Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/39panrbd
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will not walk in 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/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: Graham Kendrick ©
Tune: https://tinyurl.com/4frxnxxb
1 Beauty for brokenness, hope for despair—
Lord, in the suffering world, this is our prayer.
Bread for the children, justice, joy, peace,
sunrise to sunset, your kingdom increase.
Refrain:
God of the poor, friend of the weak,
give us compassion, we pray.
Melt our cold hearts, let tears fall like rain.
Come, change our love from a spark to a flame.
2 Shelter for fragile lives, cures for their ills,
work for the artisans, trade for their skills.
Land for the dispossessed, rights for the weak,
voices to plead the cause of those who can’t speak. [Refrain]
3 Refuge from cruel wars, havens from fear,
cities for sanctuary, freedoms to share.
Peace to the killing fields, scorched earth to green,
Christ for the bitterness, his cross for the pain. [Refrain]
4 Rest for the ravaged earth, oceans, and streams,
plundered and poisoned, our future, our dreams.
Lord, end our madness, carelessness, greed;
make us content with the things that we need. [Refrain]
5 Lighten our darkness, breathe on this flame
until your justice burns brightly again;
until the nations learn of your ways,
seek your salvation, and bring you their praise. [Refrain]
PSALMS
Psalm 56 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y89cbz8u)
1 Be merciful unto me, O God, for man goeth about to devour me *
he is daily fighting, and troubling me.
2 Mine enemies are daily in hand to swallow me up *
for they be many that fight against me, O thou most Highest.
3 Nevertheless, though I am sometime afraid *
yet put I my trust in thee.
4 I will praise God, because of his word *
I have put my trust in God, and will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
5 They daily mistake my words *
all that they imagine is to do me evil.
6 They hold all together, and keep themselves close *
and mark my steps, when they lay wait for my soul.
7 Shall they escape for their wickedness *
thou, O God, in thy displeasure shalt cast them down.
8 Thou tellest my flittings ; put my tears into thy bottle *
are not these things noted in thy book?
9 Whensoever I call upon thee,
then shall mine enemies be put to flight *
this I know; for God is on my side.
10 In God’s word will I rejoice *
in the Lord’s word will I comfort me.
11 Yea, in God have I put my trust *
I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
12 Unto thee, O God, will I pay my vows *
unto thee will I give thanks.
13 For thou hast delivered my soul from death,
and my feet from falling *
that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
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 57 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/yb9ln9xn)
1 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me,
for my soul trusteth in thee *
and under the shadow of thy wings shall be my refuge,
until this tyranny be over-past.
2 I will call unto the most high God *
even unto the God that shall perform the cause which I have in hand.
3 He shall send from heaven *
and save me from the reproof of him that would eat me up.
4 God shall send forth his mercy and truth *
my soul is among lions.
5 And I lie even among the children of men, that are set on fire *
whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.
6 Set up thyself, O God, above the heavens *
and thy glory above all the earth.
7 They have laid a net for my feet, and pressed down my soul *
they have digged a pit before me,
and are fallen into the midst of it themselves.
8 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed *
I will sing, and give praise.
9 Awake up, my glory; awake, lute and harp *
I myself will awake right early.
10 I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the people *
and I will sing unto thee among the nations.
11 For the greatness of thy mercy reacheth unto the heavens *
and thy truth unto the clouds.
12 Set up thyself, O God, above the heavens *
and thy glory above all the earth.
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 58 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y79vycco)
1 Are your minds set upon righteousness, O ye congregation *
and do ye judge the thing that is right, O ye sons of men?
2 Yea, ye imagine mischief in your heart upon the earth *
and your hands deal with wickedness.
3 The ungodly are froward, even from their mother’s womb *
as soon as they are born, they go astray, and speak lies.
4 They are as venomous as the poison of a serpent *
even like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ears;
5 Which refuseth to hear the voice of the charmer *
charm he never so wisely.
6 Break their teeth, O God, in their mouths;
smite the jaw-bones of the lions, O Lord *
let them fall away like water that runneth apace;
and when they shoot their arrows let them be rooted out.
