From steve.benner at oremus.org Mon Sep 1 17:00:01 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 17:00:01 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 2 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080901170001.7C0531E365C@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Tuesday, September 2, 2008 The Martyrs of Papua New Guinea, 1901 and 1942 O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, O God, the One whome we seek together, the Life which is part of us all, the Truth and the mark of mystery, the Love and the Joy that makes us whole. Blessed are you, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 72 Give the king your justice, O God,* and your righteousness to the king's son; That he may rule your people righteously* and the poor with justice; That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people,* and the little hills bring righteousness. He shall defend the needy among the people;* he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor. He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure,* from one generation to another. He shall come down like rain upon the mown field,* like showers that water the earth. In his time shall the righteous flourish;* there shall be abundance of peace till the moon shall be no more. He shall rule from sea to sea,* and from the River to the ends of the earth. His foes shall bow down before him,* and his enemies lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute,* and the kings of Arabia and Saba offer gifts. All kings shall bow down before him,* and all the nations do him service. For he shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress,* and the oppressed who has no helper. He shall have pity on the lowly and poor;* he shall preserve the lives of the needy. He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence,* and dear shall their blood be in his sight. Long may he live, and may there be given to him gold from Arabia;* may prayer be made for him always, and may they bless him all the day long. May there be abundance of grain on the earth, growing thick even on the hilltops;* may its fruit flourish like Lebanon, and its grain like grass upon the earth. May his name remain for ever and be established as long as the sun endures;* may all the nations bless themselves in him and call him blessed. Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,* who alone does wondrous deeds! And blessed be his glorious name for ever!* and may all the earth be filled with his glory. Amen. Amen. A Song of Peace (Isaiah 2.3-5) Come, let us go up to the mountain of God, to the house of the God of Jacob; That God may teach us his ways, and that we may walk in his paths. For the law shall go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. God shall judge between the nations, and shall mediate for many peoples. They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O people of Jacob, come: let us walk in the light of the Lord. Psalm 147:1-12 Alleluia! How good it is to sing praises to our God!* how pleasant it is to honour him with praise! The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem;* he gathers the exiles of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted* and binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars* and calls them all by their names. Great is our Lord and mighty in power;* there is no limit to his wisdom. The Lord lifts up the lowly,* but casts the wicked to the ground. Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;* make music to our God upon the harp. He covers the heavens with clouds* and prepares rain for the earth; He makes grass to grow upon the mountains* and green plants to serve us all. He provides food for flocks and herds* and for the young ravens when they cry. He is not impressed by the might of a horse,* he has no pleasure in human strength; But the Lord has pleasure in those who fear him,* in those who await his gracious favour. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Ecclesiasticus 36:1-17]: Have mercy upon us, O God of all, and put all the nations in fear of you. Lift up your hand against foreign nations and let them see your might. As you have used us to show your holiness to them, so use them to show your glory to us. Then they will know, as we have known, that there is no God but you, O Lord. Give new signs, and work other wonders; make your hand and right arm glorious. Rouse your anger and pour out your wrath; destroy the adversary and wipe out the enemy. Hasten the day, and remember the appointed time, and let people recount your mighty deeds. Let survivors be consumed in the fiery wrath, and may those who harm your people meet destruction. Crush the heads of hostile rulers who say, 'There is no one but ourselves.' Gather all the tribes of Jacob, and give them their inheritance, as at the beginning. Have mercy, O Lord, on the people called by your name, on Israel, whom you have named your firstborn. HYMN Words: Words: Francis H. Rowley (1854-1952), 1886 MIDI: Hyfrydol http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/i/i180.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. I will sing the wondrous story of the Christ who died for me; how he left his home in glory for the cross of Calvary: Refrain: Yes, I'll sing the wondrous story of the Christ who died for me, sing it with his saints in glory, gathered by the crystal sea. I was lost, but Jesus found me, found the sheep that went astray, threw his loving arms around me, back into the narrow way. Refrain Faint was I, and fears possessed me, bruised was I from many a fall; hope was gone, and shame distressed me, but his love has pardoned all: Refrain Days of darkness still come o'er me, sorrow's path I often tread, but his presence still is with me; by his guiding hand I'm led. Refrain He will keep me till the river rolls its waters at my feet; then He'll bear me safely over, where the loved ones I shall meet. Refrain SECOND READING [Matthew 7:13-end]: Jesus said, 'Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it. 'Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits. 'Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord", will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?" Then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers." 'Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell and great was its fall!' Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes. The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: Lord Jesus, born in pain, struggling towards life, fighting for breath; born in shame, born to the threat of Herod's sword; fleeing to another country, another home; wrapped in a young girl's love, placed in a borrowed bed; We pray for those we know and love; for all who suffer pain of body or anguish of mind; for all who struggle to live, to live well, to live better; for all who burn with shame, for all who face threat and danger, We pray to you, O God: Hear our prayer. We pray for war-ravaged countries and refugees; for the starving poor; for battered wives and abused children; for the homeless, for the mentally ill; for those who struggle with disability. Strengthen us to work for peace on the earth and peace with the earth. We pray to you, O God: Hear our prayer. We pray for the Church, especially the Diocese of Keep us faithful that we may bear faithful witness in word and work to your presence among us. We pray to you, O God: Hear our prayer. We pray for all who are alone. May our love reach out to the lonely and broken-hearted, the bereaved, and all for whom life has become something to be endured. May we open our minds, hearts and homes to those around us. We pray to you, O God: Hear our prayer. And we pray for our own needs: seeking the grace of your presence, firming our resolve to behave as we believe; seeking your courage to reconcile, heal and make new; seeking a sure vision of your coming kingdom. We pray to you, O God: Hear our prayer. O God, bring our nation and all nations to a sense of justice and equity, that poverty, oppression, and violence may vanish and all may know peace and plenty. We ask this in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Almighty God, we remember before you this day the blessed martyrs of New Guinea, who, following the example of their Savior, laid down their lives for their friends; and we pray that we who honor their memory may imitate their loyalty and faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Faithful God, hope of the oppressed, source of freedom: make us strong to witness to your liberating power, in generosity of life and in humility of spirit, that all the world may delight in your goodness. Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer uses phrases from a hymn by Colin Gibson. The closing prayer is based on a prayer from _Revised Common Lectionary Prayers_, copyright (c) 2002 Consultation on Common Texts The intercession is by David Bromell and the first collect is from _Daily Prayer_, copyright (c) The Scottish Episcopal Church, 1998. Used with permission. http://www.scottishepiscopal.com The second collect is from _The Proper for the Lesser Feasts and Fasts_, 3rd edition, (c) 1980 The Church Pension Fund. New Guinea (also called Irian), one of the world's largest islands, has a difficult terrain that discourages travel between districts. Consequently, it is home to many isolated tribes, with many different cultures and at least 500 languages. Christian missionaries began work there in the 1860's, but proceeded slowly. When World War II threatened Papua and New Guinea, it was obvious that missionaries of European origin were in danger. There was talk of leaving. Bishop Philip Strong wrote to his clergy: "We must endeavour to carry on our work. God expects this of us. The church at home, which sent us out, will surely expect it of us. The universal church expects it of us. The people whom we serve expect it of us. We could never hold up our faces again if, for our own safety, we all forsook Him and fled, when the shadows of the Passion began to gather around Him in His spiritual and mystical body, the Church in Papua." They stayed. Almost immediately there were arrests. Eight clergymen and two laymen were executed "as an example" on September 2, 1942. In the next few years, many Papuan Christians of all Churches risked their own lives to care for the wounded. [James Kiefer] From steve.benner at oremus.org Wed Sep 3 17:26:50 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 17:26:50 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 4 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080903172650.C5174313CF4@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for , 2008 O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, O God, the One whome we seek together, the Life which is part of us all, the Truth and the mark of mystery, the Love and the Joy that makes us whole. Blessed are you, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 80 Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock;* shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim. In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh,* stir up your strength and come to help us. Restore us, O God of hosts;* show the light of your countenance and we shall be saved. O Lord God of hosts,* how long will you be angered despite the prayers of your people? You have fed them with the bread of tears;* you have given them bowls of tears to drink. You have made us the derision of our neighbours,* and our enemies laugh us to scorn. Restore us, O God of hosts;* show the light of your countenance and we shall be saved. You have brought a vine out of Egypt;* you cast out the nations and planted it. You prepared the ground for it;* it took root and filled the land. The mountains were covered by its shadow* and the towering cedar trees by its boughs. You stretched out its tendrils to the Sea* and its branches to the River. Why have you broken down its wall,* so that all who pass by pluck off its grapes? The wild boar of the forest has ravaged it,* and the beasts of the field have grazed upon it. Turn now, O God of hosts, look down from heaven; behold and tend this vine;* preserve what your right hand has planted. They burn it with fire like rubbish;* at the rebuke of your countenance let them perish. Let your hand be upon the man of your right hand,* the son of man you have made so strong for yourself. And so will we never turn away from you;* give us life, that we may call upon your name. Restore us, O Lord God of hosts;* show the light of your countenance and we shall be saved. A Song of the Covenant (Isaiah 42.5-8a) Thus says God, who created the heavens, who fashioned the earth and all that dwells in it; Who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it, 'I am the Lord and I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; 'I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, 'To bring out the captives from the dungeon, from the prison, those who sit in darkness. 'I am the Lord, that is my name; my glory I give to no other.' Psalm 148 Alleluia! Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise him in the heights. Praise him, all you angels of his;* praise him, all his host. Praise him, sun and moon;* praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, heaven of heavens,* and you waters above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord;* for he commanded and they were created. He made them stand fast for ever and ever;* he gave them a law which shall not pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth,* you sea-monsters and all deeps; Fire and hail, snow and fog,* tempestuous wind, doing his will; Mountains and all hills,* fruit trees and all cedars; Wild beasts and all cattle,* creeping things and winged birds; Kings of the earth and all peoples,* princes and all rulers of the world; Young men and maidens,* old and young together. Let them praise the name of the Lord,* for his name only is exalted, his splendour is over earth and heaven. He has raised up strength for his people and praise for all his loyal servants,* the children of Israel, a people who are near him. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Ecclesiasticus 38:24-end]: The wisdom of the scribe depends on the opportunity of leisure; and he who has little business may become wise. How can he become wise who handles the plow, and who glories in the shaft of a goad, who drives oxen and is occupied with their work, and whose talk is about bulls? He sets his heart on plowing furrows, and he is careful about fodder for the heifers. So too is every craftsman and master workman who labors by night as well as by day; those who cut the signets of seals, each is diligent in making a great variety; he sets his heart on painting a lifelike image, and he is careful to finish his work. So too is the smith sitting by the anvil, intent upon his handiwork in iron; the breath of the fire melts his flesh, and he wastes away in the heat of the furnace; he inclines his ear to the sound of the hammer, and his eyes are on the pattern of the object. He sets his heart on finishing his handiwork, and he is careful to complete its decoration. So too is the potter sitting at his work and turning the wheel with his feet; he is always deeply concerned over his work, and all his output is by number. He moulds the clay with his arm and makes it pliable with his feet; he sets his heart to finish the glazing, and he is careful to clean the furnace. All these rely upon their hands, and each is skilful in his own work. Without them a city cannot be established, and men can neither sojourn nor live there. Yet they are not sought out for the council of the people, nor do they attain eminence in the public assembly. They do not sit in the judge's seat, nor do they understand the sentence of judgment; they cannot expound discipline or judgment, and they are not found using proverbs. But they keep stable the fabric of the world, and their prayer is in the practice of their trade. HYMN Words: Clifford Bax, 1919 Tune: Old 124th http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/t/t811.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. Turn back, O man, forswear thy foolish ways. old now is earth, and none may count her days. yet thou, her child, whose head is crowned with flame, still wilt not hear thine inner God proclaim, "Turn back, O man, forswear thy foolish ways." Earth might be fair and all men glad and wise. age after age their tragic empires rise, built while they dream, and in that dreaming weep: would man but wake from out his haunted sleep, earth might be fair and all men glad and wise. Earth shall be fair, and all her people one: nor till that hour shall God's whole will be done. Now, even now, once more from earth to sky, peals forth in joy man's old undaunted cry: "Earth shall be fair and all her folk be one!" SECOND READING [Matthew 8:14-27]: When Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever; he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve him. That evening they brought to him many who were possessed with demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and cured all who were sick. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah, "He took our infirmities and bore our diseases." Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. A scribe then approached and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." Another of his disciples said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead." And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, you of little faith?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?" The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: Lord of our lives, we have decided to follow Jesus and have chosen to be in your Kingdom. Give us courage, discernment and an unwavering faith. We pray for your Church throughout the world, Shed forth your spirit of discipleship upon us. When we are uncertain, reveal a vision. When we are passive, light a fire. When we are tempted, send your Spirit. Enfold us in your love, wrap us about with assurance and infuse us with determination, that we may be true disciples and all the world may see the love of Jesus Christ in us. Amen. Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd: you have led us to the kingdom of your Father's love. Forgive our careless indifference to your loving care for all your creatures, and remake us in the likeness of your new and risen life. We ask this in your Name. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Faithful God, hope of the oppressed, source of freedom: make us strong to witness to your liberating power, in generosity of life and in humility of spirit, that all the world may delight in your goodness. Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer uses phrases from a hymn by Colin Gibson. The closing prayer is based on a prayer from _Revised Common Lectionary Prayers_, copyright (c) 2002 Consultation on Common Texts The intercession is adapted by Stephen Benner from a prayer by Arlene M. Mark, from _Words for Worship_; used by permission of Herald Press. The first collect is from _Daily Prayer_, copyright (c) The Scottish Episcopal Church, 1998. Used with permission. http://www.scottishepiscopal.com From steve.benner at oremus.org Thu Sep 4 17:00:01 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 17:00:01 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 5 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080904170001.A4392313F4A@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Friday, September 5, 2008 Mother Teresa of Calcutta, 1997 O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, O God, the One whome we seek together, the Life which is part of us all, the Truth and the mark of mystery, the Love and the Joy that makes us whole. Blessed are you, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 89:1-18 Your love, O Lord, for ever will I sing;* from age to age my mouth will proclaim your faithfulness. For I am persuaded that your love is established for ever;* you have set your faithfulness firmly in the heavens. 'I have made a covenant with my chosen one;* I have sworn an oath to David my servant: '"I will establish your line for ever,* and preserve your throne for all generations."' The heavens bear witness to your wonders, O Lord,* and to your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones; For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?* who is like the Lord among the gods? God is much to be feared in the council of the holy ones,* great and terrible to all those round about him. Who is like you, Lord God of hosts?* O mighty Lord, your faithfulness is all around you. You rule the raging of the sea* and still the surging of its waves. You have crushed Rahab of the deep with a deadly wound;* you have scattered your enemies with your mighty arm. Yours are the heavens; the earth also is yours;* you laid the foundations of the world and all that is in it. You have made the north and the south;* Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your name. You have a mighty arm;* strong is your hand and high is your right hand. Righteousness and justice are the foundations of your throne;* love and truth go before your face. Happy are the people who know the festal shout!* they walk, O Lord, in the light of your presence. They rejoice daily in your name;* they are jubilant in your righteousness. For you are the glory of their strength,* and by your favour our might is exalted. Truly, the Lord is our ruler;* the Holy One of Israel is our king. A Song of the Justified (Romans 4.24,25; 5.1-5,8,9,11) God reckons as righteous those who believe, who believe in him who raised Jesus from the dead; For Christ was handed over to death for our sins, and raised to life for our justification. Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Christ we have gained access to the grace in which we stand, and rejoice in our hope of the glory of God. We even exult in our sufferings, for suffering produces endurance, And endurance brings hope, and our hope is not in vain, Because God's love has been poured into our hearts, through the Holy Spirit, given to us. God proves his love for us: while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Since we have been justified by his death, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath. Therefore, we exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom we have now received our reconciliation. Psalm 149 Alleluia! Sing to the Lord a new song;* sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful. Let Israel rejoice in his maker;* let the children of Zion be joyful in their king. Let them praise his name in the dance;* let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp. For the Lord takes pleasure in his people* and adorns the poor with victory. Let the faithful rejoice in triumph;* let them be joyful on their beds. Let the praises of God be in their throat* and a two-edged sword in their hand; To wreak vengeance on the nations* and punishment on the peoples; To bind their kings in chains* and their nobles with links of iron; To inflict on them the judgement decreed;* this is glory for all his faithful people. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Ecclesiasticus 42:15-21]: I will now call to mind the works of the Lord, and will declare what I have seen. By the word of the Lord his works are made; and all his creatures do his will. The sun looks down on everything with its light, and the work of the Lord is full of his glory. The Lord has not empowered even his holy ones to recount all his marvellous works, which the Lord the Almighty has established so that the universe may stand firm in his glory. He searches out the abyss and the human heart; he understands their innermost secrets. For the Most High knows all that may be known; he sees from of old the things that are to come. He discloses what has been and what is to be, and he reveals the traces of hidden things. No thought escapes him, and nothing is hidden from him. He has set in order the splendours of his wisdom; he is from all eternity one and the same. Nothing can be added or taken away, and he needs no one to be his counsellor. HYMN Words: Shirley Erena Murray, alt. Tune: Rhuddlan http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/g/g203.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. God of freedom, God of justice, God whose love is strong as death, God who saw the dark of prison, God who knew the price of faith: touch our world of sad oppression with your Spirit's healing breath. Rid the earth of torture's terror, God whose hands were nailed to wood; hear the cries of pain and protest, God who shed the tears and blood; move in us the power of pity, restless for the common good. Make in us a captive conscience quick to hear, to act, to plead; make us truly sisters, brothers, of whatever race or creed: teach us to be fully human, open to each other's need. SECOND READING [Matthew 8:18-9:8]: Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. A scribe then approached and said, 'Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.' And Jesus said to him, 'Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.' Another of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, first let me go and bury my father.' But Jesus said to him, 'Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.' And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A gale arose on the lake, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, 'Lord, save us! We are perishing!' And he said to them, 'Why are you afraid, you of little faith?' Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, 'What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?' When he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs coming out of the tombs met him. They were so fierce that no one could pass that way. Suddenly they shouted, 'What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?' Now a large herd of swine was feeding at some distance from them. The demons begged him, 'If you cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.' And he said to them, 'Go!' So they came out and entered the swine; and suddenly, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and perished in the water. The swineherds ran off, and on going into the town, they told the whole story about what had happened to the demoniacs. Then the whole town came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighbourhood. And after getting into a boat he crossed the water and came to his own town. And just then some people were carrying a paralysed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, 'Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.' Then some of the scribes said to themselves, 'This man is blaspheming.' But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, 'Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, "Your sins are forgiven", or to say, "Stand up and walk"? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins' he then said to the paralytic 'Stand up, take your bed and go to your home.' And he stood up and went to his home. When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings. The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: We seek you daily, O Father, and you are there daily to be found. Wherever we seek you, at home, at work, on the highway, you are there, O Lord. Whatever we do, eating and drinking, writing or working, readings, meditating or praying, you are there, O Lord. If we are oppressed, you defend us, O Lord. If we hunger, you feed us, O Lord. Whatever we need, you give us, O Lord. Make us worthy, Lord, to serve our sisters and our brothers throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Give them, through our hands, this day their daily bread, and by our understanding love, give peace and joy. Amen. God of compassion, you regard the forsaken and give hope to the crushed in spirit give us grace like your servant Mother Teresa to hear those who cry to you in distress, that they may be joined to the company of those who raise a song of thanksgiving to your glory, O Father, through the Son and in the Holy Spirit. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Faithful God, hope of the oppressed, source of freedom: make us strong to witness to your liberating power, in generosity of life and in humility of spirit, that all the world may delight in your goodness. Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer uses phrases from a hymn by Colin Gibson. The closing prayer is based on a prayer from _Revised Common Lectionary Prayers_, copyright (c) 2002 Consultation on Common Texts The first collect is by Mother Teresa From steve.benner at oremus.org Fri Sep 5 17:00:01 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 17:00:01 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 6 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080905170001.336ED314134@justus2c.anglican.org> From steve.benner at oremus.org Fri Sep 5 17:51:58 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 17:51:58 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 6 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080905175158.A5EEB313FA5@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Saturday, September 6, 2008 Allen Gardiner, founder of the South American Missionary Society, 1851 O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, O God, the One whome we seek together, the Life which is part of us all, the Truth and the mark of mystery, the Love and the Joy that makes us whole. Blessed are you, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 46 God is our refuge and strength,* a very present help in trouble; Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved,* and though the mountains be toppled into the depths of the sea; Though its waters rage and foam,* and though the mountains tremble at its tumult. The Lord of hosts is with us;* the God of Jacob is our stronghold. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,* the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be overthrown;* God shall help her at the break of day. The nations make much ado and the kingdoms are shaken;* God has spoken and the earth shall melt away. The Lord of hosts is with us;* the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Come now and look upon the works of the Lord,* what awesome things he has done on earth. It is he who makes war to cease in all the world;* he breaks the bow and shatters the spear and burns the shields with fire. 'Be still, then, and know that I am God;* I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth.' The Lord of hosts is with us;* the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Psalm 96 Sing to the Lord a new song;* sing to the Lord, all the whole earth. Sing to the Lord and bless his name;* proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations* and his wonders among all peoples. For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;* he is more to be feared than all gods. As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols;* but it is the Lord who made the heavens. O the majesty and magnificence of his presence!* O the power and the splendour of his sanctuary! Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples;* ascribe to the Lord honour and power. Ascribe to the Lord the honour due to his name;* bring offerings and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;* let the whole earth tremble before him. Tell it out among the nations: 'The Lord is king!* he has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.' Let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad; let the sea thunder and all that is in it;* let the field be joyful and all that is therein. Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy before the Lord when he comes,* when he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness* and the peoples with his truth. A Song of Jerusalem our Mother (Isaiah 66.10,11a,12a,12c,13a,14a,b) 'Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her,' says the Lord. 'Rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her, 'That you may drink deeply with delight from her consoling breast.' For thus says our God, 'You shall be nursed and carried on her arm. 'As a mother comforts her children, so I will comfort you; 'You shall see and your heart shall rejoice; you shall flourish like the grass of the fields.' Psalm 150 Alleluia! Praise God in his holy temple;* praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts;* praise him for his excellent greatness. Praise him with the blast of the ram's-horn;* praise him with lyre and harp. Praise him with timbrel and dance;* praise him with strings and pipe. Praise him with resounding cymbals;* praise him with loud-clanging cymbals. Let everything that has breath* praise the Lord. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Ecclesiasticus 43:1-12]: The pride of the higher realms is the clear vault of the sky, as glorious to behold as the sight of the heavens. The sun, when it appears, proclaims as it rises what a marvellous instrument it is, the work of the Most High. At noon it parches the land, and who can withstand its burning heat? A man tending a furnace works in burning heat, but three times as hot is the sun scorching the mountains; it breathes out fiery vapours, and its bright rays blind the eyes. Great is the Lord who made it; at his orders it hurries on its course. It is the moon that marks the changing seasons, governing the times, their everlasting sign. >From the moon comes the sign for festal days, a light that wanes when it completes its course. The new moon, as its name suggests, renews itself; how marvellous it is in this change, a beacon to the hosts on high, shining in the vault of the heavens! The glory of the stars is the beauty of heaven, a glittering array in the heights of the Lord. On the orders of the Holy One they stand in their appointed places; they never relax in their watches. Look at the rainbow, and praise him who made it; it is exceedingly beautiful in its brightness. It encircles the sky with its glorious arc; the hands of the Most High have stretched it out. HYMN Words: George Matheson, 1882 Tune: St. Margaret http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/o/o478.