Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/4xhpruzx
Remember your word to your servant, O Lord,
by which you have given me hope.
This is my comfort when I am brought low. Psalm 119
Speak to us this day, O Lord.
Visit us with your wisdom,
overshadow us with your Spirit,
and let it be with us
according to your Word:
Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen. CWC
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: Philip Doddridge
Tune: Bristol https://tinyurl.com/2s4mbp72
1. Hark, the glad sound! the Savior comes,
The Savior promised long!
Let ev’ry heart prepare a throne
And ev’ry voice a song.
2. He comes the pris’ners to release,
In Satan’s bondage held;
The gates of brass before him burst,
The iron fetters yield.
3. He comes from thickest films of vice
To clear the mental ray,
And on the eyeballs of the blind
To pour celestial day.
4. He comes the broken heart to bind,
The bleeding soul to cure,
And with the treasures of his grace,
T’enrich the humble poor.
5. His silver trumpets publish loud
The Lord’s high jubilee;
Our debts are all remitted now,
Our heritage is free.
6. Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace,
Your welcome shall proclaim,
And Heav’n’s eternal arches ring
With your beloved name.
PSALMS
Psalm 65 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y9fmulwv)
1 Thou, O God, art praised in Sion *
and unto thee shall the vow be performed in Jerusalem.
2 Thou that hearest the prayer *
unto thee shall all flesh come.
3 My misdeeds prevail against me *
O be thou merciful unto our sins.
4 Blessed is the man, whom thou choosest, and receivest unto thee *
he shall dwell in thy court, and shall be satisfied
with the pleasures of thy house, even of thy holy temple.
5 Thou shalt shew us wonderful things in thy righteousness,
O God of our salvation *
thou that art the hope of all the ends of the earth,
and of them that remain in the broad sea.
6 Who in his strength setteth fast the mountains *
and is girded about with power.
7 Who stilleth the raging of the sea *
and the noise of his waves, and the madness of the people.
8 They also that dwell in the uttermost parts of the earth
shall be afraid at thy tokens *
thou that makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to praise thee.
9 Thou visitest the earth, and blessest it *
thou makest it very plenteous.
10 The river of God is full of water *
thou preparest their corn, for so thou providest for the earth.
11 Thou waterest her furrows,
thou sendest rain into the little valleys thereof *
thou makest it soft with the drops of rain, and blessest the increase of it.
12 Thou crownest the year with thy goodness *
and thy clouds drop fatness.
13 They shall drop upon the dwellings of the wilderness *
and the little hills shall rejoice on every side.
14 The folds shall be full of sheep *
the valleys also shall stand so thick with corn,
that they shall laugh and sing.
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 66 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/ybnhonff)
1 O be joyful in God, all ye lands *
sing praises unto the honour of his Name,
make his praise to be glorious.
2 Say unto God, O how wonderful art thou in thy works *
through the greatness of thy power
shall thine enemies be found liars unto thee.
3 For all the world shall worship thee *
sing of thee, and praise thy Name.
4 O come hither, and behold the works of God *
how wonderful he is in his doing toward the children of men.
5 He turned the sea into dry land *
so that they went through the water on foot; there did we rejoice thereof.
6 He ruleth with his power for ever; his eyes behold the people *
and such as will not believe shall not be able to exalt themselves.
7 O praise our God, ye people *
and make the voice of his praise to be heard;
8 Who holdeth our soul in life *
and suffereth not our feet to slip.
9 For thou, O God, hast proved us *
thou also hast tried us, like as silver is tried.
10 Thou broughtest us into the snare *
and laidest trouble upon our loins.
11 Thou sufferedst men to ride over our heads *
we went through fire and water,
and thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.
12 I will go into thine house with burnt-offerings *
and will pay thee my vows, which I promised with my lips,
and spake with my mouth, when I was in trouble.
13 I will offer unto thee fat burnt-sacrifices, with the incense of rams *
I will offer bullocks and goats.
14 O come hither, and hearken, all ye that fear God *
and I will tell you what he hath done for my soul.
15 I called unto him with my mouth *
and gave him praises with my tongue.
16 If I incline unto wickedness with mine heart *
the Lord will not hear me.
17 But God hath heard me *
and considered the voice of my prayer.
18 Praised be God who hath not cast out my prayer *
nor turned his mercy from me.
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 67 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y7vuwqcm)
1 God be merciful unto us, and bless us *
and shew us the light of his countenance, and be merciful unto us;
2 That thy way may be known upon earth *
thy saving health among all nations.
3 Let the people praise thee, O God *
yea, let all the people praise thee.
4 O let the nations rejoice and be glad *
for thou shalt judge the folk righteously, and govern the nations upon earth.
5 Let the people praise thee, O God *
let all the people praise thee.
6 Then shall the earth bring forth her increase *
and God, even our own God, shall give us his blessing.
7 God shall bless us *
and all the ends of the world shall fear him.
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 65 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-65.mp3)
1 You are to be praised, O God, in Zion; *
to you shall vows be performed in Jerusalem.
