Morning Prayer 2.5.17, Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, 373

In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

You may have seen the headlines about famine in South Sudan, and you may have prayed with us for the relief of the people there and an end to the fighting; none of what’s been said is an abstraction. Men, women and children are dying of starvation for no reason except human greed and hatred, while world politicians bicker, flail and change the subject. But this photo shows what God sees, and if we are followers of Christ, we must see it too. These folks are actually the lucky ones; they are still alive, but barely, and someone is trying to help. (Lauren Harnett/Oxfam International)

Christ has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Hebrews 9:24

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.

Christ Our Passover
1 Cor. 5:7-8; Rom. 6:9-11; 1 Cor. 15:20-22

Alleluia.
Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us; *
therefore let us keep the feast,
Not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, *
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Alleluia.

Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; *
death no longer has dominion over him.
The death that he died, he died to sin, once for all; *
but the life he lives, he lives to God.
So also consider yourselves dead to sin, *
and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Alleluia.

Christ has been raised from the dead, *
the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since by a man came death, *
by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, *
so also in Christ shall all be made alive. Alleluia.

Psalm 26

1  Give judgment for me, O LORD,
for I have lived with integrity; *
I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered.
2  Test me, O LORD, and try me; *
examine my heart and my mind.
3  For your love is before my eyes; *
I have walked faithfully with you.
4  I have not sat with the worthless, *
nor do I consort with the deceitful.
5  I have hated the company of evildoers; *
I will not sit down with the wicked.
6  I will wash my hands in innocence, O LORD, *
that I may go in procession round your altar,
7  Singing aloud a song of thanksgiving *
and recounting all your wonderful deeds.
8  LORD, I love the house in which you dwell *
and the place where your glory abides.
9  Do not sweep me away with sinners, *
nor my life with those who thirst for blood,
10  Whose hands are full of evil plots, *
and their right hand full of bribes.
11  As for me, I will live with integrity, *
redeem me, O LORD, and have pity on me.
12  My foot stands on level ground; *
in the full assembly I will bless the LORD.

Psalm 28

1  O LORD, I call to you;
my Rock, do not be deaf to my cry; *
lest, if you do not hear me,
I become like those who go down to the Pit.
2  Hear the voice of my prayer when I cry out to you, *
when I lift up my hand to your holy of holies.
3  Do not snatch me away with the wicked or with the evildoers, *
who speak peaceably with their neighbors,
while strife is in their hearts.
4  Repay them according to their deeds, *
and according to the wickedness of their actions.
5  According to the work of their hands repay them, *
and give them their just deserts.
6  O LORD, they have no understanding of your doings,
nor of the works of your hands; *
therefore you will break them down and not build them up.
7  Blessed is the LORD! *
for you have heard the voice of my prayer.
8  The LORD is my strength and my shield; *
my heart trusts in you, and I have been helped;
9  Therefore my heart dances for joy, *
and in my song will I praise you.
10  You, O LORD, are the strength of your people, *
a safe refuge for your anointed.
11  Save your people and bless your inheritance; *
shepherd them and carry them 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.

William Blake: Nebuchadnezzar crawling on hands and knees. (Tate Gallery, London)

THE LESSONS
Daniel 4:28-37 (NRSV)

All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, and the king said, “Is this not magnificent Babylon, which I have built as a royal capital by my mighty power and for my glorious majesty?” While the words were still in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven: “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: The kingdom has departed from you! You shall be driven away from human society, and your dwelling shall be with the animals of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like oxen, and seven times shall pass over you, until you have learned that the Most High has sovereignty over the kingdom of mortals and gives it to whom he will.” Immediately the sentence was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven away from human society, ate grass like oxen, and his body was bathed with the dew of heaven, until his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers and his nails became like birds’ claws. When that period was over, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me.

I blessed the Most High,
and praised and honored the one who lives forever.
For his sovereignty is an everlasting sovereignty,
and his kingdom endures from generation to generation.

All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
and he does what he wills with the host of heaven
and the inhabitants of the earth.
There is no one who can stay his hand
or say to him, “What are you doing?”

At that time my reason returned to me; and my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom. My counselors and my lords sought me out, I was re-established over my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven,

for all his works are truth,
and his ways are justice;
and he is able to bring low.

Canticle:  A Song of Pilgrimage
Ecclesiasticus 51:13-16, 20b-22

Before I ventured forth,
even while I was very young, *
I sought wisdom openly in my prayer.
In the forecourts of the temple I asked for her, *
and I will seek her to the end.
From first blossom to early fruit, *
she has been the delight of my heart.
My foot has kept firmly to the true path, *
diligently from my youth have I pursued her.
I inclined my ear a little and received her; *
I found for myself much wisdom and became adept in her.
To the one who gives me wisdom will I give glory, *
for I have resolved to live according to her way.
From the beginning I gained courage from her, *
therefore I will not be forsaken.
In my inmost being I have been stirred to seek her, *
therefore have I gained a good possession.
As my reward the Almighty has given me the gift of language,*
and with it will I offer praise to 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.

1 John 4:7-21 (NRSV)

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us. Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

Canticle: A Song of Faith
1 Peter 1:3-4, 18-21

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, *
by divine mercy we have a new birth into a living hope;
Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, *
we have an inheritance that is imperishable in heaven.
The ransom that was paid to free us *
was not paid in silver or gold,
But in the precious blood of Christ, *
the Lamb without spot or stain.
God raised Jesus from the dead and gave him glory *
so that we might have faith and hope in 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.

