Oremus for Friday, March 8, 2024

Within your will, O Lord, all things are established,
and there is none that can resist your will.
For you have made all things, the heaven and the earth,
and all that is held within the circle of heaven;
you are the Lord of all. Esther 4

Gracious God,
our sins are too heavy to carry,
too real to hide,
and too deep to undo.
Forgive what our lips tremble to name,
what our hearts can no longer bear,
and what has become for us
a consuming fire of judgment.
Set us free from a past that we cannot change;
open to us a future in which we can be changed;
and grant us grace
to grow more and more in your likeness and image;
through Jesus Christ, the light of the world. 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: Carl P Daw ©
Tune: Lux prima https://tinyurl.com/4bt7rsd2

1 Faith begins by letting go,
giving up what had seemed sure,
taking risks and pressing on,
though the way feels less secure:
pilgrimage both right and odd,
trusting all our life to God.

2 Faith endures by holding on,
keeping mem’ry’s roots alive
so that hope may bear its fruit;
promise-fed, our souls will thrive,
not through merit we possess
but by God’s great faithfulness.

3 Faith matures by reaching out,
stretching minds, enlarging hearts,
sharing struggles, living prayer,
binding up the broken parts;
till we find the commonplace
ripe with witness to God’s grace.

PSALMS

Psalm 38 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y8u2a6mz)
1  Put me not to rebuke, O Lord, in thine anger *
neither chasten me in thy heavy displeasure.
2  For thine arrows stick fast in me *
and thy hand presseth me sore.
3  There is no health in my flesh, because of thy displeasure *
neither is there any rest in my bones, by reason of my sin.
4  For my wickednesses are gone over my head *
and are like a sore burden, too heavy for me to bear.
5  My wounds stink, and are corrupt *
through my foolishness.
6  I am brought into so great trouble and misery *
that I go mourning all the day long.
7  For my loins are filled with a sore disease *
and there is no whole part in my body.
8  I am feeble, and sore smitten *
I have roared for the very disquietness of my heart.
9  Lord, thou knowest all my desire *
and my groaning is not hid from thee.
10  My heart panteth, my strength hath failed me *
and the sight of mine eyes is gone from me.
11  My lovers and my neighbours did stand looking upon my trouble *
and my kinsmen stood afar off.
12  They also that sought after my life laid snares for me *
and they that went about to do me evil talked of wickedness,
and imagined deceit all the day long.
13  As for me, I was like a deaf man, and heard not *
and as one that is dumb, who doth not open his mouth.
14  I became even as a man that heareth not *
and in whose mouth are no reproofs.
15  For in thee, O Lord, have I put my trust *
thou shalt answer for me, O Lord my God.
16  I have required that they, even mine enemies,
should not triumph over me *
for when my foot slipped, they rejoiced greatly against me.
17  And I, truly, am set in the plague *
and my heaviness is ever in my sight.
18  For I will confess my wickedness *
and be sorry for my sin.
19  But mine enemies live, and are mighty *
and they that hate me wrongfully are many in number.
20  They also that reward evil for good are against me *
because I follow the thing that good is.
21  Forsake me not, O Lord my God *
be not thou far from me.
22  Haste thee to help me *
O Lord God of my salvation.
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 39 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y9dmgm3b)
1  I said, I will take heed to my ways *
that I offend not in my tongue.
2  I will keep my mouth as it were with a bridle *
while the ungodly is in my sight.
3  I held my tongue, and spake nothing *
I kept silence, yea, even from good words;
but it was pain and grief to me.
4  My heart was hot within me,
and while I was thus musing the fire kindled *
and at the last I spake with my tongue;
5  Lord, let me know mine end, and the number of my days *
that I may be certified how long I have to live.
6  Behold, thou hast made my days as it were a span long *
and mine age is even as nothing in respect of thee;
and verily every man living is altogether vanity.
7  For man walketh in a vain shadow, and disquieteth himself in vain *
he heapeth up riches, and cannot tell who shall gather them.
8  And now, Lord, what is my hope *
truly my hope is even in thee.
9  Deliver me from all mine offences *
and make me not a rebuke unto the foolish.
10  I became dumb, and opened not my mouth *
for it was thy doing.
11  Take thy plague away from me *
I am even consumed by the means of thy heavy hand.
