Oremus for Tuesday, September 3, 2024

At the Synagogue in Capernaum, 11th century

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,
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: Martyrdom https://tinyurl.com/2p8ve6tc

1 We come to you for healing, Lord,
of body, mind, and soul,
and pray that by your Spirit’s touch
we may again be whole.

2 As once you walked through ancient streets
and reached toward those in pain,
we know you come among us still
with power to heal again.

3 Through nights of pain and wakefulness,
through days when strength runs low,
grant us your gift of patience, Lord,
your calming peace to know.

4 We come to you, O loving Lord,
in our distress and pain,
in trust that through our nights and days
your grace will heal, sustain.

PSALMS

Psalm 15 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y88d98g2)
1  Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle *
 or who shall rest upon thy holy hill?
2  Even he that leadeth an uncorrupt life *
 and doeth the thing which is right,
and speaketh the truth from his heart.
3  He that hath used no deceit in his tongue,
nor done evil to his neighbour *
 and hath not slandered his neighbour.
4  He that setteth not by himself,
but is lowly in his own eyes *
 and maketh much of them that fear the Lord.
5  He that sweareth unto his neighbour,
and disappointeth him not *
 though it were to his own hindrance.
6  He that hath not given his money upon usury *
 nor taken reward against the innocent.
7  Whoso doeth these things *
 shall never fall.
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 16 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/ydhl4u74)
1  Preserve me, O God *
 for in thee have I put my trust.
2  O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord *
 Thou art my God, my goods are nothing unto thee.
3  All my delight is upon the saints, that are in the earth *
 and upon such as excel in virtue.
4  But they that run after another god *
 shall have great trouble.
5  Their drink-offerings of blood will I not offer *
 neither make mention of their names within my lips.
6  The Lord himself is the portion of mine inheritance, and of my cup *
 thou shalt maintain my lot.
7  The lot is fallen unto me in a fair ground *
 yea, I have a goodly heritage.
8  I will thank the Lord for giving me warning *
 my reins also chasten me in the night-season.
9  I have set God always before me *
 for he is on my right hand, therefore I shall not fall.
10  Wherefore my heart was glad, and my glory rejoiced *
 my flesh also shall rest in hope.
11  For why? thou shalt not leave my soul in hell *
 neither shalt thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption.
12  Thou shalt shew me the path of life;
in thy presence is the fulness of joy *
 and at thy right hand there is pleasure for evermore.
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 17 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/yahr8qsc)
1  Hear the right, O Lord, consider my complaint *
 and hearken unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.
2  Let my sentence come forth from thy presence *
 and let thine eyes look upon the thing that is equal.
3  Thou hast proved and visited mine heart in the night-season;
thou hast tried me, and shalt find no wickedness in me *
 for I am utterly purposed that my mouth shall not offend.
4  Because of men’s works, that are done against the words of thy lips *
 I have kept me from the ways of the destroyer.
5  O hold thou up my goings in thy paths *
 that my footsteps slip not.
6  I have called upon thee, O God, for thou shalt hear me *
 incline thine ear to me, and hearken unto my words.
7  Shew thy marvellous loving-kindness,
thou that art the Saviour of them which put their trust in thee *
 from such as resist thy right hand.
8  Keep me as the apple of an eye *
 hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
9  From the ungodly that trouble me *
 mine enemies compass me round about to take away my soul.
10  They are inclosed in their own fat *
 and their mouth speaketh proud things.
11  They lie waiting in our way on every side *
 turning their eyes down to the ground;
12  Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey *
 and as it were a lion’s whelp, lurking in secret places.
13  Up, Lord, disappoint him, and cast him down *
 deliver my soul from the ungodly, which is a sword of thine;
14  From the men of thy hand, O Lord,
from the men, I say, and from the evil world *
 which have their portion in this life,
whose bellies thou fillest with thy hid treasure.
15  They have children at their desire *
 and leave the rest of their substance for their babes.
16  But as for me, I will behold thy presence in righteousness *
 and when I awake up after thy likeness, I shall be satisfied with it.
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 15 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-15-1.mp3)
1 LORD, who may dwell in your tabernacle? *
who may abide upon your holy hill?
2 Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right, *
who speaks the truth from his heart.
3 There is no guile upon his tongue;
he does no evil to his friend; *
he does not heap contempt upon his neighbor.
4 In his sight the wicked is rejected, *
but he honors those who fear the LORD.
5 He has sworn to do no wrong *
and does not take back his word.
6 He does not give his money in hope of gain, *
nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.
7 Whoever does these things *
shall never be overthrown.

