Sunday, 10 November 2024
The Third Sunday before Advent
+++
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
Sirach 33, 31, 2 readers
33
No evil will befall the one who fears the Lord,
but in trials such a one will be rescued again and again.
2
The wise will not hate the law,
but the one who is hypocritical about it is like a boat in a storm.
3
The sensible person will trust in the law,[a]
for such a one the law is as dependable as a divine oracle.
4
Prepare what to say, and then you will be listened to;
draw upon your training and give your answer.
5
The heart of a fool is like a cart wheel
and his thoughts like a turning axle.
6
A mocking friend is like a stallion
that neighs no matter who the rider is.
Differences in Nature and in Humankind
7
Why is one day more important than another,
when all the daylight in the year is from the sun?
8
By the Lord’s wisdom they were distinguished,
and he appointed the different seasons and festivals.
9
Some days he exalted and hallowed,
and some he made ordinary days.
10
All humans come from the ground,
and humankind[b] was created out of the dust.
11
In the fullness of his knowledge the Lord distinguished them
and appointed their different ways.
12
Some he blessed and exalted,
and some he made holy and brought near to himself,
but some he cursed and brought low
and turned them out of their place.
13
Like clay in the hand of the potter,
to be molded as he pleases,
so are humans in the hand of their Maker,
to be given whatever he decides.
14
Good is the opposite of evil
and life the opposite of death;
so the sinner is the opposite of the godly.
15
Look at all the works of the Most High;
they come in pairs, one the opposite of the other.
16
Now I was the last to keep vigil;
I was like a gleaner following the grape-pickers;
17
by the blessing of the Lord I arrived first,
and like a grape-picker I filled my winepress.
18
Consider that I have not labored for myself alone
but for all who seek instruction.
19
Hear me, you who are great among the people,
and you leaders of the congregation, pay heed!
Second reader
The Advantage of Independence
20
To son or wife, to brother or friend,
do not give power over yourself, as long as you live,
and do not give your property to another,
in case you change your mind and must ask for it.
21
While you are still alive and have breath in you,
do not let anyone take your place.
22
For it is better that your children should ask from you
than that you should look to the hand of your children.
23
Excel in all that you do;
bring no stain upon your honor.
24
At the time when you end the days of your life,
in the hour of death, distribute your inheritance.
The Treatment of Slaves
25
[c]Fodder and a stick and burdens for a donkey;
bread and discipline and work for a slave.
26
Set your slaves to work,[d] and you will find rest;
leave their hands idle, and they will seek liberty.
27
Yoke and strap will bow the neck,
and for wicked slaves there are racks and tortures.
28
Put them to work in order that they may not be idle,
29
for idleness teaches much evil.
30
Set them to work as is fitting for them,
and if they do not obey make their fetters heavy.
Do not be overbearing toward anyone,
and do nothing without deliberation.
31
If you have but one slave, treat him like yourself,
because you have bought him with blood.
If you have but one slave, treat him like a brother,
for you will need him as you need your life.
32
If you ill-treat him and he leaves you and runs away,
33
which way will you go to seek him?
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 2, 25
The Wedding at Cana
2 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to me and to you?[a] My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the person in charge of the banquet.” So they took it. 9 When the person in charge tasted the water that had become wine and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), that person called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee and revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.
12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples, and they remained there a few days.
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.14 In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, with the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”18 The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking of the temple of his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
23 When he was in Jerusalem during the Passover festival, many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to testify about anyone, for he himself knew what was in everyone.
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 50, 23
The Acceptable Sacrifice
A Psalm of Asaph.
1
The mighty one, God the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth.
3
Our God comes and does not keep silent;
before him is a devouring fire
and a mighty tempest all around him.
4
He calls to the heavens above
and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
5
“Gather to me my faithful ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”
6
The heavens declare his righteousness,
for God himself is judge. Selah
7
“Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
O Israel, I will testify against you.
I am God, your God.
8
Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
your burnt offerings are continually before me.
9
I will not accept a bull from your house
or goats from your folds.
10
For every wild animal of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
11
I know all the birds of the air,[a]
and all that moves in the field is mine.
12
“If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and all that is in it is mine.
