Oremus for Sunday, October 19, 2025

Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, Claude Vignon, 1629

Antiphon1

Ant. O Lord, grant me life according to your word,
so that I may learn your commandments.
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

Lord our God,
we come before you with thanksgiving and praise,
for you have created us as your people
and you sustain us with your hand.
Nourish us in your rich pasture
and keep us in your steadfast love,
that we may bless your name
and serve you with gladness day after day;
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. BCW2018

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: John Newton
Tune: Franconia https://tinyurl.com/2urm38a7

1 Jesus, who knows full well
The heart of every saint,
Invites us all our griefs to tell,
To pray and never faint.

2 He bows his gracious ear,
We never plead in vain;
Then let us wait till he appears,
And pray, and pray again.

3 Though unbelief suggest,
Why should we longer wait?
He bids us never give him rest,
But knock at mercy’s gate.

4 Jesus the Lord will hear
His chosen when they cry;
Yes, though he may a while forbear,
He’ll help them from on high.

5 His nature, truth and love,
Engage him on their side;
When they are grieved, his bowels move,
They will not be denied.

6 Then let us earnest cry,
And never faint in prayer,
He sees, he hears, and from on high,
Will make our cause his own.

PSALMS

Psalm 98 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/ybagfe5m)
1  O sing unto the Lord a new song *
 for he hath done marvellous things.
2  With his own right hand, and with his holy arm *
 hath he gotten himself the victory.
3  The Lord declared his salvation *
 his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.
4  He hath remembered his mercy and truth toward the house of Israel *
 and all the ends of the world have seen the salvation of our God.
5  Shew yourselves joyful unto the Lord, all ye lands *
 sing, rejoice, and give thanks.
6  Praise the Lord upon the harp *
 sing to the harp with a psalm of thanksgiving.
7  With trumpets also, and shawms *
 O shew yourselves joyful before the Lord the King.
8  Let the sea make a noise, and all that therein is *
 the round world, and they that dwell therein.
9  Let the floods clap their hands,
and let the hills be joyful together before the Lord *
 for he is come to judge the earth.
10  With righteousness shall he judge the world *
 and the people with equity.
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 99 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/ycxaq7mg)
1  The Lord is King, be the people never so impatient *
 he sitteth between the cherubims, be the earth never so unquiet.
2  The Lord is great in Sion *
 and high above all people.
3  They shall give thanks unto thy Name *
 which is great, wonderful, and holy.
4  The king’s power loveth judgement; thou hast prepared equity *
 thou hast executed judgement and righteousness in Jacob.
5  O magnify the Lord our God *
 and fall down before his footstool, for he is holy.
6  Moses and Aaron among his priests,
and Samuel among such as call upon his Name *
 these called upon the Lord, and he heard them.
7  He spake unto them out of the cloudy pillar *
 for they kept his testimonies, and the law that he gave them.
8  Thou heardest them, O Lord our God *
 thou forgavest them, O God, and punishedst their own inventions.
9  O magnify the Lord our God, and worship him upon his holy hill *
 for the Lord our God is holy.
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 100 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/ycklx9gf)
1  O be joyful in the Lord, all ye lands *
 serve the Lord with gladness, and come before his presence with a song.
2  Be ye sure that the Lord he is God *
 it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
3  O go your way into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise *
 be thankful unto him, and speak good of his Name.
4  For the Lord is gracious, his mercy is everlasting *
 and his truth endureth from generation to generation.
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 101 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y7mv7duf)
1  My song shall be of mercy and judgement *
 unto thee, O Lord, will I sing.
2  O let me have understanding *
 in the way of godliness.
3  When wilt thou come unto me *
 I will walk in my house with a perfect heart.
4  I will take no wicked thing in hand; I hate the sins of unfaithfulness *
 there shall no such cleave unto me.
5  A froward heart shall depart from me *
 I will not know a wicked person.
6  Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour *
 him will I destroy.
7  Whoso hath also a proud look and high stomach *
 I will not suffer him.
8  Mine eyes look upon such as are faithful in the land *
 that they may dwell with me.
9  Whoso leadeth a godly life *
 he shall be my servant.
10  There shall no deceitful person dwell in my house *
 he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.
11  I shall soon destroy all the ungodly that are in the land *
 that I may root out all wicked doers from the city of the Lord.
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 98 (LSB Tone F: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-98-LSB.mp3)
Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! For he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
2 The Lord has made known his salvation;
he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered his steadfast love
and faithfulness to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
5 Sing to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody!
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn;
make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!.
7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it,
the world and those who dwell in it!
8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord,
9 For he will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.
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.

