1 O thou who camest from above
the fire celestial to impart,
kindle a flame of sacred love
on the mean altar of my heart!
—-
2 There let it for thy glory burn
with inextinguishable blaze,
and trembling to its source return
in humble prayer and fervent praise.
—-
3 Jesus, confirm my heart's desire
to work, and speak, and think for thee;
still let me guard the holy fire,
and still stir up the gift in me.
—-
4 Ready for all thy perfect will,
my acts of faith and love repeat;
till death thy endless mercies seal,
and make the sacrifice complete.
the fire celestial to impart,
kindle a flame of sacred love
on the mean altar of my heart!
—-
2 There let it for thy glory burn
with inextinguishable blaze,
and trembling to its source return
in humble prayer and fervent praise.
—-
3 Jesus, confirm my heart's desire
to work, and speak, and think for thee;
still let me guard the holy fire,
and still stir up the gift in me.
—-
4 Ready for all thy perfect will,
my acts of faith and love repeat;
till death thy endless mercies seal,
and make the sacrifice complete.
Sunday, 21 July 2024
The Eighth Sunday after Trinity
+++
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 9, 26, 2 readers
9
[a]O that my head were a spring of water
and my eyes a fountain of tears,
so that I might weep day and night
for the slain of the daughter of my people!
2
[b]O that I had in the desert
a traveler’s lodging place,
that I might leave my people
and go away from them!
For they are all adulterers,
a band of traitors.
3
They bend their tongues like bows;
they have grown strong in the land for falsehood and not for truth,
for they proceed from evil to evil,
and they do not know me, says the Lord.
4
Beware of your neighbors,
and put no trust in any of your kin,
for all your kin are supplanters,
and every neighbor goes around like a slanderer.
5
They all deceive their neighbors,
and no one speaks the truth;
they have taught their tongues to speak lies;
they commit iniquity and are too weary to repent.[c]
6
Oppression upon oppression, deceit[d] upon deceit!
They refuse to know me, says the Lord.
7
Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts:
I will now refine and test them,
for what else can I do with the daughter of my people?
8
Their tongue is a deadly arrow;
it speaks deceit through the mouth.
They all speak friendly words to their neighbors
but inwardly are planning to lay an ambush.
9
Shall I not punish them for these things? says the Lord,
and shall I not bring retribution
on a nation such as this?
10
Take up[e] weeping and wailing for the mountains
and a lamentation for the pastures of the wilderness,
because they are laid waste so that no one passes through,
and the lowing of cattle is not heard;
both the birds of the air and the animals
have fled and are gone.
11
I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins,
a lair of jackals,
and I will make the towns of Judah a desolation,
without inhabitant.
12 Who is wise enough to understand this? To whom has the mouth of the Lord spoken, so that they may declare it? Why is the land ruined and laid waste like a wilderness, so that no one passes through? 13 And the Lord says: Because they have forsaken my law that I set before them and have not obeyed my voice or walked in accordance with it
Second reader
14 but have stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Baals, as their ancestors taught them. 15 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I am feeding this people with wormwood and giving them poisonous water to drink. 16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have known, and I will send the sword after them until I have consumed them.
The People Mourn in Judgment
17
Thus says the Lord of hosts:
Consider and call for the mourning women to come;
send for the skilled women to come;
18
let them quickly raise a dirge over us,
so that our eyes may run down with tears
and our eyelids flow with water.
19
For a sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
“How we are ruined!
We are utterly shamed
because we have left the land,
because they have cast down our dwellings.”
20
Hear, O women, the word of the Lord,
and let your ears receive the word of his mouth;
teach to your daughters a dirge
and each to her neighbor a lament.
21
“Death has come up into our windows;
it has entered our palaces
to cut off the children from the streets
and the young men from the squares.”
22
Speak! Thus says the Lord:
“Human corpses shall fall
like dung upon the open field,
like sheaves behind the reaper,
and no one shall gather them.”