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. O Love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee; I give thee back the life I owe, that in thine ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be. O Light that followest all my way, I yield my flickering torch to thee; my heart restores its borrowed ray, that in thy sunshine's blaze its day may brighter, fairer be. O Joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to thee; I trace the rainbow through the rain, and feel the promise is not vain, that morn shall tearless be. O Cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from thee; I lay in dust life's glory dead, and from the ground there blossoms red life that shall endless be. SECOND READING [Matthew 9:9-17]: As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, 'Follow me.' And he got up and followed him. And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax-collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, 'Why does your teacher eat with tax-collectors and sinners?' But when he heard this, he said, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.' Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, 'Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?' And Jesus said to them, 'The wedding-guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pulls away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.' The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: In every time of trouble, you, O God, are a very present help. You are with us, sustaining our world in freedom, restraining the powers of darkness, of death and of destruction; embracing us all with arms of love, to enfold and to hold. And so we bring to you our prayers for ourselves, for those we love, and for our world. We pray for ourselves and our own needs: Whatever you would have us to be; whatever we need to love our neighbor as ourselves, whatever we need to love one another: Bountiful Source of Love: hear our prayer. We pray for those we love: Our hopes and dreams for them; our anguish and anxiety on their behalf; our desire to make life easier for them. Bountiful Source of Love: hear our prayer. We pray for our world: Our pain at what we have done to creation; our wonder at the beauty of that which we have not yet spoiled; our calling to establish justice and peace. Bountiful Source of Love: hear our prayer. Lord God, whom we worship in the beauty of holiness, receive our prayer; as we tell out your salvation and declare your glory to all nations, that all the earth may see your righteous deeds and glorify your holy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Everlasting God, whose servant Allen Gardiner carried the good news of your Son to the people of South America, grant that we who commemorate his service may know the hope of the gospel in our hearts and manifest its light in all our ways; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Faithful God, hope of the oppressed, source of freedom: make us strong to witness to your liberating power, in generosity of life and in humility of spirit, that all the world may delight in your goodness. Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle and first collect are from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer uses phrases from a hymn by Colin Gibson. The closing prayer is based on a prayer from _Revised Common Lectionary Prayers_, copyright (c) 2002 Consultation on Common Texts The intercession is adapted from a prayer by David Bromell. Allen Francis Gardiner was born in 1794 and joined the Royal Navy as a young man. He resigned in 1826 and, on the death of his wife in 1834, dedicated himself to missionary work. He pioneered a mission to the Zulus in South Africa for the Church Missionary Society and founded the city of Durban. He then went to South America to investigate the possibility of evangelism amongst the indigenous tribes. He travelled extensively and founded the South American Missionary Society in 1844. With seven other missionaries, he died of starvation in 1851 on the shores of Tierra del Fuego. [Exciting Holiness] From steve.benner at oremus.org Sat Sep 6 17:00:00 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 17:00:00 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 7 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080906170000.E65B63143C3@justus2c.anglican.org> From steve.benner at oremus.org Sat Sep 6 17:24:27 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 17:24:27 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 7 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080906172427.704F931436E@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Sunday, September 7, 2008 The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, O God, who shaped creation at earth's chaotic dawn, who framed us in your image; your goodness is revealed in mercy and compassion, you touch us with tenderness, and broken hearts are healed. For these and all your mercies, we praise you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 90 Lord, you have been our refuge* from one generation to another. Before the mountains were brought forth, or the land and the earth were born,* from age to age you are God. You turn us back to the dust and say,* 'Go back, O child of earth.' For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past* and like a watch in the night. You sweep us away like a dream;* we fade away suddenly like the grass. In the morning it is green and flourishes;* in the evening it is dried up and withered. For we consume away in your displeasure;* we are afraid because of your wrathful indignation. Our iniquities you have set before you,* and our secret sins in the light of your countenance. When you are angry, all our days are gone;* we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The span of our life is seventy years, perhaps in strength even eighty;* yet the sum of them is but labour and sorrow, for they pass away quickly and we are gone. Who regards the power of your wrath?* who rightly fears your indignation? So teach us to number our days* that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. Return, O Lord; how long will you tarry?* be gracious to your servants. Satisfy us by your loving-kindness in the morning;* so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life. Make us glad by the measure of the days that you afflicted us* and the years in which we suffered adversity. Show your servants your works* and your splendour to their children. May the graciousness of the Lord our God be upon us;* prosper the work of our hands; prosper our handiwork. A Song of Divine Love (1 Corinthians 13.4-13) Love is patient and kind, love is not jealous or boastful, it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way, it is not angry or resentful. It does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things and believes all things; love hopes all things and endures all things. Love will never come to an end, but prophecy will vanish, tongues cease and knowledge pass away. Now we know only in part and we prophesy only in part, But when the perfect comes, the partial shall pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. But when I became mature, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see only puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. There are three things that last for ever, faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love. Psalm 117 Alleluia! Praise the Lord, all you nations;* laud him, all you peoples. For his loving-kindness towards us is great,* and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Ezekiel 33:1-9]: The word of the Lord came to me: O Mortal, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one of their number as their sentinel; and if the sentinel sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people; then if any who hear the sound of the trumpet do not take warning, and the sword comes and takes them away, their blood shall be upon their own heads. They heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; their blood shall be upon themselves. But if they had taken warning, they would have saved their lives. But if the sentinel sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any of them, they are taken away in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at the sentinel's hand. So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, 'O wicked ones, you shall surely die', and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but you will have saved your life. HYMN Words: Sarah Adams, 1841 Tune: Bethany http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/n/n007a.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee! E'en though it be a cross that raiseth me, still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to thee. Refrain: Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee! Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down, darkness be over me, my rest a stone. yet in my dreams I'd be nearer, my God to thee. Refrain There let the way appear, steps unto heav'n; all that thou sendest me, in mercy given; angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to thee. Refrain Then, with my waking thoughts bright with thy praise, out of my stony griefs Bethel I'll raise; so by my woes to be nearer, my God, to thee. Refrain Or, if on joyful wing cleaving the sky, sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I'll fly, still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to thee. Refrain There in my Father's home, safe and at rest, there in my Savior's love, perfectly blest; age after age to be, nearer my God to thee. Refrain SECOND READING [Matthew 24:37-end]: Jesus said, 'For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. 'Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. But if that wicked slave says to himself, "My master is delayed", and he begins to beat his fellow-slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know. He will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: The Lord calls us to love one another as he has loved us. In faith and love, let us bring our prayers to God. We pray for the people of the Caribbean and the southern United States who have been affected by storms: may those who have died know peace with God, and may those whose lives need rebuilding be given the support and resources they need. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. We pray for the peoples of Georgia and Russia: for a peaceful resolution of the tensions in that region.Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. We pray for the people of Pakistan, facing political unrest and violence in their country: that the elections may lead to a time of peace, justice and stability. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. We pray for all those taking part in the Paralympic Games as they begin in Beijing this weekend, that this may be an occasion of deepening international friendships and understanding; and for people with disabilities throughout the world, that they may be given equal rights and opportunities, together with the support they may need to lead full and independent lives. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. We pray for those throughout the world who live in poverty, especially all whose lives are made more difficult by the current economic problems; for a fairer sharing of the world's resources. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Heavenly Father, we believe that you are here among us as we make our prayers to you. We ask you to hear our prayers, which we make through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. O God, you know us to be set in the midst of so many and so great dangers that by reason of the frailty of our nature we cannot always stand upright: Grant to us such strength and protection as may support us in all dangers and carry us through all temptations; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer May God make safe to us each step, May God open to us each door, May God make clear to us each road. May God enfold us in loving arms.Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer uses phrases from a hymn by William Watkins Reid, Jr.. The closing prayer is adapted from a prayer by Bruce Prewer, 2001. The collect is from _A Prayer Book for Australia_. (c) 1995, The Anglican Church of Australia Trust Corporation. The petitions are gathered by Redemptorist Publications and are published each Friday on their website: http://www.rpbooks.co.uk/page.php?page=prayers From steve.benner at oremus.org Sun Sep 7 17:25:58 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 17:25:58 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 8 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080907172558.67CC6314658@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Monday, September 8, 2008 The Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, God of wonder and might, for the day when the Mother of your Son, Mary pure and glorious, was born into the world. We praise you for her humility and acceptance of your will which allowed her to become the portal of that joyful light, Jesus Christ, who leads us back to our eternal home. For these and all your mercies, we praise you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 45 My heart is stirring with a noble song; let me recite what I have fashioned for the king;* my tongue shall be the pen of a skilled writer. You are the fairest of men;* grace flows from your lips, because God has blessed you for ever. Strap your sword upon your thigh, O mighty warrior,* in your pride and in your majesty. Ride out and conquer in the cause of truth* and for the sake of justice. Your right hand will show you marvellous things;* your arrows are very sharp, O mighty warrior. The peoples are falling at your feet,* and the king's enemies are losing heart. Your throne, O God, endures for ever and ever,* a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of your kingdom; you love righteousness and hate iniquity; Therefore God, your God, has anointed you* with the oil of gladness above your fellows. All your garments are fragrant with myrrh, aloes and cassia,* and the music of strings from ivory palaces makes you glad. Kings' daughters stand among the ladies of the court;* on your right hand is the queen, adorned with the gold of Ophir. 'Hear, O daughter; consider and listen closely;* forget your people and your family's house. 'The king will have pleasure in your beauty;* he is your master; therefore do him honour. 'The people of Tyre are here with a gift;* the rich among the people seek your favour.' All glorious is the princess as she enters;* her gown is cloth-of-gold. In embroidered apparel she is brought to the king;* after her the bridesmaids follow in procession. With joy and gladness they are brought,* and enter into the palace of the king. 'In place of fathers, O king, you shall have sons;* you shall make them princes over all the earth. 'I will make your name to be remembered from one generation to another;* therefore nations will praise you for ever and ever.' Psalm 46 God is our refuge and strength,* a very present help in trouble; Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved,* and though the mountains be toppled into the depths of the sea; Though its waters rage and foam,* and though the mountains tremble at its tumult. The Lord of hosts is with us;* the God of Jacob is our stronghold. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,* the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be overthrown;* God shall help her at the break of day. The nations make much ado and the kingdoms are shaken;* God has spoken and the earth shall melt away. The Lord of hosts is with us;* the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Come now and look upon the works of the Lord,* what awesome things he has done on earth. It is he who makes war to cease in all the world;* he breaks the bow and shatters the spear and burns the shields with fire. 'Be still, then, and know that I am God;* I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth.' The Lord of hosts is with us;* the God of Jacob is our stronghold. A Song of Jerusalem our Mother (from Isaiah 66) 'Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her all you who love her', says the Lord. 'Rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her, 'That you may drink deeply with delight from her consoling breast.' For thus says our God, 'You shall be nursed and carried on her arm. 'As a mother comforts her children, so I will comfort you; 'You shall see and your heart shall rejoice; you shall flourish like the grass of the fields.' Psalm 146 Alleluia! Praise the Lord, O my soul!* I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth,* for there is no help in them. When they breathe their last, they return to earth,* and in that day their thoughts perish. Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help!* whose hope is in the Lord their God; Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them;* who keeps his promise for ever; Who gives justice to those who are oppressed,* and food to those who hunger. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind;* the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous; the Lord cares for the stranger;* he sustains the orphan and widow, but frustrates the way of the wicked. The Lord shall reign for ever,* your God, O Zion, throughout all generations. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Ecclesiasticus 24:17-22]: Like the vine I bud forth delights, and my blossoms become glorious and abundant fruit. 'Come to me, you who desire me, and eat your fill of my fruits. For the memory of me is sweeter than honey, and the possession of me sweeter than the honeycomb. Those who eat of me will hunger for more, and those who drink of me will thirst for more. Whoever obeys me will not be put to shame, and those who work with me will not sin.' HYMN Words: Latin, fifteenth century; trans. Laurence Housman, 1906 Tune: Collaudemus http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/p/p030.