God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory 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.
HYMN: Charles Wesley
Tune: Amsterdam http://tinyurl.com/45ucjpkw
1 Jesus, let Thy pitying eye
Call back a wandering sheep;
False to Thee, like Peter, I
Would fain, like Peter, weep;
Let me be by grace restored,
On me be all long-suffering shown;
Turn, and look upon me, Lord,
And break my heart of stone.
2 Saviour, Prince, enthrone above,
Repentance to impart,
Give me, through Thy dying love,
The humble, contrite heart;
Speak the reconciling word,
And let Thy mercy melt me down;
Turn, and look upon me, Lord,
And break my heart of stone.
3 For Thine own compassion’s sake
The gracious wonder show;
Cast my sins behind Thy back,
And wash me white as snow,
Speak my paradise restored
Redeem me by Thy grace alone;
Turn, and look upon me, Lord,
And break my heart of stone.
4 Look, as when Thy languid eye
Was closed, that we might live;
“Father,” at the point to die
My Saviour gasped “forgive!”
Surely, with that dying word,
He turns, and looks, and cries, “‘Tis done!”
O my bleeding, loving Lord,
Thou break’st my heart of stone!
PSALMS
Psalm 114 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/tbxne5c)
1 When Israel came out of Egypt *
and the house of Jacob from among the strange people,
2 Judah was his sanctuary *
and Israel his dominion.
3 The sea saw that, and fled *
Jordan was driven back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams *
and the little hills like young sheep.
5 What aileth thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest *
and thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?
6 Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams *
and ye little hills, like young sheep?
7 Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord *
at the presence of the God of Jacob;
8 Who turned the hard rock into a standing water *
and the flint-stone into a springing well.
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 115 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/yaw43w93)
1 Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy Name give the praise *
for thy loving mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.
2 Wherefore shall the heathen say *
Where is now their God?
3 As for our God, he is in heaven *
he hath done whatsoever pleased him.
4 Their idols are silver and gold *
even the work of men’s hands.
5 They have mouths, and speak not *
eyes have they, and see not.
6 They have ears, and hear not *
noses have they, and smell not.
7 They have hands, and handle not; feet have they, and walk not *
neither speak they through their throat.
8 They that make them are like unto them *
and so are all such as put their trust in them.
9 But thou, house of Israel, trust thou in the Lord *
he is their succour and defence.
10 Ye house of Aaron, put your trust in the Lord *
he is their helper and defender.
11 Ye that fear the Lord, put your trust in the Lord *
he is their helper and defender.
12 The Lord hath been mindful of us, and he shall bless us *
even he shall bless the house of Israel,
he shall bless the house of Aaron.
13 He shall bless them that fear the Lord *
both small and great.
14 The Lord shall increase you more and more *
you and your children.
15 Ye are the blessed of the Lord *
who made heaven and earth.
16 All the whole heavens are the Lord’s *
the earth hath he given to the children of men.
17 The dead praise not thee, O Lord *
neither all they that go down into silence.
18 But we will praise the Lord *
from this time forth for evermore. Praise 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 114 (LSB Tone G: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-114-LSB.mp3)
1 When Israel went out from Egypt,*
the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2 Judah became his sanctuary,*
Israel his dominion.
3 The sea looked and fled;*
Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams,*
the hills like lambs.
5 What ails you, O sea, that you flee?*
O Jordan, that you turn back?
6 O mountains, that you skip like rams?*
O hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,*
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turns the rock into a pool of water,*
the flint into a spring of water.
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 115 (LSB Tone G: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-115-LSB.mp3)
1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory,*
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
2 Why should the nations say,*
“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in the heavens;*
he does all that he pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold,*
the work of human hands.
5 They have mouths, but do not speak;*
eyes, but do not see.
6 They have ears, but do not hear;*
noses, but do not smell.
7 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk;*
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
8 Those who make them be-come like them;*
so do all who trust in them.
9 O Israel, trust in the LORD!*
He is their help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD!*
He is their help and their shield.
11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD!*
He is their help and their shield.
12 The LORD has remembered us; he will bless us;*
he will bless the house of Israel;
he will bless the house of Aaron;
13 he will bless those who fear the LORD,*
both the small and the great.