2 To you that hear prayer shall all flesh come, *
because of their transgressions.
3 Our sins are stronger than we are, *
but you will blot them out.
4 Happy are they whom you choose
and draw to your courts to dwell there! *
they will be satisfied by the beauty of your house,
by the holiness of your temple.
5 Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness,
O God of our salvation, *
O Hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the seas that are far away.
6 You make fast the mountains by your power; *
they are girded about with might.
7 You still the roaring of the seas, *
the roaring of their waves,
and the clamor of the peoples.
8 Those who dwell at the ends of the earth will tremble at your
marvelous signs; *
you make the dawn and the dusk to sing for joy.
9 You visit the earth and water it abundantly;
you make it very plenteous; *
the river of God is full of water.
10 You prepare the grain, *
for so you provide for the earth.
11 You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges; *
with heavy rain you soften the ground and bless its increase.
12 You crown the year with your goodness, *
and your paths overflow with plenty.
13 May the fields of the wilderness be rich for grazing, *
and the hills be clothed with joy.
14 May the meadows cover themselves with flocks,
and the valleys cloak themselves with grain; *
let them shout for joy and sing.
| 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.
Psalm 66
[Karl Kohlhase http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-66-Kohlhase.mp3)
Refrain:
Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth,
sing the glory of his name;
give unto him glorious praise
Say to God, “How awesome are your works,
Your pow’r is so great that your enemies cringe
All of the earth shall worship you;
They sing praises, sing praises to your name
Come and see what our God has done;
he is awesome in his deeds among men
He turned the sea into dry land;
men passed through the river on foot
There did we rejoice in him,
who rules by His might forever
Whose eyes keep watch o’er the nations,
so rebels may not exalt themselves [Refrain]
Bless our God, all you people,
let the sound of His praises be heard
For He has kept us among the living,
and has not allowed our feet to slip
O God, even though You have tried us,
You have tested like silver is tested
You have led us through fire and through water,
and brought us to the land of abundance
I will come into Your house,
with burnt offerings I will pay my vows
Those which my lips have spoken,
and my mouth promised You in the midst of troubles [Refrain]
Yes, I will offer unto You, burnt offerings of the fatlings
And with the smoke of sacrificial rams,
I’ll bring offerings of bulls and of goats
Come and hear, all you who fear God,
I will tell what He has done for me
I cried aloud unto Him;
He was highly praised with my tongue
Had I clung to sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened
But truly God has listened,
and has heard the sound of my prayer
Bless God who rejected not my prayer
nor removed His love from me [Refrain]
Psalm 67 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-67.mp3)
1 May God be merciful to us and bless us, *
show us the light of his countenance and come to us.
2 Let your ways be known upon earth, *
your saving health among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, *
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide all the nations upon earth.
5 Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
6 The earth has brought forth her increase; *
may God, our own God, give us his blessing.
7 May God give us his blessing, *
and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe of him.
| 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
God of power,
deliver us from evil
and confirm our trust in you,
that at dusk we may sing of your justice
and at dawn exult in your mercy;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
Lord, you are my God.
I will exalt you; I will praise your name,
for you have done wonderful things,
planned long ago, faithful and sure.
You have turned the city into rubble,
the fortified town into a ruin,
the fortress of foreigners into a city no more,
never to be rebuilt.
Therefore, strong people will glorify you;
the towns of tyrant nations will fear you.
You have been a refuge for the poor,
a refuge for the needy in distress,
a hiding place from the storm,
a shade from the heat.
When the breath of tyrants is like a winter storm
or like heat in the desert,
you subdue the roar of foreigners.
Like heat shaded by a cloud,
the tyrants’ song falls silent.
On this mountain,
the Lord of heavenly forces will prepare for all peoples
a rich feast, a feast of choice wines,
of select foods rich in flavor,
of choice wines well refined.
He will swallow up on this mountain the veil that is veiling all peoples,
the shroud enshrouding all nations.
He will swallow up death forever.
The Lord God will wipe tears from every face;
he will remove his people’s disgrace from off the whole earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
They will say on that day,
“Look! This is our God,
for whom we have waited—
and he has saved us!
This is the Lord, for whom we have waited;
let’s be glad and rejoice in his salvation!”
The Lord’s hand will indeed rest on this mountain.
Moab will be trampled down
as straw is trampled into manure.
When in it they spread out their hands
as swimmers spread out their hands to swim,
God will lay low their pride, even by the efforts of their hands.
The fortified towers of their walls
will be thrown down, will be leveled,
will be brought down to the earth, to the dust.
HYMN: Isaac Watts
Tune: Song 67 https://tinyurl.com/3p2m278k
1. Give me the wings of faith to rise
Within the veil, and see
The saints above, how great their joys,
How bright their glories be.
2. Once they were mourning here below
And wet their cheeks with tears;
They wrestled hard, as we do now,
With sins, and doubts and fears.
3. I ask them whence their vic’try came;
They, with united breath,
Ascribe their conquest to the Lamb,
Their triumph to his death.
