Mark the Evangelist
John Mark’s mother lived in Jerusalem, and Mark was a companion of Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey. Paul and Barnabas parted company, and Mark went with Barnabas to Cyprus. The rift between Mark and Paul was not permanent, for we later hear of Mark as a companion of Paul, and after that we hear of him in Rome with Peter. He is the author of the earliest Gospel, which is based on Mark’s memories of Peter’s preaching of the gospel. FATS
Antiphon (Music: https://tinyurl.com/yaz32ome)
Well done, good and faithful servant.
Come, share your master’s joy. Matthew 25:21
O God,
you have so greatly loved us,
long sought us,
and mercifully redeemed us.
Give us grace
that in everything we may yield ourselves,
our wills and our works,
a continual thank-offering to you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Westminster Divines, 1647
Music: https://tinyurl.com/mb6h9xfa
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall declare your praise.
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.
Alleluia, alleluia!
HYMN: Laurence Housman
Tune: Brockham https://tinyurl.com/2p9226np
1. The saint who first found grace to pen
The life which was the life of men,
And shed abroad the Gospel’s ray,
His fame we celebrate today.
2. Lo, drawn by Pentecostal fire,
His heart conceived its great desire,
When pure of mind, inspired, he heard
And with his hand set forth the Word.
3. Then, clearly writ, the Godhead shone
Serene and fair to look upon;
And through that record still comes power
To lighten souls in death’s dark hour.
4. O holy mind, for wisdom fit
Wherein that Life of lives stood writ,
May we through minds of like accord
Show forth the patterns of our Lord.
5. And so may all whose minds are dark
Be led to truth by good Saint Mark,
And after this our earthly strife
Stand written in the Book of Life.
6. Praise God who made the world so fair,
And sent His Son our Savior there,
And by His Holy Spirit wist
To teach the first evangelist.
PSALMS
Psalm 119: 73-104 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y8qj25yx)
73 Thy hands have made me and fashioned me *
O give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.
74 They that fear thee will be glad when they see me *
because I have put my trust in thy word.
75 I know, O Lord, that thy judgements are right *
and that thou of very faithfulness hast caused me to be troubled.
76 O let thy merciful kindness be my comfort *
according to thy word unto thy servant.
77 O let thy loving mercies come unto me, that I may live *
for thy law is my delight.
78 Let the proud be confounded,
for they go wickedly about to destroy me *
but I will be occupied in thy commandments.
79 Let such as fear thee, and have known thy testimonies *
be turned unto me.
80 O let my heart be sound in thy statutes *
that I be not ashamed.
81 My soul hath longed for thy salvation *
and I have a good hope because of thy word.
82 Mine eyes long sore for thy word *
saying, O when wilt thou comfort me?
83 For I am become like a bottle in the smoke *
yet do I not forget thy statutes.
84 How many are the days of thy servant *
when wilt thou be avenged of them that persecute me?
85 The proud have digged pits for me *
which are not after thy law.
86 All thy commandments are true *
they persecute me falsely; O be thou my help.
87 They had almost made an end of me upon earth *
but I forsook not thy commandments.
88 O quicken me after thy loving-kindness *
and so shall I keep the testimonies of thy mouth.
89 O Lord, thy word *
endureth for ever in heaven.
90 Thy truth also remaineth from one generation to another *
thou hast laid the foundation of the earth, and it abideth.
91 They continue this day according to thine ordinance *
for all things serve thee.
92 If my delight had not been in thy law *
I should have perished in my trouble.
93 I will never forget thy commandments *
for with them thou hast quickened me.
94 I am thine, O save me *
for I have sought thy commandments.
95 The ungodly laid wait for me to destroy me *
but I will consider thy testimonies.
96 I see that all things come to an end *
but thy commandment is exceeding broad.
97 Lord, what love have I unto thy law *
all the day long is my study in it.
98 Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies *
for they are ever with me.
99 I have more understanding than my teachers *
for thy testimonies are my study.
100 I am wiser than the aged *
because I keep thy commandments.
101 I have refrained my feet from every evil way *
that I may keep thy word.
102 I have not shrunk from thy judgements *
for thou teachest me.
103 O how sweet are thy words unto my throat *
yea, sweeter than honey unto my mouth.
104 Through thy commandments I get understanding *
therefore I hate all evil ways.
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 119:73-104 (Clarence Walhout https://tinyurl.com/28fstdzx)
10 Your hands have made and fashioned me, O LORD.
Let those who fear you see in me your goodness,
for I have put my trust in your commands.
When I have suffered, you have not been absent.
Your faithfulness is my delight and stay.
Let all who seek you heed your testimonies.
11 My soul grows faint when will you comfort me?
My eyes are tired from looking for your mercy.
I am a useless wineskin in the smoke.
How long before you punish those who harm me?
Save me, O God, from those who seek my life,
for even in distress I love your precepts.
12 Your word, O LORD, is firmly fixed in heaven.
Your faithfulness endures through generations.
You made the earth; it waits upon your will.
If I had not acknowledged your commandments,
the wicked surely would have cut me off.
I ponder all your good and perfect precepts.
13 Oh, how I love your law, my God and King!
By day and night it is my meditation.
It makes me wise, it is my constant friend.
Sweeter than honey are your words and precepts;
sweet to my taste the laws that you have made
they give new joy and turn me from false pathways.
PRAYER
O God for whom there are no barriers,
no stones too big to remove,
roll away our resistance to you.
