Worship the Lord in the beauty of his holiness; let the whole earth tremble before him.
Psalm 96:9
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.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? *
and are
so far from my cry
and from the words of my distress?
O my God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not answer;
*
by night as well, but I find no rest.
Yet you are the Holy One, *
enthroned upon the
praises of Israel.
Our forefathers put their trust in you; *
they
trusted, and you delivered them.
They cried out to you and were delivered; *
they
trusted in you and were not put to shame.
But as for me, I am a worm and no man, *
scorned by
all and despised by the people.
All who see me laugh me to scorn; *
they curl their
lips and wag their heads, saying,
“He trusted in the LORD; let him deliver him;
*
let him rescue him, if he delights in him.”
Yet you are he who took me out of the womb, *
and
kept me safe upon my mother’s breast.
I have been entrusted to you ever since I was born;
*
you were my God when I was still in my mother’s womb.
Be not far from me, for trouble is near, *
and there
is none to help.
Many young bulls encircle me; *
strong bulls of
Bashan surround me.
They open wide their jaws at me, *
like a ravening
and a roaring lion.
I am poured out like water;
all my bones are out of
joint; *
my heart within my breast is melting wax.
My mouth is dried out like a pot-sherd;
my tongue
sticks to the roof of my mouth; *
and you have laid me in the dust
of the grave.
Packs of dogs close me in,
and gangs of evildoers
circle around me; *
they pierce my hands and my feet;
I can
count all my bones.
They stare and gloat over me; *
they divide my
garments among them;
they cast lots for my clothing.
Be not far away, O LORD; *
you are my strength;
hasten to help me.
Save me from the sword, *
my life from the power of
the dog.
Save me from the lion’s mouth, *
my wretched
body from the horns of wild bulls.
I will declare your Name to my brethren; *
in the
midst of the congregation I will praise you.
Praise the LORD, you that fear him; *
stand in awe of
him, O offspring of Israel;
all you of Jacob’s line, give
glory.
For he does not despise nor abhor the poor in their
poverty;
neither does he hide his face from them; *
but when
they cry to him he hears them.
My praise is of him in the great assembly; *
I will
perform my vows in the presence of those who worship him.
The poor shall eat and be satisfied,
and those who
seek the LORD shall praise him: *
“May your heart live for
ever!”
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the
LORD, *
and all the families of the nations bow before him.
For kingship belongs to the LORD; *
he rules over the
nations.
To him alone all who sleep in the earth bow down in
worship; *
all who go down to the dust fall before him.
My soul shall live for him;
my descendants shall
serve him; *
they shall be known as the LORD’S for ever.
They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn
*
the saving deeds that he has done.
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 Second Letter of John.
The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth, and not only I but also all who know the truth, because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever: Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, in truth and love. I was overjoyed to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father.
But now, dear lady, I ask you, not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning, let us love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment just as you have heard it from the beginning—you must walk in it.
Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh; any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist! Be on your guard, so that you do not lose what we have worked for, but may receive a full reward. Everyone who does not abide in the teaching of Christ, but goes beyond it, does not have God; whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.
Do not receive into the house or welcome anyone who comes to you and does not bring this teaching; for to welcome is to participate in the evil deeds of such a person.
Although I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink; instead I hope to come to you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete. The children of your elect sister send you their greetings.
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.
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.
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.
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