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. Portal of the world's salvation, lo, a Virgin pure and mild, humble-hearted, high in station, form of beauty undefiled, crown of earth's anticipation, comes the Mother-maid with child. Here the serpent's power subduing, see the bush unburned by fire, Gideon's fleece of heaven's imbuing, Aaron's rod of bright attire, fair, and pure, and peace-ensuing, spouse of Solomon's desire. Jesse's branch received its flower, Mother of Emmanuel, portal sealed and mystic bower promised by Ezekiel, rock of Daniel's dream, whose power smote, and lo, the image fell! See in flesh so great a wonder by the power of God ordained,-- him, whose feet all worlds lay under, in a Virgin's womb contained;-- so on earth, her bonds to sunder, righteousness from heaven hath rained. Virgin sweet, with love o'erflowing, to the hills in haste she fares; on a kindred bestowing blessing from the joy she bears; waiting while with mystic showing time the sacred birth prepares. What fair joy o'ershone that dwelling, called so great a guest to greet; what her joy whose love compelling found a rest for Mary's feet, when, the bliss of time foretelling, lo, the Voice and Word did meet! God most high, the heaven's foundation, ruler of eternity; Jesus, who for man's salvation came in flesh to make us free; Spirit, moving all creation, evermore be praise to thee! SECOND READING [John 2:1-12]: On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, 'They have no wine.' And Jesus said to her, 'Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.' His mother said to the servants, 'Do whatever he tells you.' Now standing there were six stone water-jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, 'Fill the jars with water.' And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, 'Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.' So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom 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.' Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples; and they remained there for a few days. The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: The Holy One of Israel, the God of might and God of tenderness, is in our midst. Let us pray to the Lord, saying: Lord, hear our prayer. For the Church-- its members, its mission, its ministry-- let us pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer. For the lowly-- society's forgotten ones, society's neglected ones, society's unwanted ones-- let us pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer. For the hungry-- those starving for food and drink, those craving attentive care, those thirsting for justice-- let us pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer. For the persecuted-- imprisoned for beliefs, oppressed by poverty, victimized by war and strife-- let us pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer. For care and healing-- for the brokenhearted, for the despairing, for the terrorized-- let us pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer. Your kingdom come, O Lord, with deliverance for the needy, with peace for the righteous, with overflowing blessings for all nations, with glory, honour and praise for the only Saviour, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Almighty God, who with special grace made the blessed Virgin Mary to be the mother of your only Son: by the same grace make us holy in body and soul and ever preserve in us your gifts of humility and love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer May God make safe to us each step, May God open to us each door, May God make clear to us each road. May God enfold us in loving arms.Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer of thanksgiving is by Stephen Benner based on phrases in a prayer from _We Give You Thanks and Praise: The Ambrosian Eucharistic Prefaces_, translated by Alan Griffiths, (c) The Canterbury Press Norwich, 1999. The closing prayer is adapted from a prayer by Bruce Prewer, 2001. The Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been celebrated in the Church at least since the 8th Century. The Church's calendar observes the birthdays of only two saints: Saint John the Baptist (June 24), and Mary, Mother of Jesus. There is nothing contained in Scripture about the birth of Mary or her parentage, though Joseph's lineage is given in the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. The names of Mary's parents, Joachim and Anna, appear in the apocryphal "Gospel of James", a book dating from the 2nd Century AD, not part of the authentic canon of Scripture. According to this account, Joachim and Anna were also beyond the years of child-bearing, but prayed and fasted that God would grant their desire for a child. In celebrating the nativity of Mary, Christians anticipate the Incarnation and birth of her Divine Son, and give honor to the mother of Our Lord and Savior. From steve.benner at oremus.org Mon Sep 8 17:00:00 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2008 17:00:00 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 9 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080908170000.BA666314719@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Tuesday, September 9, 2008 Charles Fuge Lowder, Priest, 1880 O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, O God, who shaped creation at earth's chaotic dawn, who framed us in your image; your goodness is revealed in mercy and compassion, you touch us with tenderness, and broken hearts are healed. For these and all your mercies, we praise you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 111 Alleluia! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,* in the assembly of the upright, in the congregation. Great are the deeds of the Lord!* they are studied by all who delight in them. His work is full of majesty and splendour,* and his righteousness endures for ever. He makes his marvellous works to be remembered;* the Lord is gracious and full of compassion. He gives food to those who fear him;* he is ever mindful of his covenant. He has shown his people the power of his works* in giving them the lands of the nations. The works of his hands are faithfulness and justice;* all his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever,* because they are done in truth and equity. He sent redemption to his people; he commanded his covenant for ever;* holy and awesome is his name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;* those who act accordingly have a good understanding; his praise endures for ever. Psalm 113 Alleluia! Give praise, you servants of the Lord;* praise the name of the Lord. Let the name of the Lord be blessed,* from this time forth for evermore. >From the rising of the sun to its going down* let the name of the Lord be praised. The Lord is high above all nations,* and his glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, who sits enthroned on high,* but stoops to behold the heavens and the earth? He takes up the weak out of the dust* and lifts up the poor from the ashes. He sets them with the princes,* with the princes of his people. He makes the woman of a childless house* to be a joyful mother of children. A Song of God's Assembled (Hebrews 12.22-24a,28,29) We have come before God's holy mountain, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. We have come before countless angels making festival, before the assembly of the firstborn citizens of heaven. We have come before God, who is judge of all, before the spirits of the just made perfect. We have come before Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant. We are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken: so let us give thanks and offer to God acceptable worship, Full of reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire. Psalm 147:1-12 Alleluia! How good it is to sing praises to our God!* how pleasant it is to honour him with praise! The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem;* he gathers the exiles of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted* and binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars* and calls them all by their names. Great is our Lord and mighty in power;* there is no limit to his wisdom. The Lord lifts up the lowly,* but casts the wicked to the ground. Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;* make music to our God upon the harp. He covers the heavens with clouds* and prepares rain for the earth; He makes grass to grow upon the mountains* and green plants to serve us all. He provides food for flocks and herds* and for the young ravens when they cry. He is not impressed by the might of a horse,* he has no pleasure in human strength; But the Lord has pleasure in those who fear him,* in those who await his gracious favour. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Ecclesiasticus 43:20-end]: The cold north wind blows, and ice freezes on the water; it settles on every pool of water, and the water puts it on like a breastplate. He consumes the mountains and burns up the wilderness, and withers the tender grass like fire. A mist quickly heals all things; the falling dew gives refreshment from the heat. By his plan he stilled the deep and planted islands in it. Those who sail the sea tell of its dangers, and we marvel at what we hear. In it are strange and marvellous creatures, all kinds of living things, and huge sea-monsters. Because of him each of his messengers succeeds, and by his word all things hold together. We could say more but could never say enough; let the final word be: 'He is the all.' Where can we find the strength to praise him? For he is greater than all his works. Awesome is the Lord and very great, and marvellous is his power. Glorify the Lord and exalt him as much as you can, for he surpasses even that. When you exalt him, summon all your strength, and do not grow weary, for you cannot praise him enough. Who has seen him and can describe him? Or who can extol him as he is? Many things greater than these lie hidden, for I have seen but few of his works. For the Lord has made all things, and to the godly he has given wisdom. HYMN Words: Gerhardt Tersteegen, 1729; trans. John Wesley, 1738 Tune: Vater unser, St. Catherine http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/t/t597.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. Thou hidden love of God, whose height, whose depth unfathomed no man knows, I see from afar thy beauteous light, and inly sigh for thy repose; my heart is pained, nor can it be at rest, till it finds rest in thee. Thy secret voice invites me still the sweetness of thy yoke to prove; and fain I would; but though my will seems fixed, yet wide my passions rove; yet hindrances strew all the way; I aim at thee, yet from thee stray. 'Tis mercy all that thou has brought my mind to seek its peace in thee; yet while I seek, but find thee not, no peace my wandering soul shall see. O when shall all my wanderings end, And all my steps to theeward tend? Is there a thing beneath the sun that strives with thee my heart to share? Ah, tear it hence and reign alone, the Lord of every motion there; then shall my heart from earth be free, when it hath found repose in thee. O hide this self from me, that I no more, but Christ in me, may live! my vile affections crucify, nor let one darling lust survive in all things nothing may I see, nothing desire or seek, but thee! O Love, thy sovereign aid impart to save me from low thought care; chase this self will from all my heart, from all its hidden mazes there; make me thy duteous child that I ceaseless may "Abba, Father" cry. Ah no! ne'er will I backward turn: thine wholly, thine alone I am! thrice happy he who views with scorn earth's toys, for thee his constant Flame; O help that I may never move from the blest footsteps of thy love! Each moment draw from earth away my heart that lowly waits thy call; speak to my inmost soul and say, "I am thy love, thy God, thy all!" to feel thy power, to hear thy voice, to taste thy love, be all my choice. SECOND READING [Matthew 9:36-10:15]: When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.' Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax-collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: 'Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, "The kingdom of heaven has come near." Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for labourers deserve their food. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgement than for that town. The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: O God our Salvation, you are near to all who call: hear and answer our prayers. You are a refuge for the oppressed; be our stronghold in troubled times. You stand at the right hand of the needy; rescue all who are wrongfully condemned. You raise the poor from the dust; restore dignity to those who seek refuge. You give food to the hungry; uphold the cause of the destitute. You watch over those who wander and sustain the widow; provide protection in the face of danger. You heal the brokenhearted; bind up the wounds of all who suffer. You call us to be your Church, send us out to do your will in the world. You are a mighty God who loves justice; establish your equity for all people. Praise be to you, O Lord; you hear and answer our prayers. >From the rising of the sun to its setting, we praise your name, O Lord. May your promise to raise the poor from the dust and turn the fortunes of the needy upside down be fulfilled in our time also, as it was in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Almighty Father, you have built up your Church through the love and devotion of your saints: Inspire us to follow the example of Charles Fuge Lowder, whom we commemorate today, that we in our generation may rejoice with him in the vision of your glory; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer May God make safe to us each step, May God open to us each door, May God make clear to us each road. May God enfold us in loving arms.Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer uses phrases from a hymn by William Watkins Reid, Jr.. The closing prayer is adapted from a prayer by Bruce Prewer, 2001. The intercession is adapted by Stephen Benner from a prayer by Karen Moshier Shenk and Rebecca J. Slough, in _MPH Bulletin_, 10/13/85, as adapted in _Words for Worship_; used by permission of Herald Press. The second collect is from _Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England_, material from which is included in this service is copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2000. Charles Lowder was born in 1820 and came under the influence of the Oxford Movement during his studies at Exeter College in the early 1840s. After ordination, he became increasingly drawn to a Tractarian and ritualist expression of the faith, especially after his move to London in 1851, despite the fierce opposition such Catholic spirituality faced within the Church. As a curate in Pimlico and Stepney, and then as the first Vicar of St Peter's, London Docks, Lowder came to epitomise the nineteenth-century Anglo-Catholic 'slum priest'. Dedicated to the poor and destitute, he was tireless in his parish work. His health gave way and he died at the age of sixty on this day in 1880. From steve.benner at oremus.org Tue Sep 9 17:00:00 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Tue, 9 Sep 2008 17:00:00 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 10 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080909170000.94124314774@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Wednesday, September 10, 2008 O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, O God, who shaped creation at earth's chaotic dawn, who framed us in your image; your goodness is revealed in mercy and compassion, you touch us with tenderness, and broken hearts are healed. For these and all your mercies, we praise you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 119:129-144 Your decrees are wonderful;* therefore I obey them with all my heart. When your word goes forth it gives light;* it gives understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant;* I long for your commandments. Turn to me in mercy,* as you always do to those who love your name. Steady my footsteps in your word;* let no iniquity have dominion over me. Rescue me from those who oppress me,* and I will keep your commandments. Let your countenance shine upon your servant* and teach me your statutes. My eyes shed streams of tears,* because people do not keep your law. You are righteous, O Lord,* and upright are your judgements. You have issued your decrees* with justice and in perfect faithfulness. My indignation has consumed me,* because my enemies forget your words. Your word has been tested to the uttermost,* and your servant holds it dear. I am small and of little account,* yet I do not forget your commandments. Your justice is an everlasting justice* and your law is the truth. Trouble and distress have come upon me,* yet your commandments are my delight. The righteousness of your decrees is everlasting;* grant me understanding, that I may live. A Song of the Spirit (Revelation 22:12-14,16,17) 'Behold, I am coming soon', says the Lord, 'and bringing my reward with me, . to give to everyone according to their deeds. 'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, . the beginning and the end.' Blessed are those who do God's commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, . and may enter into the city through the gates. 