Morning Prayer 10.4.17, Monday in Holy Week

Posted on April 9, 2017 by Josh Thomas under Anglican, Copts, Egypt, Holy Week, Jesus Christ, Mission, Music Video, Prayer, Terrorism

Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

ISIS is claiming responsibility for the blood on the floor yesterday during Palm Sunday services at St. George’s Coptic Church in Tanta, Egypt. Forty people were killed and 71 injured; meanwhile Pope Tawadros II escaped another attack at St. Mark’s Cathedral, Alexandria, which killed 13 and wounded 21 others. As someone said on Twitter, “it isn’t easy being Christian in Egypt.” (Khaled Elfiqi/European Pressphoto Agency)

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6

CONFESSION OF SIN

Most 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; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

INVITATORY AND PSALTER

Lord, open our lips.
And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

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 95:1-7
Venite

Come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before God’s presence with thanksgiving;
and raise to the Lord a shout with psalms.
For you are a great God;
you are great above all gods.
In your hand are the caverns of the earth;
and the heights of the hills are yours also.
The sea is yours, for you made it,
and your hands have molded the dry land.
Come, let us bow down and bend the knee,
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For you are our God,
and we are the people of your pasture, and the sheep of your hand.
Oh, that today we would hearken to your voice!

Psalm 51:1-18

1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving-kindness; *
in your great compassion blot out my offenses.
2 Wash me through and through from my wickedness *
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions, *
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you only have I sinned *
and done what is evil in your sight.
5 And so you are justified when you speak *
and upright in your judgment.
6 Indeed, I have been wicked from my birth, *
a sinner from my mother’s womb.
7 For behold, you look for truth deep within me, *
and will make me understand wisdom secretly.
8 Purge me from my sin, and I shall be pure; *
wash me, and I shall be clean indeed.
9 Make me hear of joy and gladness, *
that the body you have broken may rejoice.
10 Hide your face from my sins *
and blot out all my iniquities.
11 Create in me a clean heart, O God, *
and renew a right spirit within me.
12 Cast me not away from your presence *
and take not your holy Spirit from me.
13 Give me the joy of your saving help again *
and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.
14 I shall teach your ways to the wicked, *
and sinners shall return to you.
15 Deliver me from death, O God, *
and my tongue shall sing of your righteousness,
O God of my salvation.
16 Open my lips, O Lord, *
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
17 Had you desired it, I would have offered sacrifice, *
but you take no delight in burnt-offerings.
18 The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit; *
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

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 LESSONS
Jeremiah 12:1-16 (NRSV)

You will be in the right, O LORD,
when I lay charges against you;
but let me put my case to you.
Why does the way of the guilty prosper?
Why do all who are treacherous thrive?
You plant them, and they take root;
they grow and bring forth fruit;
you are near in their mouths
yet far from their hearts.
But you, O LORD, know me;
You see me and test me—my heart is with you.
Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter,
and set them apart for the day of slaughter.
How long will the land mourn,
and the grass of every field wither?
For the wickedness of those who live in it
the animals and the birds are swept away,
and because people said, “He is blind to our ways.”

If you have raced with foot-runners and they have wearied you,
how will you compete with horses?
And if in a safe land you fall down,
how will you fare in the thickets of the Jordan?
For even your kinsfolk and your own family,
even they have dealt treacherously with you;
they are in full cry after you;
do not believe them,
though they speak friendly words to you.

I have forsaken my house,
I have abandoned my heritage;
I have given the beloved of my heart
into the hands of her enemies.
My heritage has become to me
like a lion in the forest;
she has lifted up her voice against me—
therefore I hate her.
Is the hyena greedy for my heritage at my command?
Are the birds of prey all around her?
Go, assemble all the wild animals;
bring them to devour her.
Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard,
they have trampled down my portion,
they have made my pleasant portion
a desolate wilderness.
They have made it a desolation;
desolate, it mourns to me.
The whole land is made desolate,
but no one lays it to heart.
Upon all the bare heights in the desert
spoilers have come;
for the sword of the LORD devours
from one end of the land to the other;
no one shall be safe.
They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns,
they have tired themselves out but profit nothing.
They shall be ashamed of their harvests
because of the fierce anger of the LORD.

Thus says the LORD concerning all my evil neighbors who touch the heritage that I have given my people Israel to inherit: I am about to pluck them up from their land, and I will pluck up the house of Judah from among them. And after I have plucked them up, I will again have compassion on them, and I will bring them again to their heritage and to their land, everyone of them. And then, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, “As the LORD lives,” as they taught my people to swear by Baal, then they shall be built up in the midst of my people.

Canticle: First Song of Isaiah
Isaiah 12:2-6

Surely, it is God who saves me; *
I will trust in him and not be afraid.
For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense, *
and he will be my Savior.
Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing *
from the springs of salvation.
And on that day you shall say, *
Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name;
Make his deeds known among the peoples; *
see that they remember that his Name is exalted.
Sing the praises of the Lord, for he has done great things, *
and this is known in all the world.
Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, ring out your joy, *
for the great one in the midst of you is the Holy One of Israel.

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.

Philippians 3:1-14 (NRSV)

Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord.

To write the same things to you is not troublesome to me, and for you it is a safeguard.

Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh! For it is we who are the circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh—even though I, too, have reason for confidence in the flesh.

If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

Canticle: Song of the Redeemed
Revelation 15:3-4

O ruler of the universe, Lord God,
great deeds are they that you have done, *
surpassing human understanding.
Your ways are ways of righteousness and truth, *
O King of all the ages.

Who can fail to do you homage, Lord
and sing the praises of your Name? *
for you only are the Holy One.
All nations will draw near and fall down before you *
because your just and holy works have been revealed.

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.

He Qi: Entry into Jerusalem

John 12:9-19 (NRSV)

When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.

The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord—the King of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written: “Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. So the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. It was also because they heard that he had performed this sign that the crowd went to meet him. The Pharisees then said to one another, “You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!”

THE APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

THE PRAYERS

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.

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.
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.

V. Show us your mercy, O Lord;
R. And grant us your salvation.
V. Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
R. Let your people sing with joy.
V. Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
R. For only in you can we live in safety.
V. Lord, keep this nation under your care;
R. And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
V. Let your way be known upon earth;
R. Your saving health among all nations.
V. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
R. Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
V. Create in us clean hearts, O God;
R. And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.

First station of the Cross: Jesus is condemned. (St. Jean-Baptiste au Beguinage, Brussels)

Collect of the Day: Monday in Holy Week

Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Collect for the Renewal of Life

O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our heart to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness during the day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Monday Morning Prayer List: Most Recent

Ron, Rest in Peace
Erin, hip surgery; Rachel, recent surgery
Sixroute, vocational discernment
Owen, mental health
Peni & Kate, caregivers
Blake, addiction
Archbishop Terry Buckle, formerly Bishop of Yukon, lymphoma
Ann Brewster, chemotherapy
Ashlee, assault victim, and Jason, her husband
Sr. Charity, abdominal surgery and complications
Gary Sudyam, hit by car, spinal cord injuries
Kathie Inboden, Stage II pancreatic cancer
Jeanetta MacKay, recurrence of cancer
Arthur Wilbur, advanced Parkinson’s
Kimberly, looking for work
Marjorie, ovarian cancer
Nick, myeloma
St. James’s, Milwaukee, discernment
Fr. Doug Yarbrough, multiple sclerosis
Sr. Judy, breast cancer

Please add your own intercessions, supplications and thanksgivings here.

For the Mission of the Church

Everliving God, whose will it is that all should come to you through your Son Jesus Christ: Inspire our witness to him, that all may know the power of his forgiveness and the hope of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

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++

VIDEO: Go to dark Gethsemane (#171, Petra, Richard Redhead; James Montgomery) – The Anglican Chorale, St. Agnes’, Nassau, Bahamas, 2011

Morning Prayer 5.4.17, Pandita Mary Ramabai, Prophetic Witness & Evangelist in India, 1922

Posted on April 4, 2017 by Josh Thomas under Anglican, Canada, Creation, Education, Evengelism, Healing, India, Jesus Christ, Lay Ministry, Lent, Mission, Monastics, Music Video, Prayer, Refugees, Sexism, Syria, UK

But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?

Cadbury Cancels Easter: The British national Easter egg hunt, sponsored by the National Trust, sold naming rights years ago to a candymaker, which decided that it might sell more cheap chocolate bunnies this year if it got rid of Easter altogether. The move has been denounced by the prime minister and archbishops of Canterbury and York, as well as calls for a boycott, but maybe the National Trust should have thought of this earlier. (screen grab)

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us, but if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9

CONFESSION OF SIN

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

INVITATORY AND PSALTER

Lord, open our lips.
And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

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 95 (EOW I)
Venite

Psalm 119:145-176

145 I call with my whole heart; *
answer me, O LORD, that I may keep your statutes.
146 I call to you; oh, that you would save me! *
I will keep your decrees.
147 Early in the morning I cry out to you, *
for in your word is my trust.
148 My eyes are open in the night watches, *
that I may meditate upon your promise.
149 Hear my voice, O LORD, according to your loving-kindness; *
according to your judgments, give me life.
150 They draw near who in malice persecute me; *
they are very far from your law.
151 You, O LORD, are near at hand, *
and all your commandments are true.
152 Long have I known from your decrees *
that you have established them for ever.