Psalm 16 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-16.mp3)
1 Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you; *
I have said to the LORD, “You are my Lord,
my good above all other.”
2 All my delight is upon the godly that are in the land, *
upon those who are noble among the people.
3 But those who run after other gods *
shall have their troubles multiplied.
4 Their libations of blood I will not offer, *
nor take the names of their gods upon my lips.
5 O LORD, you are my portion and my cup; *
it is you who uphold my lot.
6 My boundaries enclose a pleasant land; *
indeed, I have a goodly heritage.
7 I will bless the LORD who gives me counsel; *
my heart teaches me, night after night.
8 I have set the LORD always before me; *
because he is at my right hand I shall not fall.
9 My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices; *
my body also shall rest in hope.
10 For you will not abandon me to the grave, *
nor let your holy one see the Pit.
11 You will show me the path of life; *
in your presence there is fullness of joy,
and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.

Psalm 17 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-17-MH.mp3)
1 Lord, hear a cause that is just,
pay heed to my cry.
Turn your ear to my prayer:
no deceit is on my lips.
2 From you may my judgment come forth.
Your eyes discern the truth.
3 You search my heart, you visit me by night.
You test me and you find in me no wrong.
4 My words are not sinful as are men’s words.
I kept from violence because of your word,
5 I kept my feet firmly in your paths;
there was no faltering in my steps.
6 I am here and I call, you will hear me, O God.
Turn your ear to me; hear my words.
7 Display your great love, you whose right hand saves
your friends from those who rebel against them.
8 Guard me as the apple of your eye.
Hide me in the shadow of your wings
9 from the violent attack of the wicked.
My foes encircle me with deadly intent.
10 Their hearts tight shut, their mouths speak proudly.
11 They advance against me, and now they surround me.
Their eyes are watching to strike me to the ground,
12 as though they were lions ready to claw
or like some young lion crouched in hiding.
13 Lord, arise, confront them, strike them down!
Let your sword rescue my soul from the wicked;
14 let your hand, O Lord, rescue me from men,
from men whose reward is in this present life.
You give them their fill of your treasures;
they rejoice in abundance of offspring
and leave their wealth to their children.
15 As for me, in my justice I shall see your face
and be filled, when I awake, with the sight of your glory.
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

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

Then the Lord’s word came to Samuel: “I regret making Saul king because he has turned away from following me and hasn’t done what I said.” Samuel was upset at this, and he prayed to the Lord all night long.

Samuel got up early in the morning to meet Saul, and was told, “Saul went to Carmel, where he is setting up a monument for himself. Then he left and went down to Gilgal.”

When Samuel reached Saul, Saul greeted him, “The Lord bless you! I have done what the Lord said.” “Then what,” Samuel asked, “is this bleating of sheep in my ears and mooing of cattle I hear?” “They were taken from the Amalekites,” Saul said, “because the troops spared the best sheep and cattle in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God. The rest was placed under the ban.”

Samuel then said to Saul, “Enough! Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” “Tell me,” Saul replied. Samuel said, “Even if you think you are insignificant, aren’t you the leader of Israel’s tribes? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. The Lord sent you on a mission, instructing you, ‘Go, and put the sinful Amalekites under the ban. Fight against them until you’ve wiped them out.’ Why didn’t you obey the Lord? You did evil in the Lord’s eyes when you tore into the plunder!”

“But I did obey the Lord!” Saul protested to Samuel. “I went on the mission the Lord sent me on. I captured Agag the Amalekite king, and I put the Amalekites under the ban. Yes, the troops took sheep and cattle from the plunder—the very best items placed under the ban—but in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”

Then Samuel replied,

“Does the Lord want entirely burned offerings and sacrifices
    as much as obedience to the Lord?
Listen to this: obeying is better than sacrificing,
    paying attention is better than fat from rams,
because rebellion is as bad as the sin of divination;
    arrogance is like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected what the Lord said,
    he has rejected you as king.”

HYMN: G.K. Chesterton
Tune: King’s Lynn https://tinyurl.com/4tbtzj6f

1 O God of earth and altar,
bow down and hear our cry,
our earthly rulers falter,
our people drift and die;
the walls of gold entomb us,
the swords of scorn divide,
take not thy thunder from us,
but take away our pride.

2 From all that terror teaches,
from lies of tongue and pen,
from all the easy speeches
that comfort cruel men,
from sale and profanation
of honour and the sword,
from sleep and from damnation,
deliver us, good Lord!