Luke 4:31-37 (NRSV)

Jesus went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and was teaching them on the sabbath. They were astounded at his teaching, because he spoke with authority. In the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Let us alone! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” When the demon had thrown him down before them, he came out of him without having done him any harm. They were all amazed and kept saying to one another, “What kind of utterance is this? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and out they come!” And a report about him began to reach every place in the region.

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.  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.

Athanasius, Patriarch of Alexandria, was the greatest defender of Christ as both Son and Equal of God the Father. He wrote, “The Savior of us all, the Word of God, in his great love took to himself a body and moved as Man among men, meeting their senses, so to speak, halfway. He became himself an object for the senses, so that those who were seeking God in sensible things might apprehend the Father through the works which he, the Word of God, did in the body.” He battled with Arius, whose heresy denying Christ’s equality with God was probably the biggest threat to Trinitarian belief in church history. (Giovanni D’Allorto, sculptor, Catania, Sicily)

Collect of the Day: Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, 373

Uphold your Church, O God of truth, as you upheld your servant Athanasius, to maintain and proclaim boldly the catholic faith against all opposition, trusting solely in the grace of your eternal Word, who took upon himself our humanity that we might share his divinity; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

2 More Americans Killed in Afghan War Last Week
They Have Names, compiled since 2007 by Clint Gilliland

Total War Deaths: 8,371

Iraq: Total Deaths: 4,839
-no U.S. or allied casualties reported this past week

Afghanistan: Total Deaths: 3,532
RODGERS, Joshua P., 22, SGT, US Army, Bloomington, IL, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment
THOMAS, Cameron H., 23, SGT, US Army, Kettering, OH, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment

The two U.S. service members killed fighting ISIS in Afghanistan in April 2017 were both decorated Army Rangers from the American heartland who were on their third deployments. The U.S. Army has identified the soldiers as Sgt. Joshua P. Rodgers, 22, who was assigned to Company C, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, and stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia and Sgt. Cameron H. Thomas, 23, who was assigned to Company D, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, also at Fort Benning. The Pentagon is investigating whether the men were killed by friendly fire, ABC News reported. Both service members were killed while conducting combat operations against ISIS in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, in the area near where the U.S. recently dropped the “Mother of All Bombs” on the terrorist organization, the military said.

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. Alleluia, alleluia.
Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.

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: I need thee every hour (I Need Thee, Robert Lowry; Annie S. Hawks, refrain by Robert Lowry) – Coon Rapids United Methodist Church, Michigan, 2014

Morning Prayer 15.3.17, Wednesday of Lent 2

There will be anguish and distress for everyone who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek.

SOS, Save Our Selves: A slick production it’s not, but this anti-bullying/suicide prevention brochure is by kids and for kids on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, where there is a terrible youth suicide rate. Kids wrote it and drew it, Mother Lauren R. Stanley pulled together the resources for it with the help of two churches and the local lumber yard, and now it’s being distributed to every student at the Todd County Middle School. Nor is the problem confined to reservations; any community can suffer a sudden epidemic of children and teenagers trying to harm themselves. Adults have to take notice and begin intervening at once. Youth can feel racism and rejection so acutely that it becomes deadly. (Rosebud Episcopal Mission)

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

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 (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 72

1  Give the king your justice, O God, *
and your righteousness to the king’s son;
2  That he may rule your people righteously *
and the poor with justice;
3  That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people, *
and the little hills bring righteousness.
4  He shall defend the needy among the people, *
and shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.
5  He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure, *
from one generation to another.
6  He shall come down like rain upon the mown field, *
like showers that water the earth.
7  In his time shall the righteous flourish; *
there shall be abundance of peace till the moon shall be no more.
8  He shall rule from sea to sea, *
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9  His foes shall bow down before him, *
and his enemies lick the dust.
10  The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute, *
and the rulers of Arabia and Saba offer gifts.
11  All kings shall bow down before him, *
and all the nations do him service.
12  For he shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress, *
and the oppressed who has no helper.
13  He shall have pity on the lowly and poor; *
and shall preserve the lives of the needy.
14  He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence, *
and dear shall their blood be in his sight.
15  Long may he live!
and may there be given to him gold from Arabia; *
may prayer be made for him always,
and may they bless him all the day long.
16  May there be abundance of grain on the earth,
growing thick even on the hilltops; *
may its fruit flourish like Lebanon,
and its grain like grass upon the earth.
17  May his name remain for ever
and be established as long as the sun endures; *
may all the nations bless themselves in him and call him blessed.

18  Blessed be the Lord GOD, the God of Israel, *
who alone does wondrous deeds!
19  And blessed be God’s glorious Name for ever! *
and may all the earth be filled with the glory of the LORD.
Amen. Amen.

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 3:6-18 (NRSV)

The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and played the whore there? And I thought, “After she has done all this she will return to me”; but she did not return, and her false sister Judah saw it. She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce; yet her false sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore. Because she took her whoredom so lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. Yet for all this her false sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but only in pretense, says the LORD.

Then the LORD said to me: Faithless Israel has shown herself less guilty than false Judah. Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say:

Return, faithless Israel,
says the LORD.
I will not look on you in anger,
for I am merciful,
says the LORD;
I will not be angry forever.
Only acknowledge your guilt,
that you have rebelled against the LORD your God,
and scattered your favors among strangers under every green tree,
and have not obeyed my voice,
says the LORD.
Return, O faithless children,
says the LORD,
for I am your master;
I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,
and I will bring you to Zion.

I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. And when you have multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, says the LORD, they shall no longer say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD.” It shall not come to mind, or be remembered, or missed; nor shall another one be made. At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no longer stubbornly follow their own evil will. In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your ancestors for a heritage.

