Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/4xb5hd95
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will not walk in the darkness,
but will have the light of life. John 8
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/mb6h9xfa
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall declare your praise.
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.
Alleluia, alleluia!
HYMN: Charles Wesley
Tune: Hyfrydol https://tinyurl.com/auc4jc86
1 Love divine, all loves excelling,
joy of heav’n to earth come down,
fix in us Thy humble dwelling;
all Thy faithful mercies crown!
Jesus, Thou art all compassion,
pure, unbounded love Thou art;
visit us with Thy salvation;
enter every trembling heart.
2 Breathe, O breathe Thy loving Spirit
into every troubled breast!
Let us all in Thee inherit,
let us find the promised rest.
Take away our love of sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
end of faith, as its beginning,
set our hearts at liberty.
3 Come, Almighty to deliver;
let us all Thy life receive;
suddenly return and never,
nevermore Thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
serve Thee as Thy hosts above;
pray, and praise Thee without ceasing,
glory in Thy perfect love.
4 Finish then, Thy new creation;
pure and spotless let us be;
let us see Thy great salvation
perfectly restored in Thee.
Changed from glory into glory,
till in heav’n we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before Thee,
lost in wonder, love, and praise
PSALMS
Psalm 30 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/yce59yvo)
1 I will magnify thee, O Lord, for thou hast set me up *
and not made my foes to triumph over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried unto thee *
and thou hast healed me.
3 Thou, Lord, hast brought my soul out of hell *
thou hast kept my life from them that go down to the pit.
4 Sing praises unto the Lord, O ye saints of his *
and give thanks unto him for a remembrance of his holiness.
5 For his wrath endureth but the twinkling of an eye,
and in his pleasure is life *
heaviness may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
6 And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be removed *
thou, Lord, of thy goodness hast made my hill so strong.
7 Thou didst turn thy face from me *
and I was troubled.
8 Then cried I unto thee, O Lord *
and gat me to my Lord right humbly.
9 What profit is there in my blood *
when I go down to the pit?
10 Shall the dust give thanks unto thee *
or shall it declare thy truth?
11 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me *
Lord, be thou my helper.
12 Thou hast turned my heaviness into joy *
thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness.
13 Therefore shall every good man sing of thy praise without ceasing *
O my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
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 31 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y869qwtz)
1 In thee, O Lord, have I put my trust *
let me never be put to confusion, deliver me in thy righteousness.
2 Bow down thine ear to me *
make haste to deliver me.
3 And be thou my strong rock, and house of defence *
that thou mayest save me.
4 For thou art my strong rock, and my castle *
be thou also my guide, and lead me for thy Name’s sake.
5 Draw me out of the net, that they have laid privily for me *
for thou art my strength.
6 Into thy hands I commend my spirit *
for thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, thou God of truth.
7 I have hated them that hold of superstitious vanities *
and my trust hath been in the Lord.
8 I will be glad, and rejoice in thy mercy *
for thou hast considered my trouble,
and hast known my soul in adversities.
9 Thou hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy *
but hast set my feet in a large room.
10 Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble *
and mine eye is consumed for very heaviness;
yea, my soul and my body.
11 For my life is waxen old with heaviness *
and my years with mourning.
12 My strength faileth me, because of mine iniquity *
and my bones are consumed.
13 I became a reproof among all mine enemies,
but especially among my neighbours *
and they of mine acquaintance were afraid of me;
and they that did see me without conveyed themselves from me.
14 I am clean forgotten, as a dead man out of mind *
I am become like a broken vessel.
15 For I have heard the blasphemy of the multitude *
and fear is on every side, while they conspire together against me,
and take their counsel to take away my life.
16 But my hope hath been in thee, O Lord *
I have said, Thou art my God.
17 My time is in thy hand; deliver me from the hand of mine enemies *
and from them that persecute me.
18 Shew thy servant the light of thy countenance *
and save me for thy mercy’s sake.
19 Let me not be confounded, O Lord, for I have called upon thee *
let the ungodly be put to confusion, and be put to silence in the grave.
20 Let the lying lips be put to silence *
which cruelly, disdainfully, and despitefully, speak against the righteous.
21 O how plentiful is thy goodness,
which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee *
and that thou hast prepared for them that put their trust in thee,
even before the sons of men!
22 Thou shalt hide them privily by thine own presence
from the provoking of all men *
thou shalt keep them secretly in thy tabernacle
from the strife of tongues.
23 Thanks be to the Lord *
for he hath shewed me marvellous great kindness in a strong city.
24 And when I made haste, I said *
I am cast out of the sight of thine eyes.
25 Nevertheless, thou heardest the voice of my prayer *
when I cried unto thee.
26 O love the Lord, all ye his saints *
for the Lord preserveth them that are faithful,
and plenteously rewardeth the proud doer.
27 Be strong, and he shall establish your heart *
all ye that put your trust in 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 30 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm_30.mp3)
1 I will exalt you, O LORD,
because you have lifted me up *
and have not let my enemies triumph over me.
2 O LORD my God, I cried out to you, *
and you restored me to health.