153 Behold my affliction and deliver me, *
for I do not forget your law.
154 Plead my cause and redeem me; *
according to your promise, give me life.
155 Deliverance is far from the wicked, *
for they do not study your statutes.
156 Great is your compassion, O LORD; *
preserve my life, according to your judgments.
157 There are many who persecute and oppress me, *
yet I have not swerved from your decrees.
158 I look with loathing at the faithless, *
for they have not kept your word.
159 See how I love your commandments! *
O LORD, in your mercy, preserve me.
160 The heart of your word is truth; *
all your righteous judgments endure for evermore.

161 Rulers have persecuted me without a cause, *
but my heart stands in awe of your word.
162 I am as glad because of your promise *
as one who finds great spoils.
163 As for lies, I hate and abhor them, *
but your law is my love.
164 Seven times a day do I praise you, *
because of your righteous judgments.
165 Great peace have they who love your law; *
for them there is no stumbling block.
166 I have hoped for your salvation, O LORD, *
and have fulfilled your commandments.
167 I have kept your decrees *
and I have loved them deeply.
168 I have kept your commandments and decrees, *
for all my ways are before you.

169 Let my cry come before you, O LORD; *
give me understanding, according to your word.
170 Let my supplication come before you; *
deliver me, according to your promise.
171 My lips shall pour forth your praise, *
when you teach me your statutes.
172 My tongue shall sing of your promise, *
for all your commandments are righteous.
173 Let your hand be ready to help me, *
for I have chosen your commandments.
174 I long for your salvation, O LORD, *
and your law is my delight.
175 Let me live, and I will praise you, *
and let your judgments help me.
176 I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost; *
search for your servant,
for I do not forget your commandments.

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 LESSONS
Jeremiah 25:30-38 (NRSV)

You, therefore, shall prophesy against them all these words, and say to them:

The LORD will roar from on high,
and from his holy habitation utter his voice;
he will roar mightily against his fold,
and shout, like those who tread grapes,
against all the inhabitants of the earth.
The clamor will resound to the ends of the earth,
for the LORD has an indictment against the nations;
he is entering into judgment with all flesh,
and the guilty he will put to the sword,
says the LORD.

Thus says the LORD of hosts:
See, disaster is spreading
from nation to nation,
and a great tempest is stirring
from the farthest parts of the earth!

Those slain by the LORD on that day shall extend from one end of the earth to the other. They shall not be lamented, or gathered, or buried; they shall become dung on the surface of the ground.

Wail, you shepherds, and cry out;
roll in ashes, you lords of the flock,
for the days of your slaughter have come—and your dispersions,
and you shall fall like a choice vessel.
Flight shall fail the shepherds,
and there shall be no escape for the lords of the flock.
Hark! the cry of the shepherds,
and the wail of the lords of the flock!
For the LORD is despoiling their pasture,
and the peaceful folds are devastated,
because of the fierce anger of the LORD.
Like a lion he has left his covert;
for their land has become a waste
because of the cruel sword,
and because of his fierce anger.

Canticle: A Song of Penitence
Prayer of Manasseh, 1-2, 4, 6-7, 11-15

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.

Romans 10:14-21 (NRSV)

But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” But not all have obeyed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.

But I ask,
“Their voice has gone out to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.”

Again I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,
“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;
with a foolish nation I will make you angry.”

Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,
“I have been found by those who did not seek me;
I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”

But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

Canticle: Song of Zechariah
Luke 1:68-79

Blessed are you, Lord, the God of Israel; *
you have come to your people and set them free.
You have raised up for us a mighty savior, *
born of the house of your servant David.
Through your holy prophets you promised of old
to save us from our enemies, *
from the hands of all who hate us.
To show mercy to our forebears, *
and to remember your holy covenant.
This was the oath you swore to our father Abraham, *
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship you without fear, *
holy and righteous before you
all the days of our life.
And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, *
for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way,
To give God’s people knowledge of salvation *
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

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.

Good Shepherd window at St. Joseph’s Hospital, London, Ontario.

John 10:1-18 (NRSV)

Jesus said, “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

THE APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord.
who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

THE PRAYERS

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.

V. Help us, O God our Savior;
R. Deliver us and forgive us our sins.
V. Look upon your congregation;
R. Give to your people the blessing of peace.
V. Declare your glory among the nations;
R. And your wonders among all peoples.
V. Do not let the oppressed be shamed and turned away;
R. Never forget the lives of your poor.
V. Continue your loving-kindness to those who know you;
R. And your favor to those who are true of heart.
V. Satisfy us by your loving-kindness in the morning;
R. So shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life.

Pandita Ramabai, discriminated against like other Indian women for being female from childhood on, was denied an education but managed to learn anyway. After traveling to England and working with Anglican nuns, she became a Christian, returned to India and founded a mission in Mumbai for abandoned widows and orphans, at first of the high Brahmin class and later without distinctions. She also translated the Bible into Marathi, a West Indian language. The title “Pandita” bestowed on her means, ironically, “the learned one.”

Collect of the Day: Pandita Mary Ramabai, Prophetic Witness and Evangelist in India, 1922

Everliving God, you called the women at the tomb to witness to the resurrection of your Son: We thank you for the courageous and independent spirit of your servant Pandita Ramabai, the mother of modern India; and we pray that we, like her, may embrace your gift of new life, caring for the poor, braving resentment to uphold the dignity of women, and offering the riches of our culture to our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Collect for Wednesday in the Fifth Week of Lent

Almighty God our heavenly Father, renew in us the gifts of your mercy; increase our faith, strengthen our hope, enlighten our understanding, widen our charity, and make us ready to serve you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Collect for Grace

Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power; that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Joy in God’s Creation: resplendent quetzal, the national bird of Guatemala. (Thorn Janson)

For Joy in God’s Creation

O heavenly Father, you have filled the world with beauty: Open our eyes to behold your gracious hand in all your works; that, rejoicing in your whole creation, we may learn to serve you with gladness; for the sake of him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Wednesday Morning Prayer List

Healing of Body, Mind & Soul
Blake, addiction
Archbishop Terry Buckle, lymphoma
Ann Brewster, chemotherapy
Ashlee, assault victim, and Jason, her husband
Sr. Charity, abdominal surgery and complications
Gary Sudyam, hit by car, spinal cord injuries
Kathie Inboden, Stage II pancreatic cancer
Julie, RSD, suicide attempt
Jeanetta MacKay, recurrence of cancer
Jon, diabetic macular edema
Arthur Wilbur, advanced Parkinson’s
Marjorie, ovarian cancer
Nick, myeloma
Katherine, early Alzheimer’s, and her son Robert, early dementia
Fr. Doug Yarbrough, multiple sclerosis
Sr. Judy, breast cancer
Gayle, age 80, will to live
Cameron Lacy, acute leukemia
Rayell Segerstrom, melanoma
Ron, late stage brain cancer
Baylin, child with cancer
Martha’s brother Lewis
Fr. Robert Hughes, Parkinson’s
Treese, cancer recovery
Joan, chemo
Debbie, lupus
Honorary Deacon Clint, cancer
Clint’s daughter Julia Butcher, breast cancer recovery

For Caregivers & Families
Peni
Kate
Linda
Teresa

Please add your own intercessions, supplications and thanksgivings here.

Prayer for Mission

Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

May the blessing of the God of Abraham and Sarah, and of Jesus Christ born of our sister Mary, and of the Holy Spirit, who broods over the world as a mother over her children, be upon us and remain with us always. Amen.++

VIDEO: Even Unto Death (A. Assad) – Audrey Assad, 2016

Morning Prayer 26.3.17, Charles Henry Brent, Bishop of the Philippines, & of Western New York, 1929

Posted on March 26, 2017 by Josh Thomas under Anglican, Canada, Choir, Ecumenism, England, Episcopal Church, Evensong, Ireland, Jesus Christ, Joy, Lent, Monastics, Music Video, National Life, Peace among Nations, Philippines, Prayer, Roman Catholic Church, Students, UK, USA

You have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God.