Canticle: A Song of Repentance
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 1:28 – 2:11 (NRSV)

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind and to things that should not be done. They were filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, craftiness, they are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, rebellious toward parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. They know God’s decree, that those who practice such things deserve to die—yet they not only do them but even applaud others who practice them.

Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. You say, “We know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is in accordance with truth.” Do you imagine, whoever you are, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. For he will repay according to each one’s deeds: to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; while for those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be anguish and distress for everyone who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.

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.

Nathan Greene: Christ Heals at the Pool of Bethesda

John 5:1-18 (NRSV)

After this there was a festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.” Jesus said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk.” At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk. Now that day was a sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, “It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.” But he answered them, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your mat and walk.'” They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take it up and walk’?” Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had disappeared in the crowd that was there. Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse happens to you.” The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. Therefore the Jews started persecuting Jesus, because he was doing such things on the sabbath.

But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, and I also am working.” For this reason the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because he was not only breaking the sabbath, but was also calling God his own Father, thereby making himself equal to God.

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.  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.

The UN is now calling famine across Africa and parts of Asia the worst humanitarian disaster since World War II, with Yemen and South Sudan in the most danger of starvation. (BBC)

Collect for Wednesday in the Second Week of Lent

O God, you so loved the world that you gave your only-begotten Son to reconcile earth with heaven: Grant that we, loving you above all things, may love our friends in you, and our enemies for your sake; 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: glasswing butterfly. (The Nature Gallery)

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
Ann Brewster, chemotherapy
Ashlee, assault victim, and Jason, her husband
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

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: How deep the Father’s love for us (Stuart Townend) – Selah, 2011

Evening Prayer 21.2.17, John Henry Newman, Priest & Theologian, 1890

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

The United Nations announced yesterday that hunger in South Sudan is now so widespread it is considered a famine, with a quarter million children malnourished and millions of adults in urgent need of food. The young nation is torn apart by civil war, with rival ethnic groups engaging in barbarities to control the oil money. Relief convoys in the hardest-hit areas have been attacked by both sides, and drought, predicted later this year, adds to the pain. Above: women waiting for food in the town of Bentiu in October. (Kate Holt/UNICEF)

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; let the whole earth tremble before the Holy One. Psalm 96:9

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. Alleluia.

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 124

1  If the LORD had not been on our side, *
let Israel now say;
2  If the LORD had not been on our side, *
when enemies rose up against us;
3  Then would they have swallowed us up alive *
in their fierce anger toward us;
4  Then would the waters have overwhelmed us *
and the torrent gone over us;
5  Then would the raging waters *
have gone right over us.
6  Blessed be the LORD, *
who has not given us over to be a prey for their teeth.
7  We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler; *
the snare is broken, and we have escaped.
8  Our help is in the Name of the LORD, *
the maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 125

1  Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, *
which cannot be moved, but stands fast for ever.
2  The hills stand about Jerusalem; *
so does the LORD stand round about the chosen people,
from this time forth for evermore.
3  The scepter of the wicked shall not hold sway over the land allotted to the just, *
so that the just shall not put their hands to evil.
4  Show your goodness, O LORD, to those who are good *
and to those who are true of heart.
5  As for those who turn aside to crooked ways,
the LORD will lead them away with the evildoers; *
but peace be upon Israel.

Psalm 126

1  When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, *
then were we like those who dream.
2  Then was our mouth filled with laughter, *
and our tongue with shouts of joy.
3  Then they said among the nations, *
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
4  The LORD has done great things for us, *
and we are glad indeed.
5  Restore our fortunes, O LORD, *
like the watercourses of the Negev.
6  Those who sowed with tears *
will reap with songs of joy.
7  Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed, *
will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves.

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
Matthew 5:13-20 (NRSV)

Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

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

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

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.

John Henry Newman was a founder of the Oxford Movement and author of the famous Tract 90, which provoked a storm of controversy. He argued against “sola scriptura,” or taking the Bible as the only source of teaching authority. Eventually he fled to the Roman Catholic Church, though his relationships there were stormy too.

Collect of the Day: John Henry Newman, Priest and Theologian, 1890

God of all wisdom, we offer thanks for John Henry Newman, whose eloquence bore witness that your Church is one, holy, catholic and apostolic, even amid the changes and cares of this world: Grant that, inspired by his words and example, we may ever follow your kindly light till we rest in your bosom, with your dear Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit; for you live and reign, one God, now and for 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 Maine, USA

Tuesday Evening Prayer List

For the Departed
Vinton, Yvonne’s brother-in-law
Martha’s brother Marcus
Olga
Jack

For Those Who Mourn
Martha & family
Woltering Family
Paul
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.

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: 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) (Matt Redman) – Rinu Koshy, last month

Evening Prayer 11.2.17, Fanny Crosby, Hymnwriter, 1915

When Bartimaeus heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

The Episcopal Diocese of Olympia in Washington State has sued to block the Trump Administration from enforcing its “Muslim ban” on religious grounds, saying that the church’s longtime refugee resettlement office, which handles 190 cases a year, is an integral part of the church’s mission. A dozen refugees vetted by the State Department and slated to arrive in Seattle this week were stranded at the airport in Kuwait while the order was put into effect, but have since been cleared and were scheduled to arrive yesterday. Above: a lucky Syrian refugee family who arrived in Chicago Tuesday after a Federal judge issued a temporary injunction against the government’s ban; the diocese’s suit seeks to nullify it permanently. (Kamil Krzaczynski/Reuters)

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

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. Alleluia.