13
Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
14
Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,[b]
and pay your vows to the Most High.
15
Call on me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
16
But to the wicked God says,
“What right have you to recite my statutes
or take my covenant on your lips?
17
For you hate discipline,
and you cast my words behind you.
18
You make friends with a thief when you see one,
and you keep company with adulterers.
19
You give your mouth free rein for evil,
and your tongue frames deceit.
20
You sit and speak against your kin;
you slander your own mother’s child.
21
These things you have done, and I have been silent;
you thought that I was one just like yourself.
But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.
22
Mark this, then, you who forget God,
or I will tear you apart, and there will be no one to deliver.
23
Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me;
to those who go the right way,[c]
I will show the salvation of God.”
Psalm 51, 19
Prayer for Cleansing and Pardon
To the leader. A Psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
1
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy,
blot out my transgressions.
2
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
3
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4
Against you, you alone, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
and blameless when you pass judgment.
5
Indeed, I was born guilty,
a sinner when my mother conceived me.
6
You desire truth in the inward being;[a]
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
7
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
9
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right[b] spirit within me.
11
Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
12
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing[c] spirit.
13
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14
Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
15
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16
For you have no delight in sacrifice;
if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
17
The sacrifice acceptable to God[d] is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18
Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem;
19
then you will delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Psalm 52, 9
Judgment on the Deceitful
To the leader. A Maskil of David, when Doeg the Edomite came to Saul and said to him, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”
1
Why do you boast, O mighty one,
of mischief done against the godly?[a]
All day long
2
you are plotting destruction.
Your tongue is like a sharp razor,
you worker of treachery.
3
You love evil more than good
and lying more than speaking the truth. Selah
4
You love all words that devour,
O deceitful tongue.
5
But God will break you down forever;
he will snatch and tear you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
6
The righteous will see and fear
and will laugh at the evildoer,[b] saying,
7
“See the one who would not take
refuge in God
but trusted in abundant riches
and sought refuge in wealth!”[c]
8
But I am like a green olive tree
in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
forever and ever.
9
I will thank you forever
because of what you have done.
In the presence of the faithful
I will proclaim[d] your name, for it is good.
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 Father,
whose will is to restore all things
in your beloved Son, the King of all:
govern the hearts and minds of those in authority,
and bring the families of the nations,
divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin,
to be subject to his just and gentle rule;
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
May Christ, who has opened the kingdom of heaven,
bring us to reign with him in glory.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
+++
Evening
Sirach 34, 31
Dreams Mean Nothing
34
The senseless have vain and false hopes,
and dreams give wings to fools.
2
As one who catches at a shadow and pursues the wind,
so is anyone who pays attention to dreams.
3
What is seen in dreams is but a reflection,
the likeness of a face looking at itself.
4
From an unclean thing, what can be clean?
And from something false, what can be true?
5
Divinations and omens and dreams are unreal,
and like a woman in labor the mind has fantasies.
6
Unless they are sent by intervention from the Most High,
pay no attention to them.
7
For dreams have deceived many,
and those who put their hope in them have perished.
8
Without such deceptions the law will be fulfilled,
and wisdom is complete in a trustworthy mouth.
Experience as a Teacher
9
People who have traveled[a] know many things,
and those with much experience know what they are talking about.
10
The inexperienced know few things,
11
but those who have traveled acquire much cleverness.
12
I have seen many things in my travels,
and I understand more than I can express.
13
I have often been in danger of death
but have escaped because of these experiences.
Fear the Lord
14
The spirit of those who fear the Lord will live,
15
for their hope is in him who saves them.
16
Those who fear the Lord will not be timid
or play the coward, for he is their hope.
17
Happy are souls that fear the Lord!
18
To whom do they look? And who is their support?
19
The eyes of the Lord are on those who love him,
a mighty shield and strong support,
a shelter from scorching heat and a shade from noonday sun,
a guard against stumbling and a help against falling.
20
He lifts up the soul and makes the eyes sparkle;
he gives health and life and blessing.
Offering Sacrifices
21
If one sacrifices ill-gotten goods, the offering is blemished;[b]
22
the gifts[c] of the lawless are not acceptable.