The choir of Merton College at Oxford University sang at the first Anglican Evensong ever conducted at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome a couple of weeks ago; a historic event, surely, but so uncontroversial in 2017 that few people noticed, though today’s saint might have liked it. (Vatican photo)

CONFESSION OF SIN

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

INVITATORY AND PSALTER

Lord, open our lips.
And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

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 95:1-7
Venite

Psalm 89:1-18

1 Your love, O LORD, for ever will I sing; *
from age to age my mouth will proclaim your faithfulness.
2 For I am persuaded that your love is established for ever; *
you have set your faithfulness firmly in the heavens.
3 “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; *
I have sworn an oath to David my servant:
4 ‘I will establish your line for ever, *
and preserve your throne for all generations.'”
5 The heavens bear witness to your wonders, O LORD, *
and to your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones;
6 For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? *
who is like the LORD among the gods?
7 God is much to be feared in the council of the holy ones, *
great and terrible to all those circled around.
8 Who is like you, LORD God of hosts? *
O mighty LORD, your faithfulness is all around you.
9 You rule the raging of the sea *
and still the surging of its waves.
10 You have crushed Rahab of the deep with a deadly wound; *
you have scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11 Yours are the heavens; the earth also is yours; *
you laid the foundations of the world and all that is in it.
12 You have made the north and the south; *
Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your Name.
13 You have a mighty arm; *
strong is your hand and high is your right hand.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundations of your throne; *
love and truth go before your face.
15 Happy are the people who know the festal shout! *
they walk, O LORD, in the light of your presence.
16 They rejoice daily in your Name; *
they are jubilant in your righteousness.
17 For you are the glory of their strength, *
and by your favor our might is exalted.
18 Truly, the LORD is our ruler; *
the Holy One of Israel is our Sovereign.

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 LESSONS
Jeremiah 16:10-21 (NRSV)

And when you tell this people all these words, and they say to you, “Why has the LORD pronounced all this great evil against us? What is our iniquity? What is the sin that we have committed against the LORD our God?” then you shall say to them: It is because your ancestors have forsaken me, says the LORD, and have gone after other gods and have served and worshiped them, and have forsaken me and have not kept my law; and because you have behaved worse than your ancestors, for here you are, every one of you, following your stubborn evil will, refusing to listen to me. Therefore I will hurl you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your ancestors have known, and there you shall serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.

Therefore, the days are surely coming, says the LORD, when it shall no longer be said, “As the LORD lives who brought the people of Israel up out of the land of Egypt,” but “As the LORD lives who brought the people of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the lands where he had driven them.” For I will bring them back to their own land that I gave to their ancestors.

I am now sending for many fishermen, says the LORD, and they shall catch them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks. For my eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from my presence, nor is their iniquity concealed from my sight. And I will doubly repay their iniquity and their sin, because they have polluted my land with the carcasses of their detestable idols, and have filled my inheritance with their abominations.

O LORD, my strength and my stronghold,
my refuge in the day of trouble,
to you shall the nations come
from the ends of the earth and say:
Our ancestors have inherited nothing but lies,
worthless things in which there is no profit.
Can mortals make for themselves gods?
Such are no gods!

“Therefore I am surely going to teach them, this time I am going to teach them my power and my might, and they shall know that my name is the LORD.”

Canticle: First Song of Isaiah
Isaiah 12:2-6

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.

Romans 7:1-12 (NRSV)

Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law —that the law is binding on a person only during that person’s lifetime? Thus a married woman is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives; but if her husband dies, she is discharged from the law concerning the husband. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man, she is not an adulteress.

In the same way, my friends, you have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God. While we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we are slaves not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.

What then should we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet, if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity in the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. Apart from the law sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died, and the very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity in the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good.

Canticle: Song of the Redeemed
Revelation 15:3-4

O ruler of the universe, Lord God,
great deeds are they that you have done, *
surpassing human understanding.
Your ways are ways of righteousness and truth, *
O King of all the ages.

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.

John 6:1-15 (NRSV)

After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”

When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

THE APOSTLES’ CREED

THE PRAYERS

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.

Charles Henry Brent, a rector’s son, was born in Newcastle, Ontario; his mother was descended from Loyalists who fled the American Revolution. He was educated at Trinity College, Toronto, but the only work he found was as a curate and organist in Buffalo, New York. He moved to Boston, came under the influence of the Cowley Fathers, spent ten years as curate in the underprivileged South End, then in 1901 was shocked to get a telegram naming him missionary Bishop of the Philippines, then governed by the United States. He stayed 15 years, establishing schools and hospitals before leaving to assume the senior chaplaincy with the Allied Expeditionary Force in World War I. He hated the war and devoted himself afterward to peace and ecumenical activities as Bishop of Western New York. (Brown Brothers)

Collect of the Day: Charles Henry Brent, Bishop of the Philippines, and of Western New York, 1929

Heavenly Father, whose Son prayed that we all might be one: Deliver us from arrogance and prejudice, and give us wisdom and forbearance, that, following your servant Charles Henry Brent, we may be united in one family with all who confess the Name of your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Collect for Monday in the Fourth Week of Lent

O Lord our God, in your holy Sacraments you have given us a foretaste of the good things of your kingdom: Direct us, we pray, in the way that leads to eternal life, that we may come to appear before you in that place of light where you dwell for ever with your saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Collect for the Renewal of Life

Monday Morning Prayer List: Most Recent

Blake, addiction
Archbishop Terry Buckle, formerly Bishop of Yukon, lymphoma
Ann Brewster, chemotherapy
Ashlee, assault victim, and Jason, her husband
Ron Larson, prostate cancer
Sr. Charity, abdominal surgery and complications
Gary Sudyam, hit by car, spinal cord injuries
Kathie Inboden, Stage II pancreatic cancer
Julie, RSD, suicide attempt
Jeanetta MacKay, recurrence of cancer
Martha’s brother Marcus, departed
Arthur Wilbur, advanced Parkinson’s
Kimberly, looking for work
Marjorie, ovarian cancer
Nick, myeloma
St. James’s, Milwaukee, discernment
Fr. Doug Yarbrough, multiple sclerosis
Sr. Judy, breast cancer

Please add your own intercessions, supplications and thanksgivings here.

For the Mission of the Church

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

VIDEO: O for a thousand tongues (#493, Lydia, Thomas Philipps; Charles Wesley) – BBC “Songs of Praise” at St. Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast, 2015

Evening Prayer 21.3.17, Thomas Cranmer, Author & Editor of The Book of Common Prayer, Martyred 1556

Posted on March 21, 2017 by Josh Thomas under Anglican, Book of Common Prayer, Church Crime, Creation, Daily Office, England, Episcopal Church, Evengelism, Famine, Fast, Jesus Christ, Joy, Kenya, Lent, Martyrs, Mission, Music Video, National Life, Prayer, Protest & Reformation, Reformed Church, Religious Fanatics, Roman Catholic Church, Schism, UK, USA

Jesus cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink.”

Members of Grace Church, Brunswick, Maryland, joined other townspeople yesterday to pack 10,000 meals for famine-stricken areas in parts of Africa and Asia. A good crowd, young and old, turned out to help with the work. (The Rev. Anjel Scarborough)

Rend your hearts, and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and repents of evil. Joel 2:13

GENERAL CONFESSION

God of all mercy,
we confess that we have sinned against you,
opposing your will in our lives.
We have denied your goodness in each other,
in ourselves, and in the world you have created.
We repent of the evil that enslaves us,
the evil we have done,
and the evil done on our behalf.
Forgive, restore, and strengthen us
through our Savior Jesus Christ,
that we may abide in your love
and serve only your will. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through the grace of Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

INVITATORY AND PSALTER

O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.

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.

Hymn: Light of the World

Light of the world in grace and beauty,
Mirror of God’s eternal face,
Transparent flame of love’s free duty,
You bring salvation to our race.
Now, as we see the lights of evening,
We raise our voice in hymns of praise;
Worthy are you of endless blessing,
Sun of our night, lamp of our days.

Psalm 78:40-72

40 How often the people disobeyed God in the wilderness *
and offended the LORD in the desert!
41 Again and again they tempted God *
and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember God’s power *
in the day when God ransomed them from the enemy;
43 How God wrought signs in Egypt *
and omens in the field of Zoan.
44 God turned their rivers into blood, *
so that they could not drink of their streams.
45 God sent swarms of flies among them, which ate them up, *
and frogs, which destroyed them.
46 God gave their crops to the caterpillar, *
the fruit of their toil to the locust.
47 God killed their vines with hail *
and their sycamores with frost.
48 God delivered their cattle to hailstones *
and their livestock to hot thunderbolts.
59 God poured out upon them blazing anger: *
fury, indignation, and distress,
a troop of destroying angels.
50 God did not spare their souls from death; *
but delivered their lives to the plague.
51 God struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, *
the flower of manhood in the dwellings of Ham.
52 God led out the chosen people like sheep *
and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 God led them to safety, and they were not afraid; *
but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 God brought them to the holy land, *
to the mountain won by God’s own hand.
55 The LORD drove out the Canaanites before them
and apportioned an inheritance to them by lot; *
God made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

56 But they tested and defied the LORD, *
and did not keep the commandments of the Most High.
57 They turned away and were disloyal like their ancestors; *
they were undependable like a warped bow.
58 They grieved God with their hill-altars *
and provoked God’s displeasure with their idols.
59 Hearing this, God was angry *
and utterly rejected Israel.
60 God forsook the shrine at Shiloh, *
the tabernacle where God had lived among mortals.
61 God delivered the ark into captivity, *
God’s glory into the adversary’s hand.
62 God gave the chosen people to the sword *
and was mightily angered against them.
63 The fire consumed their young men; *
there were no wedding songs for their young women.
64 Their priests fell by the sword, *
and their widows made no lamentation.

