1 Lord, enthroned in heavenly splendour
first-begotten from the dead,
thou alone, our strong defender,
liftest up thy people's head.
Alleluia, alleluia,
Jesu, true and living bread.
—-
2 Here our humblest homage pay we,
here in loving reverence bow;
here for faith's discernment pray we,
lest we fail to know thee now.
Alleluia, alleluia,
thou art here, we ask not how.
—-
3 Though the lowliest form doth veil thee
as of old in Bethlehem,
here as there thine angels hail thee,
branch and flower of Jesse's stem.
Alleluia, alleluia,
we in worship join with them.
—-
4 Paschal Lamb, thine offering, finished
once for all when thou wast slain,
in its fullness undiminished
shall for evermore remain,
Alleluia, alleluia,
cleansing souls from every stain.
—-
5 Life-imparting heavenly manna,
stricken rock with streaming side,
heaven and earth with loud hosanna
worship thee, the Lamb who died,
Alleluia, alleluia,
risen, ascended, glorified!
first-begotten from the dead,
thou alone, our strong defender,
liftest up thy people's head.
Alleluia, alleluia,
Jesu, true and living bread.
—-
2 Here our humblest homage pay we,
here in loving reverence bow;
here for faith's discernment pray we,
lest we fail to know thee now.
Alleluia, alleluia,
thou art here, we ask not how.
—-
3 Though the lowliest form doth veil thee
as of old in Bethlehem,
here as there thine angels hail thee,
branch and flower of Jesse's stem.
Alleluia, alleluia,
we in worship join with them.
—-
4 Paschal Lamb, thine offering, finished
once for all when thou wast slain,
in its fullness undiminished
shall for evermore remain,
Alleluia, alleluia,
cleansing souls from every stain.
—-
5 Life-imparting heavenly manna,
stricken rock with streaming side,
heaven and earth with loud hosanna
worship thee, the Lamb who died,
Alleluia, alleluia,
risen, ascended, glorified!
Monday, 22 July 2024
Mary Magdalene
+++
Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
The night has passed, and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind.
Silence is kept.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of your presence, O God, set our hearts on fire with love for you; now and for ever.
Amen.
+++
Morning
Jeremiah 11, 23, 2 readers
Israel and Judah Have Broken the Covenant
11 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 3 You shall say to them, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Cursed be anyone who does not heed the words of this covenant, 4 which I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron smelter, saying, ‘Listen to my voice, and do all that I command you. So shall you be my people, and I will be your God, 5 that I may perform the oath that I swore to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as at this day.’ ” Then I answered, “So be it, Lord.”
6 And the Lord said to me: Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: Hear the words of this covenant and do them. 7 For I solemnly warned your ancestors when I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, warning them persistently, even to this day, saying, “Obey my voice.” 8 Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but everyone walked in the stubbornness of an evil will. So I brought upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.
9 And the Lord said to me: Conspiracy exists among the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have turned back to the iniquities of their ancestors of old, who refused to heed my words; they have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant that I made with their ancestors. 11 Therefore, thus says the Lord, assuredly I am going to bring disaster upon them that they cannot escape; though they cry out to me, I will not listen to them.
Second reader
12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they make offerings, but they will never save them in the time of their trouble. 13 For your gods have become as many as your towns, O Judah, and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars to shame you have set up, altars to make offerings to Baal.
14 As for you, do not pray for this people or lift up a cry or prayer on their behalf, for I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their trouble.15 What right has my beloved in my house, when she has done vile deeds? Can vows[a] and sacrificial flesh avert your doom? Can you then exult? 16 The Lord once called you, “A green olive tree, fair with goodly fruit,” but with the roar of a great tempest he will set fire to it, and its branches will be consumed. 17 The Lord of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced evil against you because of the evil that the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done, provoking me to anger by making offerings to Baal.
Jeremiah’s Life Threatened
18
It was the Lord who made it known to me, and I knew;
then you showed me their deeds.
19
But I was like a gentle lamb
led to the slaughter.
And I did not know it was against me
that they devised schemes, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit;
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
so that his name will no longer be remembered!”
