God is Spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirit and in truth.
John 4:24
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 teaching, O my people; *
incline your ears to
the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable; *
I will declare
the mysteries of ancient times.
That which we have heard and known,
and what our
forefathers have told us, *
we will not hide from their children.
We will recount to generations to come
the
praiseworthy deeds and the power of the LORD, *
and the wonderful
works he has done.
He gave his decrees to Jacob
and established a law
for Israel, *
which he commanded them to teach their children;
That the generations to come might know,
and the
children yet unborn; *
that they in their turn might tell it to
their children;
So that they might put their trust in God, *
and not
forget the deeds of God,
but keep his commandments;
And not be like their forefathers,
a stubborn and
rebellious generation, *
a generation whose heart was not
steadfast,
and whose spirit was not faithful to God.
The people of Ephraim, armed with the bow, *
turned
back in the day of battle;
They did not keep the covenant of God, *
and refused
to walk in his law;
They forgot what he had done, *
and the wonders he
had shown them.
He worked marvels in the sight of their forefathers,
*
in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
He split open the sea and let them pass through; *
he
made the waters stand up like walls.
He led them with a cloud by day, *
and all the night
through with a glow of fire.
He split the hard rocks in the wilderness *
and gave
them drink as from the great deep.
He brought streams out of the cliff, *
and the waters
gushed out like rivers.
But they went on sinning against him, *
rebelling in
the desert against the Most High.
They tested God in their hearts, *
demanding food for
their craving.
They railed against God and said, *
“Can God
set a table in the wilderness?
True, he struck the rock, the waters gushed out, and the
gullies overflowed; *
but is he able to give bread
or to
provide meat for his people?”
When the LORD heard this, he was full of wrath; *
a
fire was kindled against Jacob,
and his anger mounted against
Israel;
For they had no faith in God, *
nor did they put
their trust in his saving power.
So he commanded the clouds above *
and opened the
doors of heaven.
He rained down manna upon them to eat *
and gave them
grain from heaven.
So mortals ate the bread of angels; *
he provided for
them food enough.
He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens *
and
led out the south wind by his might.
He rained down flesh upon them like dust *
and wingèd
birds like the sand of the sea.
He let it fall in the midst of their camp *
and round
about their dwellings.
So they ate and were well filled, *
for he gave them
what they craved.
But they did not stop their craving, *
though the
food was still in their mouths.
So God’s anger mounted against them; *
he slew
their strongest men
and laid low the youth of Israel.
In spite of all this, they went on sinning *
and had
no faith in his wonderful works.
So he brought their days to an end like a breath *
and
their years in sudden terror.
Whenever he slew them, they would seek him, *
and
repent, and diligently search for God.
They would remember that God was their rock, *
and
the Most High God their redeemer.
But they flattered him with their mouths *
and lied
to him with their tongues.
Their heart was not steadfast toward him, *
and they
were not faithful to his covenant.
But he was so merciful that he forgave their sins
and
did not destroy them; *
many times he held back his anger
and
did not permit his wrath to be roused.
For he remembered that they were but flesh, *
a
breath that goes forth and does not return.
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 the Prophet Joel.
Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes. Is not the food cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God? The seed shrivels under the clods, the storehouses are desolate; the granaries are ruined because the grain has failed. How the animals groan! The herds of cattle wander about because there is no pasture for them; even the flocks of sheep are dazed. To you, O LORD, I cry. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flames have burned all the trees of the field. Even the wild animals cry to you because the watercourses are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming, it is near— a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness spread upon the mountains a great and powerful army comes; their like has never been from of old, nor will be again after them in ages to come.[ Fire devours in front of them, and behind them a flame burns. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, but after them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them. They have the appearance of horses, and like war-horses they charge. As with the rumbling of chariots, they leap on the tops of the mountains, like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble, like a powerful army drawn up for battle. Before them peoples are in anguish, all faces grow pale. Like warriors they charge, like soldiers they scale the wall. Each keeps to its own course, they do not swerve from their paths. They do not jostle one another, each keeps to its own track; they burst through the weapons and are not halted. They leap upon the city, they run upon the walls; they climb up into the houses, they enter through the windows like a thief. The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. The LORD utters his voice at the head of his army; how vast is his host! Numberless are those who obey his command. Truly the day of the LORD is great; terrible indeed—who can endure it?]
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.
Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions. “Salt is good; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; they throw it away. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!”
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.
O God, whose blessed Son came into the world that he might destroy the works of the devil and make us children of God and heirs of eternal life: Grant that, having this hope, we may purify ourselves as he is pure; that, when he comes again with power and great glory, we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and 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.
Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. 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