Oremus for March 13, 2025

Look to your covenant, O Lord,
and forget not the life of your poor ones for ever.
Arise, O God, and defend your cause,
and forget not the cries of those who seek you. Psalm 74

Merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you
with our whole heart and mind and strength.
We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
In your mercy forgive what we have been,
help us amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be,
so that we may delight in your will
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your holy name. Amen. ^BCW

Music: https://tinyurl.com/ufxekitx

God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory 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.

HYMN: Adelaide A Pollard
Tune: https://tinyurl.com/25zumsb7

1 Have thine own way, Lord!
Have thine own way!
Thou art the potter,
I am the clay.
Mold me and make me
after thy will,
while I am waiting,
yielded and still.

2 Have thine own way, Lord!
Have thine own way!
Search me and try me,
Savior today!
Wash me just now, Lord,
wash me just now,
as in thy presence
humbly I bow.

3 Have thine own way, Lord!
Have thine own way!
Wounded and weary,
help me I pray!
Power, all power,
surely is thine!
Touch me and heal me,
Savior divine!

4 Have thine own way, Lord!
Have thine own way!
Hold o’er my being
absolute sway.
Fill with thy Spirit
till all shall see
Christ only, always,
living in me!

PSALMS

Psalm 68 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/ybgjjxjc)
1  Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered *
let them also that hate him flee before him.
2  Like as the smoke vanisheth, so shalt thou drive them away *
and like as wax melteth at the fire,
so let the ungodly perish at the presence of God.
3  But let the righteous be glad and rejoice before God *
let them also be merry and joyful.
4  O sing unto God, and sing praises unto his Name *
magnify him that rideth upon the heavens, as it were upon an horse;
praise him in his Name JAH, and rejoice before him.
5  He is a Father of the fatherless,
and defendeth the cause of the widows *
even God in his holy habitation.
6  He is the God that maketh men to be of one mind in an house,
and bringeth the prisoners out of captivity *
but letteth the runagates continue in scarceness.
7  O God, when thou wentest forth before the people *
when thou wentest through the wilderness,
8  The earth shook, and the heavens dropped at the presence of God *
even as Sinai also was moved at the presence of God,
who is the God of Israel.
9  Thou, O God, sentest a gracious rain upon thine inheritance *
and refreshedst it when it was weary.
10  Thy congregation shall dwell therein *
for thou, O God, hast of thy goodness prepared for the poor.
11  The Lord gave the word *
great was the company of the preachers.
12  Kings with their armies did flee, and were discomfited *
and they of the household divided the spoil.
13  Though ye have lien among the pots,
yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove *
that is covered with silver wings, and her feathers like gold.
14  When the Almighty scattered kings for their sake *
then were they as white as snow in Salmon.
15  As the hill of Basan, so is God’s hill *
even an high hill, as the hill of Basan.
16  Why hop ye so, ye high hills? this is God’s hill,
in the which it pleaseth him to dwell *
yea, the Lord will abide in it for ever.
17  The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels *
and the Lord is among them, as in the holy place of Sinai.
18  Thou art gone up on high, thou hast led captivity captive,
and received gifts for men *
yea, even for thine enemies,
that the Lord God might dwell among them.
19  Praised be the Lord daily *
even the God who helpeth us, and poureth his benefits upon us.
20  He is our God, even the God of whom cometh salvation *
God is the Lord, by whom we escape death.
21  God shall wound the head of his enemies *
and the hairy scalp of such a one as goeth on still in his wickedness.
22  The Lord hath said,
I will bring my people again, as I did from Basan *
mine own will I bring again, as I did sometime from the deep of the sea.
23  That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies *
and that the tongue of thy dogs may be red through the same.
24  It is well seen, O God, how thou goest *
how thou, my God and King, goest in the sanctuary.
25  The singers go before, the minstrels follow after *
in the midst are the damsels playing with the timbrels.
26  Give thanks, O Israel, unto God the Lord in the congregations *
from the ground of the heart.
27  There is little Benjamin their ruler,
and the princes of Judah their counsel *
the princes of Zabulon, and the princes of Nephthali.
28  Thy God hath sent forth strength for thee *
stablish the thing, O God, that thou hast wrought in us,
29  For thy temple’s sake at Jerusalem *
so shall kings bring presents unto thee.
30  When the company of the spear-men,
and multitude of the mighty are scattered abroad
among the beasts of the people,
so that they humbly bring pieces of silver *
and when he hath scattered the people that delight in war;
31  Then shall the princes come out of Egypt *
the Morians’ land shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.
32  Sing unto God, O ye kingdoms of the earth *
O sing praises unto the Lord;
33  Who sitteth in the heavens over all from the beginning *
lo, he doth send out his voice, yea, and that a mighty voice.
34  Ascribe ye the power to God over Israel *
his worship, and strength is in the clouds.
35  O God, wonderful art thou in thy holy places *
even the God of Israel;
he will give strength and power unto his people;
blessed be God.
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 68 (LSB Tone K: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-68-LSB.mp3)
1 God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered;*
and those who hate him shall flee before him!
2 As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away;*
as wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish before God!
3 But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God;*
they shall be jubilant with joy!
4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name;*
lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts;
his name is the LORD; exult before him!
5 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows*
is God in his holy habitation.
6 God settles the solitary in a home;
he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,*
but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.
7 O God, when you went out before your people,*
when you marched through the wilderness,
8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain,
before God, the One of Sinai,*
before God, the God of Israel.
9 Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad;*
you restored your inheritance as it languished;
10 your flock found a dwelling in it;*
in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.
11 The Lord gives the word;*
the women who announce the news are a great host:
12 “The kings of the armies— they flee, they flee!”*
The women at home divide the spoil—
13 though you men lie among the sheepfolds—*
the wings of a dove covered with silver,
its pinions with shimmering gold.
14 When the Almighty scatters kings there,*
let snow fall on Zalmon.
15 O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan;*
O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!
16 Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain,*
at the mount that God desired for his abode,
yes, where the LORD will dwell forever?
17 The chariots of God are twice ten thousand,
thousands upon thousands;*
the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary.
18 You ascended on high,
leading a host of captives in your train
and receiving gifts among men,*
even among the rebellious,
that the LORD God may dwell there.
19 Blessèd be the Lord, who daily bears us up;*
God is our salvation.
20 Our God is a God of salvation,*
and to GOD, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.
21 But God will strike the heads of his enemies,*
the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.
22 The Lord said, “I will bring them back from Bashan,*
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
23 that you may strike your feet in their blood,*
that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.”
24 Your procession is seen, O God,*
the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—
25 the singers in front, the musicians last,*
between them virgins playing tambourines:
26 “Bless God in the great congregation,*
the LORD, O you who are of Israel’s fountain!”
27 There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,
the princes of Judah in their throng,*
the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.
28 Summon your power, O God,*
the power, O God, by which you have worked for us.
29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem*
kings shall bear gifts to you.
30 Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds,
the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.*
Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute;
scatter the peoples who delight in war.
31 Nobles shall come from Egypt;*
Cush shall hasten to stretch out her hands to God.
32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;*
sing praises to the Lord,
33 to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens;*
behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
34 Ascribe power to God,*
whose majesty is over Israel, and whose power is in the skies.
35 Awesome is God from his sanctuary;*
the God of Israel—
he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.
Blessèd be God!
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.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus,
you came to us in our bondage,
and led us to freedom by the cross and resurrection.
May our lives praise you,
and our lips proclaim your mighty power to all people
that they may find their hope in you,
and live to your honor and glory,
now and forever. Amen. ^BCW

