The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.
Habakkuk 2:20
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.
I love you, O LORD my strength, *
O LORD my
stronghold, my crag, and my haven.
My God, my rock in whom I put my trust, *
my shield,
the horn of my salvation, and my refuge;
you are worthy of
praise.
I will call upon the LORD, *
and so shall I be saved
from my enemies.
The breakers of death rolled over me, *
and the
torrents of oblivion made me afraid.
The cords of hell entangled me, *
and the snares of
death were set for me.
I called upon the LORD in my distress *
and cried out
to my God for help.
He heard my voice from his heavenly dwelling; *
my
cry of anguish came to his ears.
The earth reeled and rocked; *
the roots of the
mountains shook;
they reeled because of his anger.
Smoke rose from his nostrils
and a consuming fire out
of his mouth; *
hot burning coals blazed forth from him.
He parted the heavens and came down *
with a storm
cloud under his feet.
He mounted on cherubim and flew; *
he swooped on the
wings of the wind.
He wrapped darkness about him; *
he made dark waters
and thick clouds his pavilion.
From the brightness of his presence, through the clouds,
*
burst hailstones and coals of fire.
The LORD thundered out of heaven; *
the Most High
uttered his voice.
He loosed his arrows and scattered them; *
he hurled
thunderbolts and routed them.
The beds of the seas were uncovered,
and the
foundations of the world laid bare, *
at your battle cry, O LORD,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
He reached down from on high and grasped me; *
he
drew me out of great waters.
He delivered me from my strong enemies
and from those
who hated me; *
for they were too mighty for me.
They confronted me in the day of my disaster; *
but
the LORD was my support.
He brought me out into an open place; *
he rescued me
because he delighted in me.
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 Proverbs.
My child, keep my
words
and store up my commandments with you;
keep my commandments and live,
keep my teachings
as the apple of your eye;
bind them on your fingers,
write
them on the tablet of your heart.
Say to wisdom, ‘You are
my sister’,
and call insight your intimate
friend,
that they may keep you from the loose woman,
from
the adulteress with her smooth words.
For at the window of my
house
I looked out through my lattice,
and
I saw among the simple ones,
I observed among
the youths,
a young man without sense,
passing along the street near her corner,
taking
the road to her house
in the twilight, in the evening,
at
the time of night and darkness.
Then a woman comes
towards him,
decked out like a prostitute, wily
of heart.
She is loud and wayward;
her feet
do not stay at home;
now in the street, now in the
squares,
and at every corner she lies in wait.
She seizes him and kisses him,
and with
impudent face she says to him:
‘I had to offer
sacrifices,
and today I have paid my vows;
so now I have come out to meet you,
to seek
you eagerly, and I have found you!
I have decked my couch with
coverings,
coloured spreads of Egyptian linen;
I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,
aloes, and
cinnamon.
Come, let us take our fill of love until
morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.
For my husband is not at home;
he has gone on a
long journey.
He took a bag of money with him;
he will not
come home until full moon.’
With much seductive
speech she persuades him;
with her smooth talk
she compels him.
Right away he follows her,
and
goes like an ox to the slaughter,
or bounds like a stag towards
the trap
until an arrow pierces its entrails.
He is
like a bird rushing into a snare,
not knowing that it will cost
him his life.
And now, my children,
listen to me,
and be attentive to the words of
my mouth.
Do not let your hearts turn aside to her ways;
do
not stray into her paths.
for many are those she has
laid low,
and numerous are her victims.
Her house is the way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of
death.
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks be to God.
I will sing to the Lord, for he is lofty and uplifted;
*
the horse and its rider has he hurled into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and my refuge; *
the Lord has
become my Savior.
This is my God and I will praise him, *
the God of my
people and I will exalt him.
The Lord is a mighty warrior; *
Yahweh is his Name.
The chariots of Pharaoh and his army has he hurled into
the sea; *
the finest of those who bear armor have been drowned in
the Red Sea.
The fathomless deep has overwhelmed them; *
they sank
into the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in might; *
your
right hand, O Lord, has overthrown the enemy.
Who can be compared with you, O Lord, among the gods?
*
who is like you, glorious in holiness,
awesome in renown, and
worker of wonders?
You stretched forth your right hand; *
the earth
swallowed them up.
With your constant love you led the people you redeemed;
*
with your might you brought them in safety to your holy
dwelling.
You will bring them in and plant them *
on the mount
of your possession,
The resting-place you have made for yourself, O Lord,
*
the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hand has established.
The Lord shall reign *
for ever and 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.
A Reading from the Gospel According to Matthew.
At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people
on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we
worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God,
Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on
us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive
our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the
Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the
Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. 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 and merciful God, in your goodness keep us, we pray, from all things that may hurt us, that we, being ready both in mind and body, may accomplish with free hearts those things which belong to your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 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