Hymn: Light of the World
Phos hilaron

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 136

1  Give thanks to the LORD, who is good, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever.
2  Give thanks to the God of gods, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever.
3  Give thanks to the Lord of lords, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever.
4  Who only does great wonders, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
5  Who by wisdom made the heavens, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
6  Who spread out the earth upon the waters, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
7  Who created great lights, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
8  The sun to rule the day, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
9  The moon and the stars to govern the night, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever.
10  Who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
11  And brought out Israel from among them, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
12  With a mighty hand and a stretched-out arm, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
13  Who divided the Red Sea in two, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
14  And made Israel to pass through the midst of it, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
15  But swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
16  Who led the chosen people through the wilderness, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
17  Who struck down great rulers, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
18  And slew mighty kings, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
19  Sihon, king of the Amorites, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
20  And Og, the king of Bashan, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
21  And gave away their lands for an inheritance, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
22  An inheritance for Israel, the chosen servant, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
23  Who remembered us in our low estate, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
24  And delivered us from our enemies, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
25  Who gives food to all creatures, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever.
26  Give thanks to the God of heaven, *
for the mercy of God endures 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.

Bartimaeus; artist unknown. So much art focuses on Christ’s act of healing, but this work fastens instead on what it is like to receive his touch.

THE LESSON
Mark 10:46-52 (NRSV)

They came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

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

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

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.

Trinity Church, Kirksville, Missouri held a Parish Night Out Friday evening at a restaurant called the Take Root Café, a nonprofit eatery where payment is voluntary and college students eat free. City residents have been so generous in their overpayments that the café can afford to give away several hundred meals, so no one needs to go hungry. The parish’s newly ordained Deacon (and our Missioner) Maria L. Evans is now holding office hours there at lunchtime one day a week for anyone who wants to talk. (parish photo)

Collect of the Day: Frances Jane Van Alstyne Crosby, Hymnwriter, 1915

O God, the blessed assurance of all who trust in you: We give you thanks for your servant Fanny Crosby, and we pray that we, inspired by her words and example, may rejoice to sing ever of your love, praising our Savior all the day long; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for 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 Lui, South Sudan

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: To God be the glory (William Howard Doane; Fanny Crosby) – BBC “Songs of Praise,” 2014

Evening Prayer 5.10.16, Twentieth Ordinary Wednesday

Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them.

Gloria Naylor has died, the author whose first novel, “The Women of Brewster Place,” won the National Book Award in 1983, and was soon made into a successful miniseries by Oprah Winfrey. Ms. Naylor was part of a wave of talented African-American women writers, including Toni Morrison and Alice Walker, who first achieved critical and commercial success in the late ’70s and ’80s, giving voice to vivid female characters whose stories of racism, sexism, poverty, violence and Gay rights had seldom been told. (Tom Keller/Associated Press)

Yours is the day, O God, yours also the night; you established the moon and the sun. You fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter. Psalm 74:15-16

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. Alleluia.

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.

Psalm 128 (PCP)

1  Happy are they all who fear the LORD, *
and who follow in the ways of the LORD!
2  You, O man, shall eat the fruit of your labor; *
happiness and prosperity shall be yours.
3  Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, *
your children like olive shoots round about your table.
4  The husband who fears the LORD *
shall thus indeed be blessed.
5  The LORD bless you from Zion, *
and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
6  May you live to see your children’s children; *
may peace be upon Israel.

Psalm 129

1  ”Greatly have they oppressed me since my youth,” *
let Israel now say;
2  ”Greatly have they oppressed me since my youth, *
but they have not prevailed against me.”
3  The plowers plowed upon my back *
and made their furrows long.
4  The LORD, the Righteous One, *
has cut the cords of the wicked.
5  Let them be put to shame and thrown back, *
all those who are enemies of Zion.
6  Let them be like grass upon the housetops, *
which withers before it can be plucked;
7  Which does not fill the hand of the reaper, *
nor the bosom of those who bind the sheaves;
8  So that those who go by say not so much as,
“The LORD prosper you. *
We wish you well in the Name of the LORD.”

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.

THE LESSON
Luke 7:18-35 (NRSV)

The disciples of John reported all these things to him. So John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” When the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?'” Jesus had just then cured many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind. And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”

When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who put on fine clothing and live in luxury are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written,

‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’

I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” (And all the people who heard this, including the tax collectors, acknowledged the justice of God, because they had been baptized with John’s baptism. But by refusing to be baptized by him, the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves.)

“To what then will I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,

‘We played the flute for you,
and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not weep.’

For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Nevertheless, wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

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

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 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

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.

Windows at Trinity Church, Wall Street, New York City. (parish photo)

Collect of the Day: Proper 22

Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior; 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: Valley of the Ten Peaks and Moraine Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. (Wikipedia)

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.

Wednesday Evening Prayer List

For Disaster Victims
Victims of Hurricane Matthew in the Caribbean
Drought in Southern Africa, India and Papua New Guinea
Refugee Crisis in the Middle East and Europe
Famine in Ethiopia and South Sudan
Civil war in Syria

For Prisoners
Matthew

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: Breathe on me, breath of God (#508, Trentham, Robert Jackson; Edwin Hatch) – New Apostolic Church Choirs, Cape Town, South Africa, 2008

Morning Prayer 14.9.16, Holy Cross Day

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

Refugees from the civil war in South Sudan, at a camp in Adjumani, Uganda. These are the lucky ones; they’ve got pots and something to put in them, while hundreds of thousands more have been forced out of their villages and into the forest and rivers to live or die on their own. Worst of all was a report this week that the leaders of the two warring factions, the president and vice president, are skimming tens of millions of dollars in oil money for themselves and their families, buying up luxury properties all over the world. The helpless victims of the war have nowhere to turn, while their friends throughout the Anglican Communion pray, worry and feel equally powerless. (Stephen Wandera/Associated Press

You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. Ephesians 2:19

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. Alleluia.