THE WORD OF GOD
READING: Jeremiah 18:1-11
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Come, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him.

Then the word of the Lord came to me: Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the Lord. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it. And at another moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, but if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will change my mind about the good that I had intended to do to it. Now, therefore, say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Thus says the Lord: Look, I am a potter shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, all of you, from your evil way, and amend your ways and your doings.

HYMN: Herman G Stuempfle, Jr. ©
Tune: Nun seht https://tinyurl.com/39as7exf

1 O God, as with a potter’s hand,
when earth was morning bright,
you shaped from clay a human form
that gave your eye delight;
You breathed in love your Spirit’s breath:
a living creature stirred and stood
within the garden green,
awake to hear your Word.

2 Can clay defy the potter’s touch,
alone its form define,
or spoil with wild, rebellious will
the artist’s true design?
Yet we, in whom your hand has formed
an image good and fair,
disfigure what you meant to be
a work beyond compare.

3 But once you shaped from human clay
a life whose truth and grace revealed
an image pure and whole
that sin could not deface.
And when we seized your choicest work
and broke its fragile clay,
your hands restored the shattered shards
on earth’s first Easter day.

4 O God, you hold our earthen lives
within your shaping hand
and turn our forming clay to show
the image you have planned.
Forgive the sin that mars your work
and strives against your will.
Conform our lives to Jesus Christ
with wisdom,love, and skill.

READING: Hebrews 7:11-28
Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood—for the people received the law under this priesthood—what further need would there have been to speak of another priest arising according to the order of Melchizedek rather than one according to the order of Aaron? For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. Now the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.

