Antiphon 1
Ant. You gave us bread from heaven, O Lord,
having in it all that is delicious,
and the sweetness of every taste.
V. Give ear, my people, to my teaching; *
incline your ear to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable *
and utter hidden lessons of the past. Wisdom 16, Psalm 78
Praise to you, God of our salvation.
You come to our help and set us free.
May your strength be our shield
and your word, our lamp,
that we may serve you with pure hearts
and find deliverance in Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen. BCW
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: Joachim Neander; trans. Robert Bridges
Tune: Michael https://tinyurl.com/ycywb29a
1 All my hope on God is founded;
he doth still my trust renew.
Me through change and chance he guideth,
only good and only true.
God unknown,
he alone
calls my heart to be his own.
2 Human pride and earthly glory,
sword and crown betray his trust;
what with care and toil he buildeth,
tower and temple, fall to dust.
But God’s power,
hour by hour,
is my temple and my tower.
3 God’s great goodness aye endureth,
deep his wisdom, passing thought:
splendour, light, and life attend him,
beauty springeth out of naught.
Evermore
from his store
new-born worlds rise and adore.
4 Daily doth th’ Almighty giver
bounteous gifts on us bestow;
his desire our soul delighteth,
pleasure leads us where we go.
Love doth stand
at his hand;
joy doth wait on his command.
5 Still from earth to God eternal
sacrifice of praise be done,
high above all praises praising
for the gift of Christ his Son.
Christ doth call
one and all:
ye who follow shall not fall.
PSALMS
Psalm 18
(Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/yx7qz95s)
1 I will love thee, O Lord, my strength;
the Lord is my stony rock, and my defence *
my Saviour, my God, and my might, in whom I will trust,
my buckler, the horn also of my salvation, and my refuge.
2 I will call upon the Lord, which is worthy to be praised *
so shall I be safe from mine enemies.
3 The sorrows of death compassed me *
and the overflowings of ungodliness made me afraid.
4 The pains of hell came about me *
the snares of death overtook me.
5 In my trouble I will call upon the Lord *
and complain unto my God.
6 So shall he hear my voice out of his holy temple *
and my complaint shall come before him,
it shall enter even into his ears.
7 The earth trembled and quaked *
the very foundations also of the hills shook,
and were removed, because he was wroth.
8 There went a smoke out in his presence *
and a consuming fire out of his mouth,
so that coals were kindled at it.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down *
and it was dark under his feet.
10 He rode upon the cherubims, and did fly *
he came flying upon the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his secret place *
his pavilion round about him with dark water,
and thick clouds to cover him.
12 At the brightness of his presence his clouds removed *
hail-stones, and coals of fire.
13 The Lord also thundered out of heaven,
and the Highest gave his thunder *
hail-stones, and coals of fire.
14 He sent out his arrows, and scattered them *
he cast forth lightnings, and destroyed them.
15 The springs of waters were seen,
and the foundations of the round world were discovered,
at thy chiding, O Lord *
at the blasting of the breath of thy displeasure.
16 He shall send down from on high to fetch me *
and shall take me out of many waters.
17 He shall deliver me from my strongest enemy,
and from them which hate me *
for they are too mighty for me.
18 They prevented me in the day of my trouble *
but the Lord was my upholder.
19 He brought me forth also into a place of liberty *
he brought me forth, even because he had a favour unto me.
20 The Lord shall reward me after my righteous dealing *
according to the cleanness of my hands shall he recompense me.
21 Because I have kept the ways of the Lord *
and have not forsaken my God, as the wicked doth.
22 For I have an eye unto all his laws *
and will not cast out his commandments from me.
23 I was also uncorrupt before him *
and eschewed mine own wickedness.
24 Therefore shall the Lord reward me after my righteous dealing *
and according unto the cleanness of my hands in his eye-sight.
25 With the holy thou shalt be holy *
and with a perfect man thou shalt be perfect.
26 With the clean thou shalt be clean *
and with the froward thou shalt learn frowardness.
