Elizabeth Fry
Elizabeth Gurney was born at Earlham in Norfolk in 1780. At the age of twenty, she married Joseph Fry, a London merchant and a strict Quaker. She was admitted as a minister in the Society of Friends and became a noted preacher. The appalling state of the prisons came to her notice and she devoted much of her time to the welfare of female prisoners in Newgate. In 1820 she took part in the formation of a nightly shelter for the homeless in London. She travelled all over Europe in the cause of prison reform. She was a woman of a strong Christian and evangelistic impulse and this inspired all her work. She died on this day in 1845. EH
AAntiphon https://tinyurl.com/492hwvfc
Let them thank the Lord for his mercy,
his wonders for the children of men,
for he satisfies the thirsty soul,
and the hungry he fills with good things. Psalm 107
God of awesome deeds and unfailing love,
you bring your people
through the waters of salvation
to the shores of new life.
Hear our prayer, receive the praise we offer,
and loosen our tongues to tell with joy
the great things you have done for us
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: Michael A Perry ©
Tune: O Jesu https://tinyurl.com/mr3aspy4
1 How shall they hear the word of God
unless his truth is told?
How shall the sinful be set free,
the sorrowful consoled?
To all who speak the truth today,
impart your Spirit, Lord, we pray.
2 How shall they call to God for help
unless they have believed?
How shall the poor be given hope,
the prisoner reprieved?
To those who help the blind to see,
give light and love and clarity.
3 How shall the gospel be proclaimed
that sinners may repent?
How shall the world find peace at last
if heralds are not sent?
So send us, Lord, for we rejoice
to speak of Christ with life and voice.
PSALMS
Psalm 65 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y9fmulwv)
1 Thou, O God, art praised in Sion *
and unto thee shall the vow be performed in Jerusalem.
2 Thou that hearest the prayer *
unto thee shall all flesh come.
3 My misdeeds prevail against me *
O be thou merciful unto our sins.
4 Blessed is the man, whom thou choosest, and receivest unto thee *
he shall dwell in thy court, and shall be satisfied
with the pleasures of thy house, even of thy holy temple.
5 Thou shalt shew us wonderful things in thy righteousness,
O God of our salvation *
thou that art the hope of all the ends of the earth,
and of them that remain in the broad sea.
6 Who in his strength setteth fast the mountains *
and is girded about with power.
7 Who stilleth the raging of the sea *
and the noise of his waves, and the madness of the people.
8 They also that dwell in the uttermost parts of the earth
shall be afraid at thy tokens *
thou that makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to praise thee.
9 Thou visitest the earth, and blessest it *
thou makest it very plenteous.
10 The river of God is full of water *
thou preparest their corn, for so thou providest for the earth.
11 Thou waterest her furrows,
thou sendest rain into the little valleys thereof *
thou makest it soft with the drops of rain, and blessest the increase of it.
12 Thou crownest the year with thy goodness *
and thy clouds drop fatness.
13 They shall drop upon the dwellings of the wilderness *
and the little hills shall rejoice on every side.
14 The folds shall be full of sheep *
the valleys also shall stand so thick with corn,
that they shall laugh and sing.
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 66 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/ybnhonff)
1 O be joyful in God, all ye lands *
sing praises unto the honour of his Name,
make his praise to be glorious.
2 Say unto God, O how wonderful art thou in thy works *
through the greatness of thy power
shall thine enemies be found liars unto thee.
3 For all the world shall worship thee *
sing of thee, and praise thy Name.
4 O come hither, and behold the works of God *
how wonderful he is in his doing toward the children of men.
5 He turned the sea into dry land *
so that they went through the water on foot; there did we rejoice thereof.
6 He ruleth with his power for ever; his eyes behold the people *
and such as will not believe shall not be able to exalt themselves.
7 O praise our God, ye people *
and make the voice of his praise to be heard;
8 Who holdeth our soul in life *
and suffereth not our feet to slip.
9 For thou, O God, hast proved us *
thou also hast tried us, like as silver is tried.
10 Thou broughtest us into the snare *
and laidest trouble upon our loins.
11 Thou sufferedst men to ride over our heads *
we went through fire and water,
and thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.
12 I will go into thine house with burnt-offerings *
and will pay thee my vows, which I promised with my lips,
and spake with my mouth, when I was in trouble.
13 I will offer unto thee fat burnt-sacrifices, with the incense of rams *
I will offer bullocks and goats.
14 O come hither, and hearken, all ye that fear God *
and I will tell you what he hath done for my soul.
