Antiphon
Ant. You are righteous, O Lord, * and right is your judgment;
deal with this servant of yours according to your mercy.
V. Blessed are those whose way is blameless, *
who walk in the law of the Lord!
Blessed are those who keep his decrees! *
With all their hearts they seek him. Psalm 119
O God, the well of life,
make us bright with wisdom,
that we may be lightened with the knowledge of your glory
in the face of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. CW:DP
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: Dan Schutte ©
Tune: https://tinyurl.com/b56r8pab
1. I, the Lord of sea and sky,
I have heard my people cry.
All who dwell in dark and sin
my hand will save.
I who made the stars of night,
I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall I send?
[Refrain:]
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.
2. I, the Lord of snow and rain,
I have borne my people’s pain.
I have wept for love of them.
They turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone,
give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak my word to them.
Whom shall I send? (Refrain)
3. I, the Lord of wind and flame,
I will tend the poor and lame,
I will set a feast for them.
My hand will save.
Finest bread I will provide
till their hearts be satisfied.
I will give my life to them.
Whom shall I send? (Refrain)
PSALMS
Psalm 35 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y8onefhr)
1 Plead thou my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me *
and fight thou against them that fight against me.
2 Lay hand upon the shield and buckler *
and stand up to help me.
3 Bring forth the spear, and stop the way
against them that persecute me *
say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.
4 Let them be confounded, and put to shame, that seek after my soul *
let them be turned back, and brought to confusion,
that imagine mischief for me.
5 Let them be as the dust before the wind *
and the angel of the Lord scattering them.
6 Let their way be dark and slippery *
and let the angel of the Lord persecute them.
7 For they have privily laid their net to destroy me without a cause *
yea, even without a cause have they made a pit for my soul.
8 Let a sudden destruction come upon him unawares,
and his net, that he hath laid privily, catch himself *
that he may fall into his own mischief.
9 And, my soul, be joyful in the Lord *
it shall rejoice in his salvation.
10 All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto thee,
who deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him *
yea, the poor, and him that is in misery, from him that spoileth him?
11 False witnesses did rise up *
they laid to my charge things that I knew not.
12 They rewarded me evil for good *
to the great discomfort of my soul.
13 Nevertheless, when they were sick, I put on sackcloth,
and humbled my soul with fasting *
and my prayer shall turn into mine own bosom.
14 I behaved myself as though it had been my friend, or my brother *
I went heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother.
15 But in mine adversity they rejoiced,
and gathered themselves together *
yea, the very abjects came together against me unawares,
making mouths at me, and ceased not.
16 With the flatterers were busy mockers *
who gnashed upon me with their teeth.
17 Lord, how long wilt thou look upon this *
O deliver my soul from the calamities which they bring on me,
and my darling from the lions.
18 So will I give thee thanks in the great congregation *
I will praise thee among much people.
19 O let not them that are mine enemies triumph over me ungodly *
neither let them wink with their eyes that hate me without a cause.
20 And why? their communing is not for peace *
but they imagine deceitful words against them that are quiet in the land.
21 They gaped upon me with their mouths, and said *
Fie on thee, fie on thee, we saw it with our eyes.
22 This thou hast seen, O Lord *
hold not thy tongue then, go not far from me, O Lord.
23 Awake, and stand up to judge my quarrel *
avenge thou my cause, my God, and my Lord.
24 Judge me, O Lord my God, according to thy righteousness *
and let them not triumph over me.
25 Let them not say in their hearts, There, there, so would we have it *
neither let them say, We have devoured him.
26 Let them be put to confusion and shame together,
that rejoice at my trouble *
let them be clothed with rebuke and dishonour,
that boast themselves against me.
27 Let them be glad and rejoice, that favour my righteous dealing *
yea, let them say alway, Blessed be the Lord,
who hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.
28 And as for my tongue, it shall be talking of thy righteousness *
and of thy praise all the day long.
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 36 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y82f3wv5)
1 My heart sheweth me the wickedness of the ungodly *
that there is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For he flattereth himself in his own sight *
until his abominable sin be found out.