7 Let them consume away like a snail,
and be like the untimely fruit of a woman *
and let them not see the sun.
8 Or ever your pots be made hot with thorns *
so let indignation vex him, even as a thing that is raw.
9 The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance *
he shall wash his footsteps in the blood of the ungodly.
10 So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous *
doubtless there is a God that judgeth the earth.
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 56 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm%2056.mp3)
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
for my enemies are hounding me; *
all day long they assault and oppress me.
2 They hound me all the day long; *
truly there are many who fight against me, O Most High.
3 Whenever I am afraid, *
I will put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust and will not be afraid, *
for what can flesh do to me?
5 All day long they damage my cause; *
their only thought is to do me evil.
6 They band together; they lie in wait; *
they spy upon my footsteps;
because they seek my life.
7 Shall they escape despite their wickedness? *
O God, in your anger, cast down the peoples.
8 You have noted my lamentation;
put my tears into your bottle; *
are they not recorded in your book?
9 Whenever I call upon you, my enemies will be put to flight; *
this I know, for God is on my side.
10 In God the LORD, whose word I praise,
in God I trust and will not be afraid, *
for what can mortals do to me?
11 I am bound by the vow I made to you, O God; *
I will present to you thank-offerings;
12 For you have rescued my soul from death and my feet
from stumbling, *
that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
Psalm 57 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-57-MH.mp3)
2 Have mercy on me, God, have mercy
for in you my soul has taken refuge.
In the shadow of your wings I take refuge
till the storms of destruction pass by.
3 I call to you God the Most High,
to you who have always been my help.
4 May you send from heaven and save me
and shame those who assail me.
O God, send your truth and your love.
5 My soul lies down among lions,
who would devour the sons of men.
Their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongue a sharpened sword.
6 O God, arise above the heavens;
may your glory shine on earth!
7 They laid a snare for my steps; my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my path
but fell in it themselves.
8 My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready.
I will sing, I will sing your praise.
9 Awake, my soul; awake, lyre and harp,
I will awake the dawn.
10 I will thank you, Lord, among the peoples,
among the nations I will praise you
11 for your love reaches to the heavens
and your truth to the skies.
12 O God, arise above the heavens;
may your glory shine on earth.
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 58 (Karl Kohlhase: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-58-KH.mp3)
Refrain:
Do you decree what is right, O you gods?
Do you judge uprightly, sons of men?
No! In your hearts you work evil,
and your hands weigh out violence on the earth.
1 The wicked go astray from the womb;
they err from their birth, speaking lies
They have venom like a poisonous serpent,
like an adder that is deaf to all charmers [Refrain]
2 O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
O LORD, remove the fangs of these lions
Let them vanish like water that runs off;
when they aim let their arrows have no tips [Refrain]
3 Like a snail that dissolves into slime;
like a still birth that never sees the sun
Before our pots can feel the heat of thorns,
both the burning and the green are swept away [Refrain]
4 The righteous shall rejoice to see the vengeance,
In the blood of the wicked bathe his feet
Men will say, “There is reward for the just,
There is a God who judges on the earth
PRAYER
Lord God,
in a threatening world we look to you as our rock of hope.
Hear us as we pour out our hearts to you,
and give us your grace and protection;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
Saul ordered his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David, but Jonathan, Saul’s son, liked David very much. So Jonathan warned David, “My father Saul is trying to kill you. Be on guard tomorrow morning. Stay somewhere safe and hide. I’ll go out and stand by my father in the field where you’ll be. I’ll talk to my father about you, and I’ll tell you whatever I find out.”
So Jonathan spoke highly about David to his father Saul, telling him, “The king shouldn’t do anything wrong to his servant David, because he hasn’t wronged you. In fact, his actions have helped you greatly. He risked his own life when he killed that Philistine, and the Lord won a great victory for all Israel. You saw it and were happy about it. Why then would you do something wrong to an innocent person by killing David for no reason?”
Saul listened to Jonathan and then swore, “As surely as the Lord lives, David won’t be executed.” So Jonathan summoned David and told him everything they had talked about. Then Jonathan brought David back to Saul, and David served Saul as he had previously.