65 Then the LORD woke as though from sleep, *
like a warrior refreshed with wine.
66 These enemies God struck on the backside *
and put them to perpetual shame.
67 God rejected the tent of Joseph *
and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;
68 God chose instead the tribe of Judah *
and Mount Zion, the beloved.
69 God built the holy sanctuary like the heights of heaven, *
like the earth which God founded for ever.
60 God chose David to serve, *
and took him away from the sheepfolds.
71 God brought him from tending the sheep, *
to be a shepherd over Jacob, the chosen people,
and over Israel, the chosen inheritance.
72 So David shepherded them with a faithful and true heart *
and guided them with the skillfulness of his hands.

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.

Saut-d’Eau, Haiti; photographer unknown

THE LESSON
John 7:37-52 (NRSV)

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.

When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, “This is really the prophet.” Others said, “This is the Messiah.” But some asked, “Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee, does he? Has not the scripture said that the Messiah is descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?” So there was a division in the crowd because of him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

Then the temple police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why did you not arrest him?” The police answered, “Never has anyone spoken like this!” Then the Pharisees replied, “Surely you have not been deceived too, have you? Has any one of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which does not know the law—they are accursed.” Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before, and who was one of them, asked, “Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?” They replied, “Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.”

Canticle: The Song of Mary
Luke 1:46-55

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in you, O God my Savior, *
for you have looked with favor on your lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
you, the Almighty, have done great things for me,
and holy is your Name.
You have mercy on those who fear you *
from generation to generation.
You have shown strength with your arm, *
and scattered the proud in their conceit,
Casting down the mighty from their thrones, *
and lifting up the lowly.
You have filled the hungry with good things, *
and sent the rich away empty.
You have come to the help of your servant Israel, *
for you have remembered your promise of mercy,
The promise made to our forebears, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.

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 APOSTLES’ CREED

THE PRAYERS

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.
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.

That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That your holy angels may lead us in paths of peace and goodwill,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our sins and offenses,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That there may be peace to your Church and to the whole world,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That we may depart this life in your faith and fear,
and not be condemned before the great judgment seat of Christ,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That we may be bound together by your Holy Spirit
in the communion of all your saints,
entrusting one another and all our life to Christ,
We entreat you, O Lord.

Anglicans have prayed in their native languages since 1549 because of this man, Thomas Cranmer, author and editor of the Book of Common Prayer. He combined various prayers from the elaborate monastic Liturgy of the Hours to give us Morning and Evening Prayer, composing phrases and creating worship used throughout the English-speaking world. (artist unknown)

Collect of the Day: Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury and Martyr, 1556

Merciful God, through the work of Thomas Cranmer you renewed the worship of your Church by restoring the language of the people, and through his death you revealed your power in human weakness: Grant that by your grace we may always worship you in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Collect for Tuesday in the Third Week of Lent

O Lord, we beseech you mercifully to hear us; and grant that we, to whom you have given a fervent desire to pray, may, by your mighty aid, be defended and comforted in all dangers and adversities; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Collect for Aid against Perils

Be our light in the darkness, O Lord, and in your great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of your only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Anglican Cycle of Prayer: Diocese of Mbeere, Kenya

Tuesday Evening Prayer List

For the Departed
Michele Steele
Vinton, Yvonne’s brother-in-law
Martha’s brother Marcus

For Those Who Mourn
Martha & family
Morgan family

Please add your own prayers here.

Prayer for Mission

O God, you manifest in your servants the signs of your presence: Send forth upon us the Spirit of love, that in companionship with one another your abounding grace may increase among us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The General Thanksgiving

Almighty God, Father of all mercies,
we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks
for all your goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all whom you have made.
We bless you for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for your immeasurable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies,
that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise,
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up our selves to your service,
and by walking before you
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom

Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfil now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

May the Sun of Righteousness shine upon you and scatter the darkness from before your path; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always. Amen.++

VIDEO: O God, our help in ages past (#680, St. Anne, attr. William Croft, alt.; Isaac Watts, alt., para. Ps. 90:1-5) – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge; video by Piddflicks, 2009

Morning Prayer 21.3.17, Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury & Martyr, 1556

Posted on March 20, 2017 by Josh Thomas under Anglican, Book of Common Prayer, Canada, England, Episcopal Church, Jesus Christ, Lent, Music Video, Ordination, Peace among Nations, Prayer, Presbyterians, Roman Catholic Church, UK, USA, War Dead

Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but, in the stubbornness of their evil will, they walked in their own counsels, and looked backward rather than forward.

The sermon at Gretchen Rehberg’s consecration as IX Bishop of Spokane, Washington was given by XXVI Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, whose successor Michael Curry, himself a renowned preacher, served as chief consecrator. (diocesan photo)

Rend your hearts, and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and repents of evil. Joel 2:13

CONFESSION OF SIN

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

INVITATORY AND PSALTER

Lord, open our lips.
And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

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 95:1-7
Venite

Psalm 78:1-39

1 Hear my teaching, O my people; *
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable; *
I will declare the mysteries of ancient times.
3 That which we have heard and known,
and what our ancestors have told us, *
we will not hide from their children.
4 We will recount to generations to come
the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the LORD, *
and the wonderful works God has done.
5 God set up decrees for Jacob
and established a law for Israel, *
commanding them to teach it to their children;
6 That the generations to come might know,
and the children yet unborn; *
that they in their turn might tell it to their children;
7 So that they might put their trust in God, *
and not forget the deeds of God,
but keep God’s commandments;
8 And not be like their ancestors,
a stubborn and rebellious generation, *
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
and whose spirit was not faithful to God.

9 The people of Ephraim, armed with the bow, *
turned back in the day of battle;
10 They did not keep the covenant of God, *
and refused to walk in God’s law;
11 They forgot what God had done, *
and the wonders shown to them.
12 God worked marvels in the sight of their ancestors, *
in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
13 God split open the sea and let them pass through; *
making the waters stand up like walls.
14 God led them with a cloud by day, *
and all the night through with a glow of fire.
15 God split the hard rocks in the wilderness *
and gave them drink as from the great deep.
16 God brought streams out of the cliff, *
and the waters gushed out like rivers.
17 But they went on sinning against the LORD, *
rebelling in the desert against the Most High.

18 They tested God in their hearts, *
demanding food for their craving.
19 They railed against God and said, *
“Can God set a table in the wilderness?
20 True, God struck the rock, the waters gushed out, and the gullies overflowed; *
but is God able to give bread
or to provide meat for this people?”
21 Hearing this, the LORD was full of wrath; *
a fire was kindled against Jacob,
the LORD’s anger mounted against Israel;
22 For they had no faith in God, *
nor did they put their trust in the LORD’s saving power.
23 So God commanded the clouds above *
and opened the doors of heaven.
24 God rained down manna upon them to eat *
and gave them grain from heaven.
25 So mortals ate the bread of angels; *
God provided for them food enough.
26 God caused the east wind to blow in the heavens *
and mightily led out the south wind.
27 God rained down flesh upon them like dust *
and wingèd birds like the sand of the sea.
28 God let it fall in the midst of their camp *
and round about their dwellings.
29 So they ate and were well filled, *
for the LORD gave them what they craved.

30 But they did not stop their craving, *
though the food was still in their mouths.
31 So God’s anger mounted against them; *
God slew their strongest
and laid low the youth of Israel.
32 In spite of all this, they went on sinning *
and had no faith in God’s wonderful works.
33 So God brought their days to an end like a breath *
and their years in sudden terror.
34 Whenever God slew them, they would repent, *
and they would diligently search for God.
35 They would remember that God was their rock, *
and the Most High God their redeemer.
36 But they flattered God with their mouths *
and lied to God with their tongues.
37 Their heart was not steadfast toward God, *
and they were not faithful to the covenant.
38 But being so merciful, God forgave their sins
and did not destroy them; *
many times God held back anger
and did not permit divine wrath to be roused.
39 For the LORD remembered that they were but flesh, *
a breath that goes forth and does not return.

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 LESSONS
Jeremiah 7:21-34 (NRSV)

Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh. For in the day that I brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to them or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this command I gave them, “Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people; and walk only in the way that I command you, so that it may be well with you.” Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but, in the stubbornness of their evil will, they walked in their own counsels, and looked backward rather than forward. From the day that your ancestors came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day; yet they did not listen to me, or pay attention, but they stiffened their necks. They did worse than their ancestors did.

