Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/h733je
The love of God has been poured into our hearts
through the Spirit of God dwelling within us, alleluia. Romans 5
O God,
your love is wider than all the universe
and your mercy greater than the heights of heaven.
When we are tempted to break faith with you,
put a new song of love on our lips,
that we may sing your praises to all nations on earth,
through your Son, our only hope and defense. Amen. BCW
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: Bessie Porter Head
Tune: Spiritus Vitae https://tinyurl.com/4s3zysvn
1 O Breath of life, come sweeping through us,
revive your church with life and pow’r;
O Breath of Life, come, cleanse, renew us,
and fit your church to meet this hour.
2 O Wind of God, come bend us, break us,
till humbly we confess our need;
then in your tenderness remake us,
revive, restore, for this we plead.
3 O Breath of love, come breathe within us,
renewing thought and will and heart;
come, Love of Christ, afresh to win us,
revive your church in ev’ry part.
4 O Heart of Christ, once broken for us,
’tis there we find our strength and rest;
our broken, contrite hearts now solace,
and let your waiting church be blest.
5 Revive us, Lord! Is zeal abating
while harvest fields are vast and white?
Revive us, Lord, the world is waiting,
equip your church to spread the light.
PSALMS
Psalm 108 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y9us7zs5)
1 O God, my heart is ready, my heart is ready *
I will sing and give praise with the best member that I have.
2 Awake, thou lute, and harp *
I myself will awake right early.
3 I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the people *
I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.
4 For thy mercy is greater than the heavens *
and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.
5 Set up thyself, O God, above the heavens *
and thy glory above all the earth.
6 That thy beloved may be delivered *
let thy right hand save them, and hear thou me.
7 God hath spoken in his holiness *
I will rejoice therefore, and divide Sichem,
and mete out the valley of Succoth.
8 Gilead is mine, and Manasses is mine *
Ephraim also is the strength of my head.
9 Judah is my law-giver, Moab is my wash-pot *
over Edom will I cast out my shoe; upon Philistia will I triumph.
10 Who will lead me into the strong city *
and who will bring me into Edom?
11 Hast not thou forsaken us, O God *
and wilt not thou, O God, go forth with our hosts?
12 O help us against the enemy *
for vain is the help of man.
13 Through God we shall do great acts *
and it is he that shall tread down our enemies.
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 109 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y9dslk3v)
1 Hold not thy tongue, O God of my praise *
for the mouth of the ungodly, yea,
the mouth of the deceitful is opened upon me.
2 And they have spoken against me with false tongues *
they compassed me about also with words of hatred,
and fought against me without a cause.
3 For the love that I had unto them, lo, they take now my contrary part *
but I give myself unto prayer.
4 Thus have they rewarded me evil for good *
and hatred for my good will.
5 Set thou an ungodly man to be ruler over him *
and let Satan stand at his right hand.
6 When sentence is given upon him, let him be condemned *
and let his prayer be turned into sin.
7 Let his days be few *
and let another take his office.
8 Let his children be fatherless *
and his wife a widow.
9 Let his children be vagabonds, and beg their bread *
let them seek it also out of desolate places.
10 Let the extortioner consume all that he hath *
and let the stranger spoil his labour.
11 Let there be no man to pity him *
nor to have compassion upon his fatherless children.
12 Let his posterity be destroyed *
and in the next generation let his name be clean put out.
13 Let the wickedness of his fathers be had
in remembrance in the sight of the Lord *
and let not the sin of his mother be done away.
14 Let them alway be before the Lord *
that he may root out the memorial of them from off the earth;
15 And that, because his mind was not to do good *
but persecuted the poor helpless man,
that he might slay him that was vexed at the heart.
16 His delight was in cursing, and it shall happen unto him *
he loved not blessing, therefore shall it be far from him.
17 He clothed himself with cursing, like as with a raiment *
and it shall come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.
18 Let it be unto him as the cloke that he hath upon him *
and as the girdle that he is alway girded withal.
19 Let it thus happen from the Lord unto mine enemies *
and to those that speak evil against my soul.
20 But deal thou with me, O Lord God, according unto thy Name *
for sweet is thy mercy.
21 O deliver me, for I am helpless and poor *
and my heart is wounded within me.
22 I go hence like the shadow that departeth *
and am driven away as the grasshopper.
23 My knees are weak through fasting *
my flesh is dried up for want of fatness.
24 I became also a reproach unto them *
they that looked upon me shaked their heads.
25 Help me, O Lord my God *
O save me according to thy mercy;
26 And they shall know, how that this is thy hand *
and that thou, Lord, hast done it.
