Christ Jesus, being found in human form, humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:8
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!
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.
Hear my prayer,O God; *
do not hide yourself from my
petition.
Listen to me and answer me; *
I have no peace,
because of my cares.
I am shaken by the noise of the enemy *
and by the
pressure of the wicked;
For they have cast an evil spell upon me *
and are
set against me in fury.
My heart quakes within me, *
and the terrors of death
have fallen upon me.
Fear and trembling have come over me, *
and horror
overwhelms me.
And I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! *
I
would fly away and be at rest.
I would flee to a far-off place *
and make my lodging
in the wilderness.
I would hasten to escape *
from the stormy wind and
tempest.”
Swallow them up, O Lord;
confound their speech; *
for
I have seen violence and strife in the city.
Day and night the watchmen make their rounds upon her
walls, *
but trouble and misery are in the midst of her.
There is corruption at her heart; *
her streets are
never free of oppression and deceit.
For had it been an adversary who taunted me,
then I
could have borne it; *
or had it been an enemy who vaunted himself
against me,
then I could have hidden from him.
But it was you, a man after my own heart, *
my
companion, my own familiar friend.
We took sweet counsel together, *
and walked with the
throng in the house of God.
Let death come upon them suddenly;
let them go down
alive to the grave; *
for wickedness is in their dwellings, in
their very midst.
But I will call upon God, *
and the LORD will deliver
me.
In the evening, in the morning, and at noonday,
I
will complain and lament, *
and he will hear my voice.
He will bring me safely back from the battle waged
against me; *
for there are many who fight me.
God, who is enthroned of old, will hear me and bring
them down; *
they never change; they do not fear God.
My companion stretched forth his hand against his
comrade; *
he has broken his covenant.
His speech is softer than butter, *
but war is in his
heart.
His words are smoother than oil, *
but they are drawn
swords.
Cast your burden upon the LORD,
and he will sustain
you; *
he will never let the righteous stumble.
For you will bring the bloodthirsty and deceitful *
down
to the pit of destruction, O God.
They shall not live out half their days, *
but I will
put my trust in you.
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 Lamentations.
How the Lord in his anger has humiliated daughter Zion! He has thrown down from heaven to earth the splendor of Israel; he has not remembered his footstool in the day of his anger. The Lord has destroyed without mercy all the dwellings of Jacob; in his wrath he has broken down the strongholds of daughter Judah; he has brought down to the ground in dishonor the kingdom and its rulers. He has cut down in fierce anger all the might of Israel; he has withdrawn his right hand from them in the face of the enemy; he has burned like a flaming fire in Jacob, consuming all around. He has bent his bow like an enemy, with his right hand set like a foe; he has killed all in whom we took pride in the tent of daughter Zion; he has poured out his fury like fire. The Lord has become like an enemy; he has destroyed Israel; He has destroyed all its palaces, laid in ruins its strongholds, and multiplied in daughter Judah mourning and lamentation. He has broken down his booth like a garden, he has destroyed his tabernacle; the LORD has abolished in Zion festival and sabbath, and in his fierce indignation has spurned king and priest. The Lord has scorned his altar, disowned his sanctuary; he has delivered into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; a clamor was raised in the house of the LORD as on a day of festival. The LORD determined to lay in ruins the wall of daughter Zion; he stretched the line; he did not withhold his hand from destroying; he caused rampart and wall to lament; they languish together. Her gates have sunk into the ground; he has ruined and broken her bars; her king and princes are among the nations; guidance is no more, and her prophets obtain no vision from the LORD. 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.
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.
Then he began to speak to
them in parables. ‘A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around
it, dug a pit for the wine press, and built a watch-tower; then he
leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the season
came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share
of the produce of the vineyard. But they seized him, and beat him,
and sent him away empty-handed. And again he sent another slave to
them; this one they beat over the head and insulted. Then he sent
another, and that one they killed. And so it was with many others;
some they beat, and others they killed. He had still one other, a
beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, “They will
respect my son.” But those tenants said to one another, “This
is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be
ours.” So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the
vineyard. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come
and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Have you not
read this scripture:
“The stone that the builders
rejected
has become the cornerstone;
this
was the Lord’s doing,
and it is amazing in our eyes”?’
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.
Lord God, whose blessed Son our Savior gave his body to be whipped and his face to be spit upon: Give us grace to accept joyfully the sufferings of the present time, confident of the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ your Son 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.
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.
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