So you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you. You shall call to them, but they will not answer you. You shall say to them: This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the LORD their God, and did not accept discipline; truth has perished; it is cut off from their lips.

Cut off your hair and throw it away;
raise a lamentation on the bare heights,
for the LORD has rejected and forsaken
the generation that provoked his wrath.

For the people of Judah have done evil in my sight, says the LORD; they have set their abominations in the house that is called by my name, defiling it. And they go on building the high place of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire—which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind. Therefore, the days are surely coming, says the LORD, when it will no more be called Topheth, or the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of Slaughter: for they will bury in Topheth until there is no more room. The corpses of this people will be food for the birds of the air, and for the animals of the earth; and no one will frighten them away. And I will bring to an end the sound of mirth and gladness, the voice of the bride and bridegroom in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for the land shall become a waste.

Canticle: A Song of Praise
Song of the Three Young Men, 29-34

Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; *
you are worthy of praise; glory to you.
Glory to you for the radiance of your holy name; *
we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.

Glory to you in the splendor of your temple; *
on the throne of your majesty, glory to you.
Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim; *
we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.

Glory to you, beholding the depths; *
in the high vault of heaven, glory to you.
Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; *
we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.

Romans 4:13-25 (NRSV)

For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.

For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So numerous shall your descendants be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Therefore his faith “was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Now the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.

Canticle: A Song to the Lamb
Revelation 4:11, 5:9-10, 13

Splendor and honor and kingly power *
are yours by right, O Lord our God,
For you created everything that is, *
and by your will they were created and have their being;
And yours by right, O Lamb that was slain, *
for with your blood you have redeemed for God,
From every family, language, people, and nation, *
a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
And so, to him who sits upon the throne, *
and to Christ the Lamb,
Be worship and praise, dominion and splendor, *
for ever and for evermore.

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.

Living waters: Magnetawan River, Ontario. (Wikipedia)

John 7:37-52 (NRSV)

THE APOSTLES’ CREED

THE PRAYERS

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.

V. Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance;
R. Govern and uphold them, now and always.
V. Day by day we bless you;
R. We praise your Name for ever.
V. Lord, keep us from all sin today;
R. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
V. Lord, show us your love and mercy;
R. For we put our trust in you.
V. In you, Lord, is our hope;
R. And we shall never hope in vain.

Gerlach Flicke, 1545-46: Thomas Cranmer. Everything we do on this site is an outgrowth of the work of Archbishop Cranmer, who compiled, edited, translated and wrote parts of the first Book of Common Prayer, 1549. He simplified the monastic Offices into Morning and Evening Prayer – and best of all, he put them into English, not Latin, a change sought by reformers for more than a century. It cost him his life when the Protestant boy-king Edward died and his half-sister Mary took back the throne of England for the Pope.

Collect of the Day: Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury and Martyr, 1556

Collect for Tuesday in the Third Week of Lent

No U.S. or Allied Deaths in War Last Week
They Have Names, compiled since 2007 by Clint Gilliland

Total War Deaths: 8,365

Afghanistan: Total Deaths: 3,528
-no U.S. or allied casualties reported this past week

Iraq: Total Deaths: 4,837
-no U.S. or allied casualties reported this past week

Civilian Death Estimates
Iraq: 155,923 – 174,355 (Iraq Body Count Project, through March 2016)
Afghanistan: more than 26,000 (Costs of War, Brown University, through January 2015)

For Those in the Armed Forces of our Country

Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Collect for Peace

O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Please add your own intercessions, supplications and thanksgivings here.

Collect for Mission

Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen.

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14++

VIDEO: Christ whose glory fills the skies (#7, Ratisbon, German, 1524, adapt. William Henry Havergal, alt.; Charles Wesley) – Choir of 2nd Presbyterian, Indianapolis, 2012

Morning Prayer 19.3.17, Third Sunday of Lent

Posted on March 18, 2017 by Josh Thomas under Anglican, Country Life, Creation, Daily Office, England, Healing, Jesus Christ, Joy, Lent, Mission, Music Video, Parish Life, Prayer, UK, USA, Wales

From the least to the greatest of them,
everyone is greedy for unjust gain;
and from prophet to priest,
everyone deals falsely.

It’s bluebonnet time again near Austin, Texas, with vast swaths of the wildflowers suddenly appearing in fields, meadows and by the side of the road. (Jama Pantel)

Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34

INVITATORY AND PSALTER

Lord, open our lips.
And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

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 100
Jubilate

Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands;
serve the Lord with gladness
and come before his presence with a song.

Know this: The Lord himself is God;
he himself has made us, and we are his;
we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and call upon his Name.

For the Lord is good;
his mercy is everlasting;
and his faithfulness endures from age to age.

Psalm 93

1 You, O LORD, are Sovereign;
you have put on splendid apparel; *
you, O LORD have put on your apparel
and girded yourself with strength.
2 You have made the whole world so sure *
that it cannot be moved;
3 Ever since the world began, your throne has been established; *
you are from everlasting.
4 The waters have lifted up, O LORD,
the waters have lifted up their voice; *
the waters have lifted up their pounding waves.
5 Mightier than the sound of many waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea, *
mightier is the LORD who dwells on high.
6 Your testimonies are very sure, *
and holiness adorns your house, O LORD,
for ever and for evermore.

Psalm 96

1 Sing to the LORD a new song; *
sing to the LORD, all the whole earth.
2 Sing to the LORD and bless the LORD’s Name; *
proclaim the good news of salvation from day to day.
3 Declare the glory of the LORD among the nations *
and the wonders of the LORD among all peoples.
4 For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; *
more to be feared than all gods.
5 As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols; *
but it is the LORD who made the heavens.
6 Oh, the majesty and magnificence of the presence of the LORD! *
Oh, the power and the splendor of the sanctuary of our God!
7 Ascribe to the LORD, you families of the peoples; *
ascribe to the LORD honor and power.
8 Ascribe to the LORD the honor due the divine Name; *
come to the holy courts with your offerings.
9 Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness; *
let the whole earth tremble in awe.
10 Tell it out among the nations: “The LORD is Sovereign! *
the LORD has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved
and will judge the peoples with equity.”
11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
let the sea thunder and all that is in it; *
let the field be joyful and all that is therein.
12 Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy
before the LORD who is coming, *
who is coming to judge the earth.
13 The LORD will judge the world with righteousness *
and the peoples with truth.

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 LESSONS
Jeremiah 6:9-15 (NRSV)

Thus says the LORD of hosts:
Glean thoroughly as a vine
the remnant of Israel;
like a grape-gatherer, pass your hand again
over its branches.

To whom shall I speak and give warning,
that they may hear?
See, their ears are closed,
they cannot listen.
The word of the LORD is to them an object of scorn;
they take no pleasure in it.
But I am full of the wrath of the LORD;
I am weary of holding it in.
Pour it out on the children in the street,
and on the gatherings of young men as well;
both husband and wife shall be taken,
the old folk and the very aged.
Their houses shall be turned over to others,
their fields and wives together;
for I will stretch out my hand
against the inhabitants of the land,
says the LORD.

For from the least to the greatest of them,
everyone is greedy for unjust gain;
and from prophet to priest,
everyone deals falsely.
They have treated the wound of my people carelessly,
saying, “Peace, peace,”
when there is no peace.
They acted shamefully, they committed abomination;
yet they were not ashamed,
they did not know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown,
says the LORD.

Canticle: A Song of Penitence
Prayer of Manasseh, 1-2, 4, 6-7, 11-15

1 Corinthians 6:12-20 (NRSV)

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food,” and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, “The two shall be one flesh.” But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.

Canticle: Song of Zechariah
Luke 1:68-79

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.

Jesus heals the Gerasene demoniac. (artist unknown)

Mark 5:1-20 (NRSV)

They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit met him. He lived among the tombs; and no one could restrain him any more, even with a chain; for he had often been restrained with shackles and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the shackles he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always howling and bruising himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down before him; and he shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” For he had said to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” He begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now there on the hillside a great herd of swine was feeding; and the unclean spirits begged him, “Send us into the swine; let us enter them.” So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and were drowned in the sea.

The swineherds ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came to see what it was that had happened. They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the legion; and they were afraid. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed by demons begged him that he might be with him. But Jesus refused, and said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.

THE APOSTLES’ CREED

THE PRAYERS

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 our daily bread.
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.

Show us your mercy, O Lord;
And grant us your salvation.
Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
Let your people sing with joy.
Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
For only in you can we live in safety.
Lord, keep this nation under your care;
And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
Let your way be known upon earth;
Your saving health among all nations.
Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Create in us clean hearts, O God;
And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.