27 For thou shalt save the people that are in adversity *
and shalt bring down the high looks of the proud.
28 Thou also shalt light my candle *
the Lord my God shall make my darkness to be light.
29 For in thee I shall discomfit an host of men *
and with the help of my God I shall leap over the wall.
30 The way of God is an undefiled way *
the word of the Lord also is tried in the fire;
he is the defender of all them that put their trust in him.
31 For who is God, but the Lord *
or who hath any strength, except our God?
32 It is God, that girdeth me with strength of war *
and maketh my way perfect.
33 He maketh my feet like harts’ feet *
and setteth me up on high.
34 He teacheth mine hands to fight *
and mine arms shall break even a bow of steel.
35 Thou hast given me the defence of thy salvation *
thy right hand also shall hold me up,
and thy loving correction shall make me great.
36 Thou shalt make room enough under me for to go *
that my footsteps shall not slide.
37 I will follow upon mine enemies, and overtake them *
neither will I turn again till I have destroyed them.
38 I will smite them, that they shall not be able to stand *
but fall under my feet.
39 Thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle *
thou shalt throw down mine enemies under me.
40 Thou hast made mine enemies also to turn their backs upon me *
and I shall destroy them that hate me.
41 They shall cry, but there shall be none to help them *
yea, even unto the Lord shall they cry, but he shall not hear them.
42 I will beat them as small as the dust before the wind *
I will cast them out as the clay in the streets.
43 Thou shalt deliver me from the strivings of the people *
and thou shalt make me the head of the heathen.
44 A people whom I have not known *
shall serve me.
45 As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me *
but the strange children shall dissemble with me.
46 The strange children shall fail *
and be afraid out of their prisons.
47 The Lord liveth, and blessed be my strong helper *
and praised be the God of my salvation.
48 Even the God that seeth that I be avenged *
and subdueth the people unto me.
49 It is he that delivereth me from my cruel enemies,
and setteth me up above mine adversaries *
thou shalt rid me from the wicked man.
50 For this cause will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the Gentiles *
and sing praises unto thy Name.
51 Great prosperity giveth he unto his King *
and sheweth loving-kindness unto David his Anointed,
and unto his seed 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 18 (Gregorian Tone 7a)
2 I love you, Lord, my strength;
3 O Lord, my rock, my fortress, my savior;
my God my rock where I take refuge;
my shield, my saving strength, my stronghold. †
4 I cry out, “O praised be the LORD!” *
and see, I am saved from my foes.
5 The waves of death rose about me; *
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
6 the snares of Sheol surrounded me; *
the traps of death confronted me.
7 In my anguish I called to the LORD; *
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice; *
my cry to him reached his ears.
8 The earth then reeled and rocked; †
the mountains were shaken to their base; *
they quaked at his terrible anger.
9 Smoke came forth from his nostrils, †
and scorching fire from his mouth; *
from him were kindled live coals.
10 He bent the heavens and came down *
a black cloud was under his feet.
11 On a cherub, he rode and he flew; *
he soared on the wings of the wind.
12 He made the darkness his covering, *
the dark waters of the clouds, his tent.
13 A brightness shone out before him, *
with hailstones and flashes of fire.
14 The LORD then thundered in the heavens; †
the Most High let his voice be heard, *
with hail and coals of fire.
15 He shot his arrows, scattered the foe, *
flashed his lightnings, and put them to flight.
16 The bed of the ocean was revealed; *
the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD, *
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
17 From on high he reached down and seized me; *
he drew me forth from the mighty waters.
18 He saved me from my powerful foe, *
from my enemies, whose strength I could not match.
19 They assailed me in the day of my misfortune, *
but the LORD was my strong support.
20 He brought me out to a place of freedom; *
he saved me because he loved me.
21 The LORD rewarded me because I was righteous,*
repaid me, for my hands were clean,
22 for I have kept the ways of the LORD, *
and have not fallen away from my God.
23 For his judgments are all before me; *
his commands I have not cast aside.