3 The words of his mouth are unrighteous, and full of deceit *
he hath left off to behave himself wisely, and to do good.
4 He imagineth mischief upon his bed,
and hath set himself in no good way *
neither doth he abhor any thing that is evil.
5 Thy mercy, O Lord, reacheth unto the heavens *
and thy faithfulness unto the clouds.
6 Thy righteousness standeth like the strong mountains *
thy judgements are like the great deep.
7 Thou, Lord, shalt save both man and beast;
How excellent is thy mercy, O God *
and the children of men shall put their trust
under the shadow of thy wings.
8 They shall be satisfied with the plenteousness of thy house *
and thou shalt give them drink of thy pleasures, as out of the river.
9 For with thee is the well of life *
and in thy light shall we see light.
10 O continue forth thy loving-kindness unto them that know thee *
and thy righteousness unto them that are true of heart.
11 O let not the foot of pride come against me *
and let not the hand of the ungodly cast me down.
12 There are they fallen, all that work wickedness *
they are cast down, and shall not be able to stand.
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 35 (Gregorian Tone VII.7)
1 Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me, *
and fight against those who fight against me.
2 Take up the shield and buckler, *
and stand up to help me.
3 Bring forth the spear
and bar the way against those who pursue me; *
say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”
4 Let them be confounded
and put to shame who seek after my life; *
let them be turned back and brought to confusion
who imagine evil against me.
5 Let them be as the chaff before the wind, *
and let the angel of the Lord scatter them.
6 Let their way be dark and slippery, *
and let the angel of the Lord pursue them.
7 For they have secretly laid their net
to destroy me without a cause; *
indeed, without a cause have they made
a pit to take away my life.
8 Let sudden destruction come upon them unawares,
and the net, which they have laid secretly, catch themselves, *
that they may fall into their own trouble.
9 Then shall my soul be joyful in the Lord; *
I shall rejoice in his salvation.
10 All my bones shall say, “Lord, who is like you?
You deliver the poor from those who are too strong for them; *
indeed, the poor and those who are in misery
from those who rob them.”
11 Malicious witnesses rise up; *
they charge me with matters I know nothing about.
12 They repay me evil for good, *
to the great sorrow of my soul.
13 Nevertheless, when they were sick,
I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting; *
I prayed with my whole heart,
as if it had been my friend or my brother.
14 I behaved myself as one who mourns for his mother; *
I was bowed down with heaviness of heart.
15 But in my adversity, they rejoiced
and gathered themselves together; *
indeed, those who struck me came together against me,
and I had no rest; they tore at me, and would not cease.
16 When I stumbled they mocked me exceedingly, *
and gnashed at me with their teeth.
17 Lord, how long will you look on this? *
O deliver me from the calamities they bring upon me,
and my life from the lions.
18 So will I give you thanks in the great congregation; *
I will praise you among many people.
19 O let not those who are my enemies
triumph over me deceitfully; *
neither let them wink with their eyes,
those who hate me without a cause.
20 For their talking is not for peace, *
but they imagine deceitful words against
those who are quiet in the land.
21 They open their mouths at me, and say, *
“Aha! Aha! We saw it with our own eyes!”
22 This you have seen, O Lord. *
Hold not your tongue then;
be not far from me, O Lord.
23 Awake, and stand up to judge my case; *
avenge my cause, my God and my Lord.
24 Judge me, O Lord my God,
according to your righteousness, *
and let them not triumph over me.
25 Let them not say in their hearts,
“Aha! We have what we want!” *
Neither let them say, “We have devoured him.”
26 Let them be put to confusion
and shame who rejoice at my trouble; *
let them be clothed with shame and dishonor
who boast against me.
27 Let them be glad and rejoice who favor my righteous cause; *
indeed, let them say always, “Great is the Lord,
who takes pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.”
28 And as for my tongue,
it shall be talking of your righteousness *
and of your praise all the day long.
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 36 (Gregorian Tone VII.7)
1 My heart shows me the wickedness of the ungodly; *
there is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For he flatters himself in his own sight, *
until his abominable sin is found out.
3 The words of his mouth are unrighteous and full of deceit; *
he has left off behaving wisely and doing good.