St. Giles’, Blaston, Leicestershire. The village of about 50 people is mentioned in the Domesday Book; the parish church was rebuilt in 1878. (geograph.org.uk)

Collect of the Day: Third Sunday in Lent

Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Collect for Sundays

O God, you make us glad with the weekly remembrance of the glorious resurrection of your Son our Lord: Give us this day such blessing through our worship of you, that the week to come may be spent in your favor; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sunday Morning Prayer List: Our Donors: thank you!

2017 DONORS
as of 18 March

Missioner – $1000 – 2499
Tom Alloway/James Beckwith (Canada)
Linda Barry
Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis
R. Nikolaus Merrell, in honor of Espanol Costa Rica
Mark Nelson
Peter and Beverly Van Horne

Vestrymember – $2500 – 4999
The Rev. Michael Corrigan

Please add your own prayers here.

Prayer for Mission

The General Thanksgiving

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14++

VIDEO: Immortal, invisible, God only wise (#423, St. Denio, Welsh, 1839, adapt. John Roberts; Walter Chalmers Smith, alt.) – BBC “Songs of Praise,” 2012

Evening Prayer 18.3.17, Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, 386

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Josh Thomas under American Indians, Anglican, Baptism, Canada, Daily Office, Evengelism, Haiti, Indigenous Peoples, Jesus Christ, Joy, Liberia, Mission, Music Video, Orthodoxy, Prayer, Trinity

There was considerable complaining about Jesus among the crowds. While some were saying, “He is a good man,” others were saying, “No, he is deceiving the crowd.” Yet no one would speak openly about him for fear of the Jews.

Bishops of the First Council of Nicaea in 325, depicted with King Constantine and the text of the Creed produced by the Council of Constantinople (381), which Cyril attended. The Creeds attempted to put down the Arian heresy and uphold the equal divinity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Wikipedia)

If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me, and the light around me turn to night,” darkness is not dark to you, O Lord; the night is as bright as the day; darkness and light to you are both alike. Psalm 139:10-11

GENERAL CONFESSION

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through the grace of Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

INVITATORY AND PSALTER

O God, be not far from us.
Come quickly to help us, O God.

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.

Hymn: Light of the World
Phos hilaron

Psalm 23

1 The LORD is my shepherd; *
I shall not be in want.
2 You make me lie down in green pastures *
and lead me beside still waters.
3 You revive my soul *
and guide me along right pathways for your Name’s sake.
4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil; *
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; *
you have anointed my head with oil,
and my cup is running over.
6 Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, *
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Psalm 27

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom then shall I fear? *
the LORD is the strength of my life;
of whom then shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers came upon me to eat up my flesh, *
it was they, my foes and my adversaries, who stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army should encamp against me, *
yet my heart shall not be afraid;
4 And though war should rise up against me, *
yet will I put my trust in the LORD.
5 One thing have I asked of the LORD;
one thing I seek; *
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life;
6 To behold the fair beauty of the LORD *
and to seek God in the temple.
7 For on the day of trouble the LORD shall shelter me in safety; *
the LORD shall hide me in the secrecy of the holy place
and set me high upon a rock.
8 Even now the LORD lifts up my head *
above my enemies round about me.
9 Therefore I will offer in the holy place an oblation
with sounds of great gladness; *
I will sing and make music to the LORD.
10 Hearken to my voice, O LORD, when I call; *
have mercy on me and answer me.
11 You speak in my heart and say, “Seek my face.” *
Your face, LORD, will I seek.
12 Hide not your face from me, *
nor turn away your servant in displeasure.
13 You have been my helper;
cast me not away; *
do not forsake me, O God of my salvation.
14 Though my father and my mother forsake me, *
the LORD will sustain me.
15 Show me your way, O LORD; *
lead me on a level path, because of my enemies.
16 Deliver me not into the hand of my adversaries, *
for false witnesses have risen up against me,
and also those who speak malice.
17 What if I had not believed
that I should see the goodness of the LORD *
in the land of the living!
18 O tarry and await the LORD’s pleasure;
be strong, and the LORD shall comfort your heart; *
wait patiently for the 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 LESSON
John 7:1-13 (NRSV)

After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He did not wish to go about in Judea because the Jews were looking for an opportunity to kill him. Now the Jewish festival of Booths was near. So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing; for no one who wants to be widely known acts in secret. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” (For not even his brothers believed in him.) Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify against it that its works are evil. Go to the festival yourselves. I am not going to this festival, for my time has not yet fully come.” After saying this, he remained in Galilee.

But after his brothers had gone to the festival, then he also went, not publicly but as it were in secret. The Jews were looking for him at the festival and saying, “Where is he?” And there was considerable complaining about him among the crowds. While some were saying, “He is a good man,” others were saying, “No, he is deceiving the crowd.” Yet no one would speak openly about him for fear of the Jews.

Canticle: The Song of Mary
Luke 1:46-55

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 APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

THE PRAYERS

When you think of Cyril, think of catechumens preparing for baptism, and say a prayer for those awaiting baptism in your own parish at Easter. He produced detailed lessons for those being instructed in the Christian faith, and those writings survive today. (iconographer unknown)

Collect of the Day: Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, 386

Strengthen, O Lord, the bishops of your Church in their special calling to be teachers and ministers of the Sacraments, so that they, like your servant Cyril of Jerusalem, may effectively instruct your people in Christian faith and practice; and that we, taught by them, may enter more fully into celebration of the Paschal mystery; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Collect for Saturday in the Second Week of Lent

Grant, most merciful Lord, to your faithful people pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve you with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Collect for Saturdays

O God, the source of eternal light: Shed forth your unending day upon us who watch for you, that our lips may praise you, our lives may bless you, and our worship on the morrow give you glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Anglican Cycle of Prayer: Diocese of Mbaise, Nigeria

Saturday Evening Prayer List: For the Church

For Our Mission Partners
Cuttington University School of Nursing, Liberia
The American Friends of Cuttington, New York
Colleges and Universities of the Anglican Communion, New York; Canon Jamie Callaway
Haiti Nursing Foundation
Diocese of Brasilia Afterschool Program, Brazil
Rosebud Episcopal Mission, South Dakota
St. André’s School, Mithon, Haiti

For Mission

O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Romans 15:13++

VIDEO: Not far beyond the sea (#422, Denise, Richard Baker; George B. Caird, alt.) – Trinity Anglican Church, Aurora, Ontario, 2015

Video Evensong 17.3.17, Patrick, Bishop & Missionary of Ireland, 461

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Josh Thomas under Anglican, Education, England, Episcopal Church, Evengelism, Evensong, Family Life, Ireland, Jesus Christ, Joy, Mission, Music Video, National Life, Philippines, Prayer, Students, UK, USA, Wales, Youth

You have never heard the Father’s voice or seen his form, and you do not have his word abiding in you, because you do not believe him whom he has sent.

A St. Patrick’s Day fundraiser last year at Trinity Church, Kirksville, Missouri: corned beef and cabbage, the traditional food of Irish-Americans – though some experts say it isn’t Irish at all. That’s our own Maria L. Evans, now a deacon, center. (parish photo)

I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” Luke 15:18-19

GENERAL CONFESSION

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through the grace of Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

INVITATORY AND PSALTER

O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.

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.

If possible, light a candle here.

VIDEO: O Trinity of Blessed Light (unidentified chant) – Durham University Chamber Choir, BBC “Songs of Praise,” 2013

Hymn: O Gracious Light
Phos hilaron

O gracious Light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.

VIDEO: Psalm 73:23-28 (writers uncredited) – Hangad, 2000

Psalm 73

1 Truly, God is good to Israel, *
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had nearly slipped; *
I had almost tripped and fallen;
3 Because I envied the proud *
and saw the prosperity of the wicked:
4 For they suffer no pain, *
and their bodies are sleek and sound;
5 In the misfortunes of others they have no share; *
they are not afflicted as others are;
6 Therefore they wear their pride like a necklace *
and wrap their violence about them like a cloak.
7 Their iniquity comes from gross minds, *
and their hearts overflow with wicked thoughts.
8 They scoff and speak maliciously; *
out of their haughtiness they plan oppression.
9 They set their mouths against the heavens, *
and their evil speech runs through the world.
10 And so the people turn to them *
and find in them no fault.
11 They say, “How should God know? *
is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 So then, these are the wicked; *
always at ease, they increase their wealth.
13 In vain have I kept my heart clean, *
and washed my hands in innocence.
14 I have been afflicted all day long, *
and punished every morning.
15 Had I gone on speaking this way, *
I should have betrayed the generation of your children.
16 When I tried to understand these things, *
it was too hard for me;
Until I entered the sanctuary of God *
and discerned the end of the wicked.
17 Surely, you set them in slippery places; *
you cast them down in ruin.
18 Oh, how suddenly do they come to destruction, *
come to an end, and perish from terror!
19 Like a dream when one awakens, O Lord, *
when you arise you will make their image vanish.
20 When my mind became embittered, *
I was sorely wounded in my heart.
21 I was stupid and had no understanding; *
I was like a brute beast in your presence.
22 Yet I am always with you; *
you hold me by my right hand.
23 You will guide me by your counsel, *
and afterwards receive me with glory.
24 Whom have I in heaven but you? *
and having you I desire nothing upon earth.
25 Though my flesh and my heart should waste away, *
God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.
26 Truly, those who forsake you will perish; *
you destroy all who are unfaithful.
27 But it is good for me to be near God; *
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge.
28 I will speak of all your works *
in the gates of the city of Zion.