23 Thus says the Lord: Do not let the wise boast in their wisdom; do not let the mighty boast in their might; do not let the wealthy boast in their wealth; 24 but let those who boast boast in this, that they understand and know me, that I am the Lord; I act with steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord.
25 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will attend to all those who are circumcised only in the foreskin: 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, the Ammonites, Moab, and all those with shaved temples who live in the desert. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.
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 9, 41, 2 readers
A Man Born Blind Receives Sight
9 As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. 4 We[a] must work the works of him who sent me[b] while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, 7 saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. 8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am he.” 10 But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”
The Pharisees Investigate the Healing
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.”
18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind,
Second reader
21 but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus[c] to be the Messiah[d] would be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.”25 He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26 They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28 Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” 30 The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out.
Spiritual Blindness
35 Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”[e] 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir?[f] Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” 38 He said, “Lord,[g] I believe.” And he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see may see and those who do see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.
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 105, 45, 3 readers
God’s Faithfulness to Israel
1
O give thanks to the Lord; call on his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples.
2
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wonderful works.
3
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4
Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his presence continually.
5
Remember the wonderful works he has done,
his miracles and the judgments he has uttered,
6
O offspring of his servant Abraham,[a]
children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
7
He is the Lord our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
8
He is mindful of his covenant forever,
of the word that he commanded for a thousand generations,
9
the covenant that he made with Abraham,
his sworn promise to Isaac,
10
which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11
saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as your portion for an inheritance.”
12
When they were few in number,
of little account and strangers in it,
13
wandering from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another people,
14
he allowed no one to oppress them;
he rebuked kings on their account,
15
saying, “Do not touch my anointed ones;
do my prophets no harm.”
Second reader
16
When he summoned famine against the land
and cut off every supply of bread,[b]
17
he had sent a man ahead of them,
Joseph, who had been sold as a slave.
18
His feet were hurt with fetters;
his neck was put in a collar of iron;
19
until what he had said came to pass,
the word of the Lord kept testing him.
20
The king sent and released him;
the ruler of the peoples set him free.
21
He made him lord of his house
and ruler of all his possessions,
22
to instruct[c] his officials at his pleasure
and to teach his elders wisdom.
23
Then Israel came to Egypt;
Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.
24
And the Lord made his people very fruitful
and made them stronger than their foes,
25
whose hearts he then turned to hate his people,
to deal craftily with his servants.
26
He sent his servant Moses
and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27
They performed his signs among them
and miracles in the land of Ham.
28
He sent darkness and made the land dark;
they rebelled[d] against his words.
29
He turned their waters into blood
and caused their fish to die.
30
Their land swarmed with frogs,
even in the chambers of their kings.
Third reader
31
He spoke, and there came swarms of flies
and gnats throughout their country.
32
He gave them hail for rain
and lightning that flashed through their land.
33
He struck their vines and fig trees
and shattered the trees of their country.
34
He spoke, and the locusts came,
and young locusts without number;
35
they devoured all the vegetation in their land
and ate up the fruit of their ground.
36
He struck down all the firstborn in their land,
the first issue of all their strength.
37
Then he brought Israel[e] out with silver and gold,
and there was no one among their tribes who stumbled.
38
Egypt was glad when they departed,
for dread of them had fallen upon it.
39
He spread a cloud for a covering
and fire to give light by night.
40
They asked, and he brought quails
and gave them food from heaven in abundance.
41
He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed through the desert like a river.
42
For he remembered his holy promise
and Abraham, his servant.
43
So he brought his people out with joy,
his chosen ones with singing.
44
He gave them the lands of the nations,
and they took possession of the wealth of the peoples,
45
that they might keep his statutes
and observe his laws.
Praise 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 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 10, 25
Idolatry Has Brought Ruin on Israel
10 Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says the Lord:
Do not learn the way of the nations
or be dismayed at the signs of the heavens,
for the nations are dismayed at them.
3
For the customs of the peoples are false:
a tree from the forest is cut down
and worked with an ax by the hands of an artisan;
4
they deck it with silver and gold;
they fasten it with hammers and nails
so that it cannot move.