23
The Most High is not pleased with the offerings of the ungodly,
nor for a multitude of sacrifices does he forgive sins.
24
Like one who kills a son before his father’s eyes
is the person who offers a sacrifice from the property of the poor.
25
The bread of the needy is the life of the poor;
whoever deprives them of it is a murderer.
26
To take away a neighbor’s living is to commit murder;
27
to deprive an employee of wages is to shed blood.
28
When one builds and another tears down,
what do they gain but hard work?
29
When one prays and another curses,
to whose voice will the Lord listen?
30
If one washes after touching a corpse and touches it again,
what has been gained by washing?
31
So if one fasts for his sins
and goes again and does the same things,
who will listen to his prayer?
And what has he gained by humbling himself?
+++
2 Thessalonians 1, 12
Salutation
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
2 Grace to you and peace from God the[a] Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving
3 We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring.
The Judgment at Christ’s Coming
5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God and is intended to make you worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering.6 For it is indeed just of God to repay with affliction those who afflict you 7 and to give relief to the afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in a fiery flame, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at on that day among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 11 To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
+++
Psalm 53, 6
Denunciation of Godlessness
To the leader: according to Mahalath. A Maskil of David.
1
Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt; they commit abominable acts;
there is no one who does good.
2
God looks down from heaven on humankind
to see if there are any who are wise,
who seek after God.
3
They have all fallen away; they are all alike perverse;
there is no one who does good,
no, not one.
4
Have they no knowledge, those evildoers,
who eat up my people as they eat bread
and do not call upon God?
5
There they shall be in great terror,
in terror such as has not been.
For God will scatter the bones of the ungodly;[a]
they will be put to shame,[b] for God has rejected them.
6
O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people,
Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.
Psalm 54, 7
Prayer for Vindication
To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “David is in hiding among us.”
1
Save me, O God, by your name,
and vindicate me by your might.
2
Hear my prayer, O God;
give ear to the words of my mouth.
3
For the insolent have risen against me;
the ruthless seek my life;
they do not set God before them. Selah
4
But surely, God is my helper;
the Lord is the upholder of[a] my life.
5
He will repay my enemies for their evil.
In your faithfulness, put an end to them.
6
With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.
7
For he has delivered me from every trouble,
and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.
Psalm 55, 23
Complaint about a Friend’s Treachery
To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David.
1
Give ear to my prayer, O God;
do not hide yourself from my supplication.
2
Attend to me and answer me;
I am troubled in my complaint.
I am distraught 3 by the noise of the enemy,
because of the clamor of the wicked.
For they bring[a] trouble upon me,
and in anger they bear a grudge against me.
4
My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5
Fear and trembling come upon me,
and horror overwhelms me.
6
And I say, “O that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest;
7
truly, I would flee far away;
I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah
8
I would hurry to find a shelter for myself
from the raging wind and tempest.”
9
Confuse, O Lord, confound their speech,
for I see violence and strife in the city.
10
Day and night they go around it
on its walls,
and iniquity and trouble are within it;
11
ruin is in its midst;
oppression and fraud
do not depart from its marketplace.
12
It is not enemies who taunt me--
I could bear that;
it is not adversaries who deal insolently with me--
I could hide from them.
13
But it is you, my equal,
my companion, my familiar friend,
14
with whom I kept pleasant company;
we walked in the house of God with the throng.
15
Let death come upon them;
let them go down alive to Sheol,
for evil is in their homes and in their hearts.
16
But I call upon God,
and the Lord will save me.
17
Evening and morning and at noon
I utter my complaint and moan,
and he will hear my voice.
18
He will redeem me unharmed
from the battle that I wage,
for many are arrayed against me.
19
God, who is enthroned from of old, Selah
will hear and will humble them,
because they do not change
and do not fear God.
20
My companion laid hands on a friend
and violated a covenant with me[b]
21
with speech smoother than butter
but with a heart set on war,
with words that were softer than oil
but in fact were drawn swords.
22
Cast your burden[c] on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.
23
But you, O God, will cast them down
into the lowest pit;
the bloodthirsty and treacherous
shall not live out half their days.