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 66

1  Be joyful in God, all you lands; *
sing the glory of God’s Name;
sing the glory of God’s praise.
2  Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! *
because of your great strength your enemies cringe before you.
3  All the earth bows down before you, *
sings to you, sings out your Name.”
4  Come now and see the works of God, *
how wonderful God’s actions toward all people.
5  God turned the sea into dry land,
so that they went through the water on foot, *
and there we rejoiced in God.
6  In might God rules for ever
and keeps watch over the nations; *
let no rebel rise up against God.
7  Bless our God, you peoples; *
make the voice of praise to be heard.
8  God holds our souls in life, *
and will not allow our feet to slip.
9  For you, O God, have proved us; *
you have tried us just as silver is tried.
10  You brought us into the snare; *
you laid heavy burdens upon our backs.
11  You let enemies ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water; *
but you brought us out into a place of refreshment.

12  I will enter your house with burnt-offerings
and will pay you my vows, *
which I promised with my lips
and spoke with my mouth when I was in trouble.
13  I will offer you sacrifices of fat beasts
with the smoke of rams; *
I will give you oxen and goats.
14  Come and listen, all you who fear God, *
and I will tell you what God has done for me.
15  I cried out with my mouth, *
and God’s praise was on my tongue.
16  If I had found evil in my heart, *
the Lord would not have heard me;
17  But in truth God has heard me *
and attended to the voice of my prayer.
18  Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer, *
nor withheld steadfast love from me.

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.

Moses and the Bronze Serpent; source unknown.

THE LESSONS
Numbers 21:4-9 (NRSV)

From Mount Hor the Israelites set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.” Then the LORD sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD to take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

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.

John 3:11-17 (NRSV)

Jesus said, “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

Canticle: We Praise You, O God
Te Deum laudamus

We praise you, O God,
we acclaim you as Lord;
All creation worships you,
the Father everlasting.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
the cherubim and seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you:
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you took our flesh to set us free
you humbly chose the Virgin’s womb.
You overcame the sting of death
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come to be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints
to glory everlasting.

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 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.  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.

(Giotto di Bondone)

Collect of the Day: Holy Cross Day

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ was lifted high upon the cross that he might draw the whole world to himself: Mercifully grant that we, who glory in the mystery of our redemption, may have grace to take up our cross and follow him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. 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.

Sunrise at Lanaka’i Beach, Oahu, Hawai’i: for joy in God’s creation. (Richard Drake Photography)

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
Treese, radiation & chemo
Bob Hetler, cardiac issues
Debbie Brooner, adenocarcinoma
Gail Hart
Joan, chemo
Brother Barnabas, Parkinson’s
Lyle, multiple myeloma
Fr. Robert Hughes, Parkinson’s
Debbie
Honorary Deacon Clint, soul-medic

For Caregivers & Families
Paul

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.

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 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: Lift High the Cross (#473, Crucifer, Sydney Hugo Nicholson; George William Kitchin, alt.) – Trinity Church, Fredonia, New York, 2008

Evening Prayer 16.5.16, The Martyrs of Sudan (Whit Monday)

Blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.

Climate change may be a disputed scientific theory to some in the West, but it’s an ongoing reality in the Diocese of Polynesia, as scientists announced last week that five Pacific islands have disappeared and six more are losing coastal areas to rising waters. In an address to General Synod of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, Fe’i Tevi urged a stronger response to future natural disasters in the island nations, including rapid response teams, linking with disaster relief agencies, longterm twinning of parishes and disaster training programs for youth. Recalling the damage done by Cyclones Winston and Pam, he called on delegates to move from sympathy to action; outdated food and second-hand clothes are much less useful than the container full of building materials and tools sent by a priest from Christchurch, where 185 people were killed in the 2011 earthquake. (Anglican Taonga)

On this day the Lord has acted; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

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. Alleluia.

Hymn: O Gracious Light

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.

Psalm 4

1  Answer me when I call, O God, defender of my cause; *
you set me free when I am hard-pressed;
have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
2  ”You mortals, how long will you dishonor my glory; *
how long will you worship dumb idols
and run after false gods?”
3  Know that the LORD does wonders for the faithful; *
when I cry out, the LORD will hear me.
4  Tremble, then, and do not sin; *
speak to your heart in silence upon your bed.
5  Offer the appointed sacrifices *
and put your trust in the LORD.
6  Many are saying, “Oh, that we might see better times!” *
Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O LORD.
7  You have put gladness in my heart, *
more than when grain and wine and oil increase.
8  I lie down in peace; at once I fall asleep; *
for only you, LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 7

1  O LORD my God, I take refuge in you; *
save and deliver me from all who pursue me;
2  Lest like a lion they tear me in pieces *
and snatch me away with none to deliver me.
3  O LORD my God, if I have done these things: *
if there is any wickedness in my hands,
4  If I have repaid my friend with evil, *
or plundered anyone who without cause is my enemy;
5  Then let my enemy pursue and overtake me, *
trample my life into the ground,
and lay my honor in the dust.
6  Stand up, O LORD, in your wrath; *
rise up against the fury of my enemies.
7  Awake, O my God, decree justice; *
let the assembly of the peoples gather round you.
8  Be seated on your lofty throne, O Most High; *
O LORD, judge the nations.
9  Give judgment for me according to my righteousness, O LORD, *
and according to my innocence, O Most High.
10  Let the malice of the wicked come to an end,
but establish the righteous; *
for you test the mind and heart, O righteous God.
11  God is my shield and defense; *
he is the savior of the true in heart.
12  God is a righteous judge; *
God sits in judgment every day.
13  If they will not repent, God will whet a sword; *
bending a bow and making it ready.
14  God has prepared weapons of death; *
making arrows into shafts of fire.
15  Look at those who are in labor with wickedness, *
who conceive evil, and give birth to a lie.
16  They dig a pit and make it deep *
and fall into the hole that they have made.
17  Their malice turns back upon their own head; *
their violence falls on their own scalp.
18  I will bear witness that the LORD is righteous; *
I will praise the Name of the LORD Most High.

