Thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, “I dwell in the high and holy place and also with the one who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite.”
Isaiah 57:15
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.
Alleluia.
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.
By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept, *
when
we remembered you, O Zion.
As for our harps, we hung them up *
on the trees in
the midst of that land.
For those who led us away captive asked us for a
song,
and our oppressors called for mirth: *
“Sing us one
of the songs of Zion.”
How shall we sing the LORD’S song *
upon an
alien soil?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem, *
let my right hand
forget its skill.
Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth
if I do
not remember you, *
if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest
joy.
[Remember the day of Jerusalem, O LORD,
against the
people of Edom, *
who said, “Down with it! down with it!
even to the ground!”
O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, *
happy
the one who pays you back
for what you have done to us!
Happy shall he be who takes your little ones, *
and
dashes them against the rock!]
Blessed be the LORD my rock! *
who trains my hands to
fight and my fingers to battle;
My help and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer,
*
my shield in whom I trust,
who subdues the peoples under me.
O LORD, what are we that you should care for us? *
mere
mortals that you should think of us?
We are like a puff of wind; *
our days are like a
passing shadow.
Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down; *
touch the
mountains, and they shall smoke.
Hurl the lightning and scatter them; *
shoot out your
arrows and rout them.
Stretch out your hand from on high; *
rescue me and
deliver me from the great waters,
from the hand of foreign
peoples,
Whose mouths speak deceitfully *
and whose right hand
is raised in falsehood.
O God, I will sing to you a new song; *
I will play
to you on a ten-stringed lyre.
You give victory to kings *
and have rescued David
your servant.
Rescue me from the hurtful sword *
and deliver me
from the hand of foreign peoples,
Whose mouths speak deceitfully *
and whose right hand
is raised in falsehood.
May our sons be like plants well nurtured from their
youth, *
and our daughters like sculptured corners of a palace.
May our barns be filled to overflowing with all manner
of crops; *
may the flocks in our pastures increase by thousands
and tens of thousands;
may our cattle be fat and sleek.
May there be no breaching of the walls, no going into
exile, *
no wailing in the public squares.
Happy are the people of whom this is so! *
happy are
the people whose God is the LORD!
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
A Reading from the Book of Numbers.
And Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me, ‘If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the LORD, to do either good or bad of my own will; what the LORD says, that is what I will say’? So now, I am going to my people; let me advise you what this people will do to your people in days to come.”
So he uttered his oracle, saying: “The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is clear, the oracle of one who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, who falls down, but with his eyes uncovered: I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near— a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the borderlands of Moab, and the territory of all the Shethites. Edom will become a possession, Seir a possession of its enemies, while Israel does valiantly. One out of Jacob shall rule, and destroy the survivors of Ir.” Then he looked on Amalek, and uttered his oracle, saying: “First among the nations was Amalek, but its end is to perish forever.” Then he looked on the Kenite, and uttered his oracle, saying: “Enduring is your dwelling place, and your nest is set in the rock; yet Kain is destined for burning. How long shall Asshur take you away captive?” Again he uttered his oracle, saying: “Alas, who shall live when God does this? But ships shall come from Kittim and shall afflict Asshur and Eber; and he also shall perish forever.” Then Balaam got up and went back to his place, and Balak also went his way.
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Glorify the Lord, all you works of the Lord, *
praise
him and highly exalt him for ever.
In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord,
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, you angels and all powers of the Lord,
*
O heavens and all waters above the heavens.
Sun and moon and stars of the sky, glorify the Lord,
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, every shower of rain and fall of dew,
*
all winds and fire and heat.
Winter and Summer, glorify the Lord, *
praise him and
highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O chill and cold, *
drops of dew
and flakes of snow
Frost and cold, ice and sleet, glorify the Lord,
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O nights and days, *
O shining
light and enfolding dark.
Storm clouds and thunderbolts, glorify the Lord,
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Let the earth glorify the Lord, *
praise him and
highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O mountains and hills,
and all that
grows upon the earth, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O springs of water, seas, and streams,
*
O whales and all that move in the waters.
All birds of the air, glorify the Lord, *
praise him
and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O beasts of the wild, *
and all you
flocks and herds.
O men and women everywhere, glorify the Lord, *
praise
him and highly exalt him for ever.
Let the people of God glorify the Lord, *
praise him
and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O priests and servants of the Lord,
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O spirits and souls of the righteous,
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
You that are holy and humble of heart, glorify the Lord,
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Let us glorify the Lord: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord,
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
A Reading from the Gospel According to Matthew.
The same day some Sadducees came to him, saying there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies childless, his brother shall marry the widow, and raise up children for his brother.’ Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married, and died childless, leaving the widow to his brother. The second did the same, so also the third, down to the seventh. Last of all, the woman herself died. In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For all of them had married her.” Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is God not of the dead, but of the living.” And when the crowd heard it, they were astounded at his teaching.
When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
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. 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.
Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all your works and sanctified a day of rest for all your creatures: Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared for the service of your sanctuary, and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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 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 him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:20,21