Oremus for July 3, 2026

Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/3zrpr54f

Bring your hand and feel the place of the nails,
and do not be unbelieving but believing, alleluia. ^{John 20}

Gracious God,
your goodness surpasses everything else.
Uphold us day after day,
and teach us night after night,
that we may follow in the path of life
and be filled with resurrection joy;
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: Thomas H Troeger ©
Tune: Kedron https://tinyurl.com/9ka2nkc7

1 These things did Thomas count as real: 
the warmth of blood, the chill of steel, 
the grain of wood, the heft of stone, 
the last frail twitch of blood and bone. 

2 The vision of his skeptic mind 
was keen enough to make him blind 
to any unexpected act 
too large for his small world of fact. 

3 His reasoned certainties denied 
that one could live when one had died, 
until his fingers read like braille 
the markings of the spear and nail. 

4 May we, O God, by grace believe 
and thus the risen Christ receive, 
whose raw imprinted palms reached out 
and beckoned Thomas from his doubt. 

PSALMS

Psalm 15 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y88d98g2)
1  Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle *
 or who shall rest upon thy holy hill?
2  Even he that leadeth an uncorrupt life *
 and doeth the thing which is right,
and speaketh the truth from his heart.
3  He that hath used no deceit in his tongue,
nor done evil to his neighbour *
 and hath not slandered his neighbour.
4  He that setteth not by himself,
but is lowly in his own eyes *
 and maketh much of them that fear the Lord.
5  He that sweareth unto his neighbour,
and disappointeth him not *
 though it were to his own hindrance.
6  He that hath not given his money upon usury *
 nor taken reward against the innocent.
7  Whoso doeth these things *
 shall never fall.
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 16 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/ydhl4u74)
1  Preserve me, O God *
 for in thee have I put my trust.
2  O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord *
 Thou art my God, my goods are nothing unto thee.
3  All my delight is upon the saints, that are in the earth *
 and upon such as excel in virtue.
4  But they that run after another god *
 shall have great trouble.
5  Their drink-offerings of blood will I not offer *
 neither make mention of their names within my lips.
6  The Lord himself is the portion of mine inheritance, and of my cup *
 thou shalt maintain my lot.
7  The lot is fallen unto me in a fair ground *
 yea, I have a goodly heritage.
8  I will thank the Lord for giving me warning *
 my reins also chasten me in the night-season.
9  I have set God always before me *
 for he is on my right hand, therefore I shall not fall.
10  Wherefore my heart was glad, and my glory rejoiced *
 my flesh also shall rest in hope.
11  For why? thou shalt not leave my soul in hell *
 neither shalt thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption.
12  Thou shalt shew me the path of life;
in thy presence is the fulness of joy *
 and at thy right hand there is pleasure for evermore.
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 17 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/yahr8qsc)
1  Hear the right, O Lord, consider my complaint *
 and hearken unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.
2  Let my sentence come forth from thy presence *
 and let thine eyes look upon the thing that is equal.
3  Thou hast proved and visited mine heart in the night-season;
thou hast tried me, and shalt find no wickedness in me *
 for I am utterly purposed that my mouth shall not offend.
4  Because of men’s works, that are done against the words of thy lips *
 I have kept me from the ways of the destroyer.
5  O hold thou up my goings in thy paths *
 that my footsteps slip not.
6  I have called upon thee, O God, for thou shalt hear me *
 incline thine ear to me, and hearken unto my words.
7  Shew thy marvellous loving-kindness,
thou that art the Saviour of them which put their trust in thee *
 from such as resist thy right hand.
8  Keep me as the apple of an eye *
 hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
9  From the ungodly that trouble me *
 mine enemies compass me round about to take away my soul.
10  They are inclosed in their own fat *
 and their mouth speaketh proud things.
11  They lie waiting in our way on every side *
 turning their eyes down to the ground;
12  Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey *
 and as it were a lion’s whelp, lurking in secret places.
13  Up, Lord, disappoint him, and cast him down *
 deliver my soul from the ungodly, which is a sword of thine;
14  From the men of thy hand, O Lord,
from the men, I say, and from the evil world *
 which have their portion in this life,
whose bellies thou fillest with thy hid treasure.
15  They have children at their desire *
 and leave the rest of their substance for their babes.
16  But as for me, I will behold thy presence in righteousness *
 and when I awake up after thy likeness, I shall be satisfied with it.
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 15 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-15-1.mp3)
1 LORD, who may dwell in your tabernacle? *
who may abide upon your holy hill?
2 Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right, *
who speaks the truth from his heart.
3 There is no guile upon his tongue;
he does no evil to his friend; *
he does not heap contempt upon his neighbor.
4 In his sight the wicked is rejected, *
but he honors those who fear the LORD.
5 He has sworn to do no wrong *
and does not take back his word.
6 He does not give his money in hope of gain, *
nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.
7 Whoever does these things *
shall never be overthrown.