3 You brought me up, O LORD, from the dead; *
you restored my life as I was going down to the grave.
4 Sing to the LORD, you servants of his; *
give thanks for the remembrance of his holiness.
5 For his wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye, *
his favor for a lifetime.
6 Weeping may spend the night, *
but joy comes in the morning.
7 While I felt secure, I said,
I shall never be disturbed. *
You, LORD, with your favor, made me as strong as
the mountains.”
8 Then you hid your face, *
and I was filled with fear.
9 I cried to you, O LORD; *
I pleaded with the Lord, saying,
10 “What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the Pit? *
will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness?
11 Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me; *
O LORD, be my helper.”
12 You have turned my wailing into dancing; *
you have put off my sack-cloth and clothed me with joy.
13 Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing; *
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks for ever.
Psalm 31 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-31-MH.mp3)
2 In you, O Lord, I take refuge.
Let me never be put to shame. In your justice, set me free,
3 hear me and speedily rescue me.
Be a rock of refuge for me, a mighty stronghold to save me,
4 for you are my rock, my stronghold.
For your name’s sake, lead me and guide me.
5 Release me from the snares they have hidden
for you are my refuge, Lord.
6 Into your hands I commend my spirit.
It is you who will redeem me, Lord.
7 O God of truth, you detest
those who worship false and empty gods.
8 As for me, I trust in the Lord:
let me be glad and rejoice in your love.
You who have seen my affliction
and taken heed of my soul’s distress,
9 have not handed me over to the enemy,
but set my feet at large.
10 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in distress.
Tears have wasted my eyes, my throat and my heart.
11 For my life is spent with sorrow and my years with sighs.
Affliction has broken down my strength
and my bones waste away.
12 In the face of all my foes I am a reproach,
an object of scorn to my neighbors
and of fear to my friends.
Those who see me in the street run far away from me.
13 I am like a dead man, forgotten,
like a thing thrown away.
14 I have heard the slander of the crowd,
fear is all around me,
as they plot together against me,
as they plan to take my life.
15 But as for me, I trust in you, Lord;
I say: “You are my God.
16 My life is in your hands, deliver me
from the hands of those who hate me.
17 Let your face shine on your servant.
Save me in your love.
18 Let me not be put to shame for I call you,
let the wicked be shamed!
Let them be silenced in the grave,
19 let lying lips be dumb,
that speak haughtily against the just
with pride and contempt.”
20 How great is the goodness, Lord,
that you keep for those who fear you,
that you show to those who trust you
in the sight of men.
21 You hide them in the shelter of your presence
from the plotting of men;
you keep them safe within your tent
from disputing tongues.
22 Blessed be the Lord who has shown me
the wonders of his love
in a fortified city.
23 “I am far removed from your sight”
I said in my alarm.
Yet you heard the voice of my plea
when I cried for help.
24 Love the Lord, all you saints.
He guards his faithful
but the Lord will repay to the full
those who act with pride.
25 Be strong, let your heart take courage,
all who hope in 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 ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
PRAYER
Loving God,
glorious in giving and restoring life,
do not hide your face from your people overcome with loneliness and fear.
Turn our weeping into dancing,
our despair into joy,
and raise us up with Christ,
that we may rejoice in your presence forever. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
You went down to Molech with oil,
and you slathered on your ointments;
you sent your messengers far away,
sent them down to the underworld.
Worn out by all your efforts,
yet you wouldn’t say, “This is useless.”
You found new strength;
therefore, you weren’t tired.
Whom did you dread and fear so that you lied,
didn’t remember me or give me a thought?
Isn’t it because I was silent and closed my eyes
that you stopped fearing me?
I will bring evidence about your righteousness and your actions;
they won’t help you.
When you cry out,
let those things you’ve gathered save you!
The wind will lift them all;
one breath will take them away.
but those taking refuge in me will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain.
It will be said: “Survey, survey; build a road!
Remove barriers from my people’s road!”
The one who is high and lifted up,
who lives forever, whose name is holy, says:
I live on high, in holiness,
and also with the crushed and the lowly,
reviving the spirit of the lowly,
reviving the heart of those who have been crushed.
I won’t always accuse,
nor will I be enraged forever.
It is my own doing that their spirit is exhausted—
I gave them breath!
I was enraged about their illegal profits;
I struck them; in rage I withdrew from them.
Yet they went on wandering wherever they wanted.
I have seen their ways, but I will heal them.
I will guide them,
and reward them with comfort.
And for those who mourn,
I will create reason for praise:
utter prosperity to those far and near,
and I will heal them, says the Lord.
But the wicked are like the churning sea that can’t keep still.
They churn up from their waters muck and mud.
There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked.
HYMN: Philip Doddridge
Tune: St. Mary https://tinyurl.com/bvyx3aut
1 Now let our drooping hearts revive,
And let our tears be dry:
Why should those eyes be drown’d in grief,
Which view a Saviour nigh?