But I will trust in you.
The Third Sunday before Advent
+++
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
Sirach 33, 31, 2 readers
33
No evil will befall the one who fears the Lord,
but in trials such a one will be rescued again and again.
2
The wise will not hate the law,
but the one who is hypocritical about it is like a boat in a storm.
3
The sensible person will trust in the law,[a]
for such a one the law is as dependable as a divine oracle.
4
Prepare what to say, and then you will be listened to;
draw upon your training and give your answer.
5
The heart of a fool is like a cart wheel
and his thoughts like a turning axle.
6
A mocking friend is like a stallion
that neighs no matter who the rider is.
Differences in Nature and in Humankind
7
Why is one day more important than another,
when all the daylight in the year is from the sun?
8
By the Lord’s wisdom they were distinguished,
and he appointed the different seasons and festivals.
9
Some days he exalted and hallowed,
and some he made ordinary days.
10
All humans come from the ground,
and humankind[b] was created out of the dust.
11
In the fullness of his knowledge the Lord distinguished them
and appointed their different ways.
12
Some he blessed and exalted,
and some he made holy and brought near to himself,
but some he cursed and brought low
and turned them out of their place.
13
Like clay in the hand of the potter,
to be molded as he pleases,
so are humans in the hand of their Maker,
to be given whatever he decides.
14
Good is the opposite of evil
and life the opposite of death;
so the sinner is the opposite of the godly.
15
Look at all the works of the Most High;
they come in pairs, one the opposite of the other.
16
Now I was the last to keep vigil;
I was like a gleaner following the grape-pickers;
17
by the blessing of the Lord I arrived first,
and like a grape-picker I filled my winepress.
18
Consider that I have not labored for myself alone
but for all who seek instruction.
19
Hear me, you who are great among the people,
and you leaders of the congregation, pay heed!
Second reader
The Advantage of Independence
20
To son or wife, to brother or friend,
do not give power over yourself, as long as you live,
and do not give your property to another,
in case you change your mind and must ask for it.
21
While you are still alive and have breath in you,
do not let anyone take your place.
22
For it is better that your children should ask from you
than that you should look to the hand of your children.
23
Excel in all that you do;
bring no stain upon your honor.
24
At the time when you end the days of your life,
in the hour of death, distribute your inheritance.
The Treatment of Slaves
25
[c]Fodder and a stick and burdens for a donkey;
bread and discipline and work for a slave.
26
Set your slaves to work,[d] and you will find rest;
leave their hands idle, and they will seek liberty.
27
Yoke and strap will bow the neck,
and for wicked slaves there are racks and tortures.
28
Put them to work in order that they may not be idle,
29
for idleness teaches much evil.
30
Set them to work as is fitting for them,
and if they do not obey make their fetters heavy.
Do not be overbearing toward anyone,
and do nothing without deliberation.
31
If you have but one slave, treat him like yourself,
because you have bought him with blood.
If you have but one slave, treat him like a brother,
for you will need him as you need your life.
32
If you ill-treat him and he leaves you and runs away,
33
which way will you go to seek him?
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 2, 25
The Wedding at Cana
2 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to me and to you?[a] My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the person in charge of the banquet.” So they took it. 9 When the person in charge tasted the water that had become wine and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), that person called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee and revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.
12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples, and they remained there a few days.
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.14 In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, with the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”18 The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking of the temple of his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
23 When he was in Jerusalem during the Passover festival, many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to testify about anyone, for he himself knew what was in everyone.
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 50, 23
The Acceptable Sacrifice
A Psalm of Asaph.
1
The mighty one, God the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth.
3
Our God comes and does not keep silent;
before him is a devouring fire
and a mighty tempest all around him.
4
He calls to the heavens above
and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
5
“Gather to me my faithful ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”
6
The heavens declare his righteousness,
for God himself is judge. Selah
7
“Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
O Israel, I will testify against you.
I am God, your God.
8
Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
your burnt offerings are continually before me.
9
I will not accept a bull from your house
or goats from your folds.
10
For every wild animal of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
11
I know all the birds of the air,[a]
and all that moves in the field is mine.
12
“If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and all that is in it is mine.