14 May the LORD give you increase,*
you and your children!
15 May you be blessed by the LORD,*
who made heaven and earth!
16 The heavens are the LORD’s heavens,*
but the earth he has given to the children of man.
17 The dead do not praise the LORD,*
nor do any who go down into silence.
18 But we will bless the LORD*
from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the 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.
PRAYER
Gracious God,
in whom all hearts are glad
and all souls rejoice:
Show us the path of your presence,
that we may follow it in hope
and be filled with resurrection joy;
through Jesus Christ, our risen Savior. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
On that day, declares the Lord,
the courage of the king and his princes will fail,
the priests will be stunned,
and the prophets will be shocked.
Then I said, “Lord God, no!
You have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem
by promising them peace
even though the sword is at their throats.”
Oh, my suffering, my suffering!
My pain is unbearable;
my heart is in turmoil;
it throbs nonstop.
I can’t be silent, because I hear the blast of the trumpet
and the roar of the battle cry!
Disaster follows disaster;
the whole land is ruined.
Suddenly, my tents are destroyed,
my shelter in a moment.
How long must I see the battle flags
and hear the blast of the trumpet?
My people are foolish.
They don’t even know me!
They are thoughtless children
without understanding;
they are skilled at doing wrong,
inept at doing right.
I looked at the earth,
and it was without shape or form;
at the heavens
and there was no light.
I looked at the mountains
and they were quaking;
all the hills were rocking back and forth.
I looked and there was no one left;
every bird in the sky had taken flight.
I looked and the fertile land was a desert;
all its towns were in ruins
before the Lord,
before his fury.
The Lord proclaims:
The whole earth will become a desolation,
but I will not destroy it completely.
Therefore, the earth will grieve
and the heavens grow dark
because I have declared my plan
and will neither change my mind
nor cancel the plan.
HYMN: Thomas H Troeger ©
Tune: Aberystwyth http://tinyurl.com/yc6s2yb6
1 Wind who makes all winds that blow—
gusts that bend the saplings low,
gales that heave the sea in waves,
stirrings in the mind’s deep caves—
aim your breath with steady pow’r
on your church, this day, this hour.
Raise, renew the life we’ve lost,
Spirit God of Pentecost.
2 Fire who fuels all fires that burn—
suns around which planets turn,
beacons marking reefs and shoals,
shining truth to guide our souls—
come to us as once you came;
burst in tongues of sacred flame!
Light and Power, Might and Strength,
fill your church, its breadth and length.
3 Holy Spirit, Wind and Flame,
move within our mortal frame.
Make our hearts an altar pyre.
Kindle them with your own fire.
Breathe and blow upon that blaze
till our lives, our deeds, and ways
speak that tongue which ev’ry land
by your grace shall understand.
Every high priest is taken from the people and put in charge of things that relate to God for their sake, in order to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. The high priest is able to deal gently with the ignorant and those who are misled since he himself is prone to weakness. Because of his weakness, he must offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as for the people. No one takes this honor for themselves but takes it only when they are called by God, just like Aaron.
In the same way Christ also didn’t promote himself to become high priest. Instead, it was the one who said to him,
You are my Son.
Today I have become your Father,
as he also says in another place,
You are a priest forever,
according to the order of Melchizedek.
During his days on earth, Christ offered prayers and requests with loud cries and tears as his sacrifices to the one who was able to save him from death. He was heard because of his godly devotion. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience from what he suffered. After he had been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for everyone who obeys him. He was appointed by God to be a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
We have a lot to say about this topic, and it’s difficult to explain, because you have been lazy and you haven’t been listening. Although you should have been teachers by now, you need someone to teach you an introduction to the basics about God’s message. You have come to the place where you need milk instead of solid food. Everyone who lives on milk is not used to the word of righteousness, because they are babies. But solid food is for the mature, whose senses are trained by practice to distinguish between good and evil.
HYMN: Graham Kendrick ©
Tune: http://tinyurl.com/2v6xzjrd
1 Meekness and majesty, manhood and Deity
in perfect harmony, the Man who is God.
Lord of eternity dwells in humanity,
kneels in humility, and washes our feet.