Psalm 99 (LSB Tone F: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-99-LSB.mp3)
1 The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
2 The Lord is great in Zion,
he is exalted over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name!
Holy. is he!
4 The king in his might loves justice;
you have established equity;
you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt the Lord our God, worship at His footstool!
Holy is he!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel also was among those who called upon his name.
They called to the Lord, and he answered them.
7 In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them;
they kept his testimonies and the statute that he gave them.
8 O Lord our God, you answered them;
you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrong-doing.
9 Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain;
for the Lord our God is holy!
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.

Psalm 100 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-100.mp3)
1 Be joyful in the LORD, all you lands; *
serve the LORD with gladness
and come before his presence with a song.
2 Know this: The LORD himself is God; *
he himself has made us, and we are his;
we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
3 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise; *
give thanks to him and call upon his Name.
4 For the LORD is good;
his mercy is everlasting; *
and his faithfulness endures from age to age.

Psalm 101 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-101.mp3)
1 I will sing of mercy and justice; *
to you, O LORD, will I sing praises.
2 I will strive to follow a blameless course;
oh, when will you come to me? *
I will walk with sincerity of heart within my house.
3 I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; *
I hate the doers of evil deeds;
they shall not remain with me.
4 A crooked heart shall be far from me; *
I will not know evil.
5 Those who in secret slander their neighbors I will destroy; *
those who have a haughty look and a proud
 heart I cannot abide.
6 My eyes are upon the faithful in the land, that they may
 dwell with me, *
and only those who lead a blameless life shall
 be my servants.
7 Those who act deceitfully shall not dwell in my house, *
and those who tell lies shall not continue in my sight.
8 I will soon destroy all the wicked in the land, *
that I may root out all evildoers from the city of the LORD.

PRAYER

Holy God,
you are exalted over all the nations,
and just in all your ways.
Strengthen us to worship you with our deeds
and to proclaim your greatness with our lips,
for the glory of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCW

THE WORD OF GOD
READING: Genesis 32:22-30
Jacob got up during the night, took his two wives, his two women servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed the Jabbok River’s shallow water. He took them and everything that belonged to him, and he helped them cross the river. But Jacob stayed apart by himself, and a man wrestled with him until dawn broke. When the man saw that he couldn’t defeat Jacob, he grabbed Jacob’s thigh and tore a muscle in Jacob’s thigh as he wrestled with him. The man said, “Let me go because the dawn is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I won’t let you go until you bless me.”

He said to Jacob, “What’s your name?” and he said, “Jacob.” Then he said, “Your name won’t be Jacob any longer, but Israel, because you struggled with God and with men and won.” Jacob also asked and said, “Tell me your name.” But he said, “Why do you ask for my name?” and he blessed Jacob there. Jacob named the place Peniel, “because I’ve seen God face-to-face, and my life has been saved.”

HYMN: Charles Wesley
Tune: Wrestling Jacob https://tinyurl.com/bdcm2n39

1 Come, O thou Traveller unknown,
whom still I hold, but cannot see;
my company before is gone,
and I am left alone with thee;
with thee all night I mean to stay,
and wrestle till the break of day.

2 I need not tell thee who I am,
my misery or sin declare;
thyself hast called me by my name;
look on thy hands, and read it there!
But who, I ask thee, who art thou?
Tell me thy name, and tell me now.

3 In vain thou strugglest to get free;
I never will unloose my hold.
Art thou the man that died for me?
The secret of thy love unfold:
wrestling, I will not let thee go,
till I thy name, thy nature know.

4 Yield to me now, for I am weak,
but confident in self-despair;
speak to my heart, in blessings speak,
be conquered by my instant prayer.
Speak, or thou never hence shalt move,
and tell me if thy name is Love!