24 I have been blameless before him; *
I have kept myself from guilt.
25 The LORD repaid me because I was righteous, *
and my hands were clean in his eyes.
26 With the faithful you show yourself faithful; *
with the blameless you show yourself blameless.
27 With the sincere you show yourself sincere, *
but the cunning you outdo in shrewdness;
28 for you save a lowly people, *
but bring low the eyes that are proud.
29 It is you who give light to my lamp; *
the LORD my God lightens my darkness.
30 With you I can crush the foe, *
with my God I can scale a wall.
31 As for God, his way is blameless; *
the word of the LORD is pure.
He indeed is the shield *
of all who trust in him.
32 For who is God but the LORD? *
Who is a rock but our God?
33 It is God who girds me with strength, *
and keeps my path free of blame.
34 My feet he makes swift as the deerʼs; *
he has made me stand firm on the heights.
35 He has trained my hands for battle, *
and my arms to bend the bronze bow.
36 You gave me your saving shield; †
with your right hand, you gave me support; *
you bent down to make me great.
37 You lengthened my steps beneath me; *
and my feet have never slipped.
38 I pursued and overtook my foes, *
never turning back till they were slain.
39 I struck them so they could not rise; *
they fell beneath my feet.
40 You girded me with strength for battle; *
you made my enemies fall beneath me.
41 You made my foes take flight; *
those who hated me I destroyed.
42 They cried out, but there was no one to save them, *
cried to the LORD, but he did not answer.
43 I crushed them fine as dust before the wind, *
trod them down like dirt in the streets.
44 From the feuds of the people you delivered me, *
and put me at the head of the nations.
45 People unknown to me served me:
when they heard of me, they obeyed me.
46 Foreign nations came to me cringing:
foreign nations faded away.
Trembling, they came forth from their strongholds.
47 The Lord lives, and blest be my Rock!
May the God of my salvation be exalted,
48 the God who gives me redress
and subdues the peoples under me.
49 You saved me from my furious foes;
you set me above my assailants;
you saved me from the violent man.
50 So I will praise you, Lord, among the nations:
to your name will I sing a psalm.
51 The Lord gives great victories to his king
and shows merciful love for his anointed,
for David and his seed for ever.
PRAYER
O God,
our stronghold and our salvation,
in Christ you draw near to us with compassion.
Give us such strength of love
that we may reach out to our neighbor
without counting the cost;
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. BCW2018
THE WORD OF GOD
The words of the Teacher of the Assembly, David’s son, king in Jerusalem:
Perfectly pointless, says the Teacher, perfectly pointless.
Everything is pointless.
I am the Teacher. I was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
I applied my mind to investigate and to explore by wisdom all that happens under heaven. It’s an unhappy obsession that God has given to human beings.
When I observed all that happens under the sun, I realized that everything is pointless, a chasing after wind.
I also thought, Where human beings are concerned, God tests them to show them that they are but animals because human beings and animals share the same fate. One dies just like the other—both have the same life-breath. Humans are no better off than animals because everything is pointless.
All go to the same place:
all are from the dust;
all return to the dust.
Who knows if a human being’s life-breath rises upward while an animal’s life-breath descends into the earth? So I perceived that there was nothing better for human beings but to enjoy what they do because that’s what they’re allotted in life. Who, really, is able to see what will happen in the future?
HYMN: Bianco di Siena; trans. Richard Littledale
Tune: Down Ampney https://tinyurl.com/b8xauhf6
1 Come down, O Love divine,
seek thou this soul of mine,
and visit it with thine own ardour glowing;
O Comforter, draw near,
within my heart appear,
and kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.
2 O let it freely burn,
till earthly passions turn
to dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
and let thy glorious light
shine ever on my sight,
and clothe me round, the while my path illuming.
3 Let holy charity
mine outward vesture be,
and lowliness become mine inner clothing:
true lowliness of heart,
which takes the humbler part,
and o’er its own shortcomings weeps with loathing.