5
Their idols[a] are like scarecrows in a cucumber field,
and they cannot speak;
they have to be carried,
for they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of them,
for they cannot do evil,
nor is it in them to do good.
6
There is none like you, O Lord;
you are great, and your name is great in might.
7
Who would not fear you, O King of the nations?
For that is your due;
among all the wise ones of the nations
and in all their kingdoms
there is no one like you.
8
They are both stupid and foolish;
the instruction given by idols
is no better than wood![b]
9
Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish
and gold from Uphaz.
They are the work of the artisan and of the hands of the goldsmith;
their clothing is blue and purple;
they are all the product of skilled workers.
10
But the Lord is the true God;
he is the living God and the everlasting King.
At his wrath the earth quakes,
and the nations cannot endure his indignation.[c]
11 Thus shall you say to them: The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.[d]
12
It is he who made the earth by his power,
who established the world by his wisdom
and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.
13
When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
14
Everyone is stupid and without knowledge;
goldsmiths are all put to shame by their idols,
for their images are false,
and there is no breath in them.
15
They are worthless, a work of delusion;
at the time of their punishment they shall perish.
16
The portion of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the one who formed all things,
and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance;
the Lord of hosts is his name.
The Coming Exile
17
Gather up your bundle from the ground,
O you who live under siege!
18
For thus says the Lord:
I am going to sling out the inhabitants of the land
at this time,
and I will bring distress on them,
so that they shall feel it.
19
Woe is me because of my hurt!
My wound is severe.
But I said, “Truly this is my punishment,
and I must bear it.”
20
My tent is destroyed,
and all my cords are broken;
my children have gone from me,
and they are no more;
there is no one to spread my tent again
and to set up my curtains.
21
For the shepherds are stupid
and do not inquire of the Lord;
therefore they have not prospered,
and all their flock is scattered.
22
Hear, a noise! Listen, it is coming--
a great commotion from the land of the north
to make the cities of Judah a desolation,
a lair of jackals.
23
I know, O Lord, that the way of humans is not in their control,
that mortals as they walk cannot direct their steps.
24
Correct me, O Lord, but in just measure;
not in your anger, or you will bring me to nothing.
25
Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not know you
and on the peoples that do not call on your name,
for they have devoured Jacob;
they have devoured him and consumed him
and have laid waste his habitation.
+++
1 Timothy 6, 21
6 Let all who are under the yoke of slavery regard their masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be blasphemed. 2 Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful to them on the ground that they are brothers and sisters; rather, they must serve them all the more, since those who benefit by their service are believers and beloved.[a]
False Teaching and True Riches
Teach and urge these duties. 3 Whoever teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that is in accordance with godliness 4 is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a morbid craving for controversy and for disputes about words. From these come envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions,5 and wrangling among those who are depraved in mind and bereft of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.[b] 6 Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, so that[c] we can take nothing out of it, 8 but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. 9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.
The Good Fight of Faith
11 But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and for which you made[d] the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will bring about at the right time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. 16 It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
17 As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches but rather on God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share,19 thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.
Personal Instructions and Benediction
20 Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the profane chatter and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge; 21 by professing it some have missed the mark as regards the faith.
Grace be with you.[e]
+++
Psalm 106, 48
A Confession of Israel’s Sins
1
Praise the Lord!
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
2
Who can utter the mighty doings of the Lord
or declare all his praise?
3
Happy are those who observe justice,
who do righteousness at all times.
4
Remember us,[a] O Lord, when you show favor to your people;
help us[b] when you deliver them,
5
that we may see the prosperity of your chosen ones,
that we may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,
that we may glory in your heritage.
6
Both we and our ancestors have sinned;
we have committed iniquity, have done wickedly.
7
Our ancestors, when they were in Egypt,
did not consider your wonderful works;
they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love
but rebelled against the Most High[c] at the Red Sea.[d]
8
Yet he saved them for his name’s sake,
so that he might make known his mighty power.