27 Though they curse, yet bless thou *
and let them be confounded that rise up against me;
but let thy servant rejoice.
28 Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame *
and let them cover themselves with their own confusion,
as with a cloke.
29 As for me, I will give great thanks unto the Lord with my mouth *
and praise him among the multitude;
30 For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor *
to save his soul from unrighteous judges.
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 108 (Gregorian Tone IV.4)
1 O God, my heart is fixed, my heart is firmly fixed; *
I will sing and give praise with the best that I have.
2 Awake, my soul; awake, lute and harp; *
I myself will awaken the dawn.
3 I will give thanks unto you, O Lord, among the peoples, *
and I will sing praises unto you among the nations,
4 For the greatness of your mercy reaches to the heavens, *
and your faithfulness to the clouds.
5 Exalt yourself, O God, above the heavens; *
let your glory be over all the earth.
6 That your beloved may be delivered, *
save me by your right hand, and answer me.
7 God has spoken in his holiness: *
“I will rejoice and divide Shechem,
and parcel out the valley of Succoth.
8 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; *
Ephraim also is the helmet for my head;
Judah is my scepter.
9 Moab is my wash-pot; over Edom will I cast my shoe; *
over Philistia will I triumph.”
10 Who will lead me into the strong city, *
and who will bring me into Edom?
11 Have you not forsaken us, O God? *
And will you not, O God, go forth with our hosts?
12 O help us against the enemy, *
for vain is the help of man.
13 Through God we shall do great acts, *
for it is he who shall tread down our enemies.
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 109 (Gregorian Tone IV.4)
1 Hold not your tongue, O God of my praise, *
for the mouth of the ungodly,
the mouth of the deceitful is opened upon me.
2 They have spoken against me with false tongues; *
they encompassed me with words of hatred,
and fought against me without a cause.
3 In return for the love that I had for them,
they have become my adversaries; *
but I give myself to prayer.
4 Thus have they rewarded me evil for good, *
and hatred for my love.
5 Set an ungodly man to be ruler over him, *
and let an accuser stand at his right hand.
6 When judgment is given, let him be condemned, *
and let sentence be passed on him for guilt.
7 Let his days be few, *
and let another take his office.
8 Let his children be fatherless *
and his wife a widow.
9 Let his children be vagabonds and beg their bread; *
let them be driven out, even from desolate places.
10 Let the creditor consume all that he has, *
and let strangers take his labor for spoil.
11 Let there be no one to pity him, *
nor to have compassion upon his fatherless children.
12 Let his posterity be destroyed, *
and in the next generation let his name be blotted out.
13 Let the wickedness of his fathers be held in remembrance
in the sight of the Lord, *
and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
14 Let them be always before the Lord, *
that he may root out the memorial of them from the earth,
15 Because he was not minded to do good, *
but persecuted to death the poor and needy,
and those who were brokenhearted.
16 His delight was in cursing;
let curses come upon him; *
he loved not blessing;
therefore let it be far from him.
17 He clothed himself with cursing as with a garment, *
so let it soak into his body like water,
and like oil into his bones.
18 Let it be to him as the cloak that he has on *
and as the belt that he always wears.
19 Let this be the recompense from the Lord to my enemies, *
and to those who speak evil against my soul.
20 But deal with me, O Lord God, according to your Name; *
for sweet is your mercy.
21 O deliver me, for I am helpless and poor, *
and my heart is wounded within me.
22 I disappear like the shadow that lengthens, *
and am shaken off like a grasshopper.
23 My knees are weak through fasting; *
my flesh is grown lean for want of nourishment.
24 I have become a reproach to them; *
when they look on me, they shake their heads.
25 Help me, O Lord my God; *
save me according to your mercy;
26 And they shall know that this is your hand, *
and that you, O Lord, have done it.
27 Though they curse, yet you bless; *
let them be confounded who rise up against me,
but let your servant rejoice.
28 Let my adversaries be clothed with shame, *
and let them cover themselves with their
own disgrace as with a cloak.
29 As for me,
I will give great thanks unto the Lord with my mouth, *
and praise him among the multitude,
30 For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, *
to save their souls from the unrighteous judges.
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,
source of all truth and love,
the comfort and consolation
of the reproached and friendless,
in your great mercy draw
near to deliver the poor, the needy,
and the wounded of heart;
through the one who suffered rejection
and rebuke for us all,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BAS
THE WORD OF GOD
READING: Exodus 1:1-12
These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. The total number of people born to Jacob was seventy. (Joseph was already in Egypt.) Then Joseph died, and all his brothers, and that whole generation. But the Israelites were fruitful and prolific; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.
Now a new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph. He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites.
