Antiphon (https://tinyurl.com/2ve2ux5a)
I am the Good Shepherd,
and I lay down my life for my sheep, says the Lord. John 10
Living God, by your Holy Spirit,
open our eyes to see the new light of this day;
open our lips to tell of the empty tomb;
open our hearts to believe the good news;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. FOW
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!
PSALMS
Psalm 108 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y9us7zs5)
1 O God, my heart is ready, my heart is ready *
I will sing and give praise with the best member that I have.
2 Awake, thou lute, and harp *
I myself will awake right early.
3 I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the people *
I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.
4 For thy mercy is greater than the heavens *
and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.
5 Set up thyself, O God, above the heavens *
and thy glory above all the earth.
6 That thy beloved may be delivered *
let thy right hand save them, and hear thou me.
7 God hath spoken in his holiness *
I will rejoice therefore, and divide Sichem,
and mete out the valley of Succoth.
8 Gilead is mine, and Manasses is mine *
Ephraim also is the strength of my head.
9 Judah is my law-giver, Moab is my wash-pot *
over Edom will I cast out my shoe; upon Philistia will I triumph.
10 Who will lead me into the strong city *
and who will bring me into Edom?
11 Hast not thou forsaken us, O God *
and wilt not thou, O God, go forth with our hosts?
12 O help us against the enemy *
for vain is the help of man.
13 Through God we shall do great acts *
and it is he that shall tread down our enemies.
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 109 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y9dslk3v)
1 Hold not thy tongue, O God of my praise *
for the mouth of the ungodly, yea,
the mouth of the deceitful is opened upon me.
2 And they have spoken against me with false tongues *
they compassed me about also with words of hatred,
and fought against me without a cause.
3 For the love that I had unto them, lo, they take now my contrary part *
but I give myself unto prayer.
4 Thus have they rewarded me evil for good *
and hatred for my good will.
5 Set thou an ungodly man to be ruler over him *
and let Satan stand at his right hand.
6 When sentence is given upon him, let him be condemned *
and let his prayer be turned into sin.
7 Let his days be few *
and let another take his office.
8 Let his children be fatherless *
and his wife a widow.
9 Let his children be vagabonds, and beg their bread *
let them seek it also out of desolate places.
10 Let the extortioner consume all that he hath *
and let the stranger spoil his labour.
11 Let there be no man to pity him *
nor to have compassion upon his fatherless children.
12 Let his posterity be destroyed *
and in the next generation let his name be clean put out.
13 Let the wickedness of his fathers be had
in remembrance in the sight of the Lord *
and let not the sin of his mother be done away.
14 Let them alway be before the Lord *
that he may root out the memorial of them from off the earth;
15 And that, because his mind was not to do good *
but persecuted the poor helpless man,
that he might slay him that was vexed at the heart.
16 His delight was in cursing, and it shall happen unto him *
he loved not blessing, therefore shall it be far from him.
17 He clothed himself with cursing, like as with a raiment *
and it shall come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.
18 Let it be unto him as the cloke that he hath upon him *
and as the girdle that he is alway girded withal.
19 Let it thus happen from the Lord unto mine enemies *
and to those that speak evil against my soul.
20 But deal thou with me, O Lord God, according unto thy Name *
for sweet is thy mercy.
21 O deliver me, for I am helpless and poor *
and my heart is wounded within me.
22 I go hence like the shadow that departeth *
and am driven away as the grasshopper.
23 My knees are weak through fasting *
my flesh is dried up for want of fatness.
24 I became also a reproach unto them *
they that looked upon me shaked their heads.
25 Help me, O Lord my God *
O save me according to thy mercy;
26 And they shall know, how that this is thy hand *
and that thou, Lord, hast done it.
27 Though they curse, yet bless thou *
and let them be confounded that rise up against me;
but let thy servant rejoice.
28 Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame *
and let them cover themselves with their own confusion,
as with a cloke.
29 As for me, I will give great thanks unto the Lord with my mouth *
and praise him among the multitude;
30 For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor *
to save his soul from unrighteous judges.
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 108 (Karl Kohlhase: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-108-KH.mp3)
My heart is ready, O God;
I will sing, sing praises with my glory.
Awake, awake, both harp and lyre;
I will awaken the dawn!
I’ll give thanks to you, O LORD, among the people,
and sing praises to you among the nations.
For your love is great above the heavens,
and your faithfulness unto the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
and your glory above all the earth.
Let the one whom you love be delivered;
O save him by your right hand, and give answer.
Our God has spoken in his holiness:
“I’ll rejoice, and Shechem I will portion out
I will measure out Succoth’s Valley:
Gilead and Manasseh are mine.
Also Ephraim is the helmet of my head;
Judah’s my scepter, and Moab is my washbowl;
Over Edom I will throw my shoe;
o’er Philistia I will shout aloud.”
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
and your glory above all the earth.
Let the one whom you love be delivered;
O save him by your right hand, and give answer.
Who will bring me into a walled-in city?