9
He rebuked the Red Sea,[e] and it became dry;
he led them through the deep as through a desert.
10
So he saved them from the hand of the foe
and delivered them from the hand of the enemy.
11
The waters covered their adversaries;
not one of them was left.
12
Then they believed his words;
they sang his praise.
13
But they soon forgot his works;
they did not wait for his counsel.
14
But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness
and put God to the test in the desert;
15
he gave them what they asked
but sent a wasting disease among them.
16
They were jealous of Moses in the camp
and of Aaron, the holy one of the Lord.
17
The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan
and covered the faction of Abiram.
18
Fire also broke out in their company;
the flame burned up the wicked.
19
They made a calf at Horeb
and worshiped a cast image.
20
They exchanged the glory of God[f]
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
21
They forgot God, their Savior,
who had done great things in Egypt,
22
wondrous works in the land of Ham,
and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.[g]
23
Therefore he said he would destroy them--
had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him,
to turn away his wrath from destroying them.
24
Then they despised the pleasant land,
having no faith in his promise.
25
They grumbled in their tents
and did not obey the voice of the Lord.
26
Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them
that he would make them fall in the wilderness
27
and would disperse[h] their descendants among the nations,
scattering them over the lands.
28
Then they attached themselves to the Baal of Peor
and ate sacrifices offered to the dead;
29
they provoked the Lord to anger with their deeds,
and a plague broke out among them.
30
Then Phinehas stood up and interceded,
and the plague was stopped.
31
And that has been reckoned to him as righteousness
from generation to generation forever.
32
They angered the Lord[i] at the waters of Meribah,
and it went ill with Moses on their account,
33
for they made his spirit bitter,
and he spoke words that were rash.
34
They did not destroy the peoples,
as the Lord had commanded them,
35
but they mingled with the nations
and learned to do as they did.
36
They served their idols,
which became a snare to them.
37
They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to the demons;
38
they poured out innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was polluted with blood.
39
Thus they became unclean by their acts
and prostituted themselves in their doings.
40
Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people,
and he abhorred his heritage;
41
he gave them into the hand of the nations,
so that those who hated them ruled over them.
42
Their enemies oppressed them,
and they were brought into subjection under their power.
43
Many times he delivered them,
but they were rebellious in their purposes
and were brought low through their iniquity.
44
Nevertheless, he regarded their distress
when he heard their cry.
45
For their sake he remembered his covenant
and showed compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
46
He caused them to be pitied
by all who held them captive.
47
Save us, O Lord our God,
and gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.
48
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
And let all the people say, “Amen.”
Praise the Lord!
The Eighth Sunday after Trinity
+++
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 9, 26, 2 readers
9
[a]O that my head were a spring of water
and my eyes a fountain of tears,
so that I might weep day and night
for the slain of the daughter of my people!
2
[b]O that I had in the desert
a traveler’s lodging place,
that I might leave my people
and go away from them!
For they are all adulterers,
a band of traitors.
3
They bend their tongues like bows;
they have grown strong in the land for falsehood and not for truth,
for they proceed from evil to evil,
and they do not know me, says the Lord.
4
Beware of your neighbors,
and put no trust in any of your kin,
for all your kin are supplanters,
and every neighbor goes around like a slanderer.
5
They all deceive their neighbors,
and no one speaks the truth;
they have taught their tongues to speak lies;
they commit iniquity and are too weary to repent.[c]
6
Oppression upon oppression, deceit[d] upon deceit!
They refuse to know me, says the Lord.
7
Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts:
I will now refine and test them,
for what else can I do with the daughter of my people?
8
Their tongue is a deadly arrow;
it speaks deceit through the mouth.
They all speak friendly words to their neighbors
but inwardly are planning to lay an ambush.
9
Shall I not punish them for these things? says the Lord,
and shall I not bring retribution
on a nation such as this?
10
Take up[e] weeping and wailing for the mountains
and a lamentation for the pastures of the wilderness,
because they are laid waste so that no one passes through,
and the lowing of cattle is not heard;
both the birds of the air and the animals
have fled and are gone.