Let your words fill us with new life
and bring us out from the tomb of indifference,
alive again in you.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. CGP
THE WORD OF GOD
READING: Isaiah 48:12-19
Listen to me, O Jacob,
and Israel, whom I called:
I am he; I am the first,
and I am the last.
My hand laid the foundation of the earth,
and my right hand spread out the heavens;
when I summon them,
they stand at attention.
Assemble, all of you, and hear!
Who among them has declared these things?
The one the Lord loves shall perform his purpose against Babylon,
and his arm shall be against the Chaldeans.
I, even I, have spoken and called him;
I have brought him, and he will prosper in his way.
Draw near to me; hear this!
From the beginning I have not spoken in secret;
from the time it came to be I have been there.
And now the Lord God has sent me and his spirit.
Thus says the Lord,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you how to succeed,
who leads you in the way you should go.
O that you had paid attention to my commandments!
Then your prosperity would have been like a river
and your success like the waves of the sea;
your offspring would have been like the sand
and your descendants like its grains;
their name would never be cut off
or destroyed from before me.
HYMN: Frances Ridley Havergal
Tune: Wye Valley https://tinyurl.com/34wwep2r
1 Like a river glorious
Is God’s perfect peace,
Over all victorious
In its bright increase;
Perfect, yet it floweth
Fuller ev’ry day;
Perfect, yet it groweth
Deeper all the way.
Refrain:
Stayed upon Jehovah,
Hearts are fully blest –
Finding, as He promised,
Perfect peace and rest.
2 Hidden in the hollow
Of His blessed hand,
Never foe can follow,
Never traitor stand;
Not a surge of worry,
Not a shade of care,
Not a blast of hurry –
Touch the Spirit there. [Refrain]
3 Ev’ry joy or trial
Falleth from above,
Trac’d upon our dial
By the Sun of Love;
We may trust Him fully
All for us to do;
They who trust Him wholly
Find Him wholly true. [Refrain]
READING: Acts 15:35-41
But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, and there, with many others, they taught and proclaimed the word of the Lord.
After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Come, let us return and visit the brothers and sisters in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. But Paul decided not to take with them one who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not accompanied them in the work. The disagreement became so sharp that they parted company; Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and set out, the brothers and sisters commending him to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
HYMN: Adam de Saint-Victor; trans. Robert Campbell
Tune: Alles ist an Gottes Segen
1. Come, pure hearts, in joyful measure
sing of those who spread the treasure
in the holy Gospels shrined;
blessèd tidings of salvation,
peace on earth their proclamation,
love from God to lost mankind.
2. See the rivers four that gladden,
with their streams, the better Eden
planted by our Lord most dear;
Christ the fountain, these the waters;
drink, O Zion’s sons and daughters,
drink, and find salvation here.
3. O that we, thy truth confessing,
and thy holy word possessing,
Jesus may thy love adore;
unto thee our voices raising,
thee with all thy ransomed praising,
ever and forevermore.
READING: John 7:25-39
Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is not this the man whom they are trying to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah? Yet we know where this man is from, but when the Messiah comes no one will know where he is from.” Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him. I know him because I am from him, and he sent me.” Then they tried to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him because his hour had not yet come. Yet many in the crowd believed in him and were saying, “When the Messiah comes, will he do more signs than this man has done?”
The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering such things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent temple police to arrest him. Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little while longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. You will search for me, but you will not find me, and where I am, you cannot come.” The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What does he mean by saying, ‘You will search for me, but you will not find me’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”
On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ ” Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive, for as yet there was no Spirit because Jesus was not yet glorified.
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.
THE PRAYERS WS2
O God, the heavens are yours and the earth is yours.
All our life belongs to you.
Make us your messengers of peace and justice.
May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
Make us your messengers of peace and justice.
May all injustice, violence, and oppression give way
to fairness, mercy, and goodwill.
Make us your messengers of peace and justice.
Teach us to use the manifold resources of the earth
so that none may waste and none may want.
Make us your messengers of peace and justice.
In all our labors, may cooperation triumph over conflict;
may all people find their reward in work that serves the good of all.
Make us your messengers of peace and justice.
Keep alive the holy fire within the hearts
of all who dare to be the voices of unwelcome wisdom.
Make us willing to hear hard demands.
Make us your messengers of peace and justice.
Fill us with a passion for righteousness
and a zeal to serve where there is need.
Fill us with a purpose that is holy and right and just.
Help us to love the noblest and best.
Make us your messengers of peace and justice.
Unto you, O God, be all might and majesty,
dominion and power, both now and evermore. 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.
Approaching God,
granting us the birth pangs of a new age:
we give thanks for Mark,
for the open-ended gospel,
for the urgency of faith,
for the call to follow the Son of Man
through the foundering of temples
and the rage of fallen powers;
by your Holy Spirit give us the words of vision
that will bring good news to our world;
through Jesus Christ, the Chosen. Amen. PIC
https://tinyurl.com/rkxkpmc
Go in peace, alleluia, alleluia!
Thanks be to God, alleluia, alleluia!
Glory to God whose power, working in us,
can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine:
Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church,
and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21
BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.
WS2 The Worship Sourcebook, 2nd edition, © 2013, Faith Alive Christian Resources
CGP Celebrating God’s Presence, © United Church of Canada
PIC Prayers for An Inclusive Church, Steven Shakespeare
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 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 © 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.
Oremus 