Tuesday –
Year 1 Proper 21
Morning Prayer
I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord." Psalm 122:1
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!
97
1 The Lord is King;
let
the earth rejoice; *
let the multitude of the isles be glad.
2
Clouds and darkness are round about him, *
righteousness and
justice are the foundations of his throne.
3 A
fire goes before him *
and burns up his enemies on every side.
4
His lightnings light up the world; *
the earth sees it and is
afraid.
5 The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the
Lord, *
at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
6
The heavens declare his righteousness, *
and all the peoples see
his glory.
7 Confounded be all who worship carved images
and
delight in false gods! *
Bow down before him, all you gods.
8
Zion hears and is glad, and the cities of Judah rejoice, *
because
of your judgments, O Lord.
9 For you are the Lord,
most
high over all the earth; *
you are exalted far above all gods.
10
The Lord loves those who hate evil; *
he preserves the lives of
his saints
and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11
Light has sprung up for the righteous, *
and joyful gladness for
those who are truehearted.
12 Rejoice in the Lord, you
righteous, *
and give thanks to his holy Name.
99
1
The Lord is King;
let the people tremble; *
he is enthroned
upon the cherubim;
let the earth shake.
2 The Lord is great
in Zion; *
he is high above all peoples.
3 Let them confess
his Name, which is great and awesome; *
he is the Holy One.
4
"O mighty King, lover of justice,
you have established
equity; *
you have executed justice and righteousness in
Jacob."
5 Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God
and
fall down before his footstool; *
he is the Holy One.
6
Moses and Aaron among his priests,
and Samuel among those who call
upon his Name, *
they called upon the Lord,
and he answered them.
7 He spoke to them out of the pillar of
cloud; *
they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave
them.
8 "O Lord our God, you answered them indeed; *
you
were a God who forgave them,
yet punished them for their evil
deeds."
9 Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God
and
worship him upon his holy hill; *
for the Lord our God is the Holy
One.
100
1
Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; *
serve the Lord with
gladness
and come before his presence with a song.
2 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.
3 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his
courts with praise; *
give thanks to him and call upon his
Name.
4 For the Lord is good;
his mercy is everlasting;
*
and his faithfulness endures from age to age.
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.
Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old; he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, just as his ancestor David had done.
In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them.
Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the passover to the Lord the God of Israel. For the king and his officials and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to keep the passover in the second month (for they could not keep it at its proper time because the priests had not sanctified themselves in sufficient number, nor had the people assembled in Jerusalem). The plan seemed right to the king and all the assembly. So they decreed the making of a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan, that the people should come and keep the passover to the Lord the God of Israel, at Jerusalem; for they had not kept it in great numbers as prescribed. So couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his officials, as the king had commanded, saying, ‘O people of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. Do not be like your ancestors and your kindred, who were faithless to the Lord God of their ancestors, so that he made them a desolation, as you see. Do not now be stiff-necked as your ancestors were, but yield yourselves to the Lord and come to his sanctuary, which he has sanctified for ever, and serve the Lord your God, so that his fierce anger may turn away from you. For as you return to the Lord, your kindred and your children will find compassion with their captors, and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.’
So the couriers went from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun; but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them. Only a few from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the officials commanded by the word of the Lord.
Many people came together in Jerusalem to keep the festival of unleavened bread in the second month, a very large assembly. They set to work and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for offering incense they took away and threw into the Wadi Kidron. They slaughtered the passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed, and they sanctified themselves and brought burnt-offerings into the house of the Lord. They took their accustomed posts according to the law of Moses the man of God; the priests dashed the blood that they received* from the hands of the Levites. For there were many in the assembly who had not sanctified themselves; therefore the Levites had to slaughter the passover lamb for everyone who was not clean, to make it holy to the Lord. For a multitude of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the passover otherwise than as prescribed. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, ‘The good Lord pardon all who set their hearts to seek God, the Lord the God of their ancestors, even though not in accordance with the sanctuary’s rules of cleanness.’ The Lord heard Hezekiah, and healed the people. The people of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the festival of unleavened bread for seven days with great gladness; and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, accompanied by loud instruments for the Lord. Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good skill in the service of the Lord. So the people ate the food of the festival for seven days, sacrificing offerings of well-being and giving thanks to the Lord the God of their ancestors.
Then the whole assembly agreed together to keep the festival for another seven days; so they kept it for another seven days with gladness. For King Hezekiah of Judah gave the assembly a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep for offerings, and the officials gave the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep. The priests sanctified themselves in great numbers. The whole assembly of Judah, the priests and the Levites, and the whole assembly that came out of Israel, and the resident aliens who came out of the land of Israel, and the resident aliens who lived in Judah, rejoiced. There was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon son of King David of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. Then the priests and the Levites stood up and blessed the people, and their voice was heard; their prayer came to his holy dwelling in heaven.
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.
Reading
I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord; but the married man is anxious about the affairs of the world, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried woman and the virgin are anxious about the affairs of the Lord, so that they may be holy in body and spirit; but the married woman is anxious about the affairs of the world, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to put any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and unhindered devotion to the Lord.
If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly towards his fiancée,* if his passions are strong, and so it has to be, let him marry as he wishes; it is no sin. Let them marry. But if someone stands firm in his resolve, being under no necessity but having his own desire under control, and has determined in his own mind to keep her as his fiancée,* he will do well. So then, he who marries his fiancée* does well; and he who refrains from marriage will do better.
A wife is bound as long as her husband lives. But if the husband dies,* she is free to marry anyone she wishes, only in the Lord. But in my judgement she is more blessed if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God.
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 ever more.
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.
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 21
O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
For Mission
O God and Father of all, whom the whole heavens adore: Let the whole earth also worship you, all nations obey you, all tongues confess and bless you, and men and women everywhere love you and serve you in peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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