4. Our glorious Leader claims our praise
For his own pattern giv’n,
While the long cloud of witnesses
Show the same path to Heav’n.
Brothers and sisters, we have a request for you concerning our Lord Jesus Christ’s coming and when we are gathered together to be with him. We don’t want you to be easily confused in your mind or upset if you hear that the day of the Lord is already here, whether you hear it through some spirit, a message, or a letter supposedly from us. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. That day won’t come unless the rebellion comes first and the person who is lawless is revealed, who is headed for destruction. He is the opponent of every so-called god or object of worship and promotes himself over them. So he sits in God’s temple, displaying himself to show that he is God. You remember that I used to tell you these things while I was with you, don’t you? Now you know what holds him back so that he can be revealed when his time comes. The hidden plan to live without any law is at work now, but it will be secret only until the one who is holding it back is out of the way. Then the person who is lawless will be revealed. The Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath from his mouth. When the Lord comes, his appearance will put an end to him. When the person who is lawless comes, it will happen through Satan’s effort, with all kinds of fake power, signs, and wonders. It will happen with every sort of wicked deception of those who are heading toward destruction because they have refused to love the truth that would allow them to be saved. This is why God will send them an influence that will mislead them so that they will believe the lie. The result will be that everyone will be judged who is not convinced by the truth but is happy with injustice.
HYMN: Percy Dearmer
Tune:
1 God is love: his the care,
tending each, ev’rywhere,
God is love, all is there!
Jesus came to show him,
that we all might know him!
Refrain:
Sing aloud, loud, loud!
sing aloud, loud, loud!
God is good! God is truth!
God is beauty! Praise him!
2 None can see God above;
we can share life and love;
thus may we Godward move,
finding him in creation,
holding ev’ry nation. [Refrain]
3 Jesus lived on the earth,
hope and life brought to birth
and affirmed human worth,
for he came to save us
by the truth he gave us. [Refrain]
4 To our Lord praise we sing,
light and life, friend and King,
coming down, love to bring,
pattern for our duty,
showing God in beauty. [Refrain]
Jesus said, “Learn this parable from the fig tree. After its branch becomes tender and it sprouts new leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, you know that the Human One is near, at the door. I assure you that this generation won’t pass away until all these things happen. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will certainly not pass away.
“But nobody knows when that day or hour will come, not the heavenly angels and not the Son. Only the Father knows. As it was in the time of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Human One. In those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark. They didn’t know what was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. The coming of the Human One will be like that. At that time there will be two men in the field. One will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill. One will be taken and the other left. Therefore, stay alert! You don’t know what day the Lord is coming. But you understand that if the head of the house knew at what time the thief would come, he would keep alert and wouldn’t allow the thief to break into his house. Therefore, you also should be prepared, because the Human One will come at a time you don’t know.”
CANTICLE: Luke 1:46-55
(Bernadette Farrell) https://tinyurl.com/ym88r38d
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
My spirit sings to God, my saving God
Who on this day above all others favored me
And raised me up, a light for all to see.
Through me, great deeds will God make manifest
And all the earth will come to call me blessed
Unbounded love and mercy sure will I proclaim
For all who know and praise God’s holy name.
God’s mighty arm, protector of the just
Will guard the weak and raise them from the dust
But mighty Kings will swiftly fall from thrones corrupt
The strong brought low, the lowly lifted up.
Soon will the poor and hungry of the earth
Be richly blessed, be given greater worth
And Israel, as once foretold to Abraham
Will live in peace throughout the promised land.
All glory be to God Creator, blessed
To Jesus Christ, God’s love made manifest
And to the Holy Spirit, gentle Comforter
All glory be, both now and ever more.
PRAYERS CWC
Mighty One, we magnify your glory.
You have done great things for us,
showing mercy to your people
from generation to generation.
Hear the prayers of your people
in this time and place.
Show your strength
and scatter the proud . . .
Deliver us from the evil powers
of sickness, sorrow, suffering, and sin,
so that all may know fullness of life in you.
Bring down the powerful
and lift up the lowly . . .
Humble the leaders of nations
and give justice to the oppressed,
so that all may live in dignity and peace.
Fill the hungry with good things
and empty the pockets of the rich . . .
Teach us to share our gifts
and reorder our priorities,
so that all may seek the common good.
Mighty One, we give thanks for your grace.
As you have helped your people
from generation to generation,
remember your mercy here and now.
This we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Traditional chant: http://oremus.org/chant/LP-1940.mp3)
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
God of grace,
ever faithful to your promises,
the earth rejoices in hope of our Savior’s coming
and looks forward with longing
to his return at the end of time.
Prepare our hearts to receive him when he comes,
for he is Lord forever and ever. Amen. BCW
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.
CWC Connections Worship Companion, ed. David Gambrell © Westminster John Knox Press
The three main scripture readings are © 2011 Common English Bible.
The traditional-language psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The modern versions of Psalms 65 and 67 are from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and are chanted by Ryland Angel. Psalm 66 is in the version sung by Karl Kohlhase http://www.k4communications.com/karl/index.html.
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.
Oremus 