12  When thou with rebukes dost chasten man for sin,
thou makest his beauty to consume away,
like as it were a moth fretting a garment *
every man therefore is but vanity.
13  Hear my prayer, O Lord, and with thine ears consider my calling *
hold not thy peace at my tears.
14  For I am a stranger with thee *
and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.
15  O spare me a little, that I may recover my strength *
before I go hence, and be no more seen.
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 40 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/ybregq8q)
1  I waited patiently for the Lord *
and he inclined unto me, and heard my calling.
2  He brought me also out of the horrible pit, out of the mire and clay *
and set my feet upon the rock, and ordered my goings.
3  And he hath put a new song in my mouth *
even a thanksgiving unto our God.
4  Many shall see it, and fear *
and shall put their trust in the Lord.
5  Blessed is the man that hath set his hope in the Lord *
and turned not unto the proud, and to such as go about with lies.
6  O Lord my God, great are the wondrous works which thou hast done,
like as be also thy thoughts which are to us-ward *
and yet there is no man that ordereth them unto thee.
7  If I should declare them, and speak of them *
they should be more than I am able to express.
8  Sacrifice, and meat-offering, thou wouldest not *
but mine ears hast thou opened.
9  Burnt-offerings, and sacrifice for sin, hast thou not required *
then said I, Lo, I come,
10  In the volume of the book it is written of me, that I should fulfil thy will, O my God *
I am content to do it; yea, thy law is within my heart.
11  I have declared thy righteousness in the great congregation *
lo, I will not refrain my lips, O Lord, and that thou knowest.
12  I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart *
my talk hath been of thy truth, and of thy salvation.
13  I have not kept back thy loving mercy and truth *
from the great congregation.
14  Withdraw not thou thy mercy from me, O Lord *
let thy loving-kindness and thy truth alway preserve me.
15  For innumerable troubles are come about me;
my sins have taken such hold upon me that I am not able to look up *
yea, they are more in number than the hairs of my head,
and my heart hath failed me.
16  O Lord, let it be thy pleasure to deliver me *
make haste, O Lord, to help me.
17  Let them be ashamed, and confounded together,
that seek after my soul to destroy it *
let them be driven backward, and put to rebuke, that wish me evil.
18  Let them be desolate, and rewarded with shame *
that say unto me, Fie upon thee, fie upon thee.
19  Let all those that seek thee be joyful and glad in thee *
and let such as love thy salvation say alway, The Lord be praised.
20  As for me, I am poor and needy *
but the Lord careth for me.
21  Thou art my helper and redeemer *
make no long tarrying, O my God.
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 38 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-38-MH.mp3)
2 O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger;
do not punish me, Lord, in your rage.
3 Your arrows have sunk deep in me;
your hand has come down upon me.
4 Through your anger all my body is sick:
through my sin, there is no health in my limbs.
5 My guilt towers higher than my head;
it is a weight too heavy to bear.
6 My wounds are foul and festering,
the result of my own folly.
7 I am bowed and brought to my knees.
I go mourning all the day long.
8 All my frame burns with fever;
all my body is sick.
9 Spent and utterly crushed,
I cry aloud in anguish of heart.
10 O Lord, you know all my longing:
my groans are not hidden from you.
11 My heart throbs, my strength is spent;
the very light has gone from my eyes.
12 My friends avoid me like a leper;
those closest to me stand afar off.
13 Those who plot against my life lay snares;
those who seek my ruin speak of harm,
planning treachery all the day long.
14 But I am like the deaf who cannot hear,
like the dumb unable to speak.
15 I am like a man who hears nothing
in whose mouth is no defense.
16 I count on you, O Lord:
it is you, Lord God, who will answer.
17 I pray: “Do not let them mock me,
those who triumph if my foot should slip.”
18 For I am on the point of falling
and my pain is always before me.
19 I confess that I am guilty
and my sin fills me with dismay.
20 My wanton enemies are numberless
and my lying foes are many.
21 They repay me evil for good
and attack me for seeking what is right.
22 O Lord, do not forsake me!
My God, do not stay afar off!
23 Make haste and come to my help,
O Lord, my God, my savior!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Spiritt;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.