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 LESSON
John 5:30-47 (NRSV)

Jesus said, “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

“If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies on my behalf, and I know that his testimony to me is true. You sent messengers to John, and he testified to the truth. Not that I accept such human testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But I have a testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father has given me to complete, the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified on my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen his form, and you do not have his word abiding in you, because you do not believe him whom he has sent.

“You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life. I do not accept glory from human beings. But I know that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the one who alone is God? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But if you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?”

VIDEO: Nunc dimittis in B minor (T. Tertius Noble) – Sheffield Chamber Choir at Peterborough Cathedral, 2012

Canticle: The Song of Simeon
Luke 2:29-32

Lord, you now have set your servant free *
to go in peace as you have promised;
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, *
whom you have prepared for all the world to see:
A Light to enlighten the nations, *
and the glory of your people Israel.

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 APOSTLES’ CREED

VIDEO: Apostles’ Creed – Igniter Media, 2013

THE PRAYERS

VIDEO: The Lord’s Prayer (Malotte) – Only Boys Aloud, BBC “Songs of Praise,” 2013

St. Patrick’s Day in New York City

Collect of the Day: Patrick, Bishop and Missionary of Ireland, 461

Almighty God, in your providence you chose your servant Patrick to be the apostle of the Irish people, to bring those who were wandering in darkness and error to the true light and knowledge of you: Grant us so to walk in that light, that we may come at last to the light of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Collect for Friday in the Second Week of Lent

Grant, O Lord, that as your Son Jesus Christ prayed for his enemies on the cross, so we may have grace to forgive those who wrongfully and scornfully use us, that we ourselves may be able to receive your forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Collect for Fridays

Lord Jesus Christ, by your death you took away the sting of death: Grant to us your servants so to follow in faith where you have led the way, that we may at length fall asleep peacefully in you and wake up in your likeness; for your tender mercies’ sake. Amen.

Anglican Cycle of Prayer: Diocese of Meath and Kildare, Ireland

Friday Evening Prayer List: For the Church

For Our Postulants for Ordination to the Diaconate
Hilary Greene, Diocese of Massachusetts

For our Seminarians & Their Schools
Shanna, Church Divinity School of the Pacific

St. Paul’s Theological College, Kenya
Scottish Episcopal Institute, UK
Seminary of the Southwest, Austin, Texas
Sewanee-The University of the South, Tennessee
Trinity University, Ontario
Virginia Theological Seminary, Virginia
Westcott House, Cambridge
Williams Theological Seminary, Japan
for the seminaries where we live

Please add your own prayers and supplications here.

Prayer for Mission

Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love’s sake. Amen.

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Romans 15:13++

VIDEO: Traditional Irish Blessing – video by seestaemli, 2007

Evening Prayer 1.3.17, Ash Wednesday

Posted on February 28, 2017 by Josh Thomas under Anglican, Australia, Calamity, Children, Creation, Episcopal Church, Family Life, Fast, Forgiveness, Jesus Christ, Justice, Lent, Mission, Monastics, Music Video, Myanmar, Parish Life, Peace among Nations, People We Shun, Prayer, Prisoners, Reconciliation, Repentance, UK, USA

Jesus told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector…”

Fr. Lane Hensley, Church of the Transfiguration, Palos Park, Illinois, 2000. (Chicago Tribune)

Fr. Lane Hensley, Church of the Transfiguration, Palos Park, Illinois, 2010. (Chicago Tribune)

GENERAL CONFESSION

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through the grace of Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

INVITATORY AND PSALTER

O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.

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.

Hymn: O Gracious Light

Psalm 102

1 LORD, hear my prayer, and let my cry come before you; *
hide not your face from me in the day of my trouble.
2 Incline your ear to me; *
when I call, make haste to answer me,
3 For my days drift away like smoke, *
and my bones are hot as burning coals.
4 My heart is smitten like grass and withered, *
so that I forget to eat my bread.
5 Because of the voice of my groaning *
I am but skin and bones.
6 I have become like a vulture in the wilderness, *
like an owl among the ruins.
7 I lie awake and groan; *
I am like a sparrow, lonely on a house-top.
8 My enemies revile me all day long, *
and those who scoff at me have taken an oath against me.
9 For I have eaten ashes for bread *
and mingled my drink with weeping.
10 Because of your indignation and wrath *
you have lifted me up and thrown me away.
11 My days pass away like a shadow, *
and I wither like the grass.
12 But you, O LORD, endure for ever, *
and your Name from age to age.
13 You will arise and have compassion on Zion,
for it is time to have mercy upon it; *
indeed, the appointed time has come.
14 For your servants love its very rubble, *
and are moved to pity even for its dust.
15 The nations shall fear your Name, O LORD, *
and all the kings of the earth your glory.
16 For you, O LORD, will build up Zion, *
and your glory will appear.
17 You will look with favor on the prayer of the homeless; *
you will not despise their plea.
18 Let this be written for a future generation, *
so that a people yet unborn may praise the LORD.
19 For the LORD looked down from the holy place on high; *
and from the heavens beheld the earth;
20 To hear the groan of the captive *
and to set free those condemned to die;
21 That they may declare in Zion the Name of the LORD, *
and the praise of our God in Jerusalem;
22 When the peoples are gathered together, *
and the realms also, to serve the LORD.
23 The LORD has brought down my strength before my time; *
and shortened the number of my days;
24 And I said, “O my God,
do not take me away in the midst of my days; *
your years endure throughout all generations.
25 In the beginning, O LORD, you laid the foundations of the earth, *
and the heavens are the work of your hands;
26 They shall perish, but you will endure;
they all shall wear out like a garment; *
as clothing you will change them,
and they shall be changed;
27 But you are always the same, *
and your years will never end.
28 The children of your servants shall continue, *
and their offspring shall stand fast in your sight.”

Psalm 130

1 Out of the depths have I called to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice; *
let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.
2 If you, LORD, were to note what is done amiss, *
O Lord, who could stand?
3 For there is forgiveness with you; *
therefore you shall be feared.
4 I wait for you, O LORD; my soul waits for you; *
in your word is my hope.
5 My soul waits for the LORD,
more than sentries for the morning, *
more than sentries for the morning.
6 O Israel, wait for the LORD, *
for with the LORD there is mercy;
7 There is plenteous redemption with the LORD, *
who shall redeem Israel from all their sins.

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.

Rebecca Brogan: Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (John the Baptist Artworks)

THE LESSON
Luke 18:9-14 (NRSV)

Jesus also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Canticle: The Song of Simeon
Luke 2:29-32

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.

(Jeff Cook/Quad City Times, 2008)

THE APOSTLES’ CREED

THE PRAYERS

The Rev. Tom Fehr, Chaplain of the Community of the Transfiguration in Cincinnati, Ohio, administered ashes to one of the Sisters last year. (Faith Lang)

Collect of the Day: Ash Wednesday

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Collect for Protection

O God, the life of all who live, the light of the faithful, the strength of those who labor, and the repose of the dead: We thank you for the blessings of the day that is past, and humbly ask for your protection through the coming night. Bring us in safety to the morning hours; through him who died and rose again for us, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

For the beauty of the Earth: roots of the ficus tree we saw this morning at St. Columba’s, Marathon, Florida. (The Rev. Michael Hartney)

For the Beauty of the Earth

We give you thanks, most gracious God, for the beauty of earth and sky and sea; for the richness of mountains, plains, and rivers; for the songs of birds and the loveliness of flowers. We praise you for these good gifts, and pray that we may safeguard them for our posterity. Grant that we may continue to grow in our grateful enjoyment of your abundant creation, to the honor and glory of your Name, now and for ever. Amen.

A Collect for Peace

Most holy God, the source of all good desires, all right judgments, and all just works: Give to us, your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, so that our minds may be fixed on the doing of your will, and that we, being delivered from the fear of all enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through the mercies of Christ Jesus our Savior. Amen.