Psalm 16 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-16.mp3)
1 Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you; *
I have said to the LORD, “You are my Lord,
my good above all other.”
2 All my delight is upon the godly that are in the land, *
upon those who are noble among the people.
3 But those who run after other gods *
shall have their troubles multiplied.
4 Their libations of blood I will not offer, *
nor take the names of their gods upon my lips.
5 O LORD, you are my portion and my cup; *
it is you who uphold my lot.
6 My boundaries enclose a pleasant land; *
indeed, I have a goodly heritage.
7 I will bless the LORD who gives me counsel; *
my heart teaches me, night after night.
8 I have set the LORD always before me; *
because he is at my right hand I shall not fall.
9 My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices; *
my body also shall rest in hope.
10 For you will not abandon me to the grave, *
nor let your holy one see the Pit.
11 You will show me the path of life; *
in your presence there is fullness of joy,
and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.

Psalm 17 (Gregorian Tone 6, alt.)

1 O Lord, hear a cause that is just, *
pay heed to my cry.
Turn your ear to my prayer: *
no deceit is on my lips.
2 From you may my justice come forth. *
Your eyes discern what is upright.
3 Search my heart and visit me by night. *
Test me by fire, and you will find no wrong in me.
4 My mouth does not transgress as others do; †
on account of the words of your lips, *
I have avoided the paths of the violent.
5 I kept my steps firmly in your paths. *
My feet have never faltered.
6 To you I call; for you will surely heed me, O God. *
Turn your ear to me; hear my words.
7 Display your merciful love, †
you who will deliver from their foes *
those who trust in your right hand.
8 Guard me as the apple of your eye. †
Hide me in the shadow of your wings *
9 from the violent attack of the wicked.
My foes encircle me with deadly intent. *
10 Their hearts tight shut, their mouths speak proudly.
11 They advance against me, and now they surround me. *
Their eyes watch to strike me to the ground.
12 They are like a lion ready to claw, *
like some young lion crouched in hiding.
13 Arise, O LORD, confront them, strike them down! *
Let your sword deliver my soul from the wicked!
14 Let your hand, O LORD, deliver me *
from those whose portion in life is of this world.
What you have stored up for them fills their bellies †
may their offspring be sated with its plenty *
and let them leave what is left for their young.
15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness *
when I awake I shall be filled
with the vision of your presence.

PRAYER
O God our dwelling place,
in Christ you made your home among us.
Lead us in the paths of truth and integrity
until you bring us to your holy mountain
and we live forever in your presence;
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. ^BCW2018

THE WORD OF GOD
READING: Exodus 5:1-9
Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Let my people go, so that they may celebrate a festival to me in the wilderness.” But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should listen to him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.” Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has revealed himself to us; let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord our God, or he will fall upon us with pestilence or sword.” But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their work? Get to your labors!” Pharaoh continued, “Now they are more numerous than the people of the land and yet you want them to stop laboring!” That same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people, as well as their supervisors, “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as before; let them go and gather straw for themselves. But you shall require of them the same quantity of bricks as they have made previously; do not diminish it, for they are lazy; that is why they cry, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ Let heavier work be laid on them; then they will pay attention to it and not to deceptive words.”