Psalm 39 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-39-MH.mp3)
2 I said: “I will be watchful of my ways
for fear I should sin with my tongue.
I will put a curb on my lips
when the wicked man stands before me.”
3 I was dumb, silent and still.
His prosperity stirred my grief.
4 My heart was burning within me.
At the thought of it, the fire blazed up
and my tongue burst into speech:
5 “O Lord, you have shown me my end,
how short is the length of my days.
Now I know how fleeting is my life.
6 You have given me a short span of days;
my life is as nothing in your sight.
A mere breath, the man who stood so firm,
7 a mere shadow, the man passing by;
a mere breath the riches he hoards,
not knowing who will have them.”
8 And now, Lord, what is there to wait for?
In you rests all my hope.
9 Set me free from all my sins,
do not make me the taunt of the fool.
10 I was silent, not opening my lips,
because this was all your doing.
11 Take away your scourge from me.
I am crushed by the blows of your hand.
12 You punish man’s sins and correct him;
like the moth you devour all he treasures.
Mortal man is no more than a breath;
13 O Lord, hear my prayer.
O Lord, turn your ear to my cry.
Do not be deaf to my tears.
In your house I am a passing guest,
a pilgrim, like all my fathers.
14 Look away that I may breathe again
before I depart to be no more.
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 40 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-40.mp3)
1 I waited patiently upon the LORD; *
he stooped to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the desolate pit, out of the mire and clay; *
he set my feet upon a high cliff and made my footing sure.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God; *
many shall see, and stand in awe,
and put their trust in the LORD.
4 Happy are they who trust in the LORD! *
they do not resort to evil spirits or turn to false gods.
5 Great things are they that you have done, O LORD my God!
how great your wonders and your plans for us! *
there is none who can be compared with you.
6 Oh, that I could make them known and tell them! *
but they are more than I can count.
7 In sacrifice and offering you take no pleasure *
(you have given me ears to hear you);
8 Burnt-offering and sin-offering you have not required, *
and so I said, “Behold, I come.
9 In the roll of the book it is written concerning me: *
‘I love to do your will, O my God;
your law is deep in my heart.’”
10 I proclaimed righteousness in the great congregation; *
behold, I did not restrain my lips;
and that, O LORD, you know.
11 Your righteousness have I not hidden in my heart;
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your deliverance; *
I have not concealed your love and faithfulness from the
great congregation.
12 You are the LORD;
do not withhold your compassion from me; *
let your love and your faithfulness keep me safe for ever,
13 For innumerable troubles have crowded upon me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see; *
they are more in number than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails me.
14 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; *
O LORD, make haste to help me.
15 Let them be ashamed and altogether dismayed
who seek after my life to destroy it; *
let them draw back and be disgraced
who take pleasure in my misfortune.
16 Let those who say “Aha!” and gloat over me be confounded, *
because they are ashamed.
17 Let all who seek you rejoice in you and be glad; *
let those who love your salvation continually say,
Great is the LORD!”
18 Though I am poor and afflicted, *
the Lord will have regard for me.
19 You are my helper and my deliverer; *
do not tarry, O my God.

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

The Lord proclaimed to me: Go and stand by the People’s Gate where Judah’s kings go in and out, and then by all the gates of Jerusalem, and say to them: Listen to the Lord’s word, you kings of Judah, all you people of Judah, and anyone living in Jerusalem who passes through these gates. The Lord says: Be on guard not to carry a load on the Sabbath day or conduct business at the gates of Jerusalem. Don’t carry a load from your houses or do any kind of work on the Sabbath day. Rather, keep the Sabbath day holy as I commanded your ancestors, although they didn’t listen or pay attention. They were stubborn and wouldn’t obey or accept correction. If you are careful to obey me, declares the Lord, and don’t conduct business at the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, if you keep the Sabbath day holy by not working, then through the gates of this city will come kings who occupy the throne of David and their officers, all riding on chariots and horses. They will be accompanied by the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem. And this city will always be inhabited. Others will come from the towns of Judah and Benjamin, from all around Jerusalem, and from the western foothills, the highlands, and the arid southern plain—they will come bringing entirely burned offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings, incense, and thanksgiving offerings to the Lord’s temple. But if you don’t obey me by keeping the Sabbath day holy, if you carry your loads and conduct your business at the gates of Jerusalem as usual, then I will set fire to those gates that will completely engulf the fortresses of Jerusalem; it will not be put out.