'I, Jesus, have sent my angel to you, . with this testimony for all the churches. 'I am the root and the offspring of David, . I am the bright morning star.' 'Come!' say the Spirit and the Bride; . 'Come!' let each hearer reply. Come forward, you who are thirsty, . let those who desire take the water of life as a gift. Psalm 147:13-end Alleluia! Worship the Lord, O Jerusalem;* praise your God, O Zion; For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;* he has blessed your children within you. He has established peace on your borders;* he satisfies you with the finest wheat. He sends out his command to the earth,* and his word runs very swiftly. He gives snow like wool;* he scatters hoarfrost like ashes. He scatters his hail like bread crumbs;* who can stand against his cold? He sends forth his word and melts them;* he blows with his wind and the waters flow. He declares his word to Jacob,* his statutes and his judgements to Israel. He has not done so to any other nation;* to them he has not revealed his judgements. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Ecclesiasticus 44:1-15]: Let us now sing the praises of famous men, our ancestors in their generations. The Lord apportioned to them great glory, his majesty from the beginning. There were those who ruled in their kingdoms, and made a name for themselves by their valour; those who gave counsel because they were intelligent; those who spoke in prophetic oracles; those who led the people by their counsels and by their knowledge of the people's lore; they were wise in their words of instruction; those who composed musical tunes, or put verses in writing; rich men endowed with resources, living peacefully in their homes all these were honoured in their generations, and were the pride of their times. Some of them have left behind a name, so that others declare their praise. But of others there is no memory; they have perished as though they had never existed; they have become as though they had never been born, they and their children after them. But these also were godly men, whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten; their wealth will remain with their descendants, and their inheritance with their children's children. Their descendants stand by the covenants; their children also, for their sake. Their offspring will continue for ever, and their glory will never be blotted out. Their bodies are buried in peace, but their name lives on generation after generation. The assembly declares their wisdom, and the congregation proclaims their praise. HYMN Words: Marianne Farningham, 1887 Tune: Elmhurst http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/j/j256.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. Just as I am, thine own to be, Friend of the young, who lovest me, to consecrate myself to thee, O Jesus Christ, I come. In the glad morning of my day, my life to give, my vows to pay, with no reserve and no delay, with all my heart I come. I would live ever in the light, I would work ever for the right; I would serve thee with all my might; therefore, to thee I come. Just as I am, young, strong, and free, to be the best that I can be for truth, and righteousness, and thee, Lord of my life, I come. With many dreams of fame and gold, success and joy to make me bold, but dearer still my faith to hold, for my whole life, I come. And for thy sake to win renown, and then to take the victor's crown, and at thy feet to cast it down, O Master, Lord, I come. SECOND READING [Matthew 10:16-31]: Jesus said, 'See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 'A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household! 'So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.' The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: Let us pray for the grace to recognize the presence of God in our lives. Open our eyes to see your salvation; reveal yourself to a blind humanity. Make your face shine upon those who live with disease; give them your strength and your peace. Let all who are weighed down by want come to know your bounty; that they may put their trust in your goodness. To those who hold power and riches, grant a discerning spirit; that they may be set free by your freedom and love. Give to us, O Lord, a quiet mind, furnished with peaceful thoughts, patient words and gentle deeds. May we have a lively faith, a firm hope and fervent love. Take from us all lukewarmness of spirit and all dullness in prayer, and grant that we may labor for that which we ask of you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer May God make safe to us each step, May God open to us each door, May God make clear to us each road. May God enfold us in loving arms.Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer uses phrases from a hymn by William Watkins Reid, Jr.. The closing prayer is adapted from a prayer by Bruce Prewer, 2001. The intercession is based on a prayer in _In Spirit and In Truth_, (c) World Council of Churches, 1991. The collect is by Thomas More. From steve.benner at oremus.org Wed Sep 10 17:00:01 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:00:01 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 11 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080910170001.10ECD3146EA@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Thursday, September 11, 2008 O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, O God, who shaped creation at earth's chaotic dawn, who framed us in your image; your goodness is revealed in mercy and compassion, you touch us with tenderness, and broken hearts are healed. For these and all your mercies, we praise you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 121 I lift up my eyes to the hills;* from where is my help to come? My help comes from the Lord,* the maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved* and he who watches over you will not fall asleep. Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel* shall neither slumber nor sleep; The Lord himself watches over you;* the Lord is your shade at your right hand, So that the sun shall not strike you by day,* nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;* it is he who shall keep you safe. The Lord shall watch over your going out and your coming in,* from this time forth for evermore. Psalm 122 I was glad when they said to me,* 'Let us go to the house of the Lord.' Now our feet are standing* within your gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is built as a city* that is at unity with itself. To which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord,* the assembly of Israel, to praise the name of the Lord. For there are the thrones of judgement,* the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:* 'May they prosper who love you. 'Peace be within your walls* and quietness within your towers. 'For my family and companions' sake,* I pray for your prosperity. 'Because of the house of the Lord our God,* I will seek to do you good.' Psalm 138 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart;* before the gods I will sing your praise. I will bow down towards your holy temple and praise your name,* because of your love and faithfulness; For you have glorified your name* and your word above all things. When I called, you answered me;* you increased my strength within me. All the kings of the earth will praise you, O Lord,* when they have heard the words of your mouth. They will sing of the ways of the Lord,* that great is the glory of the Lord. Though the Lord be high, he cares for the lowly;* he perceives the haughty from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe;* you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies; your right hand shall save me. The Lord will make good his purpose for me;* O Lord, your love endures for ever; do not abandon the works of your hands. A Song of Faith (1 Peter 1.3-5,18,19,21) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, Into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you, Who are being protected by the power of God through faith, for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. You were ransomed from the futile ways of your ancestors not with perishable things like silver or gold But with the precious blood of Christ like that of a lamb without spot or stain. Through him you have confidence in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God. Psalm 148 Alleluia! Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise him in the heights. Praise him, all you angels of his;* praise him, all his host. Praise him, sun and moon;* praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, heaven of heavens,* and you waters above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord;* for he commanded and they were created. He made them stand fast for ever and ever;* he gave them a law which shall not pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth,* you sea-monsters and all deeps; Fire and hail, snow and fog,* tempestuous wind, doing his will; Mountains and all hills,* fruit trees and all cedars; Wild beasts and all cattle,* creeping things and winged birds; Kings of the earth and all peoples,* princes and all rulers of the world; Young men and maidens,* old and young together. Let them praise the name of the Lord,* for his name only is exalted, his splendour is over earth and heaven. He has raised up strength for his people and praise for all his loyal servants,* the children of Israel, a people who are near him. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Job 1:1-12]: There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. He had seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and very many servants; so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east. His sons used to go and hold feasts in one another's houses in turn; and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. And when the feast days had run their course, Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt-offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, 'It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.' This is what Job always did. One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, 'Where have you come from?' Satan answered the Lord, 'From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.' The Lord said to Satan, 'Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil.' Then Satan answered the Lord, 'Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not put a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.' The Lord said to Satan, 'Very well, all that he has is in your power; only do not stretch out your hand against him!' So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. HYMN Words: Vincent Uher (c) 1995 Tune: Old 124th http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/uher15.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. Lord Jesus Christ, lead us, your little flock. We all would journey to your promised land. Increase our faith to trust you, Christ our Rock, whose living waters quench the deserts' thirst. Now to those waters guide us by your hand. We do confess our selfish, prideful ways serving our own wants not our neighbours' need. Yet at this hour we turn from yesterdays and sing a new song full of faith and hope. Do, Lord, forgive and wash us clean indeed. Our hearts' own treasure and our highest joy, Jesus, we praise you, Saviour and our Lord. Our souls and bodies, all our lives employ. We sacrifice to you our wealth and power. May what we give help others find you, Lord. In that new city coming from above, Lord, to your high feast we would gladly come. For that great day, the triumph of your love, we stand on guard with all your angels now. Lord Christ, we pray to see your kingdom come. SECOND READING [Matthew 10:32-11:1]: Jesus said, 'Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. 'Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one's foes will be members of one's own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. 'Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.' Now when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their cities. The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: Holy God, we rejoice in the martyrs and prophets, teachers and leaders, and all the ordinary and extraordinary believers who have lived and loved the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. For their witness and encouragement, We thank you, Lord. Recalling their stories and deeds, we dare to take up our crosses. For their witness and encouragement, We thank you, Lord. Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, we plead for the human family and all creation: For those addicted or tormented: We pray to you, Lord. For the victims of terrorism and disaster: We pray to you, Lord. For those who despair of life's goodness: We pray to you, Lord. For the Church, for ecumenical councils and church agencies: We pray to you, Lord. For a resolution to unresolved matters of this day: We pray to you, Lord. O God, grant us a vision of our city, fair as she might be; a city of jusice, where none shall prey on others; a city of plenty, where vice and poverty shall cease to fester; a city of brotherhood, where all success shall be founded on service, and honor shall be given to nobleness alone; a city of peace, where order shall not rest on force, but on the love of all for the city, the great mother of our common life and weal. Hear, O Lord, the silent prayer of all our hearts as we each pledge our time and strength and thought to speed the day of her coming in beauty and righteousness. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer May God make safe to us each step, May God open to us each door, May God make clear to us each road. May God enfold us in loving arms.Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer uses phrases from a hymn by William Watkins Reid, Jr.. The closing prayer is adapted from a prayer by Bruce Prewer, 2001. The collect is by Walter Rauschenbusch From steve.benner at oremus.org Thu Sep 11 17:00:00 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:00:00 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 12 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080911170000.6A1C131487C@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Friday, September 12, 2008 John Henry Hobart, Bishop of New York, 1830 O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, O God, who shaped creation at earth's chaotic dawn, who framed us in your image; your goodness is revealed in mercy and compassion, you touch us with tenderness, and broken hearts are healed. For these and all your mercies, we praise you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 139 Lord, you have searched me out and known me;* you know my sitting down and my rising up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You trace my journeys and my resting-places* and are acquainted with all my ways. Indeed, there is not a word on my lips,* but you, O Lord, know it altogether. You press upon me behind and before* and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;* it is so high that I cannot attain to it. Where can I go then from your Spirit?* where can I flee from your presence? If I climb up to heaven, you are there;* if I make the grave my bed, you are there also. If I take the wings of the morning* and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there your hand will lead me* and your right hand hold me fast. If I say, 'Surely the darkness will cover me,* and the light around me turn to night', Darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day;* darkness and light to you are both alike. For you yourself created my inmost parts;* you knit me together in my mother's womb. I will thank you because I am marvellously made;* your works are wonderful and I know it well. My body was not hidden from you,* while I was being made in secret and woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes beheld my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb; all of them were written in your book;* they were fashioned day by day, when as yet there was none of them. How deep I find your thoughts, O God!* how great is the sum of them! If I were to count them, they would be more in number than the sand;* to count them all, my life span would need to be like yours. Search me out, O God, and know my heart;* try me and know my restless thoughts. Look well whether there be any wickedness in me* and lead me in the way that is everlasting. A Song of Christ the Servant 1 Peter 2.21b-25 Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin, no guile was found on his lips, when he was reviled, he did not revile in turn. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but he trusted himself to God who judges justly. Christ himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds, you have been healed, for you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. Psalm 149 Alleluia! Sing to the Lord a new song;* sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful. Let Israel rejoice in his maker;* let the children of Zion be joyful in their king. Let them praise his name in the dance;* let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp. For the Lord takes pleasure in his people* and adorns the poor with victory. Let the faithful rejoice in triumph;* let them be joyful on their beds. Let the praises of God be in their throat* and a two-edged sword in their hand; To wreak vengeance on the nations* and punishment on the peoples; To bind their kings in chains* and their nobles with links of iron; To inflict on them the judgement decreed;* this is glory for all his faithful people. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Job 1:13-end]: One day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the eldest brother's house, a messenger came to Job and said, 'The oxen were ploughing and the donkeys were feeding beside them, and the Sabeans fell on them and carried them off, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you.' While he was still speaking, another came and said, 'The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; I alone have escaped to tell you.' While he was still speaking, another came and said, 'The Chaldeans formed three columns, made a raid on the camels and carried them off, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you.' While he was still speaking, another came and said, 'Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house, and suddenly a great wind came across the desert, struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; I alone have escaped to tell you.' Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell on the ground and worshipped. He said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.' In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing. HYMN Words: Horatio R. Palmer (1834-1907), 1868 http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/y/y033.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin; each victory will help you some other to win; fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue, look ever to Jesus, he'll carry you through. Refrain: Ask the Savior to help you, comfort, strengthen and keep you; he is willing to aid you, he will carry you through. Shun evil companions, bad language disdain, God's Name hold in reverence, nor take it in vain; be thoughtful and earnest, kindhearted and true, look ever to Jesus, he'll carry you through. Refrain To him that o'ercometh, God giveth a crown; Through faith we shall conquer, though often cast down; He Who is our Savior our strength will renew; Look ever to Jesus, He'll carry you through. Refrain SECOND READING [Matthew 11:2-19]: When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, 'Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?' Jesus answered them, 'Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.' As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: 'What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you." Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John came; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. Let anyone with ears listen! 'But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market-places and calling to one another, "We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn." For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, "He has a demon"; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, "Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!" Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.' The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: Faithful God, Lord of all, we offer our prayers to you for a world in need. Lord of the Church, we pray for your people throughout the world, especially in the Diocese of Give unity in the Spirit that we may be one in the witness of saving love and glorify you with one mind and mouth. Faithful God, hear our prayer. Head of the Body, give us wisdom to follow your commandments, to live peacefully and do justly, and to walk humbly with you. Faithful God, hear our prayer. Creator and ruler of the universe, give to all who exercise authority wisdom and virtue to govern justly and bring peace across the land. Faithful God, hear our prayer. Source of all compassion, give to all who suffer the light of your presence and the caring of your people, to bring calm and comfort. Faithful God, hear our prayer. Giver of good to all, take from us any evil thought or will that we may forgive those who offend us or seek our harm as you have forgiven us. Faithful God, hear our prayer. All-knowing One, you who see us as we are and know us as we should be: forgive our sins, set us free from fear, and give us lives abundant with your guiding presence, that we may be yours for ever, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Lord, who created and fashioned us, who knows us and searches us out, who abides with us through light and dark: help us to know your presence in this life and, in the life to come, still to be with you; where you are alive and reign, God, for ever and ever. Amen. Revive your Church, Lord God of hosts, whenever it falls into complacency and sloth, by raising up devoted leaders, like your servant John Henry Hobart whom we remember today; and grant that their faith and vigor of mind may awaken your people to your message and their mission; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer May God make safe to us each step, May God open to us each door, May God make clear to us each road. May God enfold us in loving arms.Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer uses phrases from a hymn by William Watkins Reid, Jr.. The closing prayer is adapted from a prayer by Bruce Prewer, 2001. The intercession is adapted by Stephen Benner from a prayer by Arlene M. Mark, from _Words for Worship_; used by permission of Herald Press. The second collect is from _The Proper for the Lesser Feasts and Fasts_, 3rd edition, (c) 1980 The Church Pension Fund. After the American Revolution and the Independence of the United States, the Episcopal Church, under public suspicion in many quarters because of its previous association with the British government, did very little for about twenty years. John Hobart was one of the men who changed this. John Henry Hobart was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 14 September 1775, the son of a ship's captain. He was educated at the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University, ordained deacon in 1798 and priest in 1801. Called as assistant minister to Trinity Church, New York, in 1803, at age 36 he was elected assistant bishop of the diocese in 1811, becoming diocesan in 1816. Hobart was particularly concerned with promoting vocations to the ordained ministry and founded two institutions: a college in Geneva (later Hobart College) and General Theological Seminary in New York City, breaking his health to get both off the ground. He not only looked after the Diocese of New York (46,000 square miles and virtual wilderness west and north of Albany) he served as rector of Trinity Parish, the wealthiest and most influential church in the country. He also had oversight of the dioceses of Connecticut and New Jersey. Hobart died on September 12, 1830 at the age of 55, and is buried under the chancel of Trinity Church, New York. [Cynthia McFarland, abridged] From steve.benner at oremus.org Fri Sep 12 19:22:37 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:22:37 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 13 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080912192237.9B24B314130@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Saturday, September 13, 2008 Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, Martyr, 258 O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, O God, who shaped creation at earth's chaotic dawn, who framed us in your image; your goodness is revealed in mercy and compassion, you touch us with tenderness, and broken hearts are healed. For these and all your mercies, we praise you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 97 The Lord is king; let the earth rejoice;* let the multitude of the isles be glad. Clouds and darkness are round about him,* righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne. A fire goes before him* and burns up his enemies on every side. His lightnings light up the world;* the earth sees it and is afraid. The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord,* at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare his righteousness,* and all the peoples see his glory. Confounded be all who worship carved images and delight in false gods!* Bow down before him, all you gods. Zion hears and is glad and the cities of Judah rejoice,* because of your judgements, O Lord. For you are the Lord: most high over all the earth;* you are exalted far above all gods. The Lord loves those who hate evil;* he preserves the lives of his saints and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light has sprung up for the righteous,* and joyful gladness for those who are true-hearted. Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous,* and give thanks to his holy name. Psalm 98 Sing to the Lord a new song,* for he has done marvellous things. With his right hand and his holy arm* has he won for himself the victory. The Lord has made known his victory;* his righteousness has he openly shown in the sight of the nations. He remembers his mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel,* and all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. Shout with joy to the Lord, all you lands;* lift up your voice, rejoice and sing. Sing to the Lord with the harp,* with the harp and the voice of song. With trumpets and the sound of the horn* shout with joy before the King, the Lord. Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it,* the lands and those who dwell therein. Let the rivers clap their hands,* and let the hills ring out with joy before the Lord, when he comes to judge the earth. In righteousness shall he judge the world,* and the peoples with equity. A Song of the Redeemed (Revelation 7.9,10,14b-17) Behold, a great multitude which no one could number, >From every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and had palms in their hands, and they cried with a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.' These are they who have come out of the great tribulation, they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb; Therefore they stand before the throne of God, whom they serve day and night within the temple. And the One who sits upon the throne . will shelter them with his presence. They shall never again feel hunger or thirst, . the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the heart of the throne will be their Shepherd, He will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Psalm 150 Alleluia! Praise God in his holy temple;* praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts;* praise him for his excellent greatness. Praise him with the blast of the ram's-horn;* praise him with lyre and harp. Praise him with timbrel and dance;* praise him with strings and pipe. Praise him with resounding cymbals;* praise him with loud-clanging cymbals. Let everything that has breath* praise the Lord. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Job 2]: One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. The Lord said to Satan, 'Where have you come from?' Satan answered the Lord, 'From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.' The Lord said to Satan, 'Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil. He still persists in his integrity, although you incited me against him, to destroy him for no reason.' Then Satan answered the Lord, 'Skin for skin! All that people have they will give to save their lives. But stretch out your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.' The Lord said to Satan, 'Very well, he is in your power; only spare his life.' So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and inflicted loathsome sores on Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. Job took a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and sat among the ashes. Then his wife said to him, 'Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse God, and die.' But he said to her, 'You speak as any foolish woman would speak. Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?' In all this Job did not sin with his lips. Now when Job's three friends heard of all these troubles that had come upon him, each of them set out from his home Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They met together to go and console and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him, and they raised their voices and wept aloud; they tore their robes and threw dust in the air upon their heads. They sat with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great. HYMN Words: William Young Fullerton (1857-1932), 1929; Tune: Londonderry Air http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/i/i029.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. I cannot tell how he whom angels worship should stoop to love the peoples of the earth, or why as shepherd he should seek the wanderer with his mysterious promise of new birth. But this I know, that he was born of Mary, when Bethlehem's manger was his only home, and that he lived at Nazareth and labored, and so the Savior, Savior of the world, is come. I cannot tell how silently he suffered, as with his peace he graced this place of tears, or how his heart upon the cross was broken, the crown of pain to three and thirty years. But this I know, he heals the broken-hearted, and stays our sin, and calms our lurking fear, and lifts the burden from the heavy laden, for yet the Savior, Savior of the world, is here. I cannot tell how he will win the nations, how he will claim his earthly heritage, how satisfy the needs and aspirations of east and west, of sinner and of sage. But this I know, all flesh shall see his glory, and he shall reap the harvest he has sown, and some glad day his sun shall shine in splendor when he the Savior, Savior of the world, is known. I cannot tell how all the lands shall worship, when, at his bidding, every storm is stilled, or who can say how great the jubilation when every heart with perfect love is filled. But this I know, the skies will thrill with rapture, and myriad, myriad human voices sing, and earth to heaven, and heaven to earth, will answer: 'At last the Savior, Savior of the world, is King!' SECOND READING [Matthew 11:20-end]: Then Jesus began to reproach the cities in which most of his deeds of power had been done, because they did not repent. 'Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, on the day of judgement it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that on the day of judgement it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you.' At that time Jesus said, 'I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 'Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.' The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: Loving God, in Jesus Christ you teach us to pray: Guide us by your Holy Spirit that our prayers for others may serve your will and show your steadfast love for all. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Gracious God, you have called together a people to be the Church of Jesus Christ, founded on the apostles. May your people be one in faith and discipleship, breaking bread together and telling good news. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. May the world come to believe that you are love, turn to your ways and live in the light of your truth. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. You made all things and called them good. May your planet earth be held in reverence by all people, that its resources may be used wisely and its fragile balance between life and death respected. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Hear our prayers for those who rule the nations, that they may learn wisdom and truth, establish justice and mercy and seek the ways of peace. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Almighty God, your whole creation declares your glory. May we perceive you in all your works and live in the light of your righteousness, through him who is the light of the world, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Holy God, who brought Cyprian to faith in Christ, made him a bishop in the Church and crowned his witness with a martyr's death: grant that, after his example, we may love the Church and her teachings, find your forgiveness within her fellowship and so come to share the heavenly banquet you have prepared for us; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer May God make safe to us each step, May God open to us each door, May God make clear to us each road. May God enfold us in loving arms.Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer uses phrases from a hymn by William Watkins Reid, Jr.. The closing prayer is adapted from a prayer by Bruce Prewer, 2001. The intercession is adapted from a prayer in _The Book of Common Worship. The Presbyterian Church in Canada_, 1991. Used with permission. The second collect is from _Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England_, material from which is included in this service is copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2000. Cyprian was born around 200 AD in North Africa, of pagan parents. He was a prominent trial lawyer and teacher of rhetoric. Around 246 he became a Christian, and in 248 was chosen Bishop of Carthage. A year later the persecution under the Emperor Decius began, and Cyprian went into hiding. He was severely censured for this (unjustly on my view -- see Mt 2:13; 10:23; 24:16). After the persecution had died down, it remained to consider how to deal with the lapsed, meaning with those Christians who had denied the faith under duress. Cyprian held that they ought to be received back into full communion after suitable intervals of probation and penance, adjusted to the gravity of the denial. In this he took a middle course between Novatus, who received apostates with no probation at all, and Novatian, who would not receive them back at all, and who broke communion with the rest of the Church over this issue, forming a dissident group particularly strong in Rome and Antioch. (Novatus, somewhat surprisingly, ended up joining the party of Novatian.) Cyprian, who held the same position as the Bishop of Rome on the treatment of the lapsed, wrote urging the Christians of Rome to stand with their bishop. Later, the question arose whether baptisms performed by heretical groups ought to be recognized as valid by the Church, or whether converts from such groups ought to be rebaptized. Cyprian favored re-baptism, and Bishop Stephen of Rome did not. The resulting controversy was not resolved during Cyprian's lifetime. During the reign of the Emperor Valerian, Carthage suffered a severe plague epidemic. Cyprian organized a program of medical relief and nursing of the sick, available to all residents, but this did not prevent the masses from being convinced that the epidemic resulted from the wrath of the gods at the spread of Christianity. Another persecution arose, and this time Cyprian did not flee. He was arrested, tried, and finally beheaded on 14 September 258. (Because 14 is Holy Cross Day, he is usually commemorated on a nearby open day.) We have an account of his trial and martyrdom. Many of his writings have been preserved. His essay On The Unity of The Catholic Church stresses the importance of visible, concrete unity among Christians, and the role of the bishops in guaranteeing that unity. It has greatly influenced Christian thought, as have his essays and letters on Baptism and the Lord's Supper. He has been quoted both for and against the Roman Catholic claims for Papal authority. From steve.benner at oremus.org Sat Sep 13 17:00:00 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2008 17:00:00 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 14 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080913170000.BF9F73147AB@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Sunday, September 14, 2008 Holy Cross Day O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, God of life, for the cross, the sign of Christ's victory over death. Once through the fruit of the forbidden tree, we fell; now through this tree Christ cancels all our guilt. On the tree of the cross our Redeemer hung, becoming accursed for our sake, to snatch us from our ancient foe and lead us from death's dominion into eternal life. For these and all your mercies, we praise you: Father, Son and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 2 Why are the nations in an uproar?* Why do the peoples mutter empty threats? Why do the kings of the earth rise up in revolt and the princes plot together,* against the Lord and against his anointed? 'Let us break their yoke', they say;* 'let us cast off their bonds from us.' He whose throne is in heaven is laughing;* the Lord has them in derision. Then he speaks to them in his wrath* and his rage fills them with terror. 'I myself have set my king* upon my holy hill of Zion.' Let me announce the decree of the Lord:* he said to me, 'You are my Son; this day have I begotten you. 'Ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance* and the ends of the earth for your possession. 'You shall crush them with an iron rod* and shatter them like a piece of pottery.' And now, you kings, be wise;* be warned, you rulers of the earth. Submit to the Lord with fear,* and with trembling bow before him; Lest he be angry and you perish;* for his wrath is quickly kindled. Happy are they all* who take refuge in him! Psalm 8 O Lord our governor,* how exalted is your name in all the world! Out of the mouths of infants and children* your majesty is praised above the heavens. You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries,* to quell the enemy and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,* the moon and the stars you have set in their courses, What are mortals, that you should be mindful of them?* mere human beings, that you should seek them out? You have made them little lower than the angels;* you adorn them with glory and honour. You give them mastery over the works of your hands;* and put all things under their feet, All sheep and oxen,* even the wild beasts of the field, The birds of the air, the fish of the sea,* and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea. O Lord our governor,* how exalted is your name in all the world! A Song of Solomon (cf. Song of Songs 8:6-7) Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; For love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave; its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it. If all the wealth of our house were offered for love, it would be utterly scorned. Psalm 117 Alleluia! Praise the Lord, all you nations;* laud him, all you peoples. For his loving-kindness towards us is great,* and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Isaiah 63:1-16]: 'Who is this that comes from Edom, from Bozrah in garments stained crimson? Who is this so splendidly robed, marching in his great might?' 'It is I, announcing vindication, mighty to save.' 'Why are your robes red, and your garments like theirs who tread the wine press?' 'I have trodden the wine press alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their juice spattered on my garments, and stained all my robes. For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year for my redeeming work had come. I looked, but there was no helper; I stared, but there was no one to sustain me; so my own arm brought me victory, and my wrath sustained me. I trampled down peoples in my anger, I crushed them in my wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.' I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord, the praiseworthy acts of the Lord, because of all that the Lord has done for us, and the great favour to the house of Israel that he has shown them according to his mercy, according to the abundance of his steadfast love. For he said, 'Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely'; and he became their saviour in all their distress. It was no messenger or angel but his presence that saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled and grieved his holy spirit; therefore he became their enemy; he himself fought against them. Then they remembered the days of old, of Moses his servant. Where is the one who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is the one who put within them his holy spirit, who caused his glorious arm to march at the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to make for himself an everlasting name, who led them through the depths? Like a horse in the desert, they did not stumble. Like cattle that go down into the valley, the spirit of the Lord gave them rest. Thus you led your people, to make for yourself a glorious name. Look down from heaven and see, from your holy and glorious habitation. Where are your zeal and your might? The yearning of your heart and your compassion? They are withheld from me. For you are our father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O Lord, are our father; our Redeemer from of old is your name. HYMN Words: Fred Pratt Green (c) Tune: The Third Tune http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/t/t747.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. To mock your reign, O dearest Lord, they made a crown of thorns; set you with taunts along that road from which no one returns. They did not know, as we do now, that glorious is your crown; that thorns would flower upon your brow, your sorrows heal our own. In mock acclaim, O gracious Lord, they snatched a purple cloak, your passion turned, for all they cared, into a soldier's joke. They did not know, as we do now, that though we merit blame you will your robe of mercy throw around our naked shame. A sceptered reed, O patient Lord, they thrust into your hand, and acted out their grim charade to its appointed end. They did not know, as we do now, though empires rise and fall, your Kingdom shall not cease to grow till love embraces all. SECOND READING [1 Corinthians 1:18-25]: For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.' Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength. The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: We glory in your cross, O Lord, - and praise and glorify your holy resurrection; for by virtue of your cross joy has come to the whole world. God, be merciful to us and bless us, and show us the light of your countenance, and come to us - Let your ways may be known upon earth, your saving health among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. - We glory in your cross, O Lord, and praise and glorify your holy resurrection; for by virtue of your cross joy has come to the whole world. Hear our prayers especially for those who died, have lost loved ones or who are injured or are under distress. May the dead find rest for their souls, may we find healing for our minds and bodies and the strength to know that your Cross brings salvation to the world. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer. Almighty God, when the world's wars terrify us, lift our eyes to your Son, enthroned on Calvary, whose meekness dumbfounds kings and shatters earthly pride. In his Name, we pray. Amen. Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ was lifted high upon the cross that he might draw the whole world to himself: Mercifully grant that we, who glory in the mystery of our redemption, may have grace to take up our cross and follow him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Grant us delight in the mercy that has found us and bring all to rejoice at the feast of forgiveness. Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer of thanksgiving is adapted by Stephen Benner from _We Give You Thanks and Praise: The Ambrosian Eucharistic Prefaces_, translated by Alan Griffiths, (c) The Canterbury Press Norwich, 1999. Hymn (c) 1973 by Hope Publishing Co., Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission. For permission to reproduce this hymn, contact: In US & Canada: Hope Publishing Company, www.hopepublishing.com Rest of the World: Stainer & Bell Ltd., www.stainer.co.uk The second collect is from The Book of Common Prayer_ (1979), Charles Mortimer Guilbert, Custodian. The closing prayer uses phrases from a prayer in _Opening Prayers: Collects in Contemporary Language_. Canterbury Press, Norwich, 1999. During the reign of Constantine, first Roman Emperor to profess the Christian faith, his mother Helena went to Israel and there undertook to find the places especially significant to Christians. (She was helped in this by the fact that in their destructions around 135, the Romans had built pagan shrines over many of these sites.) Having located, close together, what she believed to be the sites of the Crucifixion and of the Burial (at locations that modern archaeologists think may be correct), she then had built over them the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which was dedicated on 14 September 335. It has become a day for recognizing the Cross (in a festal atmosphere that would be inappropriate on Good Friday) as a symbol of triumph, as a sign of Christ's victory over death, and a reminder of His promise, "And when I am lifted up, I will draw all men unto me." (John 12:32) Tertullian, in his De Corona (3:2), written around AD 211, says that Christians seldom do anything significant without making the sign of the cross. Certainly by his time the practice was well established. Justin Martyr, in chapters 55 and 60 of his First Apology (Defence of the Christian Faith, addressed to the Emperor Antoninus Pius and therefore written between 148 and 155 AD), refers to the cross as a standard Christian symbol, but not explicitly to tracing the sign of the cross as a devotional gesture. What is the significance of the sign of the cross? Well, in the first place, we often place our initials or other personal mark on something to show that it belongs to us. The Cross is the personal mark of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and we mark it on ourselves as a sign that we belong to him, just as in the book of Revelation, as noted above, the servants of God are sealed or marked on their foreheads as a sign that they are his. Again, as one preacher has said, if you were telling someone how to make a cross, you might say (at least to an English speaker), "Draw an I and then cross it out." As we make the sign, we first draw a vertical stroke, as if to say to God, "Lord, here am I." Then we cancel it with a horizontal stroke, as if to say, "Help me, Lord, to abandon my self-centeredness and self-will, and to make you the center of my life instead. Fix all my attention and all my desire on you, Lord, that I may forget my self, cancel my self, abandon myself completely to your love and service." [James Kiefer, abridged] From steve.benner at oremus.org Sun Sep 14 17:00:00 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:00:00 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 15 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080914170000.7CA4B3146C5@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Monday, September 15, 2008 The Sorrows of Mary at the Cross O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, God of mercy, for the sacrifice of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. As his body hung on the cross, a sharp sword pierced his Mother's heart; she shared in the sufferings of his passion, by which Christ died to take away our sins that his sacrifice might bear abundant fruit among his faithful people. For these and all your mercies, we praise you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 25 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; my God, I put my trust in you;* let me not be humiliated, nor let my enemies triumph over me. Let none who look to you be put to shame;* let the treacherous be disappointed in their schemes. Show me your ways, O Lord,* and teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me,* for you are the God of my salvation; in you have I trusted all the day long. Remember, O Lord, your compassion and love,* for they are from everlasting. Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions;* remember me according to your love and for the sake of your goodness, O Lord. Gracious and upright is the Lord;* therefore he teaches sinners in his way. He guides the humble in doing right* and teaches his way to the lowly. All the paths of the Lord are love and faithfulness* to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. For your name's sake, O Lord,* forgive my sin, for it is great. Who are they who fear the Lord?* he will teach them the way that they should choose. They shall dwell in prosperity,* and their offspring shall inherit the land. The Lord is a friend to those who fear him* and will show them his covenant. My eyes are ever looking to the Lord,* for he shall pluck my feet out of the net. Turn to me and have pity on me,* for I am left alone and in misery. The sorrows of my heart have increased;* bring me out of my troubles. Look upon my adversity and misery* and forgive me all my sin. Look upon my enemies, for they are many,* and they bear a violent hatred against me. Protect my life and deliver me;* let me not be put to shame, for I have trusted in you. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,* for my hope has been in you. Deliver Israel, O God,* out of all his troubles. p> Salvator Mundi (Henry Allon) Jesus, Saviour of the world, come to us in your mercy: we look to you to save and help us. By your cross and your life laid down, you set your people free: we look to you to save and help us. When they were ready to perish, you saved your disciples: we look to you to come to our help. In the greatness of your mercy, loose us from our chains, forgive the sins of all your people. Make yourself known as our saviour and mighty deliverer; save and help us that we may praise you. Come now and dwell with us, Lord Christ Jesus: hear our prayer and be with us always. And when you come in your glory: make us to be one with you and to share the life of your kingdom. Psalm 146 Alleluia! Praise the Lord, O my soul!* I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth,* for there is no help in them. When they breathe their last, they return to earth,* and in that day their thoughts perish. Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help!* whose hope is in the Lord their God; Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them;* who keeps his promise for ever; Who gives justice to those who are oppressed,* and food to those who hunger. