Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.
Psalm 43:3
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.
Be pleased, O God, to deliver me; *
O LORD, make
haste to help me.
Let those who seek my life be ashamed
and altogether
dismayed; *
let those who take pleasure in my misfortune
draw
back and be disgraced.
Let those who say to me “Aha!” and gloat
over me turn back, *
because they are ashamed.
Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; *
let
those who love your salvation say for ever,
“Great is the
LORD!”
But as for me, I am poor and needy; *
come to me
speedily, O God.
You are my helper and my deliverer; *
O LORD, do not
tarry.
In you, O LORD, have I taken refuge; *
let me never
be ashamed.
In your righteousness, deliver me and set me free;
*
incline your ear to me and save me.
Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe; *
you
are my crag and my stronghold.
Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, *
from
the clutches of the evildoer and the oppressor.
For you are my hope, O LORD God, *
my confidence
since I was young.
I have been sustained by you ever since I was born;
from
my mother’s womb you have been my strength; *
my praise
shall be always of you.
I have become a portent to many; *
but you are my
refuge and my strength.
Let my mouth be full of your praise *
and your glory
all the day long.
Do not cast me off in my old age; *
forsake me not
when my strength fails.
For my enemies are talking against me, *
and those
who lie in wait for my life take counsel together.
They say, “God has forsaken him;
go after him
and seize him; *
because there is none who will save.”
O God, be not far from me; *
come quickly to help me,
O my God.
Let those who set themselves against me be put to shame
and be disgraced; *
let those who seek to do me evil be covered
with scorn and reproach.
But I shall always wait in patience, *
and shall
praise you more and more.
My mouth shall recount your mighty acts
and saving
deeds all day long; *
though I cannot know the number of them.
I will begin with the mighty works of the Lord GOD; *
I
will recall your righteousness, yours alone.
O God, you have taught me since I was young, *
and to
this day I tell of your wonderful works.
And now that I am old and gray-headed, O God, do not
forsake me, *
till I make known your strength to this generation
and your power to all who are to come.
Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens; *
you
have done great things;
who is like you, O God?
You have showed me great troubles and adversities, *
but
you will restore my life
and bring me up again from the deep
places of the earth.
You strengthen me more and more; *
you enfold and
comfort me,
Therefore I will praise you upon the lyre for your
faithfulness, O my God; *
I will sing to you with the harp, O Holy
One of Israel.
My lips will sing with joy when I play to you, *
and
so will my soul, which you have redeemed.
My tongue will proclaim your righteousness all day long,
*
for they are ashamed and disgraced who sought to do me harm.
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.
Let us now sing the
praises of famous men,
our ancestors in their
generations.
The Lord apportioned to them great glory,
his
majesty from the beginning.
There were those who ruled in their
kingdoms,
and made a name for themselves by
their valour;
those who gave counsel because they were
intelligent;
those who spoke in prophetic
oracles;
those who led the people by their counsels
and
by their knowledge of the people’s lore;
they
were wise in their words of instruction;
those who composed
musical tunes,
or put verses in writing;
rich men endowed with resources,
living
peacefully in their homes—
all these were honoured in
their generations,
and were the pride of their
times.
Some of them have left behind a name,
so
that others declare their praise.
But of others there is no
memory;
they have perished as though they had
never existed;
they have become as though they had never been
born,
they and their children after them.
But these also were godly men,
whose righteous
deeds have not been forgotten;
their wealth will remain with
their descendants,
and their inheritance with
their children’s children.
Their descendants stand by the
covenants;
their children also, for their sake.
Their offspring will continue for ever,
and
their glory will never be blotted out.
Their bodies are buried
in peace,
but their name lives on generation
after generation.
The assembly declares their wisdom,
and
the congregation proclaims their praise.
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 Luke.
He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” And again he said, “To what should I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.” Jesus went through one town and village after another, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem.
Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. When once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then in reply he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will say, ‘I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrown out. Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God. Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
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, 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.
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