5 ‘Tis Love!’tis Love! Thou diedst for me!
I hear thy whisper in my heart!
The morning breaks, the shadows flee;
pure universal Love thou art:
to me, to all, thy mercies move;
thy nature and thy name is Love.

READING: 1 John 5:13-15
I write these things to you who believe in the name of God’s Son so that you can know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence that we have in our relationship with God: If we ask for anything in agreement with his will, he listens to us. If we know that he listens to whatever we ask, we know that we have received what we asked from him.

HYMN: Marty Haugen ©
Tune: https://tinyurl.com/y27fnthw

Refrain:
For you, O Lord, my soul in stillness waits;
truly my hope is in you.

1 O Lord of Light, our only hope of glory,
your radiance shines in all who look to you;
come, light the hearts of all in dark and shadow. [Refrain]

2 O Spring of Joy, rain down upon our spirits;
our thirsty hearts are yearning for your Word;
come, make us whole, be comfort to our hearts. [Refrain]

3 O Root of Life, implant your seed within us,
and in your advent draw us all to you,
our hope reborn in dying and in rising. [Refrain]

4 O Key of Knowledge, guide us in our pilgrimage;
we ever seek, yet unfulfilled remain;
open to us the pathway of your peace. [Refrain]

READING: Luke 18:1-8
Jesus was telling them a parable about their need to pray continuously and not to be discouraged. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him, asking, ‘Give me justice in this case against my adversary.’ For a while he refused but finally said to himself, I don’t fear God or respect people, but I will give this widow justice because she keeps bothering me. Otherwise, there will be no end to her coming here and embarrassing me.” The Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. Won’t God provide justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he be slow to help them? I tell you, he will give them justice quickly. But when the Human One comes, will he find faithfulness on earth?”

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.

PRAYERS BCW

God of heaven and earth,
through Jesus Christ you promise to hear us
when we pray to you in his name.
Confident in your love and mercy
we offer our prayer.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Empower the church throughout the world in its life and witness.
Break down the barriers that divide,
that, united in your truth and love,
the church may confess your name,
share one baptism,
sit together at one table,
and serve you in one common ministry.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Guide the rulers of the nations.
Move them to set aside their fear, greed, and vain ambition,
and bow to your sovereign rule.
Inspire them to strive for peace and justice,
that all your children may dwell secure,
free of war and injustice.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Hear the cries of the world’s hungry and suffering.
Give us, who consume most of the earth’s resources,
the will to reorder our lives,
that all may have their rightful share of the food,
medical care, and shelter,
and so have the necessities of a life of dignity.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Restore among us a love of the earth you created for our home.
Help us put an end to ravishing its land, air, and waters,
and give us respect for all your creatures,
that, living in harmony with everything you have made,
your whole creation may resound in an anthem of praise
to your glorious name.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Renew our nation in the ways of justice and peace.
Guide those who make and administer our laws
to build a society based on trust and respect.
Erase prejudices that oppress;
free us from crime and violence;
guard our youth from the perils of drugs and materialism.
Give all citizens a new vision of a life of harmony.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Look with compassion on all who suffer.
Support with your love
those with incurable and stigmatized diseases,
those unjustly imprisoned,
those denied dignity,
those who live without hope,
those who are homeless or abandoned.
so lead us to be present with them in their suffering
in the name of Jesus Christ.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

(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 it is 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.

Holy One,
we lift our eyes to you in hope and awe.
Grant that we may reject all apathy of spirit,
all impatience and anxiety,
so that, with the persistence of the widow,
we may lift our voice again and again to seek your justice. Amen. RCLP

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


BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.

DL © Daniel Lawson; used with permission.

BCW2018 Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 2018

RCLP Revised Common Lectionary Prayers. © 2002 Consultation on Common Texts admin. Augsburg Fortress.

The 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 100 and 101 are from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and are chanted by Ryland Angel. The modern versions of Psalms 98 and 99 are from Lutheran Service Book and are from the Next to the Word of God YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkVRYL-MRebncw584Ql2xfg.

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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