HYMN: Isaac Watts
Tune: Deep Harmony https://tinyurl.com/4yr5e998

1 SWEET is the work, my God, my King
To praise Thy name, give thanks and sing;
To show Thy love by morning light,
And talk of all Thy truth at night.

2 Sweet is the day of sacred rest,
No mortal cares disturb my breast,
O may my heart in tune be found,
Like David’s harp of solemn sound!

3 My heart shall triumph in the Lord,
And bless His works and bless His word:
Thy works of grace, how bright they shine!
How deep Thy counsels, how divine!

4 And I shall share a glorious part,
When grace has well refined my heart,
And fresh supplies of joy are shed,
Like holy oil, to cheer my head.

5 Then shall I see, and hear, and know,
All I desired or wished below;
And every power find sweet employ
In that eternal world of joy.

READING: Hebrews 11:1-12

Faith is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don’t see. The elders in the past were approved because they showed faith.

By faith we understand that the universe has been created by a word from God so that the visible came into existence from the invisible.

By faith Abel offered a better sacrifice to God than Cain, which showed that he was righteous, since God gave approval to him for his gift. Though he died, he’s still speaking through faith.

By faith Enoch was taken up so that he didn’t see death, and he wasn’t found because God took him up. He was given approval for having pleased God before he was taken up. It’s impossible to please God without faith because the one who draws near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards people who try to find him.

By faith Noah responded with godly fear when he was warned about events he hadn’t seen yet. He built an ark to deliver his household. With his faith, he criticized the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes from faith.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out without knowing where he was going.

By faith he lived in the land he had been promised as a stranger. He lived in tents along with Isaac and Jacob, who were coheirs of the same promise. He was looking forward to a city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

By faith even Sarah received the ability to have a child, though she herself was barren and past the age for having children, because she believed that the one who promised was faithful. So descendants were born from one man (and he was as good as dead). They were as many as the number of the stars in the sky and as countless as the grains of sand on the seashore.

HYMN: Chinese poem; trans. Mary Louise Bringle ©
Tune: Divinum mysterium https://tinyurl.com/2p94yb73

1 In a deep, unbounded darkness
long before the first light shone,
you, O God, beyond all merit,
worked a wonder faith makes known:
in your mercy, in your mercy,
you embraced us as your own
evermore and evermore.

2 Though our world is ever changing,
you are constant, firm, and sure,
faithful to your covenant promise.
Trusting you, we live, secure:
singing praises, singing praises,
long as heart and breath endure,
evermore and ever more.

3 Joy transforms our lips to boasting
only in your matchless grace,
sending Christ to dwell among us,
Word made flesh, in time and space:
Friend and Savior, Friend and Savior,
in whose life we glimpse your face
evermore and evermore.

4 God of Hagar, God of Sarah,
God of nomad Abraham;
God of Miriam, God of Moses,
Fiery Pillar, great I AM:
lead us homeward, lead us homeward,
to the love-feast of the Lamb
evermore and evermore.

That same day Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Jesus. They asked, “Teacher, Moses said, If a man who doesn’t have children dies, his brother must marry his wife and produce children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married, then died. Because he had no children he left his widow to his brother. The same thing happened with the second brother and the third, and in fact with all seven brothers. Finally, the woman died. At the resurrection, which of the seven brothers will be her husband? They were all married to her.”

Jesus responded, “You are wrong because you don’t know either the scriptures or God’s power. At the resurrection people won’t marry nor will they be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like angels from God. As for the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what God told you, I’m the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He isn’t the God of the dead but of the living.” Now when the crowd heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.

CANTICLE Isaiah 12:2-6
(Uptown Worship Band: https://tinyurl.com/y8q877og)

Refrain:
Surely, it is God who saves;
I will and not be afraid.
For the Lord is my sure defense,
and he will be my Savior.

Therefore you shall draw water
and rejoice from the salvation spring.
On that day you shall say,
give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name. Refrain

Make his deeds known among the people;
they remember his Name on high.
Sing praise to the Lord, for he has done great things,
and this is known in all the world. Refrain

Cry aloud, O Zion, ring out your joy,
for the great one in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

LITANY OF CONFESSION ^CW:TS

We pray to the Lord for courage to give up other things
and to give ourselves to him this Lent.

Give your Church the courage
to give up her preoccupation with herself
and to give more time to your mission in the world.