Anglican Cycle of Prayer: Diocese of Mandalay, Myanmar

Wednesday Evening Prayer List

For Disaster Victims
Deadly floods in Chile, millions without water
Flooding in Southern California & the U.S. West
Drought in Southern Africa, India and Papua New Guinea
Refugee Crisis in the Middle East and Europe
Famine in Niger, Mali, Ethiopia and South Sudan

For Prisoners
Matthew
The Rev. Andrew Brunson, missionary in Turkey

Prisoners of ISIS & Boko Haram: #BringBackOurGirls
Victims of human trafficking, including U.S. & Australian detainees
Guantanamo; political prisoners

The innocent, the guilty, the victims of crime
Children and families of prisoners
Prison chaplains and ministries, especially Sally & Francesca
John P. Craine House, diversion and prevention programs
Sr. Helen Prejean and all prison reformers
All who are condemned to die

For those who suffer for the sake of Conscience

O God our Father, whose Son forgave his enemies while he was suffering shame and death: Strengthen those who suffer for the sake of conscience; when they are accused, save them from speaking in hate; when they are rejected, save them from bitterness; when they are imprisoned, save them from despair; and to us your servants, give grace to respect their witness and to discern the truth, that our society may be cleansed and strengthened. This we ask for the sake of Jesus Christ, our merciful and righteous Judge. Amen.

Prayer for Mission

O God and Father of all, whom the whole heavens adore: Let the whole earth also worship you, all nations obey you, all tongues confess and bless you, and men and women everywhere love you and serve you in peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to God from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen.++

VIDEO: Wilt thou forgive that sin (#140, Donne, John Hilton, alt.; John Donne) – Connor Burrowes, 2009

Morning Prayer 1.3.17, Ash Wednesday

Posted on February 28, 2017 by Josh Thomas under Anglican, Children, Creation, Episcopal Church, Fast, Healing, Jesus Christ, Justice, Lent, Mission, Music Video, Parish Life, Prayer, Reconciliation, Repentance, Roman Catholic Church, USA

And the LORD said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of the penitential season of Lent. Anglican and many other churches all over the world will be open for Holy Eucharist and the imposition of ashes as a reminder of our sin and mortality. It's a simple act, as seen at Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis, 2012. (Matt Detrich/The Indianapolis Star)

Today is Ash Wednesday, a day of fasting on the first day of Lent. Anglican and many other churches all over the world will be open for Holy Eucharist and the imposition of ashes as a reminder of our sin and mortality. It’s a simple act of reconciliation, as seen at Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis, in 2012; just line up and receive as the minister makes a cross on your forehead. (Matt Detrich/The Indianapolis Star)

CONFESSION OF SIN

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

INVITATORY AND PSALTER

Lord, open our lips.
And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

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 95 (PCP)
Venite

1 Come, let us sing to the Lord; *
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before God’s presence with thanksgiving; *
and raise a loud shout to the LORD with psalms.
3 For the LORD is a great God; *
and a great Sovereign above all gods.
4 The LORD holds the caverns of the earth; *
and sustains the heights of the hills.
5 The sea belongs to God, who made it, *
whose hands have molded the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *
and kneel before the LORD our Maker.
7 For the LORD is our God,
and we are the people of God’s pasture and the sheep of God’s hand. *
Oh, that today you would hearken to God’s voice!

8 Harden not your hearts,
as your ancestors did in the wilderness, *
at Meribah, and on that day at Massah,
when they tempted me.
9 They put me to the test, *
though they had seen my works.
10 Forty years long I detested that generation and said, *
“This people are wayward in their hearts;
they do not know my ways.”
11 So I swore in my wrath, *
“They shall not enter into my rest.”

Psalm 32

1 Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven, *
and whose sin is put away!
2 Happy are they to whom the LORD imputes no guilt, *
and in whose spirit there is no guile!
3 While I held my tongue, my bones withered away, *
because of my groaning all day long.
4 For your hand was heavy upon me day and night; *
my moisture was dried up as in the heat of summer.
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, *
and did not conceal my guilt.
6 I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” *
Then you forgave me the guilt of my sin.
7 Therefore all the faithful will make their prayers to you in time of trouble; *
when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach them.
8 You are my hiding-place;
you preserve me from trouble; *
you surround me with shouts of deliverance.
9 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go; *
I will guide you with my eye.
10 Do not be like horse or mule, which have no understanding; *
who must be fitted with bit and bridle,
or else they will not stay near you.”
11 Great are the tribulations of the wicked; *
but mercy embraces those who trust in the LORD.
12 Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the LORD; *
shout for joy, all who are true of heart.

Psalm 143

1 LORD, hear my prayer,
and in your faithfulness heed my supplications; *
answer me in your righteousness.
2 Enter not into judgment with your servant, *
for in your sight shall no one living be justified.
3 For my enemy has sought my life,
crushed me to the ground, *
and made me live in dark places like those who are long dead.
4 My spirit fails within me; *
my heart within me is desolate.
5 I remember the time past;
I muse upon all your deeds; *
I consider the works of your hands.
6 I spread out my hands to you; *
my soul gasps to you like a thirsty land.
7 O LORD, make haste to answer me; my spirit fails me; *
do not hide your face from me
or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
8 Let me hear of your loving-kindness in the morning,
for I put my trust in you; *
show me the road that I must walk,
for I lift up my soul to you.
9 Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD, *
for I flee to you for refuge.
10 Teach me to do what pleases you, for you are my God; *
let your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
11 Revive me, O LORD, for your Name’s sake; *
for your righteousness’ sake, bring me out of trouble.

12 Of your goodness, destroy my enemies
and bring all my foes to naught, *
for truly I am your servant.

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.

Jonah and the Bush. (Living the Lectionary blog)

Jonah and the Bush: poor me. (Living the Lectionary blog)

THE LESSONS
Jonah 3:1—4:11 (NRSV)

The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time, saying, “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth. When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish.” When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.

But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. He prayed to the LORD and said, “O LORD! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. And now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” And the LORD said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city. The LORD God appointed a bush, and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?” And he said, “Yes, angry enough to die.” Then the LORD said, “You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?”

Canticle: A Song of Repentance
Prayer of Manasseh, 1-2, 4, 6-7, 11-15

Hebrews 12:1-14 (NRSV)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as children—

“My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
or lose heart when you are punished by him;
for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves,
and chastises every child whom he accepts.”

Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline? If you do not have that discipline in which all children share, then you are illegitimate and not his children. Moreover, we had human parents to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not be even more willing to be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share his holiness. Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.

Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

Canticle: Song of Zechariah
Luke 1:68-79

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.

Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Iconographer unknown)

Luke 18:9-14 (NRSV)

THE APOSTLES’ CREED

THE PRAYERS

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.

Ila and Jack after Ash Wednesday services last year at St. Luke's, Monrovia, California. (from a friend on Facebook)

Ila and Jack after Ash Wednesday services last year at St. Luke’s, Monrovia, California. (Facebook)

Collect of the Day: Ash Wednesday

A Collect for Grace

For joy in God’s creation: a very large ficus tree a few years ago at St. Columba’s, Marathon, Florida. Tonight we’ll have a closeup of that root system. (The Rev. Michael Hartney)

For Joy in God’s Creation

Wednesday Morning Prayer List

Healing of Body, Mind & Soul
Sr. Charity, abdominal surgery and complications
Gary Sudyam, hit by car, spinal cord injuries
Michele Steele, cancer
Kathie Inboden, Stage II pancreatic cancer
Julie, RSD, suicide attempt
Jeanetta MacKay, recurrence of cancer
Jon, diabetic macular edema
Arthur Wilbur, advanced Parkinson’s
Marjorie, ovarian cancer
Nick, myeloma
Katherine, early Alzheimer’s, and her son Robert, early dementia
Fr.Doug Yarbrough, multiple sclerosis
Sr. Judy, breast cancer
Gayle, age 80, will to live
Cameron Lacy, acute leukemia
Clint’s daughter Julia Butcher, breast cancer
Rayell Segerstrom, melanoma
Ron, late stage brain cancer
Baylin, child with cancer
Martha’s brother Lewis
Fr. Robert Hughes, Parkinson’s
Treese, cancer recovery
Joan, chemo
Debbie, lupus
Honorary Deacon Clint, cancer
Clint’s daughter Julia Butcher, breast cancer recovery

For Caregivers & Families
Linda
Teresa

Please add your own intercessions, supplications and thanksgivings here.

Prayer for Mission

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

VIDEO: Burial of the Alleluia – St. John Cantius Church, Chicago, last Sunday

Daily Office Asia-Pacific

Be Joyful in the Lord, All Ye Lands

Category Archives: Anglican

Morning Prayer 10.4.17, Monday in Holy Week

Morning Prayer 5.4.17, Pandita Mary Ramabai, Prophetic Witness & Evangelist in India, 1922

Morning Prayer 26.3.17, Charles Henry Brent, Bishop of the Philippines, & of Western New York, 1929

Evening Prayer 21.3.17, Thomas Cranmer, Author & Editor of The Book of Common Prayer, Martyred 1556

Morning Prayer 21.3.17, Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury & Martyr, 1556

Morning Prayer 19.3.17, Third Sunday of Lent

Evening Prayer 18.3.17, Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, 386

Video Evensong 17.3.17, Patrick, Bishop & Missionary of Ireland, 461

Evening Prayer 1.3.17, Ash Wednesday

Morning Prayer 1.3.17, Ash Wednesday