1 The LORD’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want.
He makes me down to lie
in pastures green; He leadeth me
the quiet waters by.
—-
2 My soul He doth restore again;
and me to walk doth make
within the paths of righteousness,
e’en for his own name’s sake.
—-
3 Yea, though I walk thro' death’s dark vale,
yet will I fear no ill;
for Thou art with me, and Thy rod
and staff me comfort still.
—-
4 My table Thou hast furnishéd
in presence of my foes;
my head Thou dost with oil anoint,
and my cup overflows.
—-
5 Goodness and mercy all my life
shall surely follow me:
and in God’s house forevermore
my dwelling place shall be.´
He makes me down to lie
in pastures green; He leadeth me
the quiet waters by.
—-
2 My soul He doth restore again;
and me to walk doth make
within the paths of righteousness,
e’en for his own name’s sake.
—-
3 Yea, though I walk thro' death’s dark vale,
yet will I fear no ill;
for Thou art with me, and Thy rod
and staff me comfort still.
—-
4 My table Thou hast furnishéd
in presence of my foes;
my head Thou dost with oil anoint,
and my cup overflows.
—-
5 Goodness and mercy all my life
shall surely follow me:
and in God’s house forevermore
my dwelling place shall be.´
Saturday, 27 July 2024
Brooke Foss Westcott, Bishop of Durham, Teacher of the Faith, 1901 [Commemoration]
+++
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 19, 15, 2 readers
The Broken Earthenware Jug
19 Thus said the Lord: Go and buy a potter’s earthenware jug. Take with you[a] some of the elders of the people and some of the senior priests, 2 and go out to the valley of the son of Hinnom at the entry of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you. 3 You shall say: Hear the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I am going to bring such disaster upon this place that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle.4 Because the people have forsaken me and have profaned this place by making offerings in it to other gods whom neither they nor their ancestors nor the kings of Judah have known, and because they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent 5 and gone on building the high places of Baal to burn their children in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or decree, nor did it enter my mind, 6 therefore the days are surely coming, says the Lord, when this place shall no more be called Topheth or the valley of the son of Hinnom but the valley of Slaughter. 7 And in this place I will make void the plans of Judah and Jerusalem and will make them fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their life. I will give their dead bodies for food to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth.
Second reader
8 And I will make this city a horror, a thing to be hissed at; everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss because of all its disasters. 9 And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and all shall eat the flesh of their neighbors in the siege and in the distress with which their enemies and those who seek their life afflict them.
10 Then you shall break the jug in the sight of those who go with you 11 and shall say to them: Thus says the Lord of hosts: So will I break this people and this city as one breaks a potter’s vessel, so that it can never be mended. In Topheth they shall bury until there is no more room to bury. 12 Thus will I do to this place, says the Lord, and to its inhabitants, making this city like Topheth. 13 And the houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah shall be defiled like the place of Topheth—all the houses upon whose roofs offerings have been made to the whole host of heaven and libations have been poured out to other gods.
14 When Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, he stood in the court of the Lord’s house and said to all the people: 15 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I am now bringing upon this city and upon all its towns all the disaster that I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their necks, refusing to hear my words.
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 15, 27, 2 readers
Jesus the True Vine
15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. 2 He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes[a] to make it bear more fruit. 3 You have already been cleansed[b] by the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become[c] my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants[d] any longer, because the servant[e] does not know what the master is doing, but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. 17 I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.
Second reader
The World’s Hatred
18 “If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘Slaves are not greater than their master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. 21 But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not have sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 It was to fulfill the word that is written in their law, ‘They hated me without a cause.’
26 “When the Advocate[f] comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. 27 You also are to testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.
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 120, 7
Prayer for Deliverance from Slanderers
A Song of Ascents.
1
In my distress I cry to the Lord,
that he may answer me:
2
“Deliver me, O Lord,
from lying lips,
from a deceitful tongue.”
3
What shall be given to you?
And what more shall be done to you,
you deceitful tongue?
4
A warrior’s sharp arrows,
with glowing coals of the broom tree!
5
Woe is me, that I am an alien in Meshech,
that I must live among the tents of Kedar.
6
Too long have I had my dwelling
among those who hate peace.
7
I am for peace,
but when I speak,
they are for war.
Psalm 121, 8
Assurance of God’s Protection
A Song of Ascents.
1
I lift up my eyes to the hills--
from where will my help come?
2
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
3
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4
He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5
The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
6
The sun shall not strike you by day
nor the moon by night.
7
The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and forevermore.