4 And so the yearning strong,
with which the soul will long,
shall far outpass the power of human telling;
for none can guess its grace,
till he become the place
wherein the Holy Spirit makes his dwelling.
Therefore, if you were raised with Christ, look for the things that are above where Christ is sitting at God’s right side. Think about the things above and not things on earth. You died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.
So put to death the parts of your life that belong to the earth, such as sexual immorality, moral corruption, lust, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). The wrath of God is coming upon disobedient people because of these things. You used to live this way, when you were alive to these things. But now set aside these things, such as anger, rage, malice, slander, and obscene language. Don’t lie to each other. Take off the old human nature with its practices and put on the new nature, which is renewed in knowledge by conforming to the image of the one who created it. In this image there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all things and in all people.
HYMN: Kate B Wilkinson
Tune: St Leonard’s https://tinyurl.com/yc2hr8d5
1 May the mind of Christ, my Savior,
live in me from day to day,
by His love and pow’r controlling
all I do and say.
2 May the word of God dwell richly
in my heart from hour to hour,
so that all may see I triumph
only through His pow’r.
3 May the peace of God my Father
rule my life in everything,
that I may be calm to comfort
sick and sorrowing.
4 May the love of Jesus fill me
as the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting, self abasing:
this is victory.
5 May I run the race before me,
strong and brave to face the foe,
looking only unto Jesus
as I onward go.
6 May His beauty rest upon me
as I seek the lost to win,
and may they forget the channel,
seeing only Him.
Someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus said to him, “Man, who appointed me as judge or referee between you and your brother?”
Then Jesus said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourself against all kinds of greed. After all, one’s life isn’t determined by one’s possessions, even when someone is very wealthy.” Then he told them a parable: “A certain rich man’s land produced a bountiful crop. He said to himself, What will I do? I have no place to store my harvest! Then he thought, Here’s what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. That’s where I’ll store all my grain and goods. I’ll say to myself, You have stored up plenty of goods, enough for several years. Take it easy! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself. But God said to him, ‘Fool, tonight you will die. Now who will get the things you have prepared for yourself?’ This is the way it will be for those who hoard things for themselves and aren’t rich toward God.”
CANTICLE Luke 1:46-55
(John Michael Talbot, https://tinyurl.com/mweccsj)
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.
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 COS, alt.
God of all kindness,
you gave your only Son,
because you loved the world so much.
We pray for the peace of the world.
Move among us by your Spirit,
break down barriers
of fear, suspicion, and hatred.
Heal the human family of its divisions
and unite it in the bonds of justice and peace.
1We pray for our country.
Enrich our common life;
strengthen the forces of truth and goodness;
teach us to share prosperity,
that those whose lives are impoverished
may pass from need and despair
to dignity and joy.
We pray for those who suffer.
Surround them with your love,
support them with your strength,
console them with your comfort,
and give them hope
and courage beyond themselves.
We pray for our families,
for those whom we love.
Protect them at home;
support them in times of difficulty and anxiety,
that they may grow together
in mutual love and understanding,
and rest content in one another.
We pray for the Church.
Keep us true to the Gospel
and responsive to the gifts and needs of all.
Make known your saving power in Jesus Christ,
by the witness of our faith,
our worship,
and our lives. 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.
Righteous God,
you have taught us that the poor shall have your kingdom,
and that the gentle-minded shall inherit the earth.
Keep the church poor enough to preach to poor people,
and humble enough to walk with the despised.
Never weigh us down with property or accumulated funds.
Save your church from vain display or lavish comforts,
so that we may travel light
and move through the world
showing your generous love
made known in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCW2018
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.
BCP79 The Book of Common Prayer (1979), The Episcopal Church
BCW2018 Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 2018
COS Common Order, © 1994 Church of Scotland
2 Eric Wyse, Lord’s Prayer, ©; audio from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_a40ME7aVk
The three main scripture readings are © 2011 Common English Bible.
The traditional psalm texts are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The contemporary psalm text is from The Abbey Psalter as recorded for the Chants and Rants YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@chantsandrants
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.
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