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
All stand
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.
Hear my cry, O God, *
and listen to my prayer.
I call upon you from the ends of the earth
with
heaviness in my heart; *
set me upon the rock that is higher than
I.
For you have been my refuge, *
a strong tower against
the enemy.
I will dwell in your house for ever; *
I will take
refuge under the cover of your wings.
For you, O God, have heard my vows; *
you have
granted me the heritage of those who fear your Name.
Add length of days to the king’s life; *
let
his years extend over many generations.
Let him sit enthroned before God for ever; *
bid love
and faithfulness watch over him.
So will I always sing the praise of your Name, *
and
day by day I will fulfill my vows.
For God alone my soul in silence waits; *
from him
comes my salvation.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, *
my
stronghold, so that I shall not be greatly shaken.
How long will you assail me to crush me,
all of you
together, *
as if you were a leaning fence, a toppling wall?
They seek only to bring me down from my place of honor;
*
lies are their chief delight.
They bless with their lips, *
but in their hearts
they curse.
For God alone my soul in silence waits; *
truly, my
hope is in him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, *
my
stronghold, so that I shall not be shaken.
In God is my safety and my honor; *
God is my strong
rock and my refuge.
Put your trust in him always, O people, *
pour out
your hearts before him, for God is our refuge.
Those of high degree are but a fleeting breath, *
even
those of low estate cannot be trusted.
On the scales they are lighter than a breath, *
all
of them together.
Put no trust in extortion;
in robbery take no empty
pride; *
though wealth increase, set not your heart upon it.
God has spoken once, twice have I heard it, *
that
power belongs to God.
Steadfast love is yours, O Lord, *
for you repay
everyone according to his deeds.
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 Ben Sira.
The pride of the higher
realms is the clear vault of the sky,
as
glorious to behold as the sight of the heavens.
The sun, when it
appears, proclaims as it rises
what a marvellous
instrument it is, the work of the Most High.
At noon it parches
the land,
and who can withstand its burning
heat?
A man tending a furnace works in burning heat,
but
three times as hot is the sun scorching the mountains;
it breathes
out fiery vapours,
and its bright rays blind the
eyes.
Great is the Lord who made it;
at his orders it
hurries on its course.
It is the moon that marks
the changing seasons,
governing the times, their
everlasting sign.
From the moon comes the sign for festal
days,
a light that wanes when it completes its
course.
The new moon, as its name suggests, renews itself;
how marvellous it is in this change,
a beacon to the hosts on
high,
shining in the vault of the heavens!
The glory of the stars is
the beauty of heaven,
a glittering array in the
heights of the Lord.
On the orders of the Holy One they stand in
their appointed places;
they never relax in
their watches.
Look at the rainbow, and praise him who made
it;
it is exceedingly beautiful in its
brightness.
It encircles the sky with its glorious arc;
the hands of the Most High have stretched it out.
By his command he sends
the driving snow
and speeds the lightnings of
his judgement.
Therefore the storehouses are opened,
and
the clouds fly out like birds.
In his majesty he gives the
clouds their strength,
and the hailstones are
broken in pieces.
The voice of his thunder rebukes the earth;
when he appears, the mountains shake.
At his
will the south wind blows;
so do the storm from
the north and the whirlwind.
He scatters the snow like birds
flying down,
and its descent is like locusts
alighting.
The eye is dazzled by the beauty of its
whiteness,
and the mind is amazed as it falls.
He pours frost over the earth like salt,
and
icicles form like pointed thorns.
The cold north wind
blows,
and ice freezes on the water;
it
settles on every pool of water,
and the water
puts it on like a breastplate.
He consumes the mountains and
burns up the wilderness,
and withers the tender
grass like fire.
A mist quickly heals all things;
the
falling dew gives refreshment from the heat.
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; *
you are
worthy of praise; glory to you.
Glory to you for the radiance of your holy Name; *
we
will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.
Glory to you in the splendor of your temple; *
on the
throne of your majesty, glory to you.
Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim; *
we will
praise you and highly exalt you for ever.
Glory to you, beholding the depths; *
in the high
vault of heaven, glory to you.
Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; *
we will
praise you and highly exalt you for ever.
A Reading from the Gospel According to Luke.
At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”
Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Splendor and honor and kingly power *
are yours by
right, O Lord our God,
For you created everything that is, *
and by your
will they were created and have their being;
And yours by right, O Lamb that was slain, *
for with
your blood you have redeemed for God,
From every family, language, people, and nation, *
a
kingdom of priests to serve our God.
And so, to him who sits upon the throne, *
and to
Christ the Lamb,
Be worship and praise, dominion and splendor, *
for
ever and for evermore.
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, it is only by your gift that your faithful people offer you true and laudable service: Grant that we may run without stumbling to obtain your heavenly promises; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of 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.
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