Psalm 122, 9
Song of Praise and Prayer for Jerusalem
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1
I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
2
Our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
3
Jerusalem—built as a city
that is bound firmly together.
4
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord,
as was decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
5
For there the thrones for judgment were set up,
the thrones of the house of David.
6
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
7
Peace be within your walls
and security within your towers.”
8
For the sake of my relatives and friends
I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.
Psalm 123, 4
Supplication for Mercy
A Song of Ascents.
1
To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
2
As the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maid
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
until he has mercy upon us.
3
Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
4
Our soul has had more than its fill
of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.
Psalm 124, 8
Thanksgiving for Israel’s Deliverance
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1
If it had not been the Lord who was on our side
—let Israel now say--
2
if it had not been the Lord who was on our side,
when our enemies attacked us,
3
then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
4
then the flood would have swept us away;
the torrent would have gone over us;
5
then over us would have gone
the raging waters.
6
Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth.
7
We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the hunters;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped.
8
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 125, 5
The Security of God’s People
A Song of Ascents.
1
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved but abides forever.
2
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people
from this time on and forevermore.
3
For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
on the land allotted to the righteous,
so that the righteous might not stretch out
their hands to do wrong.
4
Do good, O Lord, to those who are good
and to those who are upright in their hearts.
5
But those who turn aside to their own crooked ways,
the Lord will lead away with evildoers.
Peace be upon Israel!
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 Lord and everlasting God,
we beseech you to direct, sanctify and govern
both our hearts and bodies
in the ways of your laws
and the works of your commandments;
that through your most mighty protection, both here and ever,
we may be preserved in body and soul;
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
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 20, 18
Jeremiah Persecuted by Pashhur
20 Now the priest Pashhur son of Immer, who was chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. 2 Then Pashhur struck the prophet Jeremiah and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the Lord. 3 The next morning when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord has named you not Pashhur but ‘Terror-all-around.’ 4 For thus says the Lord: I am making you a terror to yourself and to all your friends, and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies while you look on. And I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon; he shall carry them captive to Babylon and shall kill them with the sword. 5 I will give all the wealth of this city, all its gains, all its prized belongings, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hand of their enemies, who shall plunder them and seize them and carry them to Babylon. 6 And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house, shall go into captivity, and to Babylon you shall go; there you shall die, and there you shall be buried, you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied falsely.”
Jeremiah Denounces His Persecutors
7
O Lord, you have enticed me,
and I was enticed;
you have overpowered me,
and you have prevailed.
I have become a laughingstock all day long;
everyone mocks me.
8
For whenever I speak, I must cry out;
I must shout, “Violence and destruction!”
For the word of the Lord has become for me
a reproach and derision all day long.
9
If I say, “I will not mention him
or speak any more in his name,”
then within me there is something like a burning fire
shut up in my bones;
I am weary with holding it in,
and I cannot.
10
For I hear many whispering:
“Terror is all around!
Denounce him! Let us denounce him!”
All my close friends
are watching for me to stumble.
“Perhaps he can be enticed,
and we can prevail against him
and take our revenge on him.”
11
But the Lord is with me like a terrifying warrior;
therefore my persecutors will stumble,
and they will not prevail.
They will be greatly shamed,
for they will not succeed.
Their eternal dishonor
will never be forgotten.
12
O Lord of hosts, you test the righteous;
you see the heart and the mind;
let me see your retribution upon them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
13
Sing to the Lord;
praise the Lord!
For he has delivered the life of the needy
from the hands of evildoers.
14
Cursed be the day
on which I was born!
The day when my mother bore me,
let it not be blessed!
15
Cursed be the man
who brought the news to my father, saying,
“A child is born to you, a son,”
making him very glad.
16
Let that man be like the cities
that the Lord overthrew without pity;
let him hear a cry in the morning
and an alarm at noon,
17
because he did not kill me in the womb;
so my mother would have been my grave
and her womb forever pregnant.
18
Why did I come forth from the womb
to see toil and sorrow
and spend my days in shame?
+++
Titus 2, 15
Teach Sound Doctrine
2 But as for you, teach what is consistent with sound instruction. 2 Tell the older men to be temperate, serious, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love, and in endurance.
3 Likewise, tell the older women to be reverent in behavior, not to be slanderers or enslaved to much wine; they are to teach what is good, 4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be self-controlled, chaste, good managers of the household, kind, submissive to their husbands, so that the word of God may not be discredited.
6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled 7 in all things, offering yourself as a model of good works and in your teaching offering integrity, gravity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be censured; then any opponent will be put to shame, having nothing evil to say of us.
