Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:2
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.
The LORD, the God of gods, has spoken; *
he has
called the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Out of Zion, perfect in its beauty, *
God reveals
himself in glory.
Our God will come and will not keep silence; *
before
him there is a consuming flame,
and round about him a raging
storm.
He calls the heavens and the earth from above *
to
witness the judgment of his people.
“Gather before me my loyal followers, *
those
who have made a covenant with me
and sealed it with sacrifice.”
Let the heavens declare the rightness of his cause;
*
for God himself is judge.
Hear, O my people, and I will speak:
“O Israel,
I will bear witness against you; *
for I am God, your God.
I do not accuse you because of your sacrifices; *
your
offerings are always before me.
I will take no bull-calf from your stalls, *
nor
he-goats out of your pens;
For all the beasts of the forest are mine, *
the
herds in their thousands upon the hills.
I know every bird in the sky, *
and the creatures of
the fields are in my sight.
If I were hungry, I would not tell you, *
for the
whole world is mine and all that is in it.
Do you think I eat the flesh of bulls, *
or drink the
blood of goats?
Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving *
and make
good your vows to the Most High.
Call upon me in the day of trouble; *
I will deliver
you, and you shall honor me.”
But to the wicked God says: *
“Why do you
recite my statutes,
and take my covenant upon your lips;
Since you refuse discipline, *
and toss my words
behind your back?
When you see a thief, you make him your friend, *
and
you cast in your lot with adulterers.
You have loosed your lips for evil, *
and harnessed
your tongue to a lie.
You are always speaking evil of your brother *
and
slandering your own mother’s son.
These things you have done, and I kept still, *
and
you thought that I am like you.”
“I have made my accusation; *
I have put my
case in order before your eyes.
Consider this well, you who forget God, *
lest I rend
you and there be none to deliver you.
Whoever offers me the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors
me; *
but to those who keep in my way will I show the salvation of
God.”
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 Wisdom of Ben Sira.
Are you seated at the
table of the great?
Do not be greedy at
it,
and do not say, ‘How much food there is
here!’
Remember that a greedy eye is a bad thing.
What
has been created more greedy than the eye?
Therefore
it sheds tears for any reason.
Do not reach out your hand for
everything you see,
and do not crowd your
neighbour at the dish.
Judge your neighbour’s feelings by
your own,
and in every matter be thoughtful.
Eat what is set before you like a well-bred person,
and
do not chew greedily, or you will give offence.
Be the first to
stop, as befits good manners,
and do not be
insatiable, or you will give offence.
If you are seated among
many others,
do not help yourself before they do.
Do not try to prove your
strength by wine-drinking,
for wine has
destroyed many.
As the furnace tests the work of the
smith,
so wine tests hearts when the insolent
quarrel.
Wine is very life to human beings
if
taken in moderation.
What is life to one who is without
wine?
It has been created to make people happy.
Wine drunk at the proper time and in moderation
is
rejoicing of heart and gladness of soul.
Wine drunk to excess
leads to bitterness of spirit,
to quarrels and
stumbling.
Drunkenness increases the anger of a fool to his own
hurt,
reducing his strength and adding wounds.
Do not reprove your neighbour at a banquet of wine,
and do not
despise him in his merrymaking;
speak no word of reproach to him,
and do not distress him by making demands of him.
If they make you master of
the feast, do not exalt yourself;
be among them
as one of their number.
Take care of them first and then sit down;
when you have fulfilled all your duties, take your place,
so
that you may be merry along with them
and receive a garland for
your excellent leadership.
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.
A Reading from the Gospel According to Luke.
When he went outside, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile toward him and to cross-examine him about many things, lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.
Meanwhile, when the crowd gathered by the thousands, so that they trampled on one another, he began to speak first to his disciples, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, their hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops. “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say.”
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks be 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.
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, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through 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