Thursday –
Year 1 Proper 27
Morning Prayer
The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him. Habakkuk 2:20
Lord, open our lips.
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!
Glory
be to the Father and to the Son,
And to the Holy Spirit.
As it
was in the beginning, is now,
And will be forever. Amen.
34
1 I will bless the Lord at all times;
*
his praise shall ever be in my mouth.
2 I will glory in
the Lord; *
let the humble hear and rejoice.
3 Proclaim
with me the greatness of the Lord; *
let us exalt his Name
together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me *
and delivered me out of
all my terror.
5 Look upon him and be radiant, *
and let
not your faces be ashamed.
6 I called in my affliction and the
Lord heard me *
and saved me from all my troubles.
7 The
angel of the Lord encompasses those who fear him, *
and he will
deliver them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; *
happy
are they who trust in him!
9 Fear the Lord, you that are his
saints, *
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The young
lions lack and suffer hunger, *
but those who seek the Lord lack
nothing that is good.
11 Come, children, and listen to me; *
I
will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Who among you loves
life *
and desires long life to enjoy prosperity?
13 Keep
your tongue from evil-speaking *
and your lips from lying
words.
14 Turn from evil and do good; *
seek peace and
pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the
righteous, *
and his ears are open to their cry.
16 The
face of the Lord is against those who do evil, *
to root out the
remembrance of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry, and the Lord hears them *
and delivers
them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the
brokenhearted *
and will save those whose spirits are crushed.
19
Many are the troubles of the righteous, *
but the Lord will
deliver him out of them all.
20 He will keep safe all his
bones; *
not one of them shall be broken.
21 Evil shall
slay the wicked, *
and those who hate the righteous will be
punished.
22 The Lord ransoms the life of his servants, *
and
none will be punished who trust in him.
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.
After Alexander son of Philip, the Macedonian, who came from the land of Kittim, had defeated* King Darius of the Persians and the Medes, he succeeded him as king. (He had previously become king of Greece.) He fought many battles, conquered strongholds, and put to death the kings of the earth. He advanced to the ends of the earth, and plundered many nations. When the earth became quiet before him, he was exalted, and his heart was lifted up. He gathered a very strong army and ruled over countries, nations, and princes, and they became tributary to him.
After this he fell sick and perceived that he was dying. So he summoned his most honoured officers, who had been brought up with him from youth, and divided his kingdom among them while he was still alive. And after Alexander had reigned for twelve years, he died.
Then his officers began to rule, each in his own place. They all put on crowns after his death, and so did their descendants after them for many years; and they caused many evils on the earth.
From them came forth a sinful root, Antiochus Epiphanes, son of King Antiochus; he had been a hostage in Rome. He began to reign in the one hundred and thirty-seventh year of the kingdom of the Greeks.*
In those days certain renegades came out from Israel and misled many, saying, ‘Let us go and make a covenant with the Gentiles around us, for since we separated from them many disasters have come upon us.’ This proposal pleased them, and some of the people eagerly went to the king, who authorized them to observe the ordinances of the Gentiles. So they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem, according to Gentile custom, and removed the marks of circumcision, and abandoned the holy covenant. They joined with the Gentiles and sold themselves to do evil.
When Antiochus saw that his kingdom was established, he determined to become king of the land of Egypt, in order that he might reign over both kingdoms. So he invaded Egypt with a strong force, with chariots and elephants and cavalry and with a large fleet. He engaged King Ptolemy of Egypt in battle, and Ptolemy turned and fled before him, and many were wounded and fell. They captured the fortified cities in the land of Egypt, and he plundered the land of Egypt.
After subduing Egypt, Antiochus returned in the one hundred and
forty-third year.*
He went up against Israel and came to Jerusalem with a strong force.
He arrogantly entered the sanctuary and took the golden altar, the
lampstand for the light, and all its utensils. He took also the table
for the bread of the Presence, the cups for drink-offerings, the
bowls, the golden censers, the curtain, the crowns, and the gold
decoration on the front of the temple; he stripped it all off. He
took the silver and the gold, and the costly vessels; he took also
the hidden treasures that he found. Taking them all, he went into his
own land.
He shed much blood,
and spoke with
great arrogance.
Israel mourned deeply in every community,
rulers and elders groaned,
young women and
young men became faint,
the beauty of the women
faded.
Every bridegroom took up the lament;
she
who sat in the bridal chamber was mourning.
Even the land
trembled for its inhabitants,
and all the house
of Jacob was clothed with shame.
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.
Reading
After this I
heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in
heaven, saying,
‘Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and
power to our God,
for his judgements
are true and just;
he has judged the great whore
who
corrupted the earth with her fornication,
and he has avenged on
her the blood of his servants.’*
Once more they said,
‘Hallelujah!
The smoke goes up
from her for ever and ever.’
And the twenty-four elders and
the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God who is seated
on the throne, saying,
‘Amen. Hallelujah!’
And from the throne came a voice saying,
‘Praise our
God,
all you his servants,*
and
all who fear him,
small and great.’
Then
I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the
sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunder-peals,
crying out,
‘Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the
Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult
and
give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and
his bride has made herself ready;
to her it has been granted
to be clothed
with fine linen, bright and
pure’—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of
the saints.
And the angel said* to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are true words of God.’ Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am a fellow-servant* with you and your comrades* who hold the testimony of Jesus.* Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus* is the spirit of prophecy.’
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks
be to God.
Canticle 20 Glory 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.
The
Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
Our Father in
heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will
be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our
daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin
against us.
Save us from the
time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom,
the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
Show us your mercy, O Lord;
And grant us your salvation.
Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
Let your people sing with joy.
Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
For only in you can we live in safety.
Lord, keep this nation under your care;
And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
Let your way be known upon earth;
Your saving health among all nations.
Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Create in us clean hearts, O God;
And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.
Collect of the Day: Pentecost, Proper 27
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.
A Collect for the Renewal of Life
O God, the King eternal, who divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness while it was day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For Mission
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.
General Thanksgiving
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