9 Urge slaves to be submissive to their masters in everything, to be pleasing, not talking back, 10 not stealing, but showing complete and perfect fidelity, so that in everything they may be an ornament to the teaching of God our Savior.
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all,[a] 12 training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly,13 while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior,[b]Jesus Christ. 14 He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.
15 Declare these things; exhort and reprove with all authority.[c] Let no one look down on you.
Titus 3, 15
Maintain Good Deeds
3 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show every courtesy to everyone. 3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water[a] of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6 This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.8 The saying is sure.
I desire that you insist on these things, so that those who have come to believe in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works; these things are excellent and profitable to everyone. 9 But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. 10 After a first and second admonition, have nothing more to do with anyone who causes divisions, 11 since you know that such a person is perverted and sinful, being self-condemned.
Final Messages and Benediction
12 When I send Artemas to you, or Tychicus, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. 13 Make every effort to send Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way, and see that they lack nothing. 14 And let people learn to devote themselves to good works in order to meet urgent needs, so that they may not be unproductive.
15 All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith.
Grace be with all of you.[b]
+++
Psalm 126, 6
A Harvest of Joy
A Song of Ascents.
1
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,[a]
we were like those who dream.
2
Then our mouth was filled with laughter
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we rejoiced.
4
Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like the watercourses in the Negeb.
5
May those who sow in tears
reap with shouts of joy.
6
Those who go out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
carrying their sheaves.
Psalm 127, 5
God’s Blessings in the Home
A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.
1
Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord guards the city,
the guard keeps watch in vain.
2
It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil,
for he gives sleep to his beloved.[a]
3
Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
4
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the sons of one’s youth.
5
Happy is the man who has
his quiver full of them.
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
Psalm 128, 6
The Happy Home of the Faithful
A Song of Ascents.
1
Happy is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in his ways.
2
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you.
3
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4
Thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.
5
The Lord bless you from Zion.
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
6
May you see your children’s children.
Peace be upon Israel!
Psalm 129, 8
Prayer for the Downfall of Israel’s Enemies
A Song of Ascents.
1
Often have they attacked me from my youth
—let Israel now say--
2
often have they attacked me from my youth,
yet they have not prevailed against me.
3
The plowers plowed on my back;
they made their furrows long.
4
The Lord is righteous;
he has cut the cords of the wicked.
5
May all who hate Zion
be put to shame and turned backward.
6
Let them be like the grass on the housetops
that withers before it grows up,
7
with which reapers do not fill their hands
or binders of sheaves their arms,
8
while those who pass by do not say,
“The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
We bless you in the name of the Lord!”
Psalm 130, 8
Waiting for Divine Redemption
A Song of Ascents.
1
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
2
Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!
3
If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
4
But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.
5
I wait for the Lord; my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
6
my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.
7
O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
8
It is he who will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.
Psalm 131, 3
Song of Quiet Trust
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1
O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
2
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.[a]
3
O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time on and forevermore.
Brooke Foss Westcott, Bishop of Durham, Teacher of the Faith, 1901 [Commemoration]
+++
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 19, 15, 2 readers
The Broken Earthenware Jug
19 Thus said the Lord: Go and buy a potter’s earthenware jug. Take with you[a] some of the elders of the people and some of the senior priests, 2 and go out to the valley of the son of Hinnom at the entry of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you. 3 You shall say: Hear the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I am going to bring such disaster upon this place that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle.4 Because the people have forsaken me and have profaned this place by making offerings in it to other gods whom neither they nor their ancestors nor the kings of Judah have known, and because they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent 5 and gone on building the high places of Baal to burn their children in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or decree, nor did it enter my mind, 6 therefore the days are surely coming, says the Lord, when this place shall no more be called Topheth or the valley of the son of Hinnom but the valley of Slaughter. 7 And in this place I will make void the plans of Judah and Jerusalem and will make them fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their life. I will give their dead bodies for food to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth.
Second reader
8 And I will make this city a horror, a thing to be hissed at; everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss because of all its disasters. 9 And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and all shall eat the flesh of their neighbors in the siege and in the distress with which their enemies and those who seek their life afflict them.
10 Then you shall break the jug in the sight of those who go with you 11 and shall say to them: Thus says the Lord of hosts: So will I break this people and this city as one breaks a potter’s vessel, so that it can never be mended. In Topheth they shall bury until there is no more room to bury. 12 Thus will I do to this place, says the Lord, and to its inhabitants, making this city like Topheth. 13 And the houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah shall be defiled like the place of Topheth—all the houses upon whose roofs offerings have been made to the whole host of heaven and libations have been poured out to other gods.