13
Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
14
Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,[b]
and pay your vows to the Most High.
15
Call on me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
16
But to the wicked God says,
“What right have you to recite my statutes
or take my covenant on your lips?
17
For you hate discipline,
and you cast my words behind you.
18
You make friends with a thief when you see one,
and you keep company with adulterers.
19
You give your mouth free rein for evil,
and your tongue frames deceit.
20
You sit and speak against your kin;
you slander your own mother’s child.
21
These things you have done, and I have been silent;
you thought that I was one just like yourself.
But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.
22
Mark this, then, you who forget God,
or I will tear you apart, and there will be no one to deliver.
23
Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me;
to those who go the right way,[c]
I will show the salvation of God.”
Psalm 51, 19
Prayer for Cleansing and Pardon
To the leader. A Psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
1
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy,
blot out my transgressions.
2
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
3
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4
Against you, you alone, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
and blameless when you pass judgment.
5
Indeed, I was born guilty,
a sinner when my mother conceived me.
6
You desire truth in the inward being;[a]
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
7
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
9
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right[b] spirit within me.
11
Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
12
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing[c] spirit.
13
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14
Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
15
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16
For you have no delight in sacrifice;
if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
17
The sacrifice acceptable to God[d] is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18
Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem;
19
then you will delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Psalm 52, 9
Judgment on the Deceitful
To the leader. A Maskil of David, when Doeg the Edomite came to Saul and said to him, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”
1
Why do you boast, O mighty one,
of mischief done against the godly?[a]
All day long
2
you are plotting destruction.
Your tongue is like a sharp razor,
you worker of treachery.
3
You love evil more than good
and lying more than speaking the truth. Selah
4
You love all words that devour,
O deceitful tongue.
5
But God will break you down forever;
he will snatch and tear you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
6
The righteous will see and fear
and will laugh at the evildoer,[b] saying,
7
“See the one who would not take
refuge in God
but trusted in abundant riches
and sought refuge in wealth!”[c]
8
But I am like a green olive tree
in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
forever and ever.
9
I will thank you forever
because of what you have done.
In the presence of the faithful
I will proclaim[d] your name, for it is good.
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 Father,
whose will is to restore all things
in your beloved Son, the King of all:
govern the hearts and minds of those in authority,
and bring the families of the nations,
divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin,
to be subject to his just and gentle rule;
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
May Christ, who has opened the kingdom of heaven,
bring us to reign with him in glory.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
+++
Evening
Sirach 34, 31
Dreams Mean Nothing
34
The senseless have vain and false hopes,
and dreams give wings to fools.
2
As one who catches at a shadow and pursues the wind,
so is anyone who pays attention to dreams.
3
What is seen in dreams is but a reflection,
the likeness of a face looking at itself.
4
From an unclean thing, what can be clean?
And from something false, what can be true?
5
Divinations and omens and dreams are unreal,
and like a woman in labor the mind has fantasies.
6
Unless they are sent by intervention from the Most High,
pay no attention to them.
7
For dreams have deceived many,
and those who put their hope in them have perished.
8
Without such deceptions the law will be fulfilled,
and wisdom is complete in a trustworthy mouth.
Experience as a Teacher
9
People who have traveled[a] know many things,
and those with much experience know what they are talking about.
10
The inexperienced know few things,
11
but those who have traveled acquire much cleverness.
12
I have seen many things in my travels,
and I understand more than I can express.
13
I have often been in danger of death
but have escaped because of these experiences.
Fear the Lord
14
The spirit of those who fear the Lord will live,
15
for their hope is in him who saves them.
16
Those who fear the Lord will not be timid
or play the coward, for he is their hope.
17
Happy are souls that fear the Lord!
18
To whom do they look? And who is their support?
19
The eyes of the Lord are on those who love him,
a mighty shield and strong support,
a shelter from scorching heat and a shade from noonday sun,
a guard against stumbling and a help against falling.
20
He lifts up the soul and makes the eyes sparkle;
he gives health and life and blessing.
Offering Sacrifices
21
If one sacrifices ill-gotten goods, the offering is blemished;[b]
22
the gifts[c] of the lawless are not acceptable.