20
But you, O Lord of hosts, who judge righteously,
who try the heart and the mind,
let me see your retribution upon them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
21 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the people of Anathoth who seek your life and say, “You shall not prophesy in the name of the Lord, or you will die by our hand”— 22 therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: I am going to punish them; the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine, 23 and not even a remnant shall be left of them. For I will bring disaster upon the people of Anathoth, the year of their punishment.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.
+++
John 10, 41, 2 readers
Jesus the Good Shepherd
10 “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7 So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me[a] are thieves and bandits, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes[b] it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
19 Again the Jews were divided because of these words. 20 Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is out of his mind. Why listen to him?”21 Others were saying, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
Second reader
Jesus Is Rejected by the Jews
22 At that time the Festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah,[c] tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me, 26 but you do not believe because you do not belong to my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, in regard to what he has given me, is greater than all,[d] and no one can snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.”
31 The Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human, are making yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered, “Is it not written in your law,[e] ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’—and the scripture cannot be annulled— 36 can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand[f] that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”39 Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands.
40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. 41 Many came to him, and they were saying, “John performed no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.
+++
Psalm 107, 43, 2 teaders
Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Many Troubles
1
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
2
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
those he redeemed from trouble
3
and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.[a]
4
Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to an inhabited town;
5
hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
6
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress;
7
he led them by a straight way,
until they reached an inhabited town.
8
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
9
For he satisfies the thirsty,
and the hungry he fills with good things.
10
Some sat in darkness and in gloom,
prisoners in misery and in irons,
11
for they had rebelled against the words of God
and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12
Their hearts were bowed down with hard labor;
they fell down, with no one to help.
13
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress;
14
he brought them out of darkness and gloom,
and broke their bonds apart.
15
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
16
For he shatters the doors of bronze
and cuts in two the bars of iron.
17
Some were sick[b] through their sinful ways
and because of their iniquities endured affliction;
18
they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
19
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress;
20
he sent out his word and healed them
and delivered them from destruction.
21
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
22
And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices
and tell of his deeds with songs of joy.
Second reader
23
Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the mighty waters;
24
they saw the deeds of the Lord,
his wondrous works in the deep.
25
For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26
They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their calamity;
27
they reeled and staggered like drunkards
and were at their wits’ end.
28
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out from their distress;
29
he made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30
Then they were glad because they had quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
31
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
32
Let them extol him in the congregation of the people
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
33
He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
34
a fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.
35
He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
36
And there he lets the hungry live,
and they establish a town to live in;
37
they sow fields and plant vineyards
and get a fruitful yield.
38
By his blessing they multiply greatly,
and he does not let their cattle decrease.
39
When they are diminished and brought low
through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
40
he pours contempt on princes
and makes them wander in trackless wastes,
41
but he raises up the needy out of distress
and makes their families like flocks.
42
The upright see it and are glad,
and all wickedness stops its mouth.
43
Let those who are wise pay attention to these things
and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.
+++
Let us pray.
God the Father,
have mercy upon us.
God the Son,
have mercy upon us.
God the Holy Spirit,
have mercy upon us.
Holy, blessed and glorious Trinity,
have mercy upon us.
Leader prays a short prayer
+++
The Collect of the day is said
Almighty God,
whose Son restored Mary Magdalene
to health of mind and body
and called her to be a witness to his resurrection:
forgive our sins and heal us by your grace,
that we may serve you in the power of his risen life;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
+++
The Lord’s Prayer is said
Rejoicing in the presence of God here among us, as our Saviour taught us, so we 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.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.
+++
The conclusion
The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil,
and keep us in eternal life.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
+++
Evening
Jeremiah 12, 17
Jeremiah Complains to God
12
You will be in the right, O Lord,
when I lay charges against you,
but let me put my case to you.
Why does the way of the guilty prosper?
Why do all who are treacherous thrive?
2
You plant them, and they take root;
they grow and bring forth fruit;
you are near in their mouths
yet far from their hearts.
3
But you, O Lord, know me;
you see me and test me; my heart is with you.
Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter,
and set them apart for the day of slaughter.
4
How long will the land mourn
and the grass of every field wither?
