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
Officiant Lord,
open our lips.
People 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.
Come, let us sing to the Lord; *
let us shout for joy
to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *
and
raise a loud shout to him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God, *
and a great King above
all gods.
In his hand are the caverns of the earth, *
and the
heights of the hills are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it, *
and his hands have
molded the dry land.
Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *
and kneel
before the Lord our Maker.
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his
pasture and the sheep of his hand. *
Oh, that today you would
hearken to his voice!
Be pleased, O God, to deliver me; *
O LORD, make
haste to help me.
Let those who seek my life be ashamed
and altogether
dismayed; *
let those who take pleasure in my misfortune
draw
back and be disgraced.
Let those who say to me “Aha!” and gloat
over me turn back, *
because they are ashamed.
Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; *
let
those who love your salvation say for ever,
“Great is the
LORD!”
But as for me, I am poor and needy; *
come to me
speedily, O God.
You are my helper and my deliverer; *
O LORD, do not
tarry.
In you, O LORD, have I taken refuge; *
let me never
be ashamed.
In your righteousness, deliver me and set me free;
*
incline your ear to me and save me.
Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe; *
you
are my crag and my stronghold.
Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, *
from
the clutches of the evildoer and the oppressor.
For you are my hope, O LORD God, *
my confidence
since I was young.
I have been sustained by you ever since I was born;
from
my mother’s womb you have been my strength; *
my praise
shall be always of you.
I have become a portent to many; *
but you are my
refuge and my strength.
Let my mouth be full of your praise *
and your glory
all the day long.
Do not cast me off in my old age; *
forsake me not
when my strength fails.
For my enemies are talking against me, *
and those
who lie in wait for my life take counsel together.
They say, “God has forsaken him;
go after him
and seize him; *
because there is none who will save.”
O God, be not far from me; *
come quickly to help me,
O my God.
Let those who set themselves against me be put to shame
and be disgraced; *
let those who seek to do me evil be covered
with scorn and reproach.
But I shall always wait in patience, *
and shall
praise you more and more.
My mouth shall recount your mighty acts
and saving
deeds all day long; *
though I cannot know the number of them.
I will begin with the mighty works of the Lord GOD; *
I
will recall your righteousness, yours alone.
O God, you have taught me since I was young, *
and to
this day I tell of your wonderful works.
And now that I am old and gray-headed, O God, do not
forsake me, *
till I make known your strength to this generation
and your power to all who are to come.
Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens; *
you
have done great things;
who is like you, O God?
You have showed me great troubles and adversities, *
but
you will restore my life
and bring me up again from the deep
places of the earth.
You strengthen me more and more; *
you enfold and
comfort me,
Therefore I will praise you upon the lyre for your
faithfulness, O my God; *
I will sing to you with the harp, O Holy
One of Israel.
My lips will sing with joy when I play to you, *
and
so will my soul, which you have redeemed.
My tongue will proclaim your righteousness all day long,
*
for they are ashamed and disgraced who sought to do me harm.
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 Reading from the Book of Genesis.
When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, “The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly to us, and charged us with spying on the land. But we said to him, ‘We are honest men, we are not spies. We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.’ Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I shall know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, take grain for the famine of your households, and go your way. Bring your youngest brother to me, and I shall know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will release your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.’” As they were emptying their sacks, there in each one’s sack was his bag of money. When they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were dismayed. And their father Jacob said to them, “I am the one you have bereaved of children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has happened to me!” Then Reuben said to his father, “You may kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.” But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If harm should come to him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.”
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks be to God.
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.
A Reading from the Gospel According to Mark.
He said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket, or under the bed, and not on the lampstand? For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.”
He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.”
He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks be to God.
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.
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.
Officiant The
Lord be with you.
People And
also with you.
Officiant Let
us pray.
Our Father, who art in
heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will
be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our
daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive
those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into
temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the
kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and 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.
O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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 pray now for our own needs and those of others.
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.
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.
Ephesians 3:20,21