Thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, “I dwell in the high and holy place and also with the one who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite.”
Isaiah 57:15
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.
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!
O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger; *
do not
punish me in your wrath.
For your arrows have already pierced me, *
and your
hand presses hard upon me.
There is no health in my flesh,
because of your
indignation; *
there is no soundness in my body, because of my
sin.
For my iniquities overwhelm me; *
like a heavy burden
they are too much for me to bear.
My wounds stink and fester *
by reason of my
foolishness.
I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; *
I go about
in mourning all the day long.
My loins are filled with searing pain; *
there is no
health in my body.
I am utterly numb and crushed; *
I wail, because of
the groaning of my heart.
O Lord, you know all my desires, *
and my sighing is
not hidden from you.
My heart is pounding, my strength has failed me, *
and
the brightness of my eyes is gone from me.
My friends and companions draw back from my affliction;
*
my neighbors stand afar off.
Those who seek after my life lay snares for me; *
those
who strive to hurt me speak of my ruin
and plot treachery all the
day long.
But I am like the deaf who do not hear, *
like those
who are mute and who do not open their mouth.
I have become like one who does not hear *
and from
whose mouth comes no defense.
For in you, O LORD, have I fixed my hope; *
you will
answer me, O Lord my God.
For I said, “Do not let them rejoice at my
expense, *
those who gloat over me when my foot slips.”
Truly, I am on the verge of falling, *
and my pain is
always with me.
I will confess my iniquity *
and be sorry for my sin.
Those who are my enemies without cause are mighty, *
and
many in number are those who wrongfully hate me.
Those who repay evil for good slander me, *
because I
follow the course that is right.
O LORD, do not forsake me; *
be not far from me, O my
God.
Make haste to help me, *
O Lord of my salvation.
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.
Better is a dry morsel
with quiet
than a house full of feasting
with strife.
A slave who deals wisely will rule over a child
who acts shamefully,
and will share the
inheritance as one of the family.
The crucible is for silver, and
the furnace is for gold,
but the LORD tests the
heart.
An evildoer listens to wicked lips;
and
a liar gives heed to a mischievous tongue.
Those who mock the
poor insult their Maker;
those who are glad at
calamity will not go unpunished.
Grandchildren are the crown of
the aged,
and the glory of children is
their parents.
Fine speech is not becoming to a fool;
still
less is false speech to a ruler.
A bribe is like a magic stone in
the eyes of those who give it;
wherever they
turn they prosper.
One who forgives an affront fosters
friendship,
but one who dwells on disputes will
alienate a friend.
A rebuke strikes deeper into a discerning
person
than a hundred blows into a fool.
Evil
people seek only rebellion,
but a cruel
messenger will be sent against them.
Better to meet a she-bear
robbed of its cubs
than to confront a fool
immersed in folly.
Evil will not depart from the house
of
one who returns evil for good.
The beginning of strife is like
letting out water;
so stop before the quarrel
breaks out.
One who justifies the wicked and one who
condemns the righteous
are both alike an
abomination to the LORD.
Why should fools have a price
in hand
to buy wisdom, when they have no
mind to learn?
A friend loves at all times,
and
kinsfolk are born to share adversity.
It is senseless to give a
pledge,
to become surety for a neighbour.
One
who loves transgression loves strife;
one
who builds a high threshold invites broken bones.
The crooked of
mind do not prosper,
and the perverse of tongue fall into
calamity.
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Arise, shine, for your light has come, *
and the
glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.
For behold, darkness covers the land; *
deep gloom
enshrouds the peoples.
But over you the Lord will rise, *
and his glory will
appear upon you.
Nations will stream to your light, *
and kings to the
brightness of your dawning.
Your gates will always be open; *
by day or night
they will never be shut.
They will call you, The City of the Lord, *
The Zion
of the Holy One of Israel.
Violence will no more be heard in your land, *
ruin
or destruction within your borders.
You will call your walls, Salvation, *
and all your
portals, Praise.
The sun will no more be your light by day; *
by night
you will not need the brightness of the moon.
The Lord will be your everlasting light, *
and your
God will be your glory.
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.
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but it finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation.”
While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
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.
Grant, O Lord, that the course of this world may be peaceably governed by your providence; and that your Church may joyfully serve you in confidence and serenity; 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.
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.
Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to God from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:20,21