It is even more obvious when another priest arises, resembling Melchizedek, one who has become a priest, not through a legal requirement concerning physical descent but through the power of an indestructible life. For it is attested of him,

“You are a priest forever,
according to the order of Melchizedek.”

There is, on the one hand, the abrogation of an earlier commandment because it was weak and ineffectual (for the law made nothing perfect); there is, on the other hand, the introduction of a better hope through which we approach God.

This was confirmed with an oath, for others have become priests without an oath, but this one became a priest with an oath because of the one who said to him,

“The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind,
‘You are a priest forever’ ”

accordingly Jesus has also become the guarantor of a better covenant.

Furthermore, the former priests were many in number because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests humans, who are subject to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.

HYMN: Bernard of Cluny; trans. John Mason Neale
Tune: Ewing https://tinyurl.com/phanpuhu

1. Jerusalem the golden!
With milk and honey blest;
Beneath your contemplation
Sink heart and voice opprest.
I know not, oh! I know not,
What joys await us there,
What radiancy of glory,
What bliss beyond compare.

2. They stand, those halls of Zion,
Conjubilant with song,
And bright with many an angel,
And all the martyr throng;
The Prince is ever in them,
The daylight is serene;
The pastures of the blessed
Are deck’d in glorious sheen.

3. There is the throne of David,
And there, from care released,
The shout of those who triumph,
The song of those who feast,
And they, who with their Leader,
Have conquer’d in the fight,
Forever and forever,
Are clad in robes of white.

4. O sweet and blessed country,
Shall e’er I see your face?
O sweet and blessed country,
Shall e’er I win your grace?
Exult, O dust and ashes!
The Lord shall be your part;
His only, his forever,
You shall be and you are.

READING: Mark 12:13-17
Then they sent to Jesus some Pharisees and some Herodians to trap him in what he said. And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere and show deference to no one, for you do not regard people with partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why are you putting me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me see it.” And they brought one. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this and whose title?” They answered, “Caesar’s.” Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at him.

CANTICLE Prayer of Manasseh
(Setting by Joe Cox https://tinyurl.com/4hqmx4jh)

Ant. Your merciful promise is beyond all measure; *
    it surpasses all that our minds can fathom.
O Lord and Ruler of the hosts of heaven, *
    God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
    and of all their righteous offspring:
You made the heavens and the earth, *
    with all their vast array.
All things quake with fear at your presence; *
    they tremble because of your power.
But your merciful promise is beyond all measure; *
    it surpasses all that our minds can fathom.
O Lord, you are full of compassion, *
    long-suffering, and abounding in mercy.
You hold back your hand; *
    you do not punish as we deserve.
In your great goodness, Lord,
you have promised forgiveness to sinners, *
    that they may repent of their sin and be saved.
And now, O Lord, I bend the knee of my heart, *
    and make my appeal, sure of your gracious goodness.
I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned, *
    and I know my wickedness only too well.
Therefore I make this prayer to you: *
    Forgive me, Lord, forgive me.
Do not let me perish in my sin, *
    nor condemn me to the depths of the earth.
For you, O Lord, are the God of those who repent, *
    and in me you will show forth your goodness.
Unworthy as I am, you will save me,
in accordance with your great mercy, *
    and I will praise you without ceasing all the days of my life.
For all the powers of heaven sing your praises, *
    and yours is the glory to ages of ages. Amen.

THE PRAYERS ^WS2

God of our salvation,
we praise you for sending your Son, Jesus Christ,
to suffer for our sins so we may be redeemed.
We are thankful for the reminders of that redemption visible in creation . . .
the nations of the world when they . . .
our nation and those who govern as they . . .
our own community as it . . .
the church universal as it seeks to . . .
our local church as it . . .
the lives of those near to us . . .
our own life as we experience your saving grace . . .

We also ask that
as the source of the world’s hope and redemption
you hear our prayers on behalf of
all creation . . .
the nations of the world . . .
our nation and those in authority . . .
the community and those who govern . . .
the church universal, its mission, and those who minister . . .
our church and its ministry . . .
those with particular needs . . .

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.

Creator God,
you form us on the wheel of life
as a potter molds the clay.
Shape us into holy vessels,
bearing the mark of your wise crafting,
that we may remain strong and useful
through years of faithful and obedient service
in Christ’s name. 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.

The main scripture readings are from the New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

The traditional language psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The modern language version of Psalm 68 is in the version used in Lutheran Service Book: Pew Edition Concordia Publishing House, and is 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 © 2026 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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