For the wickedness of those who live in it,
the animals and the birds are swept away,
and because people said, “He is blind to our ways.”[a]
God Replies to Jeremiah
5
If you have raced with runners and they have wearied you,
how will you compete with horses?
And if you trust in a safe land,
how will you fare in the thickets of the Jordan?
6
For even your kinsfolk and your own family,
even they have dealt treacherously with you;
they are in full cry after you;
do not believe them,
though they speak friendly words to you.
7
I have forsaken my house;
I have abandoned my heritage;
I have given the beloved of my heart
into the hands of her enemies.
8
My heritage has become to me
like a lion in the forest;
she has lifted up her voice against me--
therefore I hate her.
9
Is the hawk hungry for my heritage?
Are the vultures all around her?
Go, assemble all the wild animals;
bring them to devour her.
10
Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard;
they have trampled down my portion;
they have made my pleasant portion
a desolate wilderness.
11
They have made it a desolation;
desolate, it mourns to me.
The whole land is made desolate,
but no one lays it to heart.
12
Upon all the bare heights[b] in the desert,
spoilers have come,
for the sword of the Lord devours
from one end of the land to the other;
no one shall be safe.
13
They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns;
they have tired themselves out but profit nothing.
They shall be ashamed of their[c] harvests
because of the fierce anger of the Lord.
14 Thus says the Lord concerning all my evil neighbors who touch the heritage that I have given my people Israel to inherit: I am about to pluck them up from their land, and I will pluck up the house of Judah from among them. 15 And after I have plucked them up, I will again have compassion on them, and I will bring them again to their heritage and to their land, every one of them. 16 And then, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, “As the Lord lives,” as they taught my people to swear by Baal, then they shall be built up in the midst of my people. 17 But if any nation will not listen, then I will completely uproot it and destroy it, says the Lord.
+++
2 Timothy 1, 18
Salutation
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
2 To Timothy, my beloved child:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Thanksgiving and Encouragement
3 I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. 6 For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.
8 Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, in the power of God,9 who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace, and this grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,[a] 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ,[b] who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher,[c] 12 and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day the deposit I have entrusted to him.[d] 13 Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.
15 You are aware that all who are in Asia have turned away from me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain; 17 when he arrived in Rome, he eagerly[e] searched for me and found me 18 —may the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! And you know very well how much service he rendered in Ephesus.
+++
Psalm 108, 13
A song. A psalm of David.
1
My heart, O God, is steadfast;
I will sing and make music with all my soul.
2
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
3
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
4
For great is your love, higher than the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
5
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.
6
Save us and help us with your right hand,
that those you love may be delivered.
7
God has spoken from his sanctuary:
“In triumph I will parcel out Shechem
and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.
8
Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet,
Judah is my scepter.
9
Moab is my washbasin,
on Edom I toss my sandal;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
10
Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
11
Is it not you, God, you who have rejected us
and no longer go out with our armies?
12
Give us aid against the enemy,
for human help is worthless.
13
With God we will gain the victory,
and he will trample down our enemies.
Psalm 109, 31
Prayer for Vindication and Vengeance
To the leader. Of David. A Psalm.
1
Do not be silent, O God of my praise.
2
For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me,
speaking against me with lying tongues.
3
They surround me with words of hate
and attack me without cause.
4
In return for my love they accuse me,
even while I make prayer for them.[a]
5
So they reward me evil for good
and hatred for my love.
6
They say,[b] “Appoint a wicked man against him;
let an accuser stand on his right.
7
When he is tried, let him be found guilty;
let his prayer be counted as sin.
8
May his days be few;
may another seize his position.
9
May his children be orphans
and his wife a widow.
10
May his children wander about and beg;
may they be driven out of[c] the ruins they inhabit.
11
May the creditor seize all that he has;
may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil.
12
May there be no one to do him a kindness
nor anyone to pity his orphaned children.
13
May his posterity be cut off;
may his name be blotted out in the second generation.
14
May the iniquity of his father[d] be remembered before the Lord,
and do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15
Let them be before the Lord continually,
and may his[e] memory be cut off from the earth.
16
For he did not remember to show kindness
but pursued the poor and needy
and the brokenhearted to their death.
17
He loved to curse; let curses come on him.
He did not like blessing; may it be far from him.
