You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witness in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Acts 1:8
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.
Alleluia.
Alleluia.
Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for
us; *
therefore let us keep the feast,
Not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil,
*
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Alleluia.
Christ being raised from the dead will never die again;
*
death no longer has dominion over him.
The death that he died, he died to sin, once for all;
*
but the life he lives, he lives to God.
So also consider yourselves dead to sin, *
and alive
to God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Alleluia.
Christ has been raised from the dead, *
the first
fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since by a man came death, *
by a man has come
also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, *
so also in Christ shall all
be made alive. Alleluia.
Have mercy on me, O God,
for my enemies are hounding
me; *
all day long they assault and oppress me.
They hound me all the day long; *
truly there are
many who fight against me, O Most High.
Whenever I am afraid, *
I will put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust and will
not be afraid, *
for what can flesh do to me?
All day long they damage my cause; *
their only
thought is to do me evil.
They band together; they lie in wait; *
they spy upon
my footsteps;
because they seek my life.
Shall they escape despite their wickedness? *
O God,
in your anger, cast down the peoples.
You have noted my lamentation;
put my tears into your
bottle; *
are they not recorded in your book?
Whenever I call upon you, my enemies will be put to
flight; *
this I know, for God is on my side.
In God the LORD, whose word I praise,
in God I trust
and will not be afraid, *
for what can mortals do to me?
I am bound by the vow I made to you, O God; *
I will
present to you thank-offerings;
For you have rescued my soul from death and my feet from
stumbling, *
that I may walk before God in the light of the
living.
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful,
for I have
taken refuge in you; *
in the shadow of your wings will I take
refuge
until this time of trouble has gone by.
I will call upon the Most High God, *
the God who
maintains my cause.
He will send from heaven and save me;
he will
confound those who trample upon me; *
God will send forth his love
and his faithfulness.
I lie in the midst of lions that devour the people;
*
their teeth are spears and arrows,
their tongue a sharp
sword.
They have laid a net for my feet,
and I am bowed low;
*
they have dug a pit before me,
but have fallen into it
themselves.
Exalt yourself above the heavens, O God, *
and your
glory over all the earth.
My heart is firmly fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; *
I
will sing and make melody.
Wake up, my spirit;
awake, lute and harp; *
I
myself will waken the dawn.
I will confess you among the peoples, O LORD; *
I
will sing praise to you among the nations.
For your loving-kindness is greater than the heavens,
*
and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Exalt yourself above the heavens, O God, *
and your
glory over all the earth.
Do you indeed decree righteousness, you rulers? *
do
you judge the peoples with equity?
No; you devise evil in your hearts, *
and your hands
deal out violence in the land.
The wicked are perverse from the womb; *
liars go
astray from their birth.
They are as venomous as a serpent, *
they are like
the deaf adder which stops its ears,
Which does not heed the voice of the charmer, *
no
matter how skillful his charming.
O God, break their teeth in their mouths; *
pull the
fangs of the young lions, O LORD.
Let them vanish like water that runs off; *
let them
wither like trodden grass.
Let them be like the snail that melts away, *
like a
stillborn child that never sees the sun.
Before they bear fruit, let them be cut down like a
brier; *
like thorns and thistles let them be swept away.
The righteous will be glad when they see the vengeance;
*
they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.
And they will say,
“Surely, there is a reward
for the righteous; *
surely, there is a God who rules in the
earth.”
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 Wisdom of Solomon.
‘O God of my
ancestors and Lord of mercy,
who have made all things by your
word,
You have chosen me to be king of your people
and to be
judge over your sons and daughters.
You have given command to
build a temple on your holy mountain,
and an altar in the city of
your habitation,
a copy of the holy tent that you prepared from
the beginning.
With you is wisdom, she who knows your works
and
was present when you made the world;
she understands what is
pleasing in your sight
and what is right according to your
commandments.
Send her forth from the holy heavens,
and from
the throne of your glory send her,
that she may labour at my
side,
and that I may learn what is pleasing to you.
For she
knows and understands all things,
and she will guide me wisely in
my actions
and guard me with her glory.
Then my works will be
acceptable,
and I shall judge your people justly,
and shall be
worthy of the throne of my father.
For who can learn the counsel
of God?
Or who can discern what the Lord wills?
For the
reasoning of mortals is worthless,
and our designs are likely to
fail;
for a perishable body weighs down the soul,
and this
earthy tent burdens the thoughtful mind.
We can hardly guess at
what is on earth,
and what is at hand we find with labour;
but
who has traced out what is in the heavens?
Who has learned your
counsel,
unless you have given wisdom
and sent your holy spirit
from on high?
And thus the paths of those on earth were set
right,
and people were taught what pleases you,
and were saved
by wisdom.’
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Surely, it is God who saves me; *
I will trust in him
and not be afraid.
For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense, *
and
he will be my Savior.
Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing *
from
the springs of salvation.
And on that day you shall say, *
Give thanks to the
Lord and call upon his Name;
Make his deeds known among the peoples; *
see that
they remember that his Name is exalted.
Sing the praises of the Lord, for he has done great
things, *
and this is known in all the world.
Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, ring out your joy, *
for
the great one in the midst of you is the Holy One of Israel.
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 Colossians.
[
Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is your acceptable duty in the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, or they may lose heart. Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while being watched and in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong has been done, and there is no partiality.
Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, for you know that you also have a Master in heaven.]
Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. At the same time pray for us as well that God will open to us a door for the word, that we may declare the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison, so that I may reveal it clearly, as I should.
Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.
Tychicus will tell you all the news about me; he is a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant in the Lord. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts; he is coming with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here. Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas, concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him. And Jesus who is called Justus greets you. These are the only ones of the circumcision among my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you. He is always wrestling in his prayers on your behalf, so that you may stand mature and fully assured in everything that God wills. For I testify for him that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you. Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. And when this letter has been read among you, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you read also the letter from Laodicea. And say to Archippus, “See that you complete the task that you have received in the Lord.” I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
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.
Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness during the day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; 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.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.
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