War broke out again. When David went out to fight the Philistines, he struck them with such force that they ran from him.
Then an evil spirit from the Lord came over Saul. He was sitting in his house with his spear in hand while David was playing music. Saul tried to pin David to the wall with his spear, but David escaped Saul. Saul drove the spear into the wall, but David fled and got away safely. That night Saul sent messengers to David’s house to keep watch on it and kill him in the morning. David’s wife Michal warned him, “If you don’t escape with your life tonight, you are a dead man tomorrow.” So Michal lowered David through a window. He took off and ran, and he got away. Then Michal took the household’s divine image and laid it in the bed, putting some goat’s hair on its head and covering it with clothes.
Saul sent messengers to arrest David, but she said, “He’s sick.” Saul sent the messengers back to check on David for themselves. “Bring him to me on his bed,” he ordered, “so he can be executed.” When the messengers arrived, they found the idol in the bed with the goat’s hair on its head. Saul said to Michal, “Why could you betray me like this, letting my enemy go so that now he has escaped?” Michal said to Saul, “David told me, ‘Help me get away or I’ll kill you!’” So David fled and escaped. When he reached Samuel at Ramah, he reported to him everything Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to stay in the camps.
When Saul was told that David was in the camps at Ramah, he sent messengers to arrest David. They saw a group of prophets in a prophetic frenzy, with Samuel standing there as their leader. God’s spirit came over Saul’s messengers, and they also fell into a prophetic frenzy. This was reported to Saul, and he sent different messengers, but they also fell into a prophetic frenzy. So Saul sent a third group of messengers, and they did the very same thing.
At that point, Saul went to Ramah himself. He came to the well at the threshing floor that was on the bare hill there and asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” “In the camps at Ramah,” he was told. So Saul went to the camps at Ramah, and God’s spirit came over him too. So as he traveled, he was in a prophetic frenzy until he reached the camps at Ramah. He even took off all his clothes and fell into a prophetic frenzy in front of Samuel. He lay naked that whole day and night. That’s why people say, “Is Saul also one of the prophets?”
HYMN: Samuel Longfellow
Tune: Harts https://tinyurl.com/bdhbern2
1 Holy Spirit, truth divine,
dawn upon this soul of mine;
voice of God, and inward light,
wake my spirit, clear my sight.
2 Holy Spirit, love divine,
glow within this heart of mine;
kindle every high desire;
perish self in thy pure fire.
3 Holy Spirit, power divine,
fill and nerve this will of mine;
by thee may I strongly live,
bravely bear and nobly strive.
4 Holy Spirit, law divine,
reign within this soul of mine;
be my law, and I shall be
firmly bound, for ever free.
5 Holy Spirit, peace divine,
still this restless heart of mine;
speak to calm this tossing sea,
stayed in thy tranquillity.
6 Holy Spirit, joy divine,
gladden thou this heart of mine;
in the desert ways I sing,
spring, O well, for ever spring!
So I decided that, for my own sake, I wouldn’t visit you again while I was upset. If I make you sad, who will be there to make me glad when you are sad because of me?
That’s why I wrote this very thing to you, so that when I came I wouldn’t be made sad by the ones who ought to make me happy. I have confidence in you, that my happiness means your happiness. I wrote to you in tears, with a very troubled and anxious heart. I didn’t write to make you sad but so you would know the overwhelming love that I have for you.
But if someone has made anyone sad, that person hasn’t hurt me but all of you to some degree (not to exaggerate). The punishment handed out by the majority is enough for this person. This is why you should try your best to forgive and to comfort this person now instead, so that this person isn’t overwhelmed by too much sorrow. So I encourage you to show your love for this person.
This is another reason why I wrote you. I wanted to test you and see if you are obedient in everything. If you forgive anyone for anything, I do too. And whatever I’ve forgiven (if I’ve forgiven anything), I did it for you in the presence of Christ. This is so that we won’t be taken advantage of by Satan, because we are well aware of his schemes.
HYMN: Keith Getty and Stuart Townend ©
Tune: https://tinyurl.com/2p8yh3ka
1 In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this cornerstone, this solid ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all;
here in the love of Christ I stand.
