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!
I will sing of mercy and justice; *
to you, O LORD,
will I sing praises.
I will strive to follow a blameless course;
oh, when
will you come to me? *
I will walk with sincerity of heart within
my house.
I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; *
I
hate the doers of evil deeds;
they shall not remain with me.
A crooked heart shall be far from me; *
I will not
know evil.
Those who in secret slander their neighbors I will
destroy; *
those who have a haughty look and a proud heart I
cannot abide.
My eyes are upon the faithful in the land, that they may
dwell with me, *
and only those who lead a blameless life shall be
my servants.
Those who act deceitfully shall not dwell in my house,
*
and those who tell lies shall not continue in my sight.
I will soon destroy all the wicked in the land, *
that
I may root out all evildoers from the city of the LORD.
Hold not your tongue, O God of my praise; *
for the
mouth of the wicked,
the mouth of the deceitful, is opened
against me.
They speak to me with a lying tongue; *
they
encompass me with hateful words
and fight against me without a
cause.
Despite my love, they accuse me; *
but as for me, I
pray for them.
They repay evil for good, *
and hatred for my love.
[Set a wicked man against him, *
and let an accuser
stand at his right hand.
When he is judged, let him be found guilty, *
and let
his appeal be in vain.
Let his days be few, *
and let another take his
office.
Let his children be fatherless, *
and his wife become
a widow.
Let his children be waifs and beggars; *
let them be
driven from the ruins of their homes.
Let the creditor seize everything he has; *
let
strangers plunder his gains.
Let there be no one to show him kindness, *
and none
to pity his fatherless children.
Let his descendants be destroyed, *
and his name be
blotted out in the next generation.
Let the wickedness of his fathers be remembered before
the LORD, *
and his mother’s sin not be blotted out;
Let their sin be always before the LORD; *
but let
him root out their names from the earth;
Because he did not remember to show mercy, *
but
persecuted the poor and needy
and sought to kill the
brokenhearted.
He loved cursing,
let it come upon him; *
he took
no delight in blessing,
let it depart from him.
He put on cursing like a garment, *
let it soak into
his body like water
and into his bones like oil;
Let it be to him like the cloak which he wraps around
himself, *
and like the belt that he wears continually.
Let this be the recompense from the LORD to my accusers,
*
and to those who speak evil against me.]
But you, O Lord my God,
oh, deal with me according to
your Name; *
for your tender mercy’s sake, deliver me.
For I am poor and needy, *
and my heart is wounded
within me.
I have faded away like a shadow when it lengthens; *
I
am shaken off like a locust.
My knees are weak through fasting, *
and my flesh is
wasted and gaunt.
I have become a reproach to them; *
they see and
shake their heads.
Help me, O LORD my God; *
save me for your mercy’s
sake.
Let them know that this is your hand, *
that you, O
LORD, have done it.
They may curse, but you will bless; *
let those who
rise up against me be put to shame,
and your servant will
rejoice.
Let my accusers be clothed with disgrace *
and wrap
themselves in their shame as in a cloak.
I will give great thanks to the LORD with my mouth; *
in
the midst of the multitude will I praise him;
Because he stands at the right hand of the needy, *
to
save his life from those who would condemn him.
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.
Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, “What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?” So they approached Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this instruction before he died, ‘Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.’ Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, “We are here as your slaves.” But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.” In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.
So Joseph remained in Egypt, he and his father’s household; and Joseph lived one hundred ten years. Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation; the children of Machir son of Manasseh were also born on Joseph’s knees. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die; but God will surely come to you, and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” So Joseph made the Israelites swear, saying, “When God comes to you, you shall carry up my bones from here.” And Joseph died, being one hundred ten years old; he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks be to God.
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.
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.
The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, asking him for a sign from heaven, to test him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, ‘Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.’ And he left them, and getting into the boat again, he went across to the other side.
Now the disciples had
forgotten to bring any bread; and they had only one loaf with them in
the boat. And he cautioned them, saying, ‘Watch out—beware
of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.’ They
said to one another, ‘It is because we have no bread.’ And
becoming aware of it, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you talking
about having no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? Are
your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have
ears, and fail to hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the
five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken
pieces did you collect?’ They said to him, ‘Twelve.’
‘And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of
broken pieces did you collect?’ And they said to him, ‘Seven.’
Then he said to them, ‘Do you not yet understand?’
They came to Bethsaida.
Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him.
He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and
when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he
asked him, ‘Can you see anything?’ And the man looked up
and said, ‘I can see people, but they look like trees, walking.’
Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently
and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Then he
sent him away to his home, saying, ‘Do not even go into the
village.’
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
he has come
to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
born of
the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he
would save us from our enemies, *
from the hands of all who hate
us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers *
and to
remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, *
to
set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him without fear, *
holy and
righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most
High, *
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his 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.
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.
Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for 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.
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.
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 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.
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