I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
Psalm 122:1
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.
By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept, *
when
we remembered you, O Zion.
As for our harps, we hung them up *
on the trees in
the midst of that land.
For those who led us away captive asked us for a
song,
and our oppressors called for mirth: *
“Sing us one
of the songs of Zion.”
How shall we sing the LORD’S song *
upon an
alien soil?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem, *
let my right hand
forget its skill.
Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth
if I do
not remember you, *
if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest
joy.
[Remember the day of Jerusalem, O LORD,
against the
people of Edom, *
who said, “Down with it! down with it!
even to the ground!”
O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, *
happy
the one who pays you back
for what you have done to us!
Happy shall he be who takes your little ones, *
and
dashes them against the rock!]
Blessed be the LORD my rock! *
who trains my hands to
fight and my fingers to battle;
My help and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer,
*
my shield in whom I trust,
who subdues the peoples under me.
O LORD, what are we that you should care for us? *
mere
mortals that you should think of us?
We are like a puff of wind; *
our days are like a
passing shadow.
Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down; *
touch the
mountains, and they shall smoke.
Hurl the lightning and scatter them; *
shoot out your
arrows and rout them.
Stretch out your hand from on high; *
rescue me and
deliver me from the great waters,
from the hand of foreign
peoples,
Whose mouths speak deceitfully *
and whose right hand
is raised in falsehood.
O God, I will sing to you a new song; *
I will play
to you on a ten-stringed lyre.
You give victory to kings *
and have rescued David
your servant.
Rescue me from the hurtful sword *
and deliver me
from the hand of foreign peoples,
Whose mouths speak deceitfully *
and whose right hand
is raised in falsehood.
May our sons be like plants well nurtured from their
youth, *
and our daughters like sculptured corners of a palace.
May our barns be filled to overflowing with all manner
of crops; *
may the flocks in our pastures increase by thousands
and tens of thousands;
may our cattle be fat and sleek.
May there be no breaching of the walls, no going into
exile, *
no wailing in the public squares.
Happy are the people of whom this is so! *
happy are
the people whose God is the LORD!
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 Micah.
Now you are walled around with a wall; siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike the ruler of Israel upon the cheek. But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; In that day, says the LORD, I will cut off your horses from among you and will destroy your chariots; and I will cut off the cities of your land and throw down all your strongholds; and I will cut off sorceries from your hand, and you shall have no more soothsayers; and I will cut off your images and your pillars from among you, and you shall bow down no more to the work of your hands; and I will uproot your sacred poles from among you and destroy your towns. And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance on the nations that did not obey.
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Glorify the Lord, all you works of the Lord, *
praise
him and highly exalt him for ever.
In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord,
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, you angels and all powers of the Lord,
*
O heavens and all waters above the heavens.
Sun and moon and stars of the sky, glorify the Lord,
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, every shower of rain and fall of dew,
*
all winds and fire and heat.
Winter and Summer, glorify the Lord, *
praise him and
highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O chill and cold, *
drops of dew
and flakes of snow
Frost and cold, ice and sleet, glorify the Lord,
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O nights and days, *
O shining
light and enfolding dark.
Storm clouds and thunderbolts, glorify the Lord,
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Let the earth glorify the Lord, *
praise him and
highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O mountains and hills,
and all that
grows upon the earth, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O springs of water, seas, and streams,
*
O whales and all that move in the waters.
All birds of the air, glorify the Lord, *
praise him
and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O beasts of the wild, *
and all you
flocks and herds.
O men and women everywhere, glorify the Lord, *
praise
him and highly exalt him for ever.
Let the people of God glorify the Lord, *
praise him
and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O priests and servants of the Lord,
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O spirits and souls of the righteous,
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
You that are holy and humble of heart, glorify the Lord,
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Let us glorify the Lord: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord,
*
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
A Reading from the Gospel According to Luke.
“No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light. Then pay attention to how you listen; for to those who have, more will be given; and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away.” Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” But he said to them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”
One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they put out, and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A windstorm swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in danger. They went to him and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were afraid and amazed, and said to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?”
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks be to God.
O ruler of the universe, Lord God,
great deeds are
they that you have done, *
surpassing human understanding.
Your ways are ways of righteousness and truth, *
O
King of all the ages.
Who can fail to do you homage, Lord,
and sing the
praises of your Name? *
for you only are the Holy One.
All nations will draw near and fall down before you,
*
because your just and holy works have been revealed.
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.
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 everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all your works and sanctified a day of rest for all your creatures: Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared for the service of your sanctuary, and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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.
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