Wednesday – Year 1 Proper 28
Morning Prayer

Opening Sentence

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.    Psalm 19:14

Versicle and Response

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.

Invitatory

Jubilate

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.

Psalms

101

1 I will sing of mercy and justice; *
to you, O Lord, will I sing praises.

2 I will strive to follow a blameless course;
oh, when will you come to me? *
I will walk with sincerity of heart within my house.

3 I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; *
I hate the doers of evil deeds;
they shall not remain with me.

4 A crooked heart shall be far from me; *
I will not know evil.

5 Those who in secret slander their neighbors I will destroy; *
those who have a haughty look and a proud heart I cannot abide.

6 My eyes are upon the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me, *
and only those who lead a blameless life shall be my servants.

7 Those who act deceitfully shall not dwell in my house, *
and those who tell lies shall not continue in my sight.

8 I will soon destroy all the wicked in the land, *
that I may root out all evildoers from the city of the Lord.


109

1 Hold not your tongue, O God of my praise; *
for the mouth of the wicked,
the mouth of the deceitful, is opened against me.

2 They speak to me with a lying tongue; *
they encompass me with hateful words
and fight against me without a cause.

3 Despite my love, they accuse me; *
but as for me, I pray for them.

4 They repay evil for good, *
and hatred for my love.

(5 Set a wicked man against him, *
and let an accuser stand at his right hand.

6 When he is judged, let him be found guilty, *
and let his appeal be in vain.

7 Let his days be few, *
and let another take his office.

8 Let his children be fatherless, *
and his wife become a widow.

9 Let his children be waifs and beggars; *
let them be driven from the ruins of their homes.

10 Let the creditor seize everything he has; *
let strangers plunder his gains.

11 Let there be no one to show him kindness, *
and none to pity his fatherless children.

12 Let his descendants be destroyed, *
and his name be blotted out in the next generation.

13 Let the wickedness of his fathers be remembered before the Lord, *
and his mother's sin not be blotted out;

14 Let their sin be always before the Lord; *
but let him root out their names from the earth;

15 Because he did not remember to show mercy, *
but persecuted the poor and needy
and sought to kill the brokenhearted.

16 He loved cursing,
let it come upon him; *
he took no delight in blessing,
let it depart from him.

17 He put on cursing like a garment, *
let it soak into his body like water
and into his bones like oil;

18 Let it be to him like the cloak which he
wraps around himself, *
and like the belt that he wears continually.

19 Let this be the recompense from the Lord to my accusers, *
and to those who speak evil against me.)

20 But you, O Lord my God,
oh, deal with me according to your Name; *
for your tender mercy's sake, deliver me.

21 For I am poor and needy, *
and my heart is wounded within me.

22 I have faded away like a shadow when it lengthens; *
I am shaken off like a locust.

23 My knees are weak through fasting, *
and my flesh is wasted and gaunt.

24 I have become a reproach to them; *
they see and shake their heads.

25 Help me, O Lord my God; *
save me for your mercy's sake.

26 Let them know that this is your hand, *
that you, O Lord, have done it.

27 They may curse, but you will bless; *
let those who rise up against me be put to shame,
and your servant will rejoice.

28 Let my accusers be clothed with disgrace *
and wrap themselves in their shame as in a cloak.

29 I will give great thanks to the Lord with my mouth; *
in the midst of the multitude will I praise him;

30 Because he stands at the right hand of the needy, *
to save his life from those who would condemn 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.

Reading

1 Maccabees 3:42-60

Now Judas and his brothers saw that misfortunes had increased and that the forces were encamped in their territory. They also learned what the king had commanded to be done to the people to cause their final destruction. But they said to one another, ‘Let us restore the ruins of our people, and fight for our people and the sanctuary.’ So the congregation assembled to be ready for battle, and to pray and ask for mercy and compassion.
Jerusalem was uninhabited like a wilderness;
   not one of her children went in or out.
The sanctuary was trampled down,
   and aliens held the citadel;
   it was a lodging-place for the Gentiles.
Joy was taken from Jacob;
   the flute and the harp ceased to play.

Then they gathered together and went to Mizpah, opposite Jerusalem, because Israel formerly had a place of prayer in Mizpah. They fasted that day, put on sackcloth and sprinkled ashes on their heads, and tore their clothes. And they opened the book of the law to inquire into those matters about which the Gentiles consulted the images of their gods. They also brought the vestments of the priesthood and the first fruits and the tithes, and they stirred up the nazirites* who had completed their days; and they cried aloud to Heaven, saying,
‘What shall we do with these?
   Where shall we take them?
Your sanctuary is trampled down and profaned,
   and your priests mourn in humiliation.
Here the Gentiles are assembled against us to destroy us;
   you know what they plot against us.
How will we be able to withstand them,
   if you do not help us?’

Then they sounded the trumpets and gave a loud shout. After this Judas appointed leaders of the people, in charge of thousands and hundreds and fifties and tens. Those who were building houses, or were about to be married, or were planting a vineyard, or were faint-hearted, he told to go home again, in accordance with the law. Then the army marched out and encamped to the south of Emmaus.

And Judas said, ‘Arm yourselves and be courageous. Be ready early in the morning to fight with these Gentiles who have assembled against us to destroy us and our sanctuary. It is better for us to die in battle than to see the misfortunes of our nation and of the sanctuary. But as his will in heaven may be, so shall he do.’

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Canticle 11 The Third Song of Isaiah

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.

Reading

Revelation 21:9-21

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’ And in the spirit* he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. It has the glory of God and a radiance like a very rare jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal. It has a great, high wall with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates are inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites; on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The angel* who talked to me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width; and he measured the city with his rod, fifteen hundred miles;* its length and width and height are equal. He also measured its wall, one hundred and forty-four cubits* by human measurement, which the angel was using. The wall is built of jasper, while the city is pure gold, clear as glass. The foundations of the wall of the city are adorned with every jewel; the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth cornelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. And the twelve gates are twelve pearls, each of the gates is a single pearl, and the street of the city is pure gold, transparent as glass.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Canticle 16

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.



The Apostle's Creed

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.

The Lord's Prayer

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.

Suffrages

Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance;

Govern and uphold them, now and always.

Day by day we bless you;

We praise your name for ever.

Lord, keep us from all sin today;

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.

Lord, show us your love and mercy;

For we put our trust in you.

In you, Lord, is our hope;

And we shall never hope in vain.

Collect of the Day: Pentecost, proper 28

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Collect for Peace

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.

A Collect for those in the Armed Forces of our Country

Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

F
or 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.

Prayers and Intercessions

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.

Benediction

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 him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:20,21