14 When Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, he stood in the court of the Lord’s house and said to all the people: 15 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I am now bringing upon this city and upon all its towns all the disaster that I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their necks, refusing to hear my words.
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 15, 27, 2 readers
Jesus the True Vine
15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. 2 He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes[a] to make it bear more fruit. 3 You have already been cleansed[b] by the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become[c] my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants[d] any longer, because the servant[e] does not know what the master is doing, but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. 17 I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.
Second reader
The World’s Hatred
18 “If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘Slaves are not greater than their master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. 21 But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not have sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 It was to fulfill the word that is written in their law, ‘They hated me without a cause.’
26 “When the Advocate[f] comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. 27 You also are to testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.
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.
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Psalm 120, 7
Prayer for Deliverance from Slanderers
A Song of Ascents.
1
In my distress I cry to the Lord,
that he may answer me:
2
“Deliver me, O Lord,
from lying lips,
from a deceitful tongue.”
3
What shall be given to you?
And what more shall be done to you,
you deceitful tongue?
4
A warrior’s sharp arrows,
with glowing coals of the broom tree!
5
Woe is me, that I am an alien in Meshech,
that I must live among the tents of Kedar.
6
Too long have I had my dwelling
among those who hate peace.
7
I am for peace,
but when I speak,
they are for war.
Psalm 121, 8
Assurance of God’s Protection
A Song of Ascents.
1
I lift up my eyes to the hills--
from where will my help come?
2
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
3
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4
He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5
The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
6
The sun shall not strike you by day
nor the moon by night.
7
The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and forevermore.
Psalm 122, 9
Song of Praise and Prayer for Jerusalem
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1
I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
2
Our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
3
Jerusalem—built as a city
that is bound firmly together.
4
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord,
as was decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
5
For there the thrones for judgment were set up,
the thrones of the house of David.
6
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
7
Peace be within your walls
and security within your towers.”
8
For the sake of my relatives and friends
I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.
Psalm 123, 4
Supplication for Mercy
A Song of Ascents.
1
To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
2
As the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maid
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
until he has mercy upon us.
3
Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
4
Our soul has had more than its fill
of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.
Psalm 124, 8
Thanksgiving for Israel’s Deliverance
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1
If it had not been the Lord who was on our side
—let Israel now say--
2
if it had not been the Lord who was on our side,
when our enemies attacked us,
3
then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
4
then the flood would have swept us away;
the torrent would have gone over us;
5
then over us would have gone
the raging waters.
6
Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth.
7
We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the hunters;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped.
8
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 125, 5
The Security of God’s People
A Song of Ascents.
1
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved but abides forever.
2
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people
from this time on and forevermore.
3
For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
on the land allotted to the righteous,
so that the righteous might not stretch out
their hands to do wrong.
4
Do good, O Lord, to those who are good
and to those who are upright in their hearts.
5
But those who turn aside to their own crooked ways,
the Lord will lead away with evildoers.
Peace be upon Israel!
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.
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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
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The Collect of the day is said
Almighty Lord and everlasting God,
we beseech you to direct, sanctify and govern
both our hearts and bodies
in the ways of your laws
and the works of your commandments;
that through your most mighty protection, both here and ever,
we may be preserved in body and soul;
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
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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.
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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.
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Evening
Jeremiah 20, 18
Jeremiah Persecuted by Pashhur
20 Now the priest Pashhur son of Immer, who was chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. 2 Then Pashhur struck the prophet Jeremiah and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the Lord. 3 The next morning when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord has named you not Pashhur but ‘Terror-all-around.’ 4 For thus says the Lord: I am making you a terror to yourself and to all your friends, and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies while you look on. And I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon; he shall carry them captive to Babylon and shall kill them with the sword. 5 I will give all the wealth of this city, all its gains, all its prized belongings, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hand of their enemies, who shall plunder them and seize them and carry them to Babylon. 6 And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house, shall go into captivity, and to Babylon you shall go; there you shall die, and there you shall be buried, you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied falsely.”
Jeremiah Denounces His Persecutors
7
O Lord, you have enticed me,
and I was enticed;
you have overpowered me,
and you have prevailed.
I have become a laughingstock all day long;
everyone mocks me.
8
For whenever I speak, I must cry out;
I must shout, “Violence and destruction!”
For the word of the Lord has become for me
a reproach and derision all day long.
9
If I say, “I will not mention him
or speak any more in his name,”
then within me there is something like a burning fire
shut up in my bones;
I am weary with holding it in,
and I cannot.
10
For I hear many whispering:
“Terror is all around!
Denounce him! Let us denounce him!”