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
Matthew 11:1-6 (NRSV)

Now when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their cities. When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”

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

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 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

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.

An Episcopal priest in South Sudan giving a public prayer. Today was chosen to commemorate the martyrs because on 16 May 1983, Anglican and Roman Catholic clergy signed a declaration that they would not abandon Christ even under threat of Shariah law. Persecutions increased in the next several years, including the murder of clergy and lay leaders; the burning of churches, hospitals, schools and Christian villages; and bombings at Sunday services. Mostly-Muslim Sudan and mostly-Christian South Sudan separated as a result of a plebiscite and subsequent treaty in 2011; civil war has continued in the South as tribes and political factions fight for control of oil and other resources. (David Copley)

Collect of the Day: The Martyrs of the Sudan

O God, steadfast in the midst of persecution, by your providence the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church: As the martyrs of the Sudan refused to abandon Christ even in the face of torture and death, and so by their sacrifice brought forth a plentiful harvest, may we, too, be steadfast in our faith in Jesus Christ; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and 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.

Monday Evening Prayer List: Thanksgivings

New Facebook page for St. John’s/LUM Food Pantry
Those who give to food banks and pantries, and all who receive
Our new portal page and Facebook page for dailyoffice.org
New subscribers to Oficio Diario
Our mission partners in Haiti, Liberia, Brazil and on the Rosebud Reservation
Community Health Centers and Free Clinics

A Collect 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.

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: The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended (#24, St. Clement, Clement C. Scholefield; John Ellerton) – Abbey School, Tewkesbury, 2009

Morning Prayer 16.5.16, The Martyrs of Sudan

The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

Ugandan-born Dr. Anne Deborah Atai-Omoruto has died of cancer at 59, one of the heroes of the fight against Ebola in Liberia. At the request of the World Health Organization, she headed a team of 14 Ugandans who set up a special clinic in Monrovia, the capital, and trained over 1000 Liberian health workers in handling the disease. When her team arrived the country was in panic, NGOs were running away and other governments refused to send medics; a week later the panic went worldwide after the diagnosis of a Liberian in the USA, Thomas Duncan, who died in Dallas in October 2014. With her aggressive, no-nonsense style she clashed with bureaucrats and politicians, but won support from patients and families. Her clinic took some of the sickest patients, saved as many as they could, and helped suppress the virus. Liberia was the hardest hit country in the region, with 10,700 infected and 4800 dead. Her passing is a loss to all of medicine and all of Africa. (Zoom Dosso/Agence France-Presse)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2

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. Alleluia.

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 the Lord is 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 1

1  Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, *
nor lingered in the way of sinners,
nor sat in the seats of the scornful!
2  Their delight is in the law of the LORD, *
and on this law they meditate day and night.
3  They are like trees planted by streams of water,
bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither; *
everything they do shall prosper.
4  It is not so with the wicked; *
they are like chaff which the wind blows away.
5  Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when judgment comes, *
nor the sinner in the council of the righteous.
6  For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, *
but the way of the wicked is doomed.

Psalm 2

1  Why are the nations in an uproar? *
Why do the peoples mutter empty threats?
2  Why do the kings of the earth rise up in revolt,
and the rulers plot together, *
against the LORD and against the LORD’s Anointed?
3  “Let us break their yoke,” they say; *
“let us cast off their bonds from us.”
4  The One enthroned in heaven is laughing; *
the Lord has them in derision.
5  Then in wrath the LORD speaks to them, *
and divine rage fills them with terror.
6  “I myself have set my king *
upon my holy hill of Zion.”
7  Let me announce the decree of the LORD: *
the LORD said to me, “You are my Son;
this day have I begotten you.
8  Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance *
and the ends of the earth for your possession.
9  You shall crush them with an iron rod *
and shatter them like a piece of pottery.”
10  And now, you kings, be wise; *
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11  Submit to the LORD with fear, *
and with trembling bow down in worship;
12  Lest the LORD be angry and you perish; *
for divine wrath is quickly kindled.
13  Happy are they all *
who take refuge in the LORD!

Psalm 3

1  LORD, how many adversaries I have! *
how many there are who rise up against me!
2  How many there are who say of me, *
“There is no help for you in your God.”
3  But you, O LORD, are a shield about me; *
you are my glory, the one who lifts up my head.
4  I call aloud to you, O LORD, *
and you answer me from your holy hill;
5  I lie down and go to sleep; *
I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.
6  I do not fear the multitudes of people *
who set themselves against me all around.
7  Rise up, O LORD; set me free, O my God; *
surely, you will strike all my enemies across the face,
you will break the teeth of the wicked.
8  Deliverance belongs to the LORD. *
Your blessing be upon your people!