18
He clothed himself with cursing as his coat;
may it soak into his body like water,
like oil into his bones.
19
May it be like a garment that he wraps around himself,
like a belt that he wears every day.”
20
May that be the reward of my accusers from the Lord,
of those who speak evil against my life.
21
But you, O Lord my Lord,
act on my behalf for your name’s sake;
because your steadfast love is good, deliver me.
22
For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is pierced within me.
23
I am gone like a shadow at evening;
I am shaken off like a locust.
24
My knees are weak through fasting;
my body has become gaunt.
25
I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
when they see me, they shake their heads.
26
Help me, O Lord my God!
Save me according to your steadfast love.
27
Let them know that this is your hand;
you, O Lord, have done it.
28
Let them curse, but you will bless.
Let my assailants be put to shame;[f] may your servant be glad.
29
May my accusers be clothed with dishonor;
may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a mantle.
30
With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord;
I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
31
For he stands at the right hand of the needy,
to save them from those who would condemn them to death.
Mary Magdalene
+++
Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
The night has passed, and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind.
Silence is kept.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of your presence, O God, set our hearts on fire with love for you; now and for ever.
Amen.
+++
Morning
Jeremiah 11, 23, 2 readers
Israel and Judah Have Broken the Covenant
11 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 3 You shall say to them, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Cursed be anyone who does not heed the words of this covenant, 4 which I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron smelter, saying, ‘Listen to my voice, and do all that I command you. So shall you be my people, and I will be your God, 5 that I may perform the oath that I swore to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as at this day.’ ” Then I answered, “So be it, Lord.”
6 And the Lord said to me: Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: Hear the words of this covenant and do them. 7 For I solemnly warned your ancestors when I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, warning them persistently, even to this day, saying, “Obey my voice.” 8 Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but everyone walked in the stubbornness of an evil will. So I brought upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.
9 And the Lord said to me: Conspiracy exists among the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have turned back to the iniquities of their ancestors of old, who refused to heed my words; they have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant that I made with their ancestors. 11 Therefore, thus says the Lord, assuredly I am going to bring disaster upon them that they cannot escape; though they cry out to me, I will not listen to them.
Second reader
12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they make offerings, but they will never save them in the time of their trouble. 13 For your gods have become as many as your towns, O Judah, and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars to shame you have set up, altars to make offerings to Baal.
14 As for you, do not pray for this people or lift up a cry or prayer on their behalf, for I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their trouble.15 What right has my beloved in my house, when she has done vile deeds? Can vows[a] and sacrificial flesh avert your doom? Can you then exult? 16 The Lord once called you, “A green olive tree, fair with goodly fruit,” but with the roar of a great tempest he will set fire to it, and its branches will be consumed. 17 The Lord of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced evil against you because of the evil that the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done, provoking me to anger by making offerings to Baal.
Jeremiah’s Life Threatened
18
It was the Lord who made it known to me, and I knew;
then you showed me their deeds.
19
But I was like a gentle lamb
led to the slaughter.
And I did not know it was against me
that they devised schemes, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit;
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
so that his name will no longer be remembered!”
20
But you, O Lord of hosts, who judge righteously,
who try the heart and the mind,
let me see your retribution upon them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
21 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the people of Anathoth who seek your life and say, “You shall not prophesy in the name of the Lord, or you will die by our hand”— 22 therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: I am going to punish them; the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine, 23 and not even a remnant shall be left of them. For I will bring disaster upon the people of Anathoth, the year of their punishment.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.
+++
John 10, 41, 2 readers
Jesus the Good Shepherd
10 “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7 So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me[a] are thieves and bandits, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes[b] it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
19 Again the Jews were divided because of these words. 20 Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is out of his mind. Why listen to him?”21 Others were saying, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
Second reader
Jesus Is Rejected by the Jews
22 At that time the Festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah,[c] tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me, 26 but you do not believe because you do not belong to my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, in regard to what he has given me, is greater than all,[d] and no one can snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.”
31 The Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human, are making yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered, “Is it not written in your law,[e] ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’—and the scripture cannot be annulled— 36 can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand[f] that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”39 Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands.
