Bartholomew
It has long been assumed that Bartholomew is the same as Nathanael though it is not a certainty. The gospels speak of Philip bringing Nathanael to Jesus and calling him an Israelite worthy of the name. He is also present beside the Sea of Galilee at the resurrection. Although he seems initially a somewhat cynical man, he recognises Jesus for who he is and proclaims him as Son of God and King of Israel. EH
Antiphon 1
Ant. With expectation I have waited for the Lord, *
and he has cast his look upon me;
he has heard my supplication
and he has put a new canticle into my mouth, a song to our God.
V. Blessed the man who has placed *
his trust in the Lord,
and has not gone over to the proud *
who follow false gods. Psalm 40
Almighty God,
you have built your Church
upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone:
Grant us so to be joined together
in unity of spirit by their teaching,
that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen. BCP
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: Jan Struther
Tune: Nun preiset alle
O saint of summer, what can we sing for you?
How can we praise you, what can we bring for you?
Lost are your words, your deeds are nameless,
Saint without history, mute and fameless.
Said you wise sayings? No one has hoarded them.
Worked you great wonders? None has recorded them.
Only your name, time’s hand defying,
Shines with the light of your faith undying.
So fade the words, so vanish the deeds from us
Of each lost summer, swift as it speeds from us;
We jest, we toil, we weep, but after
Slip from our memories grief and laughter.
Only the sun that cheered and shone for us,
All else forgotten, ever lives on for us,
Kindling our hearts when summer’s ended,
Soul of the summer, serene and splendid.
Time, take our words and do what thou wilt with them;
Death, take our hands and all that we built with them;
Only our faith, our soul’s endeavour,
Take it, Lord, make it, Lord, shine for ever.
PSALMS
Psalm 119:1-32
(Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y9wwyccr)
1 Blessed are those that are undefiled in the way *
and walk in the law of the Lord.
2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies *
and seek him with their whole heart.
3 For they who do no wickedness *
walk in his ways.
4 Thou hast charged *
that we shall diligently keep thy commandments.
5 O that my ways were made so direct *
that I might keep thy statutes!
6 So shall I not be confounded *
while I have respect unto all thy commandments.
7 I will thank thee with an unfeigned heart *
when I shall have learned the judgements of thy righteousness.
8 I will keep thy ceremonies *
O forsake me not utterly.
9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way *
even by ruling himself after thy word.
10 With my whole heart have I sought thee *
O let me not go wrong out of thy commandments.
11 Thy words have I hid within my heart *
that I should not sin against thee.
12 Blessed art thou, O Lord *
O teach me thy statutes.
13 With my lips have I been telling *
of all the judgements of thy mouth.
14 I have had as great delight in the way of thy testimonies *
as in all manner of riches.
15 I will talk of thy commandments *
and have respect unto thy ways.
16 My delight shall be in thy statutes *
and I will not forget thy word.
17 O do well unto thy servant *
that I may live, and keep thy word.
18 Open thou mine eyes *
that I may see the wondrous things of thy law.
19 I am a stranger upon earth *
O hide not thy commandments from me.
20 My soul breaketh out for the very fervent desire *
that it hath alway unto thy judgements.
21 Thou hast rebuked the proud *
and cursed are they that do err from thy commandments.
22 O turn from me shame and rebuke *
for I have kept thy testimonies.
23 Princes also did sit and speak against me *
but thy servant is occupied in thy statutes.
24 For thy testimonies are my delight *
and my counsellors.
25 My soul cleaveth to the dust *
O quicken thou me, according to thy word.
26 I have acknowledged my ways, and thou heardest me *
O teach me thy statutes.
27 Make me to understand the way of thy commandments *
and so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.
28 My soul melteth away for very heaviness *
comfort thou me according unto thy word.
29 Take from me the way of lying *
and cause thou me to make much of thy law.
30 I have chosen the way of truth *
and thy judgements have I laid before me.
31 I have stuck unto thy testimonies *
O Lord, confound me not.
32 I will run the way of thy commandments *
when thou hast set my heart at liberty.
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 119:1-32 (Clarence P Walhout ©)
https://tinyurl.com/yeynxnxm
1 Blessed are those who heed the law of God,
who seek to do no evil or injustice.
They are the LORD’s who walk in all his ways.
O help us, LORD, to follow your commandments.
With upright hearts we strive to do your will.
Forsake us not; we want to learn your precepts.
2 How can the youthful keep their actions pure?
By taking care to honor all your statutes.
I will not wander from the ways of God.
With all my heart I seek your truth and justice.
I always keep your word within my heart;
I meditate upon your perfect goodness.
3 Open my eyes that I may see your law.
Your faithful truths are all that I delight in;
O do not hide them from my sight, O God.
I do but wander if you do not guide me;
my soul is longing for your righteousness.
LORD, be my counselor and patient teacher.
4 Protect me from the arrogant and proud;
they scorn and laugh at those who seek your pleasure.
Sometimes I am depressed and sad at heart;
revive my soul according to your precepts.
Melt sorrow; put false ways far from my path.
Give me again your gracious understanding.
PRAYER
Holy God,
you are just in all your ways
and your commandments are the greatest of treasures.