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
Proverbs 4:1-27 (NRSV)

Listen, children, to a father’s instruction,
and be attentive, that you may gain insight;
for I give you good precepts:
do not forsake my teaching.
When I was a son with my father,
tender, and my mother’s favorite,
he taught me, and said to me,
“Let your heart hold fast my words;
keep my commandments, and live.
Get wisdom; get insight: do not forget, nor turn away
from the words of my mouth.
Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
love her, and she will guard you.
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
and whatever else you get, get insight.
Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;
she will honor you if you embrace her.
She will place on your head a fair garland;
she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”
Hear, my child, and accept my words,
that the years of your life may be many.
I have taught you the way of wisdom;
I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
When you walk, your step will not be hampered;
and if you run, you will not stumble.
Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
guard her, for she is your life.
Do not enter the path of the wicked,
and do not walk in the way of evildoers.
Avoid it; do not go on it;
turn away from it and pass on.
For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
For they eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what they stumble over.
My child, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
Do not let them escape from your sight;
keep them within your heart.
For they are life to those who find them,
and healing to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
Put away from you crooked speech,
and put devious talk far from you.
Let your eyes look directly forward,
and your gaze be straight before you.
Keep straight the path of your feet,
and all your ways will be sure.
Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil.

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.

1 John 3:18—4:6 (NRSV)

Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.

And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming; and now it is already in the world. Little children, you are from God, and have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and whoever is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

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.

Matthew 11:1-6 (NRSV)

Now when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their cities. When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”

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 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.

In the 19th century British imperialists divided Sudan into the Muslim North and the Christian South, forbidding any Christian missionary work north of an arbitrary line – and polarizing the country by religion. Independence from Britain came in 1956, with decades of civil war soon following. Millions of Christians were killed, displaced or forced into exile. In 2011 a peace treaty made South Sudan independent – but peace is still far away. (Awer Bul, one of the Lost Boys)

Collect of the Day: The Martyrs of the Sudan

O God, steadfast in the midst of persecution, by your providence the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church: As the martyrs of the Sudan refused to abandon Christ even in the face of torture and death, and so by their sacrifice brought forth a plentiful harvest, may we, too, be steadfast in our faith in Jesus Christ; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, 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

Our mission efforts with Cuttington University Nursing School in Liberia
Joan, chemo
Jon, diabetic macular edema
Kevin’s father David, lung disease
Mary Kelsey, departed
Danny’s father Alfred, departed
AJF & Little Franny
Dena, double mastectomy
Fr. Jack Haney, heart issues, brain shunt postponed
Jon, multiple health issues
Carolyn
Colleen, multiple health issues
Children of Flint, Michigan & Newark, New Jersey exposed to lead in water
Brad & Jerry, discernment
Tim, bone cancer, and Sara
Michelle, tumor

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.

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.

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: O splendour of God’s glory bright (#5, Melcombe, Samuel Webbe; Ambrose of Milan, tr. Robert Seymour Bridges)  – BBC “Songs of Praise,” 2013

Evening Prayer 6.4.16, Daniel Wu, Apostle to Chinese Americans, 1956

Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. “

Benjamin Eaton and D. Hrach advertising elections next Sunday for the Episcopal Student Association at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. I know Ben; he volunteered many days last summer at my parish’s food pantry across the river in Lafayette. (Chapel of the Good Shepherd)

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8

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. Alleluia.

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.

Psalm 12

1  Help me, LORD, for there is no godly one left; *
the faithful have vanished from among us.
2  All speak falsely with their neighbor; *
with a smooth tongue they speak from a double heart.
3  Oh, that the LORD would cut off all smooth tongues, *
and close the lips that utter proud boasts!
4  Those who say, “With our tongue will we prevail; *
our lips are our own; who is lord over us?”
5  “Because the needy are oppressed,
and the poor cry out in misery, *
I will rise up,” says the LORD,
“and give them the help they long for.”
6  The words of the LORD are pure words, *
like silver refined from ore
and purified seven times in the fire.
7  O LORD, watch over us *
and save us from this generation for ever.
8  The wicked prowl on every side, *
and that which is worthless is highly prized by everyone.

Psalm 13

1  How long, O LORD?
will you forget me for ever? *
how long will you hide your face from me?
2  How long shall I have perplexity in my mind,
and grief in my heart, day after day? *
how long shall my enemy triumph over me?
3  Look upon me and answer me, O LORD my God; *
give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death;
4  Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed,” *
and my foes rejoice that I have fallen.
5  But I put my trust in your mercy; *
my heart is joyful because of your saving help.
6  I will sing to you, O LORD,
for you have dealt with me richly; *
I will praise the Name of the Lord Most High.

Psalm 14

1  Fools say in their heart, “There is no God.” *
All are corrupt and commit abominable acts;
there is none who does any good.
2  The LORD looks down from heaven upon us all, *
to see if there is any who is wise,
if there is one who seeks after God.
3  Every one has proved faithless;
all alike have turned bad; *
there is none who does good; no, not one.
4  Have they no knowledge, all those evildoers *
who eat up my people like bread
and do not call upon the LORD?
5  See how they tremble with fear, *
because God is in the company of the righteous.
6  Their aim is to confound the plans of the afflicted, *
but the LORD is their refuge.
7  Oh, that Israel’s deliverance would come out of Zion! *
when the LORD restores the fortunes of the chosen people,
Jacob will rejoice and Israel be glad.

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.

A Russian icon of the True Vine. (Anonymous, Wikipedia)

THE LESSON
John 15:1-11 (NRSV)

Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.”

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

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 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

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.

Students at Daniel Wu’s school at True Sunshine Church in San Francisco in the early part of the 20th Century; that’s him standing at left. His mentor, Deaconess Emma Drant, started this church as well as one across the bay in Oakland, where many Chinese fled after the Great Earthquake of 1906. When Fr. Wu arrived he took over the administration of both while he was still a seminary student.