23
The Most High is not pleased with the offerings of the ungodly,
nor for a multitude of sacrifices does he forgive sins.
24
Like one who kills a son before his father’s eyes
is the person who offers a sacrifice from the property of the poor.
25
The bread of the needy is the life of the poor;
whoever deprives them of it is a murderer.
26
To take away a neighbor’s living is to commit murder;
27
to deprive an employee of wages is to shed blood.
28
When one builds and another tears down,
what do they gain but hard work?
29
When one prays and another curses,
to whose voice will the Lord listen?
30
If one washes after touching a corpse and touches it again,
what has been gained by washing?
31
So if one fasts for his sins
and goes again and does the same things,
who will listen to his prayer?
And what has he gained by humbling himself?
+++
2 Thessalonians 1, 12
Salutation
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
2 Grace to you and peace from God the[a] Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving
3 We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring.
The Judgment at Christ’s Coming
5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God and is intended to make you worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering.6 For it is indeed just of God to repay with affliction those who afflict you 7 and to give relief to the afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in a fiery flame, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at on that day among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 11 To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
+++
Psalm 53, 6
Denunciation of Godlessness
To the leader: according to Mahalath. A Maskil of David.
1
Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt; they commit abominable acts;
there is no one who does good.
2
God looks down from heaven on humankind
to see if there are any who are wise,
who seek after God.
3
They have all fallen away; they are all alike perverse;
there is no one who does good,
no, not one.
4
Have they no knowledge, those evildoers,
who eat up my people as they eat bread
and do not call upon God?
5
There they shall be in great terror,
in terror such as has not been.
For God will scatter the bones of the ungodly;[a]
they will be put to shame,[b] for God has rejected them.
6
O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people,
Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.
Psalm 54, 7
Prayer for Vindication
To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “David is in hiding among us.”
1
Save me, O God, by your name,
and vindicate me by your might.
2
Hear my prayer, O God;
give ear to the words of my mouth.
3
For the insolent have risen against me;
the ruthless seek my life;
they do not set God before them. Selah
4
But surely, God is my helper;
the Lord is the upholder of[a] my life.
5
He will repay my enemies for their evil.
In your faithfulness, put an end to them.
6
With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.
7
For he has delivered me from every trouble,
and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.
Psalm 55, 23
Complaint about a Friend’s Treachery
To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David.
1
Give ear to my prayer, O God;
do not hide yourself from my supplication.
2
Attend to me and answer me;
I am troubled in my complaint.
I am distraught 3 by the noise of the enemy,
because of the clamor of the wicked.
For they bring[a] trouble upon me,
and in anger they bear a grudge against me.
4
My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5
Fear and trembling come upon me,
and horror overwhelms me.
6
And I say, “O that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest;
7
truly, I would flee far away;
I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah
8
I would hurry to find a shelter for myself
from the raging wind and tempest.”
9
Confuse, O Lord, confound their speech,
for I see violence and strife in the city.
10
Day and night they go around it
on its walls,
and iniquity and trouble are within it;
11
ruin is in its midst;
oppression and fraud
do not depart from its marketplace.
12
It is not enemies who taunt me--
I could bear that;
it is not adversaries who deal insolently with me--
I could hide from them.
13
But it is you, my equal,
my companion, my familiar friend,
14
with whom I kept pleasant company;
we walked in the house of God with the throng.
15
Let death come upon them;
let them go down alive to Sheol,
for evil is in their homes and in their hearts.
16
But I call upon God,
and the Lord will save me.
17
Evening and morning and at noon
I utter my complaint and moan,
and he will hear my voice.
18
He will redeem me unharmed
from the battle that I wage,
for many are arrayed against me.
19
God, who is enthroned from of old, Selah
will hear and will humble them,
because they do not change
and do not fear God.
20
My companion laid hands on a friend
and violated a covenant with me[b]
21
with speech smoother than butter
but with a heart set on war,
with words that were softer than oil
but in fact were drawn swords.
22
Cast your burden[c] on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.
23
But you, O God, will cast them down
into the lowest pit;
the bloodthirsty and treacherous
shall not live out half their days.
But I will trust in you.