4 He imagines mischief upon his bed,
and has set himself in no good way; *
neither does he abhor anything that is evil.
5 Your mercy, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, *
and your faithfulness to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness stands like the strong mountains;
your judgments are like the great deep; *
you, Lord, shall save both man and beast.
7 How excellent is your mercy, O God! *
The children of men shall take refuge
under the shadow of your wings.
8 They shall be satisfied with the plenteousness of your house, *
and you shall give them drink from your pleasures
as out of a river.
9 For with you is the well of life, *
and in your light shall we see light.
10 O continue your loving-kindness to those who know you, *
and your righteousness to those who are true of heart.
11 O let not the foot of the proud come against me, *
and let not the hand of the ungodly cast me down.
12 There have they fallen, all those who work wickedness; *
they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise.
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.
PRAYER
God our Maker,
you crown the humble with honor
and exalt the faithful who gather in your name.
Because you have favored us with life,
we dance before you in our joy
and praise you with unending song
for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
Look here! Today I’ve set before you life and what’s good versus death and what’s wrong. If you obey the Lord your God’s commandments that I’m commanding you right now by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments, his regulations, and his case laws, then you will live and thrive, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and so are misled, worshipping other gods and serving them, I’m telling you right now that you will definitely die. You will not prolong your life on the fertile land that you are crossing the Jordan River to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth as my witnesses against you right now: I have set life and death, blessing and curse before you. Now choose life—so that you and your descendants will live— by loving the Lord your God, by obeying his voice, and by clinging to him. That’s how you will survive and live long on the fertile land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors: to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
HYMN: Psalm 1; para. Sing Psalms, alt.
Tune: Tallis Ordinal
1 Blessèd are they who turn away
from where the wicked walk,
who do not stand in sinners’ paths
or sit with those who mock.
2 Instead they find God’s holy law
their joy and great delight;
they make the precepts of the LORD
their study day and night.
3 They prosper ever like a tree
that’s planted by a stream,
and in due season yields its fruit;
its leaves are always green.
4 Not so the wicked! They are like
the chaff that’s blown away.
5 They will not stand when judgment comes
or with the righteous stay.
6 It is the LORD who sees and knows
the way the righteous go,
but those who live an evil life
the LORD will overthrow.
From Paul, who is a prisoner for the cause of Christ Jesus, and our brother Timothy.
To Philemon our dearly loved coworker, Apphia our sister, Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church that meets in your house.
May the grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Philemon, I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers because I’ve heard of your love and faithfulness, which you have both for the Lord Jesus and for all God’s people. I pray that your partnership in the faith might become effective by an understanding of all that is good among us in Christ. I have great joy and encouragement because of your love, since the hearts of God’s people are refreshed by your actions, my brother.
Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to command you to do the right thing, I would rather appeal to you through love. I, Paul—an old man, and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus— appeal to you for my child Onesimus. I became his father in the faith during my time in prison. He was useless to you before, but now he is useful to both of us. I’m sending him back to you, which is like sending you my own heart. I considered keeping him with me so that he might serve me in your place during my time in prison because of the gospel. However, I didn’t want to do anything without your consent so that your act of kindness would occur willingly and not under pressure. Maybe this is the reason that Onesimus was separated from you for a while so that you might have him back forever— no longer as a slave but more than a slave—that is, as a dearly loved brother. He is especially a dearly loved brother to me. How much more can he become a brother to you, personally and spiritually in the Lord!
So, if you really consider me a partner, welcome Onesimus as if you were welcoming me. If he has harmed you in any way or owes you money, charge it to my account. I, Paul, will pay it back to you (I’m writing this with my own hand). Of course, I won’t mention that you owe me your life.
Yes, brother, I want this favor from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. I’m writing to you, confident of your obedience and knowing that you will do more than what I ask. Also, one more thing—prepare a guest room for me. I hope that I will be released from prison to be with you because of your prayers.