Collect of the Day: Daniel G.C. Wu, Priest and Missionary among Chinese Americans, 1956

We give you thanks, loving God, for the ministry of Daniel Wu, priest and pioneer church planter among Asian-Americans, and for the stable worshiping communities he established, easing many immigrants’ passage into a confusing new world. By the power of your Holy Spirit, raise up other inspired leaders, that today’s newcomers may find leaders from their diverse communities faithful to our Savior Jesus Christ; who with you and the same Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

True Sunshine Church, San Francisco last month. Churches don’t survive this long if they weren’t well-founded. (Episcopal Church Foundation)

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: mountain lake in the Diocese of Eastern Oregon. (Bishop Nedi Rivera)

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.

Wednesday Evening Prayer List

For Disaster Victims
Terrorist bombings in Brussels, Ivory Coast, Pakistan
4 nuns and 11 retirement home terrorist victims in Yemen
Drought in Eastern and Southern Africa, Australia and Papua New Guinea
Refugee Crisis in the Middle East and Europe
Famine in Ethiopia and South Sudan

For Prisoners
Prisoners of ISIS & Boko Haram: #BringBackOurGirls
Victims of human trafficking
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. Alleluia, alleluia.
Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.

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

VIDEO: Love’s redeeming work is done (#188, Savannah, anonymous; Charles Wesley, alt.) – Choir of Temple Church, London, 2015

Morning Prayer 24.3.16, Maundy Thursday

They cry to their mothers,
“Where is bread and wine?”
as they faint like the wounded
in the streets of the city,
as their life is poured out
on their mothers’ bosom.

All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Waterloo, Belgium, 2013. (Jarek Kubacki)

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 the Lord is 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 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.”

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.

Evelyn de Morgan, 1883: By the Waters of Babylon

THE LESSONS
Lamentations 2:10-18 (NRSV)

The elders of daughter Zion
sit on the ground in silence;
they have thrown dust on their heads
and put on sackcloth;
the young girls of Jerusalem
have bowed their heads to the ground.

My eyes are spent with weeping;
my stomach churns;
my bile is poured out on the ground
because of the destruction of my people,
because infants and babes faint
in the streets of the city.

They cry to their mothers,
“Where is bread and wine?”
as they faint like the wounded
in the streets of the city,
as their life is poured out
on their mothers’ bosom.

What can I say for you, to what compare you,
O daughter Jerusalem?
To what can I liken you, that I may comfort you,
O virgin daughter Zion?
For vast as the sea is your ruin;
who can heal you?

Your prophets have seen for you
false and deceptive visions;
they have not exposed your iniquity
to restore your fortunes,
but have seen oracles for you
that are false and misleading.

All who pass along the way
clap their hands at you;
they hiss and wag their heads
at daughter Jerusalem;
“Is this the city that was called
the perfection of beauty,
the joy of all the earth?”

All your enemies
open their mouths against you;
they hiss, they gnash their teeth,
they cry: “We have devoured her!
Ah, this is the day we longed for;
at last we have seen it!”

The LORD has done what he purposed,
he has carried out his threat;
as he ordained long ago,
he has demolished without pity;
he has made the enemy rejoice over you,
and exalted the might of your foes.

Cry aloud to the Lord!
O wall of daughter Zion!
Let tears stream down like a torrent
day and night!
Give yourself no rest,
your eyes no respite!

Canticle: The Song of Moses
Exodus 15:1-6, 11-13, 17-18

I will sing to the Lord, for he is lofty and uplifted; *
the horse and its rider has he hurled into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and my refuge; *
the Lord has become my Savior.
This is my God and I will praise him, *
the God of my people and I will exalt him.
The Lord is a mighty warrior; *
Yahweh is his Name.
The chariots of Pharaoh and his army has he hurled into the sea;
the finest of those who bear armor have been drowned in the Red Sea.
The fathomless deep has overwhelmed them; *
they sank into the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in might; *
your right hand, O Lord, has overthrown the enemy.
Who can be compared with you, O Lord, among the gods? *
who is like you, glorious in holiness,
awesome in renown, and worker of wonders?
You stretched forth your right hand; *
the earth swallowed them up.
With your constant love you led the people you redeemed; *
with your might you brought them in safety to your holy dwelling.
You will bring them in and plant them *
on the mount of your possession,
The resting-place you have made for yourself, O Lord, *
the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hand has established.
The Lord shall reign *
for ever and 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.

1 Corinthians 10:14-17; 11:27-32 (NRSV)

Therefore, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgment against themselves. For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

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.

Mark 14:12-25 (NRSV)

On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’s disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.” So the disciples set out and went to the city, and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.

When it was evening, he came with the twelve. And when they had taken their places and were eating, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” They began to be distressed and to say to him one after another, “Surely, not I?” He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the bowl with me. For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.”

While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

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 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.  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.

(Matthew Martin Nickoloff, 2012)

Collect of the Day: Maundy Thursday

Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Thursday Morning Prayer List

In Places of War, Political Unrest & Violence
Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, México, Mozambique, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Serbia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, USA, Venezuela, Yemen

For peace in these nations
For military personnel
For civilians in danger zones
For first responders and emergency workers

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.

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.

God’s blessing be with us,
Christ’s peace be with us,
the Spirit’s outpouring be with us,
now and always. Amen.++

VIDEO: Lord, enthroned in heavenly splendour (#307, St. Helens, George Clement Martin; George Hugh Bourne, alt.) – The Graduate Choir NZ, from NZTV’s “Glory Be,” 2011