And who will lead me into Edom?
Have you not, O God, rejected us?
Will you not lead our armies, O God?
Give us help against our oppressor,
for deliverance by man is in vain.
Through God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
and your glory above all the earth.
Let the one whom you love be delivered;
O save him by your right hand, and give answer.
O save him by your right hand,
please save him by your right hand, and give answer.
Psalm 109 (Karl Kohlhase: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-109-KH.mp3)
The LORD is at the right hand of the poor,
to save him from the ones who judge his soul
O God of my praise, please do not be silent,
because the mouth of wickedness, and the mouth of deceit,
have opened up to speak against me,
with lying tongues and hateful words.
They have encompassed me round about,
they fight against me for no reason.
and for my love they accuse me,
and yet I am in prayer for them!
Repaying me with evil for my good,
and hatred in return for my love.
The LORD is at the right hand of the poor,
to save him from the ones who judge his soul
You set over him an evil one,
an accuser to stand at his right hand.
So he’ll come out guilty when he is judged,
his prayer is made an offense.
His days are few, another takes his office;
his sons are fatherless, his wife a widow.
His sons always roaming and begging,
and they will ever seek in barren places.
A creditor shall plunder all that he owns,
and strangers shall plunder all he worked for.
He’ll have not a one extending kindness,
nor any showing favor to his orphans.
The LORD is at the right hand of the poor,
to save him from the ones who judge his soul
For his posterity shall be cut off,
his name be erased in coming ages.
His fathers’ sins remembered by the LORD,
his mothers’ sins are not erased.
They are before the LORD continually,
so he will cut them off from earth’s memory.
For he did not remember to show kindness,
and he pursued the poor and the needy,
And those discouraged within their heart,
he sought them out so as to slay them.
He loves to curse and so it comes to him;
he hates to bless and so it is far from him.
The LORD is at the right hand of the poor,
to save him from the ones who judge his soul
For cursing he wears like a robe,
like water in his innards, oil within his bones.
His clothing with which he hides himself,
the belt with which he always binds himself.
The wage of my accusers from the LORD,
of those who speak against my soul for harm.
O LORD my Lord, deal kindly for your name’s sake;
your love is great, so please deliver me.
For I am poor and needy,
my heart has been pierced within me.
Departing as a shadow when it stretches out,
I have been swept away like a locust.
The LORD is at the right hand of the poor,
to save him from the ones who judge his soul
My knees become feeble from my fasting;
my flesh has been denied of its fatness.
I have become to them as a reproach;
and when they look at me they shake their head.
Please help me, O LORD my God;
and save me, according to your love.
O LORD, may they know it is from your hand;
that you are the one who has done this.
So let them curse while you bless;
they’ll rise to shame while Your servant sings.
My accusers put on shame and are covered,
their shame has become their robe.
I thank the LORD greatly with my mouth,
and in the midst of many I will praise Him,
The LORD is at the right hand of the poor,
to save him from the ones who judge his soul
PRAYER
O God,
your love is wider than all the universe
and your mercy greater than the heights of heaven.
When we are tempted to break faith with you,
put a new song of love on our lips,
that we may sing your praises to all nations on earth,
through your Son, our only hope and defense. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
Listen! It’s my lover: here he comes now,
leaping upon the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
My lover is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
Here he stands now,
outside our wall,
peering through the windows,
peeking through the lattices.
My lover spoke and said to me,
“Rise up, my dearest,
my fairest, and go.
Here, the winter is past;
the rains have come and gone.
Blossoms have appeared in the land;
the season of singing has arrived,
and the sound of the turtledove is heard in our land.
The green fruit is on the fig tree,
and the grapevines in bloom are fragrant.
Rise up, my dearest,
my fairest, and go.
My dove—in the rock crevices,
hidden in the cliff face—
let me catch sight of you;
let me hear your voice!
The sound of your voice is sweet,
and the sight of you is lovely.”
Catch foxes for us—
those little foxes
that spoil vineyards,
now that our vineyards are in bloom!
I belong to my lover and he belongs to me—
the one grazing among the lilies.
Before the day breeze blows
and the shadows flee,
turn about, my love; be like a gazelle
or a young stag
upon the jagged mountains.
Upon my bed, night after night,
I looked for the one whom I love with all my heart.
I looked for him but couldn’t find him.
“I will rise now and go all around the city,
through the streets and the squares.
I will look for the one whom I love with all my heart.”
I looked for him but couldn’t find him.
The guards found me,
those who make their rounds in the city.
“The one whom I love with all my heart—
have you seen him?”
No sooner did I depart from them
than I found the one whom I love with all my heart.
I held on to him and now I won’t let him go,
until I’ve brought him to my mother’s house,
to the chamber of the one who conceived me.
I place you under oath, daughters of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles or the wild deer:
don’t rouse, don’t arouse love
until it desires.
