I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel; my heart teaches me, night after night. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not fall.
Psalm 16:7,8
Officiant O
God, make speed to save us.
People 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.
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.
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, *
abides
under the shadow of the Almighty.
He shall say to the LORD,
“You are my refuge
and my stronghold, *
my God in whom I put my trust.”
He shall deliver you from the snare of the hunter *
and
from the deadly pestilence.
He shall cover you with his pinions,
and you shall
find refuge under his wings; *
his faithfulness shall be a shield
and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of any terror by night, *
nor
of the arrow that flies by day;
Of the plague that stalks in the darkness, *
nor of
the sickness that lays waste at mid-day.
A thousand shall fall at your side
and ten thousand
at your right hand, *
but it shall not come near you.
Your eyes have only to behold *
to see the reward of
the wicked.
Because you have made the LORD your refuge, *
and the
Most High your habitation,
There shall no evil happen to you, *
neither shall
any plague come near your dwelling.
For he shall give his angels charge over you, *
to
keep you in all your ways.
They shall bear you in their hands, *
lest you dash
your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the lion and the adder; *
you
shall trample the young lion and the serpent under your feet.
Because he is bound to me in love,
therefore will I
deliver him; *
I will protect him, because he knows my Name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; *
I am
with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and bring him to honor.
With long life will I satisfy him, *
and show him my
salvation.
It is a good thing to give thanks to the LORD, *
and
to sing praises to your Name, O Most High;
To tell of your loving-kindness early in the morning
*
and of your faithfulness in the night season;
On the psaltery, and on the lyre, *
and to the melody
of the harp.
For you have made me glad by your acts, O LORD; *
and
I shout for joy because of the works of your hands.
LORD, how great are your works! *
your thoughts are
very deep.
The dullard does not know,
nor does the fool
understand, *
that though the wicked grow like weeds,
and all
the workers of iniquity flourish,
They flourish only to be destroyed for ever; *
but
you, O LORD, are exalted for evermore.
For lo, your enemies, O LORD,
lo, your enemies shall
perish, *
and all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
But my horn you have exalted like the horns of wild
bulls; *
I am anointed with fresh oil.
My eyes also gloat over my enemies, *
and my ears
rejoice to hear the doom of the wicked who rise up against me.
The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, *
and
shall spread abroad like a cedar of Lebanon.
Those who are planted in the house of the LORD *
shall
flourish in the courts of our God;
They shall still bear fruit in old age; *
they shall
be green and succulent;
That they may show how upright the LORD is, *
my
Rock, in whom there is no fault.
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 Letter to the Romans.
Circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law; but if you break the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. So, if those who are uncircumcised keep the requirements of the law, will not their uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? Then those who are physically uncircumcised but keep the law will condemn you that have the written code and circumcision but break the law. For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. Rather, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart—it is spiritual and not literal. Such a person receives praise not from others but from God.
Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much, in every way. For in the first place the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. What if some were unfaithful? Will their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Although everyone is a liar, let God be proved true, as it is written, “So that you may be justified in your words, and prevail in your judging.” But if our injustice serves to confirm the justice of God, what should we say? That God is unjust to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) By no means! For then how could God judge the world? But if through my falsehood God’s truthfulness abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not say (as some people slander us by saying that we say), “Let us do evil so that good may come”? Their condemnation is deserved!
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks be to God.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my
spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favor
on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
*
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his
Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every
generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has
scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and
has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the
rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for
he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers, *
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.
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.
Keep, O Lord, your household the Church in your steadfast faith and love, that through your grace we may proclaim your truth with boldness, and minister your justice with compassion; for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, by your death you took away the sting of death: Grant to us your servants so to follow in faith where you have led the way, that we may at length fall asleep peacefully in you and wake up in your likeness; for your tender mercies’ sake. Amen.
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 pray now for our own needs and those of others.
Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication 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: Fulfill 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 God from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:20,21