2 Though earthly shepherds dwell in dust,
The aged and the young;
The watchful eye in darkness clos’d,
And mute th’instructive tongue:
3 Th’Eternal Shepherd still survives,
New comfort to impart;
His hand still guides us, and his voice
Still animates our heart.
4 The pow’rs of nature, Lord! are thine,
And thine the aids of grace;
Thine arm has borne thy churches up,
Through ev’ry rising race.
5 Exert thy sacred influence here;
Thy mourning servants bless;
O change to strains of cheerful praise
Their accents of distress.
READING: Ephesians 4:1-16
Therefore, as a prisoner for the Lord, I encourage you to live as people worthy of the call you received from God. Conduct yourselves with all humility, gentleness, and patience. Accept each other with love, and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together. You are one body and one spirit, just as God also called you in one hope. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, who is over all, through all, and in all.
God has given his grace to each one of us measured out by the gift that is given by Christ. That’s why scripture says, When he climbed up to the heights, he captured prisoners, and he gave gifts to people.
What does the phrase “he climbed up” mean if it doesn’t mean that he had first gone down into the lower regions, the earth? The one who went down is the same one who climbed up above all the heavens so that he might fill everything.
He gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. His purpose was to equip God’s people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of God’s Son. God’s goal is for us to become mature adults—to be fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ. As a result, we aren’t supposed to be infants any longer who can be tossed and blown around by every wind that comes from teaching with deceitful scheming and the tricks people play to deliberately mislead others. Instead, by speaking the truth with love, let’s grow in every way into Christ, who is the head. The whole body grows from him, as it is joined and held together by all the supporting ligaments. The body makes itself grow in that it builds itself up with love as each one does its part.
HYMN: John L Bell ©
Tune: Peacock
1 One is the body and one is the Head,
one is the Spirit by whom we are led;
one God and Father,
one faith and one call for all.
2 Christ who ascended to heaven above
is the same Jesus whose nature is love,
who once descended
to bring to this earth new birth.
3 Gifts have been given well suited to each;
some to be prophets, to pastor or preach,
some, through the Gospel,
to challenge, convert and teach.
4 Called to his service are women and men,
so that his body might ever again
witness through worship,
through deed and through word to Christ our Lord.
The time came for the Festival of Dedication in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple, walking in the covered porch named for Solomon. The Jewish opposition circled around him and asked, “How long will you test our patience? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
Jesus answered, “I have told you, but you don’t believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you don’t believe because you don’t belong to my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life. They will never die, and no one will snatch them from my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them from my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
Again the Jewish opposition picked up stones in order to stone him. Jesus responded, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of those works do you stone me?” The Jewish opposition answered, “We don’t stone you for a good work but for insulting God. You are human, yet you make yourself out to be God.”
Jesus replied, “Isn’t it written in your Law, I have said, you are gods? Scripture calls those to whom God’s word came gods, and scripture can’t be abolished. So how can you say that the one whom the Father has made holy and sent into the world insults God because he said, ‘I am God’s Son’? If I don’t do the works of my Father, don’t believe me. But if I do them, and you don’t believe me, believe the works so that you can know and recognize that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Again, they wanted to arrest him, but he escaped from them.
Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had baptized at first, and he stayed there. Many people came to him. “John didn’t do any miraculous signs,” they said, “but everything John said about this man was true.” Many believed in Jesus there.
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 PWC
May we live as those who believe in the triumph of the cross.
Redeemer of Israel, hear our prayer.
May all people receive the good news of Christ’s victory.
Redeemer of Israel, hear our prayer.
May those born to new life in the waters of baptism
know the power of Christ’s resurrection.
Redeemer of Israel, hear our prayer.
May those who suffer pain and anguish
find healing and peace in the compassion of Christ.
Redeemer of Israel, hear our prayer.
May we be united in Christ’s undying love
with all who have passed through the gates of death.
Redeemer of Israel, hear our prayer.
Setting by Eric Wyse:2
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.
Holy God,
you have called us to follow in the way of your risen Son,
and to care for those who are our companions,
not only with words of comfort, but with acts of love.
Guide us in the path of discipleship,
so that, as you have blessed us,
we may be a blessing for others,
bringing the promise of the kingdom near
by our words and deeds. Amen. RCLP
https://tinyurl.com/rkxkpmc
Go in peace, alleluia, alleluia!
Thanks be to God, alleluia, alleluia!
Glory to God whose power, working in us,
can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine:
Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church,
and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21
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BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.
PWC PRAY WITHOUT CEASING: Morning and Evening Prayer for the Seasons of the Church Year Prepared by The Rev’d Dr Richard Geoffrey Leggett on behalf of The Liturgy Task Force of the Anglican Church of Canada, May 2016.
ELW Evangelical Lutheran Worship, as alt. in GS 2016 Trial Use Collects, Anglican Church of Canada.
RCLP Revised Common Lectionary Prayers. © 2002 Consultation on Common Texts admin. Augsburg Fortress.
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 version of Psalm 30 is from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and is sung by Ryland Angel. Psalm 31 is from The Grail Psalter and are from the Manual Hopper YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/manualhopper/featured.
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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