11
I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins,
a lair of jackals,
and I will make the towns of Judah a desolation,
without inhabitant.
12 Who is wise enough to understand this? To whom has the mouth of the Lord spoken, so that they may declare it? Why is the land ruined and laid waste like a wilderness, so that no one passes through? 13 And the Lord says: Because they have forsaken my law that I set before them and have not obeyed my voice or walked in accordance with it
Second reader
14 but have stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Baals, as their ancestors taught them. 15 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I am feeding this people with wormwood and giving them poisonous water to drink. 16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have known, and I will send the sword after them until I have consumed them.
The People Mourn in Judgment
17
Thus says the Lord of hosts:
Consider and call for the mourning women to come;
send for the skilled women to come;
18
let them quickly raise a dirge over us,
so that our eyes may run down with tears
and our eyelids flow with water.
19
For a sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
“How we are ruined!
We are utterly shamed
because we have left the land,
because they have cast down our dwellings.”
20
Hear, O women, the word of the Lord,
and let your ears receive the word of his mouth;
teach to your daughters a dirge
and each to her neighbor a lament.
21
“Death has come up into our windows;
it has entered our palaces
to cut off the children from the streets
and the young men from the squares.”
22
Speak! Thus says the Lord:
“Human corpses shall fall
like dung upon the open field,
like sheaves behind the reaper,
and no one shall gather them.”
23 Thus says the Lord: Do not let the wise boast in their wisdom; do not let the mighty boast in their might; do not let the wealthy boast in their wealth; 24 but let those who boast boast in this, that they understand and know me, that I am the Lord; I act with steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord.
25 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will attend to all those who are circumcised only in the foreskin: 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, the Ammonites, Moab, and all those with shaved temples who live in the desert. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.
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 9, 41, 2 readers
A Man Born Blind Receives Sight
9 As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. 4 We[a] must work the works of him who sent me[b] while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, 7 saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. 8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am he.” 10 But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”
The Pharisees Investigate the Healing
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.”
18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind,
Second reader
21 but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus[c] to be the Messiah[d] would be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.”25 He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26 They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28 Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” 30 The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out.
Spiritual Blindness
35 Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”[e] 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir?[f] Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” 38 He said, “Lord,[g] I believe.” And he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see may see and those who do see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.
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 105, 45, 3 readers
God’s Faithfulness to Israel
1
O give thanks to the Lord; call on his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples.
2
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wonderful works.
3
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4
Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his presence continually.
5
Remember the wonderful works he has done,
his miracles and the judgments he has uttered,
6
O offspring of his servant Abraham,[a]
children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
7
He is the Lord our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
8
He is mindful of his covenant forever,
of the word that he commanded for a thousand generations,
9
the covenant that he made with Abraham,
his sworn promise to Isaac,
10
which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11
saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as your portion for an inheritance.”
12
When they were few in number,
of little account and strangers in it,
13
wandering from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another people,
14
he allowed no one to oppress them;
he rebuked kings on their account,
15
saying, “Do not touch my anointed ones;
do my prophets no harm.”
Second reader
16
When he summoned famine against the land
and cut off every supply of bread,[b]
17
he had sent a man ahead of them,
Joseph, who had been sold as a slave.
18
His feet were hurt with fetters;
his neck was put in a collar of iron;
19
until what he had said came to pass,
the word of the Lord kept testing him.
20
The king sent and released him;
the ruler of the peoples set him free.
21
He made him lord of his house
and ruler of all his possessions,
22
to instruct[c] his officials at his pleasure
and to teach his elders wisdom.
23
Then Israel came to Egypt;
Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.
24
And the Lord made his people very fruitful
and made them stronger than their foes,
25
whose hearts he then turned to hate his people,
to deal craftily with his servants.
26
He sent his servant Moses
and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27
They performed his signs among them
and miracles in the land of Ham.
28
He sent darkness and made the land dark;
they rebelled[d] against his words.
29
He turned their waters into blood
and caused their fish to die.