All my close friends
are watching for me to stumble.
“Perhaps he can be enticed,
and we can prevail against him
and take our revenge on him.”
11
But the Lord is with me like a terrifying warrior;
therefore my persecutors will stumble,
and they will not prevail.
They will be greatly shamed,
for they will not succeed.
Their eternal dishonor
will never be forgotten.
12
O Lord of hosts, you test the righteous;
you see the heart and the mind;
let me see your retribution upon them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
13
Sing to the Lord;
praise the Lord!
For he has delivered the life of the needy
from the hands of evildoers.
14
Cursed be the day
on which I was born!
The day when my mother bore me,
let it not be blessed!
15
Cursed be the man
who brought the news to my father, saying,
“A child is born to you, a son,”
making him very glad.
16
Let that man be like the cities
that the Lord overthrew without pity;
let him hear a cry in the morning
and an alarm at noon,
17
because he did not kill me in the womb;
so my mother would have been my grave
and her womb forever pregnant.
18
Why did I come forth from the womb
to see toil and sorrow
and spend my days in shame?
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Titus 2, 15
Teach Sound Doctrine
2 But as for you, teach what is consistent with sound instruction. 2 Tell the older men to be temperate, serious, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love, and in endurance.
3 Likewise, tell the older women to be reverent in behavior, not to be slanderers or enslaved to much wine; they are to teach what is good, 4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be self-controlled, chaste, good managers of the household, kind, submissive to their husbands, so that the word of God may not be discredited.
6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled 7 in all things, offering yourself as a model of good works and in your teaching offering integrity, gravity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be censured; then any opponent will be put to shame, having nothing evil to say of us.
9 Urge slaves to be submissive to their masters in everything, to be pleasing, not talking back, 10 not stealing, but showing complete and perfect fidelity, so that in everything they may be an ornament to the teaching of God our Savior.
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all,[a] 12 training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly,13 while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior,[b]Jesus Christ. 14 He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.
15 Declare these things; exhort and reprove with all authority.[c] Let no one look down on you.
Titus 3, 15
Maintain Good Deeds
3 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show every courtesy to everyone. 3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water[a] of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6 This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.8 The saying is sure.
I desire that you insist on these things, so that those who have come to believe in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works; these things are excellent and profitable to everyone. 9 But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. 10 After a first and second admonition, have nothing more to do with anyone who causes divisions, 11 since you know that such a person is perverted and sinful, being self-condemned.
Final Messages and Benediction
12 When I send Artemas to you, or Tychicus, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. 13 Make every effort to send Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way, and see that they lack nothing. 14 And let people learn to devote themselves to good works in order to meet urgent needs, so that they may not be unproductive.
15 All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith.
Grace be with all of you.[b]
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Psalm 126, 6
A Harvest of Joy
A Song of Ascents.
1
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,[a]
we were like those who dream.
2
Then our mouth was filled with laughter
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we rejoiced.
4
Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like the watercourses in the Negeb.
5
May those who sow in tears
reap with shouts of joy.
6
Those who go out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
carrying their sheaves.
Psalm 127, 5
God’s Blessings in the Home
A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.
1
Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord guards the city,
the guard keeps watch in vain.
2
It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil,
for he gives sleep to his beloved.[a]
3
Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
4
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the sons of one’s youth.
5
Happy is the man who has
his quiver full of them.
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
Psalm 128, 6
The Happy Home of the Faithful
A Song of Ascents.
1
Happy is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in his ways.
2
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you.
3
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4
Thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.
5
The Lord bless you from Zion.
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
6
May you see your children’s children.
Peace be upon Israel!
Psalm 129, 8
Prayer for the Downfall of Israel’s Enemies
A Song of Ascents.
1
Often have they attacked me from my youth
—let Israel now say--
2
often have they attacked me from my youth,
yet they have not prevailed against me.
3
The plowers plowed on my back;
they made their furrows long.
4
The Lord is righteous;
he has cut the cords of the wicked.
5
May all who hate Zion
be put to shame and turned backward.
6
Let them be like the grass on the housetops
that withers before it grows up,
7
with which reapers do not fill their hands
or binders of sheaves their arms,
8
while those who pass by do not say,
“The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
We bless you in the name of the Lord!”
Psalm 130, 8
Waiting for Divine Redemption
A Song of Ascents.
1
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
2
Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!
3
If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
4
But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.
5
I wait for the Lord; my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
6
my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.
7
O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
8
It is he who will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.
Psalm 131, 3
Song of Quiet Trust
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1
O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
2
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.[a]
3
O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time on and forevermore.