15 I called unto him with my mouth *
and gave him praises with my tongue.
16 If I incline unto wickedness with mine heart *
the Lord will not hear me.
17 But God hath heard me *
and considered the voice of my prayer.
18 Praised be God who hath not cast out my prayer *
nor turned his mercy from me.
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 67 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y7vuwqcm)
1 God be merciful unto us, and bless us *
and shew us the light of his countenance, and be merciful unto us;
2 That thy way may be known upon earth *
thy saving health among all nations.
3 Let the people praise thee, O God *
yea, let all the people praise thee.
4 O let the nations rejoice and be glad *
for thou shalt judge the folk righteously, and govern the nations upon earth.
5 Let the people praise thee, O God *
let all the people praise thee.
6 Then shall the earth bring forth her increase *
and God, even our own God, shall give us his blessing.
7 God shall bless us *
and all the ends of the world shall fear him.
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 65 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-65.mp3)
1 You are to be praised, O God, in Zion; *
to you shall vows be performed in Jerusalem.
2 To you that hear prayer shall all flesh come, *
because of their transgressions.
3 Our sins are stronger than we are, *
but you will blot them out.
4 Happy are they whom you choose
and draw to your courts to dwell there! *
they will be satisfied by the beauty of your house,
by the holiness of your temple.
5 Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness,
O God of our salvation, *
O Hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the seas that are far away.
6 You make fast the mountains by your power; *
they are girded about with might.
7 You still the roaring of the seas, *
the roaring of their waves,
and the clamor of the peoples.
8 Those who dwell at the ends of the earth will tremble at your
marvelous signs; *
you make the dawn and the dusk to sing for joy.
9 You visit the earth and water it abundantly;
you make it very plenteous; *
the river of God is full of water.
10 You prepare the grain, *
for so you provide for the earth.
11 You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges; *
with heavy rain you soften the ground and bless its increase.
12 You crown the year with your goodness, *
and your paths overflow with plenty.
13 May the fields of the wilderness be rich for grazing, *
and the hills be clothed with joy.
14 May the meadows cover themselves with flocks,
and the valleys cloak themselves with grain; *
let them shout for joy and sing.
| 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.
Psalm 66 (Gregorian Tone 6, alt.)
1 Cry out with joy to God, all the earth;
2 O sing to the glory of his name.
O render him glorious praise.
3 Say to God, “How wondrous your deeds!
Because of the greatness of your strength,
your enemies fawn upon you.
4 Before you all the earth shall bow down,
shall sing to you, sing to your name!”
5 Come and see the works of God:
his wondrous deeds among the children of Adam.
6 He turned the sea into dry land;
they passed through the rive~ on foot.
Let our joy, then, be in him;
7 he rules forever by his might.
His eyes keep watch on the nations:
let rebels not exalt themselves.
8 O peoples, bless our God;
let the voice of his praise resound,
9 of the God who gave life to our souls
and kept our feet from stumbling.
10 For you, O God, have tested us,
you have tried us as silver is tried:
11 you led us, God, into the snare,
you laid a heavy burden on our backs.
12 You let men ride over our heads;
we went through fire and through water,
but then you brought us to a place of plenty.
13 Burnt offering I bring to your house;
to you I will pay my vows,
14 the vows which my lips have uttered,
which my mouth declared in my distress.
15 I will offer you burnt offerings of fatlings
witl1 the smoke of sacrificial rams.
I will offer bullocks and goats.
16 Come and hear, all who fear God;
I will tell what he did for my soul.
17 To him I cried aloud,
with exaltation ready on my tongue.
18 Had I considered evil in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
19 But truly God has listened;
he has heeded the voice of my prayer.
20 Blest be God, who did not reject my prayer,
nor withhold from me his merciful love.
Psalm 67 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-67.mp3)
1 May God be merciful to us and bless us, *
show us the light of his countenance and come to us.
2 Let your ways be known upon earth, *
your saving health among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, *
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide all the nations upon earth.
5 Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
6 The earth has brought forth her increase; *
may God, our own God, give us his blessing.
7 May God give us his blessing, *
and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe of him.
| 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
Light of the world,
you have come into the world’s darkness
and the darkness cannot overwhelm the light.
Let your holy name be known through all the earth,
that all people and nations may praise you
and walk in your ways;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
READING: 2 Samuel 6:1-19
David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. David and all the people with him set out and went from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned on the cherubim. They carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart with the ark of God, and Ahio went in front of the ark. David and all the house of Israel were dancing before the Lord with all their might, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.