30
Their land swarmed with frogs,
even in the chambers of their kings.
Third reader
31
He spoke, and there came swarms of flies
and gnats throughout their country.
32
He gave them hail for rain
and lightning that flashed through their land.
33
He struck their vines and fig trees
and shattered the trees of their country.
34
He spoke, and the locusts came,
and young locusts without number;
35
they devoured all the vegetation in their land
and ate up the fruit of their ground.
36
He struck down all the firstborn in their land,
the first issue of all their strength.
37
Then he brought Israel[e] out with silver and gold,
and there was no one among their tribes who stumbled.
38
Egypt was glad when they departed,
for dread of them had fallen upon it.
39
He spread a cloud for a covering
and fire to give light by night.
40
They asked, and he brought quails
and gave them food from heaven in abundance.
41
He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed through the desert like a river.
42
For he remembered his holy promise
and Abraham, his servant.
43
So he brought his people out with joy,
his chosen ones with singing.
44
He gave them the lands of the nations,
and they took possession of the wealth of the peoples,
45
that they might keep his statutes
and observe his laws.
Praise 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 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 10, 25
Idolatry Has Brought Ruin on Israel
10 Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says the Lord:
Do not learn the way of the nations
or be dismayed at the signs of the heavens,
for the nations are dismayed at them.
3
For the customs of the peoples are false:
a tree from the forest is cut down
and worked with an ax by the hands of an artisan;
4
they deck it with silver and gold;
they fasten it with hammers and nails
so that it cannot move.
5
Their idols[a] are like scarecrows in a cucumber field,
and they cannot speak;
they have to be carried,
for they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of them,
for they cannot do evil,
nor is it in them to do good.
6
There is none like you, O Lord;
you are great, and your name is great in might.
7
Who would not fear you, O King of the nations?
For that is your due;
among all the wise ones of the nations
and in all their kingdoms
there is no one like you.
8
They are both stupid and foolish;
the instruction given by idols
is no better than wood![b]
9
Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish
and gold from Uphaz.
They are the work of the artisan and of the hands of the goldsmith;
their clothing is blue and purple;
they are all the product of skilled workers.
10
But the Lord is the true God;
he is the living God and the everlasting King.
At his wrath the earth quakes,
and the nations cannot endure his indignation.[c]
11 Thus shall you say to them: The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.[d]
12
It is he who made the earth by his power,
who established the world by his wisdom
and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.
13
When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
14
Everyone is stupid and without knowledge;
goldsmiths are all put to shame by their idols,
for their images are false,
and there is no breath in them.
15
They are worthless, a work of delusion;
at the time of their punishment they shall perish.
16
The portion of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the one who formed all things,
and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance;
the Lord of hosts is his name.
The Coming Exile
17
Gather up your bundle from the ground,
O you who live under siege!
18
For thus says the Lord:
I am going to sling out the inhabitants of the land
at this time,
and I will bring distress on them,
so that they shall feel it.
19
Woe is me because of my hurt!
My wound is severe.
But I said, “Truly this is my punishment,
and I must bear it.”
20
My tent is destroyed,
and all my cords are broken;
my children have gone from me,
and they are no more;
there is no one to spread my tent again
and to set up my curtains.
21
For the shepherds are stupid
and do not inquire of the Lord;
therefore they have not prospered,
and all their flock is scattered.
22
Hear, a noise! Listen, it is coming--
a great commotion from the land of the north
to make the cities of Judah a desolation,
a lair of jackals.
23
I know, O Lord, that the way of humans is not in their control,
that mortals as they walk cannot direct their steps.
24
Correct me, O Lord, but in just measure;
not in your anger, or you will bring me to nothing.
25
Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not know you
and on the peoples that do not call on your name,
for they have devoured Jacob;
they have devoured him and consumed him
and have laid waste his habitation.