Refrain:
Oh, what a mystery meekness and majesty;
bow down and worship,
for this is your God.
2 Father’s pure radiance, perfect in innocence,
yet learns obedience to death on a cross,
suffering to give us life, conquering through sacrifice,
and, as they crucify, prays, “Father, forgive.” [Refrain]
3 Wisdom unsearchable, God the invisible,
Love indestructible in frailty appears.
Lord of infinity, stooping so tenderly,
lifts our humanity to the heights of his throne. [Refrain]
READING: Matthew 19:1-12
When Jesus finished saying these things, he left Galilee and came to the area of Judea on the east side of the Jordan. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them. Some Pharisees came to him. In order to test him, they said, “Does the Law allow a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”
Jesus answered, “Haven’t you read that at the beginning the creator made them male and female? And God said, ‘Because of this a man should leave his father and mother and be joined together with his wife, and the two will be one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, humans must not pull apart what God has put together.”
The Pharisees said to him, “Then why did Moses command us to give a divorce certificate and divorce her?” Jesus replied, “Moses allowed you to divorce your wives because your hearts are unyielding. But it wasn’t that way from the beginning. I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
His disciples said to him, “If that’s the way things are between a man and his wife, then it’s better not to marry.” He replied, “Not everybody can accept this teaching, but only those who have received the ability to accept it. For there are eunuchs who have been eunuchs from birth. And there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by other people. And there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs because of the kingdom of heaven. Those who can accept it should accept it.”
CANTICLE Prayer of Manasseh
(Setting by Joe Cox https://tinyurl.com/4hqmx4jh)
Ant. Your merciful promise is beyond all measure; *
it surpasses all that our minds can fathom.
O Lord and Ruler of the hosts of heaven, *
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
and of all their righteous offspring:
You made the heavens and the earth, *
with all their vast array.
All things quake with fear at your presence; *
they tremble because of your power.
But your merciful promise is beyond all measure; *
it surpasses all that our minds can fathom.
O Lord, you are full of compassion, *
long-suffering, and abounding in mercy.
You hold back your hand; *
you do not punish as we deserve.
In your great goodness, Lord,
you have promised forgiveness to sinners, *
that they may repent of their sin and be saved.
And now, O Lord, I bend the knee of my heart, *
and make my appeal, sure of your gracious goodness.
I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned, *
and I know my wickedness only too well.
Therefore I make this prayer to you: *
Forgive me, Lord, forgive me.
Do not let me perish in my sin, *
nor condemn me to the depths of the earth.
For you, O Lord, are the God of those who repent, *
and in me you will show forth your goodness.
Unworthy as I am, you will save me,
in accordance with your great mercy, *
and I will praise you without ceasing all the days of my life.
For all the powers of heaven sing your praises, *
and yours is the glory to ages of ages. Amen.
THE PRAYERS WS2
God of new birth,
we praise you for being the giver of life and the victor over death,
for the evidence of new life we see in creation . . .
for our baptism, a sign of our union with Christ
in his death and resurrection . . .
for the promise of the coming kingdom . . .
God of new birth,
we acknowledge that all of life is sustained by you, so we pray
for creation and its care . . .
for the nations of the world, especially . . .
for our nation and those in authority . . .
for this community and its leaders . . .
for the church universal, its mission, and those who minister . . .
for our local church and its ministry . . .
for persons with particular needs . . .
We pray all these things in the name of the triune God,
the giver and sustainer of life. Amen.
(Plainsong Mode 2: https://tinyurl.com/yctqq8cf)DL
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.
Faithful and everlasting God,
you gave your servant Polycarp
boldness to confess Jesus as his Lord and Saviour
and courage to die for his faith;
give us grace to share the cup of Christ
and in all our trials to praise your name;
through Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen. FATS
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.
DL © Daniel Lawson; used with permission.
FATS For All the Saints, © The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, 2014
EH Exciting Holiness, Ed. Brother Tristram SSF © European Province of the Society of Saint Francis, 1997
WS2 The Worship Sourcebook, 2nd edition, © 2013, Faith Alive Christian Resources
The 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 114 and 115 are in the version used in Lutheran Service Book: Pew Edition Concordia Publishing House, 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 © 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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