3 Tie in a living tether
the prince and priest and thrall,
bind all our lives together,
smite us and save us all;
in ire and exultation
aflame with faith, and free,
lift up a living nation,
a single sword to thee.

Pursue love, and use your ambition to try to get spiritual gifts but especially so that you might prophesy. This is because those who speak in a tongue don’t speak to people but to God; no one understands it—they speak mysteries by the Spirit. Those who prophesy speak to people, building them up, and giving them encouragement and comfort. People who speak in a tongue build up themselves; those who prophesy build up the church. I wish that all of you spoke in tongues, but I’d rather you could prophesy. Those who prophesy are more important than those who speak in tongues, unless they are able to interpret them so that the church might be built up. After all, brothers and sisters, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I help you unless I speak to you with a revelation, some knowledge, a prophecy, or a teaching? Likewise, things that aren’t alive like a harp or a lyre can make a sound, but if there aren’t different notes in the sounds they make, how will the tune from the harp or the lyre be recognized? And if a trumpet call is unrecognizable, then who will prepare for battle? It’s the same way with you: If you don’t use language that is easy to understand when you speak in a tongue, then how will anyone understand what is said? It will be as if you are speaking into the air! There are probably many language families in the world, and none of them are without meaning. So if I don’t know the meaning of the language, then I will be like a foreigner to those who speak it, and they will be like foreigners to me. The same holds true for you: since you are ambitious for spiritual gifts, use your ambition to try to work toward being the best at building up the church.

HYMN: Timothy Dudley-Smith ©
Tune: Bridegroom https://tinyurl.com/258mdcuj

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.

Jesus went down to the city of Capernaum in Galilee and taught the people each Sabbath. They were amazed by his teaching because he delivered his message with authority.

A man in the synagogue had the spirit of an unclean demon. He screamed, “Hey! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are. You are the holy one from God.”

“Silence!” Jesus said, speaking harshly to the demon. “Come out of him!” The demon threw the man down before them, then came out of him without harming him.

They were all shaken and said to each other, “What kind of word is this, that he can command unclean spirits with authority and power, and they leave?” Reports about him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.

After leaving the synagogue, Jesus went home with Simon. Simon’s mother-in-law was sick with a high fever, and the family asked Jesus to help her. He bent over her and spoke harshly to the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and served them.

When the sun was setting, everyone brought to Jesus relatives and acquaintances with all kinds of diseases. Placing his hands on each of them, he healed them. Demons also came out of many people. They screamed, “You are God’s Son.” But he spoke harshly to them and wouldn’t allow them to speak because they recognized that he was the Christ. When daybreak arrived, Jesus went to a deserted place. The crowds were looking for him. When they found him, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said to them, “I must preach the good news of God’s kingdom in other cities too, for this is why I was sent.” So he continued preaching in the Judean synagogues.

CANTICLE Philippians 2:6-11
(Chant by John Michael Talbot: https://tinyurl.com/y8ljx8y7)

Though he was in the form of God,
Jesus did not deem equality with God
something to be grasped at.
Rather, he emptied himself
and took the form of a slave,
being born in the likeness of men.
He was known to be of human estate
and it was thus that he humbled himself,
obediently accepting even death,
death on a cross!
Because of this,
God highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
above every other name,  
So that at Jesus’ name
every knee must bend
in the heavens, on the earth,
and under the earth,
and every tongue proclaim
to the glory of God the Father:  
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

THE PRAYERS BCW

Merciful God, we praise you that you give strength for every weakness, forgiveness
for our failures, and new beginnings in Jesus Christ.
Especially we thank you for
the guidance of your spirit through this day . . .
signs of new life and hope . . .
people who have helped us . . .
those who struggle for justice . . .
expressions of love unexpected or undeserved. . . .

Almighty God, you know all needs before we speak our prayers, yet you welcome
our concerns for others in Jesus Christ. Especially we pray for
those who keep watch over the sick and dying . . .
those who weep with the grieving . . .
those who are without faith and cannot accept your love . . .
the aged who are lonely, distressed or weak . . .
Reformed, Presbyterian, and Lutheran churches. . . .

(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.

Holy and awesome God,
your Son’s authority is found in integrity and living truth,
not the assertion of power over others.
Open our imaginations to new dimensions of your love,
and heal us of all that severs us from you and one another,
that we may grow into the vision you unfold before us. Amen. RCLP

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.

RCLP Revised Common Lectionary Prayers. © 2002 Consultation on Common Texts admin. Augsburg Fortress.

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 Psalm 15 and 16 are from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and are sung by Ryland Angel. Psalm 17 is from The Grail Psalter and is 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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