40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. 41 Many came to him, and they were saying, “John performed no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.
+++
Psalm 107, 43, 2 teaders
Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Many Troubles
1
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
2
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
those he redeemed from trouble
3
and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.[a]
4
Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to an inhabited town;
5
hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
6
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress;
7
he led them by a straight way,
until they reached an inhabited town.
8
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
9
For he satisfies the thirsty,
and the hungry he fills with good things.
10
Some sat in darkness and in gloom,
prisoners in misery and in irons,
11
for they had rebelled against the words of God
and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12
Their hearts were bowed down with hard labor;
they fell down, with no one to help.
13
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress;
14
he brought them out of darkness and gloom,
and broke their bonds apart.
15
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
16
For he shatters the doors of bronze
and cuts in two the bars of iron.
17
Some were sick[b] through their sinful ways
and because of their iniquities endured affliction;
18
they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
19
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress;
20
he sent out his word and healed them
and delivered them from destruction.
21
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
22
And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices
and tell of his deeds with songs of joy.
Second reader
23
Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the mighty waters;
24
they saw the deeds of the Lord,
his wondrous works in the deep.
25
For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26
They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their calamity;
27
they reeled and staggered like drunkards
and were at their wits’ end.
28
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out from their distress;
29
he made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30
Then they were glad because they had quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
31
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
32
Let them extol him in the congregation of the people
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
33
He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
34
a fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.
35
He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
36
And there he lets the hungry live,
and they establish a town to live in;
37
they sow fields and plant vineyards
and get a fruitful yield.
38
By his blessing they multiply greatly,
and he does not let their cattle decrease.
39
When they are diminished and brought low
through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
40
he pours contempt on princes
and makes them wander in trackless wastes,
41
but he raises up the needy out of distress
and makes their families like flocks.
42
The upright see it and are glad,
and all wickedness stops its mouth.
43
Let those who are wise pay attention to these things
and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.
+++
Let us pray.
God the Father,
have mercy upon us.
God the Son,
have mercy upon us.
God the Holy Spirit,
have mercy upon us.
Holy, blessed and glorious Trinity,
have mercy upon us.
Leader prays a short prayer
+++
The Collect of the day is said
Almighty God,
whose Son restored Mary Magdalene
to health of mind and body
and called her to be a witness to his resurrection:
forgive our sins and heal us by your grace,
that we may serve you in the power of his risen life;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
+++
The Lord’s Prayer is said
Rejoicing in the presence of God here among us, as our Saviour taught us, so we 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.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.
+++
The conclusion
The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil,
and keep us in eternal life.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
+++
Evening
Jeremiah 12, 17
Jeremiah Complains to God
12
You will be in the right, O Lord,
when I lay charges against you,
but let me put my case to you.
Why does the way of the guilty prosper?
Why do all who are treacherous thrive?
2
You plant them, and they take root;
they grow and bring forth fruit;
you are near in their mouths
yet far from their hearts.
3
But you, O Lord, know me;
you see me and test me; my heart is with you.
Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter,
and set them apart for the day of slaughter.
4
How long will the land mourn
and the grass of every field wither?
For the wickedness of those who live in it,
the animals and the birds are swept away,
and because people said, “He is blind to our ways.”[a]
God Replies to Jeremiah
5
If you have raced with runners and they have wearied you,
how will you compete with horses?
And if you trust in a safe land,
how will you fare in the thickets of the Jordan?
6
For even your kinsfolk and your own family,
even they have dealt treacherously with you;
they are in full cry after you;
do not believe them,
though they speak friendly words to you.
7
I have forsaken my house;
I have abandoned my heritage;
I have given the beloved of my heart
into the hands of her enemies.
8
My heritage has become to me
like a lion in the forest;
she has lifted up her voice against me--
therefore I hate her.
9
Is the hawk hungry for my heritage?
Are the vultures all around her?
Go, assemble all the wild animals;
bring them to devour her.
10
Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard;
they have trampled down my portion;
they have made my pleasant portion
a desolate wilderness.
11
They have made it a desolation;
desolate, it mourns to me.
The whole land is made desolate,
but no one lays it to heart.