HYMN: Psalm 125; para. Sing Psalms ©
Tune: Lawes’ Psalm 32 https://tinyurl.com/3atuvxrt

1 All those who trust the LORD
like Zion are secure,
which never can be moved
but always will endure.

2 Just as the mountains stand
around Jerusalem,
the LORD surrounds his own,
forever guarding them.

3 The wicked’s evil rule
will not oppress for long
the righteous and their land,
lest righteous folk do wrong.

4 On all those who are good
bestow your goodness, LORD—
to those of upright heart
who reverence your word.

5 But God will banish those
who choose a crooked way;
they’ll share the sinner’s fate.
let peace on Israel stay!

READING: Acts 16:16-40
One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a female slave who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, “These men, these Jews, are disturbing our city and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us, being Romans, to adopt or observe.” The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. He brought them up into the house and set food before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.

When morning came, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.” And the jailer reported the message to Paul, saying, “The magistrates sent word to let you go; therefore come out now and go in peace.” But Paul replied, “They have beaten us in public, uncondemned, men who are Romans, and have thrown us into prison, and now are they going to discharge us in secret? Certainly not! Let them come and take us out themselves.” The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans, so they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. After leaving the prison they went to Lydia’s home, and when they had seen and encouraged the brothers and sisters there, they departed.

HYMN: Thomas Hastings
Tune: London New https://tinyurl.com/mr2bpfp2

1. O why should gloomy thoughts arise,
And darkness fill the mind;
Why should that bosom heave with sighs,
And yet no refuge find?

2. Hast thou not heard of Gilead’s balm—
The great Physician there,
Who can thy slavish fear disarm,
And save thee from despair?

3. Remain not overwhelmed with grief,
And filled with sore dismay,
Nor looking downward for relief,
Without one cheering ray:

4. Lift up thy streaming eyes to Heaven,
The great Atonement see;
And all thy sins shall be forgiven;
Believe, and thou art free.

5. For thee the Savior suffered shame,
And shed His precious blood:
Believe, believe in Jesus’ name,
And be at peace with God.

READING: John 20:24-29
Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

CANTICLE Te Deum
(Chant by Joe Cox: https://tinyurl.com/y6ud7vva)

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 ^LCA

Lord our Father, as Jesus entered the locked room to show his disciples the beginning of a new world, so enter our hearts and move us to faith in Jesus as the Risen One.  Convince us of the reality and significance of the resurrection, and free us from all manner of fears and phobias.  Give us courage in the face of death, knowing that this is the gateway to new resurrected life for those who trust in Christ.

Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayer.

Be with your church throughout the world so that its preaching and works of love may continue to testify to our Lord’s resurrection.  Wherever your church is faithless and lacking in courage to do the work that Jesus has given, visit it and build it up with your Spirit.  Be with all our pastors so that they may listen well and then speak with Christ’s authority.

Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Bring peace to all parts of the earth.  Wherever nations are at war and people are divided, visit and bring true reconciliation. Protect all people in these nations, and help them to influence their country for the good of all.

Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Wherever homes are disrupted by anger and bitterness, and wherever relationships are distorted and dulled, visit and bring peace and harmony.  Wherever young people are gathered in your name, visit and guide them with your holy word and wisdom.

Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Visit and comfort the sick and suffering too, dear Lord.  Heal and strengthen weak bodies, calm and correct confused minds.  We pray for those we know with particular needs including (insert names).  Support them all with your great love and mercy, and be with those others known to us and whom we now name in our hearts…

Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Heavenly Father, we present these prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is risen from the dead, and who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

(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.

God of truth,
marked and pierced
and open to our touch;
you embraced the doubt of Thomas
and breathed your peace upon him:
free us from our clinging need
for certainty without trust
and teach us faith
in the heart of love unknown;
through Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord. 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

---

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

^PIC Prayers for An Inclusive Church, Steven Shakespeare

^DL © Daniel Lawson; used with permission.

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

^LCA from the Lutheran Church of Australia’s LCA Worship Planning Page.  

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 versions of Psalm 15 and 16 are from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and are sung by Ryland Angel. Psalm 17 is from The Abbey Psalms and is from the Chants & Rants YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@chantsandrants

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.