Give us understanding of your law
and direct us according to your will
that we may be faithful in serving you
for the sake of Jesus our Lord. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
Because of their actions and thoughts, I’m coming to gather all nations and cultures. They will come to see my glory. I will put a sign on them, by sending out some of the survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Libya, and Lydia, and to the archers of Cilicia and Greece—distant coastlands that haven’t heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will declare my glory among the nations. They will bring your family members from all nations as an offering to the Lord—on horses, in chariots, in wagons, on mules, and on camels—to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, like Israelites bringing an offering in purified containers to the Lord’s house. I will select some of them as priests and Levites, says the Lord.
As the new heavens and the new earth that I’m making will endure before me, says the Lord,
so your descendants and your name will endure.
From month to month and from Sabbath to Sabbath,
all humanity will come to worship me, says the Lord.
They will go out and see the corpses
of the people who rebelled against me,
where their worm never dies, where their fire is never extinguished.
They will be a horror to everyone.
HYMN: James Montgomery
Tune: Northampton https://tinyurl.com/5763z5r3
1 Songs of praise the angels sang,
heaven with alleluias rang,
when creation was begun,
when God spake and it was done.
2 Songs of praise awoke the morn
when the Prince of peace was born;
songs of praise arose when he
captive led captivity.
3 Heaven and earth must pass away;
songs of praise shall crown that day:
God will make new heavens and earth;
songs of praise shall hail their birth.
4 And shall we alone be dumb
till that glorious kingdom come?
No, the church delights to raise
psalms and hymns and songs of praise.
5 Saints below, with heart and voice,
still in songs of praise rejoice;
learning here, by faith and love,
songs of praise to sing above.
6 Hymns of glory, songs of praise,
Father, unto thee we raise,
Jesu, glory unto thee,
with the Spirit, ever be.
You haven’t drawn near to something that can be touched: a burning fire, darkness, shadow, a whirlwind, a blast of a trumpet, and a sound of words that made the ones who heard it beg that there wouldn’t be one more word. They couldn’t stand the command, If even a wild animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned. The sight was so frightening that Moses said, “I’m terrified and shaking!”
But you have drawn near to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem, to countless angels in a festival gathering, to the assembly of God’s firstborn children who are registered in heaven, to God the judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous who have been made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks better than Abel’s blood.
HYMN: Isaac Watts
Tune: St Thomas https://tinyurl.com/narc9tf4
1 Come, we that love the Lord,
and let our joys be known;
join in a song with sweet accord,
and thus surround the throne.
2 Let those refuse to sing
who never knew our God;
but children of the heav’nly King
may speak their joys abroad.
3 The hill of Zion yields
a thousand sacred sweets
before we reach the heav’nly fields,
or walk the golden streets.
4 Then let our songs abound,
and every tear be dry;
we’re marching through Emmanuel’s ground
to fairer worlds on high.
READING: John 1:43-51
The next day Jesus wanted to go into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.
Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law and the Prophets: Jesus, Joseph’s son, from Nazareth.” Nathanael responded, “Can anything from Nazareth be good?” Philip said, “Come and see.”
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Here is a genuine Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are God’s Son. You are the king of Israel.” Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these! I assure you that you will see heaven open and God’s angels going up to heaven and down to earth on the Human One.”
CANTICLE Te Deum
(Chant by Joe Cox: https://tinyurl.com/ybzyundx)
We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting.
To thee all Angels cry aloud,
the Heavens and all the Powers therein.
To thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth;
Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy glory.
The glorious company of the apostles praise thee.
The goodly fellowship of the prophets praise thee.
The noble army of martyrs praise thee.
The holy Church throughout all the world
doth acknowledge thee,
the Father, of an infinite majesty,
thine adorable, true, and only Son,
also the Holy Ghost the Comforter.
Thou art the King of glory, O Christ.
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man,
thou didst humble thyself to be born of a Virgin.
When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death,
thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
We believe that thou shalt come to be our judge.
We therefore pray thee, help thy servants,
whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with thy saints,
in glory everlasting.
PRAYER
Let us pray to God,
whose word was entrusted to the Apostles
and has spread to all the world.
Empower your Church
to proclaim the saving message of Jesus Christ.
Lord of mercy,
spread your word.
Give us courage and strength
to spread the Gospel in places
where it has not been preached.
Lord of mercy,
spread your word.
Bless us in our personal lives
that we may live fully according to Jesus’ example.
Lord of mercy,
spread your word.
Open our eyes to your Word in the Holy Scriptures
that we find new paths of understanding.
Lord of mercy,
spread your word.
Remember, in your mercy, those who have gone before
marked with the sign of faith and led by the Gospel.
Lord of mercy,
spread your word.
(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.
Almighty and everlasting God,
who gave to your apostle Bartholomew grace
truly to believe and to preach your word:
grant that your Church
may love that word which he believed
and may faithfully preach and receive the same;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen. EH
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.
EH Exciting Holiness, Ed. Brother Tristram SSF © European Province of the Society of Saint Francis, 1997
BCP The Book of Common Prayer (1979).
DL © Daniel Lawson; used with permission.
The scripture readings are ©2011 by Common English Bible.
The traditional language psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The modern language version of Psalm 119 is from Psalter Hymnal, 1985 ©, sung to the Genevan tone for Psalm 119.
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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