Epaphras, who is in prison with me for the cause of Christ Jesus, greets you, as well as my coworkers Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
HYMN: Marty Haugen ©
Tune: https://tinyurl.com/3xa66v5t
Refrain:
Eye has not seen, ear has not heard
what God has ready for those who love him;
Spirit of love, come, give us the mind of Jesus,
teach us the wisdom of God.
1 When pain and sorrow weigh us down,
be near to us, O Lord;
forgive the weakness of our faith,
and bear us up within your peaceful word. [Refrain]
2 Our lives are but a single breath,
we flower and we fade,
yet all our days are in your hands,
so we return in love what love has made. [Refrain]
3 To those who see with eyes of faith,
the Lord is ever near,
reflected in the faces of all the poor
and lowly of the world. [Refrain]
4 We sing a myst’ry from the past,
in halls where saints have trod,
yet ever new the music rings
to Jesus, Living Song of God. [Refrain]
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus. Turning to them, he said, “Whoever comes to me and doesn’t hate father and mother, spouse and children, and brothers and sisters—yes, even one’s own life—cannot be my disciple. Whoever doesn’t carry their own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
“If one of you wanted to build a tower, wouldn’t you first sit down and calculate the cost, to determine whether you have enough money to complete it? Otherwise, when you have laid the foundation but couldn’t finish the tower, all who see it will begin to belittle you. They will say, ‘Here’s the person who began construction and couldn’t complete it!’ Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down to consider whether his ten thousand soldiers could go up against the twenty thousand coming against him? And if he didn’t think he could win, he would send a representative to discuss terms of peace while his enemy was still a long way off. In the same way, none of you who are unwilling to give up all of your possessions can be my disciple.
“Salt is good. But if salt loses its flavor, how will it become salty again? It has no value, neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. People throw it away. Whoever has ears to hear should pay attention.”
CANTICLE Luke 1:68-79
(John Harper, https://tinyurl.com/4wwy9fbs)
Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel,
who has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets God promised of old
to save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all that hate us,
To show mercy to our ancestors,
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of all their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
PRAYERS BCW2018
Let us pray for the needs of the church,
the whole human family,
and all the world, saying: Hear our prayer.
That churches of all traditions
may discover their unity in Christ
and exercise their gifts in service of all,
we pray to you, O God: Hear our prayer.
That the earth may be freed
from war, famine, and disease,
and the air, soil, and waters cleansed of poison,
we pray to you, O God: Hear our prayer.
That those who govern and maintain peace in every land
may exercise their powers in obedience to your commands,
we pray to you, O God: Hear our prayer.
That you will strengthen this nation to pursue just priorities
so that the races may be reconciled;
the young, educated; and the old, cared for;
the hungry, filled; and the homeless, housed;
and the sick, comforted and healed,
we pray to you, O God: Hear our prayer.
That you will preserve all who live and work
in this [city, town, village, community]
in peace and safety,
we pray to you, O God: Hear our prayer.
That you will comfort and empower
those who face any difficulty or trial:
the sick [especially N., N.],
the disabled, the poor, the oppressed,
those who grieve and those in prison,
we pray to you, O God: Hear our prayer.
That you will accept our thanksgiving
for all faithful servants of Christ now at rest,
who, with us, await a new heaven and a new earth,
your everlasting kingdom,
we pray to you, O God: Hear our prayer.
Setting: Sanford Dole https://tinyurl.com/y7ldq7h5
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today the bread of life;
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.
Jealous God,
you call us to hate the life
that is an echo of death
and a whisper of fear:
give us the courage
to pass through shadows
and count the cost
of a love beyond measure;
through Jesus Christ, the one who is fully alive. Amen. PIC
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
Donation to Support This Ministry
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BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.
CW:DP Common Worship: Daily Prayer, material from which is included here,
is copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2005 and published by Church House Publishing
COS Common Order, © 1994 Church of Scotland
1 Adam Bartlett, Simple English Propers; audio from https://musicasacra.com/additional-publications/sep-practice-videos/ ©
PIC Prayers for An Inclusive Church, Steven Shakespeare
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 version of Psalm 35 is from The Grail Psalter and are from the Manual Hopper YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/manualhopper/featured. Psalm 36 is from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and is sung by Ryland Angel.
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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