12
Upon all the bare heights[b] in the desert,
spoilers have come,
for the sword of the Lord devours
from one end of the land to the other;
no one shall be safe.
13
They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns;
they have tired themselves out but profit nothing.
They shall be ashamed of their[c] harvests
because of the fierce anger of the Lord.
14 Thus says the Lord concerning all my evil neighbors who touch the heritage that I have given my people Israel to inherit: I am about to pluck them up from their land, and I will pluck up the house of Judah from among them. 15 And after I have plucked them up, I will again have compassion on them, and I will bring them again to their heritage and to their land, every one of them. 16 And then, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, “As the Lord lives,” as they taught my people to swear by Baal, then they shall be built up in the midst of my people. 17 But if any nation will not listen, then I will completely uproot it and destroy it, says the Lord.
+++
2 Timothy 1, 18
Salutation
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
2 To Timothy, my beloved child:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Thanksgiving and Encouragement
3 I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. 6 For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.
8 Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, in the power of God,9 who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace, and this grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,[a] 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ,[b] who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher,[c] 12 and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day the deposit I have entrusted to him.[d] 13 Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.
15 You are aware that all who are in Asia have turned away from me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain; 17 when he arrived in Rome, he eagerly[e] searched for me and found me 18 —may the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! And you know very well how much service he rendered in Ephesus.
+++
Psalm 108, 13
A song. A psalm of David.
1
My heart, O God, is steadfast;
I will sing and make music with all my soul.
2
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
3
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
4
For great is your love, higher than the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
5
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.
6
Save us and help us with your right hand,
that those you love may be delivered.
7
God has spoken from his sanctuary:
“In triumph I will parcel out Shechem
and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.
8
Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet,
Judah is my scepter.
9
Moab is my washbasin,
on Edom I toss my sandal;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
10
Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
11
Is it not you, God, you who have rejected us
and no longer go out with our armies?
12
Give us aid against the enemy,
for human help is worthless.
13
With God we will gain the victory,
and he will trample down our enemies.
Psalm 109, 31
Prayer for Vindication and Vengeance
To the leader. Of David. A Psalm.
1
Do not be silent, O God of my praise.
2
For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me,
speaking against me with lying tongues.
3
They surround me with words of hate
and attack me without cause.
4
In return for my love they accuse me,
even while I make prayer for them.[a]
5
So they reward me evil for good
and hatred for my love.
6
They say,[b] “Appoint a wicked man against him;
let an accuser stand on his right.
7
When he is tried, let him be found guilty;
let his prayer be counted as sin.
8
May his days be few;
may another seize his position.
9
May his children be orphans
and his wife a widow.
10
May his children wander about and beg;
may they be driven out of[c] the ruins they inhabit.
11
May the creditor seize all that he has;
may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil.
12
May there be no one to do him a kindness
nor anyone to pity his orphaned children.
13
May his posterity be cut off;
may his name be blotted out in the second generation.
14
May the iniquity of his father[d] be remembered before the Lord,
and do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15
Let them be before the Lord continually,
and may his[e] memory be cut off from the earth.
16
For he did not remember to show kindness
but pursued the poor and needy
and the brokenhearted to their death.
17
He loved to curse; let curses come on him.
He did not like blessing; may it be far from him.
18
He clothed himself with cursing as his coat;
may it soak into his body like water,
like oil into his bones.
19
May it be like a garment that he wraps around himself,
like a belt that he wears every day.”
20
May that be the reward of my accusers from the Lord,
of those who speak evil against my life.
21
But you, O Lord my Lord,
act on my behalf for your name’s sake;
because your steadfast love is good, deliver me.
22
For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is pierced within me.
23
I am gone like a shadow at evening;
I am shaken off like a locust.
24
My knees are weak through fasting;
my body has become gaunt.
25
I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
when they see me, they shake their heads.
26
Help me, O Lord my God!
Save me according to your steadfast love.
27
Let them know that this is your hand;
you, O Lord, have done it.
28
Let them curse, but you will bless.
Let my assailants be put to shame;[f] may your servant be glad.
29
May my accusers be clothed with dishonor;
may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a mantle.
30
With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord;
I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
31
For he stands at the right hand of the needy,
to save them from those who would condemn them to death.