HYMN: Isaac Watts
Tune: Caithness https://tinyurl.com/58djx4sf
1 God counts the sorrows of his saints,
Their groans affect his ears;
Thy mercy counts my just complaints,
And numbers all my tears.
2 In thee, most holy, just and true,
I have repos’d my trust;
Nor will I fear what man can do,
The offspring of the dust.
3 Thy solemn vows are on me, Lord,
Thou shalt receive my praise;
I’ll sing, How faithful is thy word!
How righteous all thy ways!
4 Thou hast secur’d my soul from death,
O set thy pris’ner free,
That heart and hand, and life and breath
May be employ’d for thee.
READING: Acts 8:1-13
And Saul approved of their killing Stephen. That day a severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. Devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women, he committed them to prison.
Now those who were scattered went from place to place proclaiming the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them. The crowds with one accord listened eagerly to what was said by Philip, hearing and seeing the signs that he did, for unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, came out of many who were possessed, and many others who were paralyzed or lame were cured. So there was great joy in that city.
Now a certain man named Simon had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he was someone great. All of them, from the least to the greatest, listened to him eagerly, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” And they listened eagerly to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip, who was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed. After being baptized, he stayed constantly with Philip and was amazed when he saw the signs and great miracles that took place.
HYMN: Kate Hankey
Tune: https://tinyurl.com/mrczjc5c
1 I love to tell the story of unseen things above:
of Jesus and his glory, of Jesus and his love.
I love to tell the story, because I know ’tis true.
It satisfies my longings as nothing else could do.
Refrain:
I love to tell the story,
’twill be my theme in glory,
to tell the old, old story
of Jesus and his love.
2 I love to tell the story. ’Tis pleasant to repeat
what seems, each time I tell it, more wonderfully sweet.
I love to tell the story, for some have never heard
the message of salvation from God’s own holy word. [Refrain]
3 I love to tell the story, for those who know it best
seem hungering and thirsting to hear it, like the rest.
And when, in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song,
’twill be the old, old story that I have loved so long. [Refrain]
READING: Matthew 9:27-38
As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you have faith that I can do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith, let it be done to you.” And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly ordered them, “See that no one knows of this.” But they went away and spread the news about him through all of that district.
After they had gone away, a demon-possessed man who was mute was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed and said, “Never has anything like this been seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees were saying, “By the ruler of the demons he casts out the demons.”
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
CANTICLE Isaiah 40:10-17
Here comes with power
the Lord God,
who rules by his strong arm;
here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.
Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;
in his arms he gathers the lambs,
Carrying them in his bosom,
and leading the ewes with care.
Who has cupped in his hand the waters of the sea,
and marked off the heavens with a span?
Who has held in a measure the dust of the earth,
weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?
Who has directed the spirit of the Lord,
or has instructed him as his counselor?
Whom did he consult to gain knowledge?
Who taught him the path of judgment,
or showed him the way of understanding?
Behold, the nations count as a drop of the bucket,
as dust on the scales;
the coastlands weigh no more than powder.
Lebanon would not suffice for fuel,
nor its animals be enough for holocausts.
Before him all the nations are as nought,
as nothing and void he accounts them.
THE PRAYERS AAPB
God our Father,
you gave your Son Jesus Christ
to share our common life,
to grow in wisdom,
to work with his hands,
and to make known the ways of your kingdom:
We give thanks
for his revelation of yourself
for his care and acceptance of people
for his joy in obedience . . .
for the value he gave to human work
for the strength he promised us in serving others
for the call to follow in his way . . .
for all opportunities of work and leisure
for all the truth we have learned
for all the discoveries humankind has made . . .
We pray for our human society
those who work
the unemployed
those who teach and those who learn . . .
research workers . . .
those who work in the press, radio, and television . . .
those who maintain the life of our community . . .
Give us reverence for the truth,
and wisdom to use the knowledge you give us
to the glory of your Name
and the benefit of humankind
through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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.
O God,
as the showers renew the earth,
bathe us in your healing power.
Stretch out your hand, that we may live
and know that you alone are God,
in whose faithfulness we have life all our days. 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.
RCLP Revised Common Lectionary Prayers. © 2002 Consultation on Common Texts admin. Augsburg Fortress.
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.
BAS Book of Alternative Services © 1985, Anglican Church of Canada.
The traditional language psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The modern language versions of Psalms 108 and 109 are from Book of Common Prayer (2019) as recorded for the St Bernard Breviary https://www.bernardbreviary.com/chant-helps. The canticle is from Liturgy of the Hours as recorded for the Sing the Hours YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/SingtheHours.
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 