So if the message that is preached says that Christ has been raised from the dead, then how can some of you say, “There’s no resurrection of the dead”? If there’s no resurrection of the dead, then Christ hasn’t been raised either. If Christ hasn’t been raised, then our preaching is useless and your faith is useless. We are found to be false witnesses about God, because we testified against God that he raised Christ, when he didn’t raise him if it’s the case that the dead aren’t raised. If the dead aren’t raised, then Christ hasn’t been raised either. If Christ hasn’t been raised, then your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins, and what’s more, those who have died in Christ are gone forever. If we have a hope in Christ only in this life, then we deserve to be pitied more than anyone else.
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the tomb. Look, there was a great earthquake, for an angel from the Lord came down from heaven. Coming to the stone, he rolled it away and sat on it. Now his face was like lightning and his clothes as white as snow. The guards were so terrified of him that they shook with fear and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Don’t be afraid. I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He isn’t here, because he’s been raised from the dead, just as he said. Come, see the place where they laid him. Now hurry, go and tell his disciples, ‘He’s been raised from the dead. He’s going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.’ I’ve given the message to you.”
With great fear and excitement, they hurried away from the tomb and ran to tell his disciples. But Jesus met them and greeted them. They came and grabbed his feet and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Go and tell my brothers that I am going into Galilee. They will see me there.”
Now as the women were on their way, some of the guards came into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. They met with the elders and decided to give a large sum of money to the soldiers. They told them, “Say that Jesus’ disciples came at night and stole his body while you were sleeping. And if the governor hears about this, we will take care of it with him so you will have nothing to worry about.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were told. And this report has spread throughout all Judea to this very day.
CANTICLE Luke 1:46-55
(Brian Moss: https://tinyurl.com/339zmc65)
Who am I to receive this gift?
A child of heaven and earth
How can I give him my kiss?
I have been blessed and I give praise
To him whose song is age to age
Sing out my soul, sing out my soul
I will rejoice in you, my God, the Mighty One
Sing out my soul, sing out my soul
All glory be to you, Immanuel, the Son of Man
Kings will bow to the least of these
The humble lift – ed up
The poor are filled with good things
Mercy extends to those who fear
The Lord, our God, drawing us near
Sing out my soul, sing out my soul
I will rejoice in you, my God, the Mighty One
Sing out my soul, sing out my soul
All glory be to you, Immanuel, the Son of God
Holy is his name. Holy, holy, holy is his name.
Holy is his name. Holy, holy, holy is his name.
Holy is his name.
Sing out my soul, sing out my soul
I will rejoice in you, my God, the Mighty One
Sing out my soul, sing out my soul
All glory be to you, Immanuel, the Son
All glory be to you, Immanuel, the Son of God with us
PRAYERS CWC
O Christ of great compassion,
in the moments after your resurrection,
you demonstrated your faithful love to Mary,
calling her by name and comforting her fears.
We, too, live in the wake of your risen glory,
still trembling with fear and uncertainty,
even as we trust in your promises.
Hear us now as we call to you;
show us again your steadfast kindness.
O compassionate one,
we pray for those who are surviving the sword,
who face violence of all kinds—
spiritual, emotional, physical, social.
Comfort them,
even as you teach us the ways of wholeness and peace.
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
O compassionate one,
we pray for those who seek your grace in the wilderness,
who live without a home,
who cry for refuge while in exile,
whose habitats have been destroyed.
Make us into a home for them,
even as you empower us
to address the root causes of rootlessness.
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
O compassionate one,
we pray for those who long for rest—
rest from grief,
from unjust labor,
from chronic illness,
from anxiety, depression, loneliness, and stress,
from oppression and fear.
Bring them out of the muck and mire
into a broad, still place,
even as you instruct us in the practice of sabbath.
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
O compassionate one,
we pray for those who only know you from far away,
who have been hurt by the actions
of those who say they love you,
who suffer the kind of doubt that burdens their spirits,
who long to experience your love.
Draw close to them,
even as you shape us into a living embodiment
of your radical welcome.
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
O Christ of great compassion,
you have loved us with an everlasting love.
Along with all for whom we have already prayed,
we bring before you those prayers left unsaid.
Continue your faithfulness to us,
even as we become more faithful to you;
through the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.
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.
Living God,
long ago, faithful women
proclaimed the good news
of Jesus’ resurrection,
and the world was changed forever.
Teach us to keep faith with them,
that our witness may be as bold,
our love as deep,
and our faith as true. 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
Donation to Support This Ministry
Since 1993, Oremus has been done on a volunteer basis. If you are able, please consider supporting this work at the PayPal link below. For software reasons, I’ve set the value at $10.00, but feel free to change it. Thank you.
$10.00
BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.
RCLP Revised Common Lectionary Prayers. © 2002 Consultation on Common Texts admin. Augsburg Fortress.
CWC Connections Worship Companion, ed. David Gambrell © Westminster John Knox Press
FOW Feasting on the Word Worship Companion © 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 language versions of Psalms 108 and 109 are 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 © 2025 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 
#/media/File:Noli-me-tangere-titien.jpg){kind=link}