When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen lurched. The anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him there, and he died there beside the ark of God. David was angry because the Lord had burst forth with an outburst upon Uzzah, so that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. David was afraid of the Lord that day; he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come into my care?” So David was unwilling to take the ark of the Lord into his care in the city of David; instead, David took it to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household.
It was told King David, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing, and when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatted calf. David danced before the Lord with all his might; David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.
As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.
They brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being before the Lord. When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the offerings of well-being, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts and distributed food among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, to each a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins. Then all the people went back to their homes.
HYMN: Ruth Duck ©
Tune: Regent Square https://tinyurl.com/532bcy5j
1 You are called to tell the story,
passing words of life along,
then to blend your voice with others
as you sing the sacred song.
Christ be known in all our singing,
filling all with songs of love.
2 You are called to teach the rhythm
of the dance that never ends,
then to move within the circle,
hand in hand with strangers, friends.
Christ be known in all our dancing,
touching all with hands of love.
3 You are called to set the table,
blessing bread as Jesus blessed,
then to come with thirst and hunger,
needing care like all the rest.
Christ be known in all our sharing,
feeding all with signs of love.
4 May the One whose love is broader
than the measure of all space
give us words to sing the story,
move among us in this place.
Christ be known in all our living,
filling all with gifts of love.
READING: 2 Corinthians 12:19-21
Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves before you? We are speaking in Christ before God. Everything we do, beloved, is for the sake of building you up. For I fear that when I come I may find you not as I wish and that you may find me not as you wish; I fear that there may perhaps be quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you and that I may have to mourn over many who previously sinned and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and debauchery that they have practiced.
HYMN: Charles Wesley
Tune: York https://tinyurl.com/52pa9p5w
1 Come, O Thou all-victorious Lord,
Thy power to us make known;
Strike with the hammer of the Word,
And break these hearts of stone.
2 O that we all might now begin
Our foolishness to mourn!
And turn at once from every sin,
And to the Savior turn.
3 Give us ourselves and Thee to know
In this our gracious day:
Repentance unto life bestow,
And take our sins away.
4 Convince us first of unbelief,
And freely then release:
Fill every soul with sacred grief,
And then with sacred peace.
READING: Luke 11:29-32
When the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say, “This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and indeed, something greater than Solomon is here! The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and indeed, something greater than Jonah is here!”
CANTICLE Philippians 2:6-11
(Chant by John Michael Talbot: https://tinyurl.com/y8ljx8y7)
Though he was in the form of God,
Jesus did not deem equality with God
something to be grasped at.
Rather, he emptied himself
and took the form of a slave,
being born in the likeness of men.
He was known to be of human estate
and it was thus that he humbled himself,
obediently accepting even death,
death on a cross!
Because of this,
God highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
above every other name,
So that at Jesus’ name
every knee must bend
in the heavens, on the earth,
and under the earth,
and every tongue proclaim
to the glory of God the Father:
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!
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.
THE PRAYERS WS
Let us pray for those who suffer from illness,
from the pain of memory,
from torture, from victimization,
especially those hurt by the church or its members . . .
Let us pray for those who are outcast,
or imprisoned, or oppressed . . .
Let us pray for those who are hungry, or homeless, or poor,
and for those who are unemployed or exploited . . .
Let us pray for the coming of justice in the world,
offering what we have and receiving what we need
of the earth’s beauty . . .
Let us pray for peace that is a just reconciliation . . .
Let us pray for the earth on which we walk
and to which we will one day return . . .
And let us offer our own petitions,
trusting in God’s wisdom and compassion . . .
God hears the prayers of the faithful,
and in his arms we find safe harbor and understanding. 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.
Gracious and loving God,
you bring good tidings to the afflicted,
bind up the broken-hearted,
and proclaim liberty to the captives;
we thank you for sending Elizabeth Fry into the prisons
with words of comfort and deeds of care:
grant that all who minister to those in prison
may be filled with your compassion and be bearers of your hope;
through Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen. FATS
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.
BCW2018 Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 2018
DL © Daniel Lawson; used with permission.
FATS For All the Saints, © The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, 2014
EH Exciting Holiness Edited by Brother Tristam SSF, © European Province of the Society of Saint Francis, 1997
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 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 65 and 67 are from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and are chanted by Ryland Angel.
Psalms marked Gregorian are from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles ©2010, 2018 The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C. All rights reserved. ©2020 as recorded for the Chants and 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.