2 In Christ alone who took on flesh,
fullness of God in helpless babe;
this gift of love and righteousness,
scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
the wrath of God was satisfied.
For ev’ry sin on Him was laid;
here in the death of Christ I live.
3 There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain.
Then bursting forth in glorious day–
up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
sin’s curse has lost its grip on me.
For I am His and He is mine,
bought with the precious blood of Christ.
4 No guilt in life, no fear in death:
this is the pow’r of Christ in me.
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man
can ever pluck me from His hand.
Till He returns or calls me home,
here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand.
Jesus raised his eyes to his disciples and said:
“Happy are you who are poor,
because God’s kingdom is yours.
Happy are you who hunger now,
because you will be satisfied.
Happy are you who weep now,
because you will laugh.
“Happy are you when people hate you, reject you, insult you, and condemn your name as evil because of the Human One. Rejoice when that happens! Leap for joy because you have a great reward in heaven. Their ancestors did the same things to the prophets.
“But how terrible for you who are rich,
because you have already received your comfort.
How terrible for you who have plenty now,
because you will be hungry.
How terrible for you who laugh now,
because you will mourn and weep.
How terrible for you when all speak well of you.
Their ancestors did the same things to the false prophets.”
CANTICLE Song of the Three Young Men 35-65
(New Camaldoli chant: https://tinyurl.com/yawzzmsx)
All you works of the Lord, bless the Lord!
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord!
Heavens and waters above the heavens, bless the Lord!
God be praised and exalted above all forever!
Powers of the Lord, God be praised and exalted above all forever!
Sun and moon, bless the Lord!
All you stars of heaven, bless the Lord!
God be praised and exalted above all forever!
All rain and dew, bless the Lord!
And let every wind, bless the Lord!
Fire and heat, bless the Lord!
God be praised and exalted above all forever!
Cold and warmth, bless the Lord!
Dew and snowstorm, bless the Lord!
Frost and cold, bless the Lord!
God be praised and exalted above all forever!
Ice and snow, bless the Lord!
Nights and days, bless the Lord!
Light and darkness, bless the Lord!
God be praised and exalted above all forever!
Lightning and clouds, bless the Lord!
Let the whole earth bless the Lord!
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord!
God be praised and exalted above all forever!
Every plant that grows, bless the Lord!
Springs of water, bless the Lord!
Seas and rivers, bless the Lord!
God be praised and exalted above all forever!
Everything that moves in the waters, bless the Lord!
And let every kind of bird bless the Lord!
All you beasts wild and tame, bless the Lord!
God be praised and exalted above all forever!
Let the whole human race, bless the Lord!
O Israel, bless the Lord!
Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord!
God be praised and exalted above all forever!
All you the Lord’s servants, bless the Lord!
Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord!
Humble-hearted people, bless the Lord!
God be praised and exalted above all forever!
God has freed us from the underworld,
saved us from the hand of death
and drawn us from the heart of the flame:
God be praised and exalted above all forever!
Give thanks to the Lord who is so good!
Bless the God of gods, all you who fear him.
Praise the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:
God be praised and exalted above all forever!
THE PRAYERS PWC
That this day may be holy, good and peaceful:
we pray to you, O Lord.
That your holy angels may lead us in the paths of peace and goodwill:
we pray to you, O Lord.
That we may be pardoned and forgiven our sins and offences:
we pray to you, O Lord.
That there may be peace in your Church and for the whole world:
we pray to you, O Lord.
That we may bound together by your Holy Spirit,
in communion with [N and] all your saints,
entrusting one another and all our life to Christ:
we pray to you, O Lord.
(Plainsong: https://tinyurl.com/ahnrtv59)ELW
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.
God of unfailing light,
in your realm of glory
the poor are blessed,
the hungry filled,
and every tear is wiped away.
Strengthened by this vision,
may we follow in the way of holiness
that your Son made known in life and death. 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.
ELW The Lord’s Prayer is from Setting Five in Evangelical Lutheran Worship.
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 version of Psalm 62 is from Book of Common Prayer (1979) and is sung by Ryland Angel. Psalms 63 and 64 are 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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