+++
1 Timothy 6, 21
6 Let all who are under the yoke of slavery regard their masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be blasphemed. 2 Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful to them on the ground that they are brothers and sisters; rather, they must serve them all the more, since those who benefit by their service are believers and beloved.[a]
False Teaching and True Riches
Teach and urge these duties. 3 Whoever teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that is in accordance with godliness 4 is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a morbid craving for controversy and for disputes about words. From these come envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions,5 and wrangling among those who are depraved in mind and bereft of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.[b] 6 Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, so that[c] we can take nothing out of it, 8 but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. 9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.
The Good Fight of Faith
11 But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and for which you made[d] the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will bring about at the right time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. 16 It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
17 As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches but rather on God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share,19 thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.
Personal Instructions and Benediction
20 Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the profane chatter and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge; 21 by professing it some have missed the mark as regards the faith.
Grace be with you.[e]
+++
Psalm 106, 48
A Confession of Israel’s Sins
1
Praise the Lord!
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
2
Who can utter the mighty doings of the Lord
or declare all his praise?
3
Happy are those who observe justice,
who do righteousness at all times.
4
Remember us,[a] O Lord, when you show favor to your people;
help us[b] when you deliver them,
5
that we may see the prosperity of your chosen ones,
that we may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,
that we may glory in your heritage.
6
Both we and our ancestors have sinned;
we have committed iniquity, have done wickedly.
7
Our ancestors, when they were in Egypt,
did not consider your wonderful works;
they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love
but rebelled against the Most High[c] at the Red Sea.[d]
8
Yet he saved them for his name’s sake,
so that he might make known his mighty power.
9
He rebuked the Red Sea,[e] and it became dry;
he led them through the deep as through a desert.
10
So he saved them from the hand of the foe
and delivered them from the hand of the enemy.
11
The waters covered their adversaries;
not one of them was left.
12
Then they believed his words;
they sang his praise.
13
But they soon forgot his works;
they did not wait for his counsel.
14
But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness
and put God to the test in the desert;
15
he gave them what they asked
but sent a wasting disease among them.
16
They were jealous of Moses in the camp
and of Aaron, the holy one of the Lord.
17
The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan
and covered the faction of Abiram.
18
Fire also broke out in their company;
the flame burned up the wicked.
19
They made a calf at Horeb
and worshiped a cast image.
20
They exchanged the glory of God[f]
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
21
They forgot God, their Savior,
who had done great things in Egypt,
22
wondrous works in the land of Ham,
and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.[g]
23
Therefore he said he would destroy them--
had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him,
to turn away his wrath from destroying them.
24
Then they despised the pleasant land,
having no faith in his promise.
25
They grumbled in their tents
and did not obey the voice of the Lord.
26
Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them
that he would make them fall in the wilderness
27
and would disperse[h] their descendants among the nations,
scattering them over the lands.
28
Then they attached themselves to the Baal of Peor
and ate sacrifices offered to the dead;
29
they provoked the Lord to anger with their deeds,
and a plague broke out among them.
30
Then Phinehas stood up and interceded,
and the plague was stopped.
31
And that has been reckoned to him as righteousness
from generation to generation forever.
32
They angered the Lord[i] at the waters of Meribah,
and it went ill with Moses on their account,
33
for they made his spirit bitter,
and he spoke words that were rash.
34
They did not destroy the peoples,
as the Lord had commanded them,
35
but they mingled with the nations
and learned to do as they did.
36
They served their idols,
which became a snare to them.
37
They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to the demons;
38
they poured out innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was polluted with blood.
39
Thus they became unclean by their acts
and prostituted themselves in their doings.
40
Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people,
and he abhorred his heritage;
41
he gave them into the hand of the nations,
so that those who hated them ruled over them.
42
Their enemies oppressed them,
and they were brought into subjection under their power.
43
Many times he delivered them,
but they were rebellious in their purposes
and were brought low through their iniquity.
44
Nevertheless, he regarded their distress
when he heard their cry.
45
For their sake he remembered his covenant
and showed compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
46
He caused them to be pitied
by all who held them captive.
47
Save us, O Lord our God,
and gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.
48
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
And let all the people say, “Amen.”
Praise the Lord!