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind;* the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous; the Lord cares for the stranger;* he sustains the orphan and widow, but frustrates the way of the wicked. The Lord shall reign for ever,* your God, O Zion, throughout all generations. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Ruth 1:18-21]: When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her. So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them; and the women said, 'Is this Naomi?' She said to them, 'Call me no longer Naomi, call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty; why call me Naomi when the Lord has dealt harshly with me, and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?' HYMN Words: Latin, thirteenth century; trans. The English Hymnal, 1906. Tune: Stabat mater http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/a/a383.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. At the cross her station keeping, stood the mournful mother weeping, close to Jesus at the last, Through her soul, of joy bereav d, bowed with anguish, deeply griev d, now at length the sword hath passed. O, that blessed one, grief-laden, blessed Mother, blessed Maiden, Mother of the all-holy One; O that silent, ceaseless mourning, O those dim eyes, never turning from that wondrous, suffering Son. Who, on Christ's dear mother gazing, in her trouble so amazing, born of woman, would not weep? Who, on Christ's dear Mother thinking, such a cup of sorrow drinking, would not share her sorrows deep? For his people's sins, in anguish, there she saw the victim languish, bleed in torments, bleed and die. Saw the Lord's anointed taken, saw her Child in death forrsaken, heard his last expiring cry. In the passion of my Maker, be my sinful soul partaker, may I bear with her my part; of his passion bear the token, in a spirit bowed and broken bear his death within my heart. May his wounds both wound and heal me, he enkindle, cleanse, and heal me, be his cross my hope and stay. May he, when the mountains quiver, from that flame which burns for ever shield me on the judgment day. Jesus, may thy cross defend me, and thy saving death befriend me, cherished by thy deathless grace: when to dust my dust returneth, grant a soul that to thee yearneth in thy paradise a place. SECOND READING [Luke 2:25-35]: Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, 'Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.' And the child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, 'This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed and a sword will pierce your own soul too.' The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: Following the example of Mary's patient love, we pray for grace to follow God's will. We pray for the Church. May it follow Mary's example of patience, humility and trust. God of love, hear our prayer. We pray for women who serve as bishops, priests, deacons and ministers in your Church. Open our ears to their witness and teaching. God of love, hear our prayer. We pray for the world. Teach us to honor the wholeness of God's creation in both male and female. God of love, hear our prayer. We pray for mothers. May the knowledge of your love ease the burden of those who are live with poverty or anxiety. God of love, hear our prayer. We pray for women suffering from cruelty and indifference. Give us strength to give them comfort and relief. God of love, hear our prayer. We join with the Blessed Virgin Mary in intercession for the departed. In the hour of death, save us by the love of Christ which has raised them to eternal life. God of love, hear our prayer. Lord Jesus Christ, when you were raised upon the cross, your mother Mary stood beside you in your passion: may your Church, as it shares in your suffering and death, come to share more deeply in your risen life; for, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, you are alive and reign, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Mother, font whence love flows truest; Let me know the pain thou knewest, Let me weep as thou hast wept; Love divine within me burning, That diviner love returning, May thy Son this heart accept. Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer uses phrases from a hymn by Walter Farquahrson and a prayer by Satish Kumar. The closing prayer uses a sentence from the same prayer by Kumar. The opening prayer of thanksgiving is adapted by Stephen Benner from _We Give You Thanks and Praise: The Ambrosian Eucharistic Prefaces_, translated by Alan Griffiths, (c) The Canterbury Press Norwich, 1999. The intercession is by Stephen Benner and is based on a prayer from _Leading Intercessions_, (c) 2000, Canterbury Press. The closing sentence is a poem by Jacopone da Todi, written in 1306. Mary at the Cross by Harriet Beecher Stowe O wondrous mother! since the dawn of time Was ever love, was ever grief, like thine? O highly favored in thy joy's deep flow, And favored, even in this, thy bitterest woe! Poor was that home in simple Nazareth Where, fairly growing, like some silent flower, Last of a kingly race, unknown and lowly, O desert lily, passed thy childhood's hour. The world knew not the tender, serious maiden, Who through deep loving years so silent grew, Full of high thought and holy aspiration, Which the o'ershadowing God alone might view. And then it came, that message from the highest, Such as to woman ne'er before descended, The almighty wings thy prayerful soul o'erspread, And with thy life the Life of worlds was blended. What visions then of future glory filled thee, the chosen mother of that King unknown, Mother fulfiller of all prophecy Which, through dim ages, wondering seers had shown! Well, did thy dark eye kindle, thy deep soul Rise into billows, and thy heart rejoice; Then woke the poet's fire, the prophet's song, Tuned with strange burning words thy timid voice. Then, in dark contrast, came the lowly manger, The outcast shed, the tramp of brutal feet; Again behold earth's learned and her lowly, Sages and shepherds, prostrate at thy feet. Then to the temple bearing--hark again What strange conflicting tones of prophecy Breathe o'er the child foreshadowing words of joy, High triumph blent with bitter agony! O highly favored thou in many an hour Spent in lone musings with thy wondrous Son, When thou didst gaze into that glorious eye, And hold that mighty hand within thine own. Blest through those thirty years, when in thy dwelling He lived a God disguised with unknown power; And thou his sole adorer, his best love, Trusting, revering, waited for his hour. Blest in that hour, when called by opening heaven With cloud and voice and the baptizing flame, Up from the Jordan walked th' acknowledged stranger, And awe-struck crowds grew silent as He came. Blessed, when full of grace, with glory crowned, He from both hands almighty favors poured, And, though He had not where to lay his head, Brought to his feet alike the slave and lord. Crowds followed; thousands shouted, "Lo, our King!" Fast beat thy heart. Now, now the hour draws nigh: Behold the crown, the throne, the nations bend! Ah, no! fond mother, no! behold Him die! Now by that cross thou tak'st thy final station, And shar'st the last dark trial of thy Son; Not with weak tears or woman's lamentation, But with high, silent anguish, like his own. Hail! highly favored, even in this deep passion; Hail! in this bitter anguish thou art blest,-- Blest in the holy power with Him to suffer Those deep death-pangs that lead to higher rest. All now is darkness; and in that deep stillness The God-man wrestles with that mighty woe; Hark to that cry, the rock of ages rending,-- "'T is finished!" Mother, all is glory now! By sufferings mighty as his mighty soul Hath the Redeemer risen forever blest; And through all ages must his heart-beloved Through the same baptism enter the same rest. From steve.benner at oremus.org Tue Sep 16 17:00:00 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:00:00 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 17 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080916170000.5E6D6314754@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Wednesday, September 17, 2008 Hildegard, Abbess of Bingen, Visionary, 1179 O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, O God, in Christ the walls that divide are broken down, the chains that enslave are thrown aside, and we are freed from death and despair to life and hope, liberated from hate and war and empowered to love and seek peace. For these and all your mercies, we praise you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 29 Ascribe to the Lord, you gods,* ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to his name;* worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders;* the Lord is upon the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice;* the voice of the Lord is a voice of splendour. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees;* the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon; He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,* and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord splits the flames of fire; the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;* the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe* and strips the forests bare. And in the temple of the Lord* all are crying, 'Glory!' The Lord sits enthroned above the flood;* the Lord sits enthroned as king for evermore. The Lord shall give strength to his people;* the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace. Psalm 30 I will exalt you, O Lord, because you have lifted me up* and have not let my enemies triumph over me. O Lord my God, I cried out to you,* and you restored me to health. You brought me up, O Lord, from the dead;* you restored my life as I was going down to the grave. Sing to the Lord, you servants of his;* give thanks for the remembrance of his holiness. For his wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye,* his favour for a lifetime. Weeping may spend the night,* but joy comes in the morning. While I felt secure, I said, 'I shall never be disturbed.* You, Lord, with your favour, made me as strong as the mountains.' Then you hid your face,* and I was filled with fear. I cried to you, O Lord;* I pleaded with the Lord, saying, 'What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the Pit?* will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness? 'Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me;* O Lord, be my helper.' You have turned my wailing into dancing;* you have put off my sack-cloth and clothed me with joy; Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing;* O Lord my God, I will give you thanks for ever. A Song of the Word of the Lord (Isaiah 55.6-11) Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; Let the wicked abandon their ways, and the unrighteous their thoughts; Return to the Lord, who will have mercy; to our God, who will richly pardon. 'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' says the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 'As the rain and the snow come down from above, and return not again but water the earth, 'Bringing forth life and giving growth, seed for sowing and bread to eat, 'So is my word that goes forth from my mouth; it will not return to me fruitless, 'But it will accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the task I gave it.' Psalm 147:13-end Alleluia! Worship the Lord, O Jerusalem;* praise your God, O Zion; For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;* he has blessed your children within you. He has established peace on your borders;* he satisfies you with the finest wheat. He sends out his command to the earth,* and his word runs very swiftly. He gives snow like wool;* he scatters hoarfrost like ashes. He scatters his hail like bread crumbs;* who can stand against his cold? He sends forth his word and melts them;* he blows with his wind and the waters flow. He declares his word to Jacob,* his statutes and his judgements to Israel. He has not done so to any other nation;* to them he has not revealed his judgements. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Job 5:8-18]: Eliphaz the Temanite continued, 'As for me, I would seek God, and to God I would commit my cause. He does great things and unsearchable, marvellous things without number. He gives rain on the earth and sends waters on the fields; he sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety. He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success. He takes the wise in their own craftiness; and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end. They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope at noonday as in the night. But he saves the needy from the sword of their mouth, from the hand of the mighty. So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth. 'How happy is the one whom God reproves; therefore do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he strikes, but his hands heal. HYMN Words: O viridissima Virga. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1175) tr June Boyce-Tillman (b.1943) Stainer & Bell Ltd Tune: Gelobt sei Gott Flourishing branch you bear rich fruit, answer tradition's quest for truth. new life that springs from ancient roots, Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Warmth of the sun distilled in you, glows and makes fragrant blossoms new, balsam and rose and dusky rue. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Skies drop their dew on rolling fields; deep in your womb the dark earth yields; sheltering nests their fledglings shield. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Fine is the flower that grows in you, dryness is ended, earth made new. God's creativity breaks through. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Your greening pow'r has borne rich fruit; from a fine trunk new branches shoot; firmly they stand on ancient roots. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Earth is rejoicing, now made new; blossoming power is flowing through; paradise visions come in view. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. SECOND READING [Matthew 12:31-end]: Jesus said, 'Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. 'Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure. I tell you, on the day of judgement you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.' Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, 'Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.' But he answered them, 'An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was for three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth. The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here! The queen of the South will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here! 'When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting-place, but it finds none. Then it says, "I will return to my house from which I came." When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation.' While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, 'Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.' But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, 'Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?' And pointing to his disciples, he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.' The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: We pray for the use of God's gifts to his Church, saying Jesus, Lord of your Church: in your mercy, hear us God our Father, you give us gifts that we may work together in the service of your Son: Bless those who lead, that they may be firm in faith, yet humble before you. Jesus, Lord of your Church: in your mercy hear us. Bless those who teach, that they may increase our understanding, and be open to your word for them: Jesus, Lord of your Church: in your mercy hear us. Bless those who minister healing, that they may bring wholeness to other, yet know your healing in themselves: Jesus, Lord of your Church: in your mercy hear us. Bless those through whom you speak, that they may proclaim your word in power, yet have their ears open to your gentle whisper: Jesus, Lord of your Church: in your mercy hear us. Bless those who work in your world today that they may live for you, fulfil your purposes, and seek your kingdom first in the complexity of their daily lives. Jesus, Lord of your Church: in your mercy hear us. Bless those who feel they have no gifts and are not valued, and those who are powerless by the world's standards, that they may share their experience of the work of your Spirit. Jesus, Lord of your Church: in your mercy hear us. No creature has meaning without the Word of God. God's Word is in all creation, visible and invisible. The Word is living, being, spirit, all verdant greening, all creativity. This Word flashes out in every creature. This is how the spirit is in the flesh the Word is indivisible from God. Most glorious and holy God, whose servant Hildegard, strong in the faith, was caught up in the vision of your heavenly courts: by the breath of your Spirit open our eyes to glimpse your glory and our lips to sing your praises with all the angels; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Let your peace, O God, fill our hearts, our world, our universe. Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer uses phrases from a hymn by Walter Farquahrson and a prayer by Satish Kumar. The closing prayer uses a sentence from the same prayer by Kumar. Hymn (c) by Stainer & Bell Ltd. (admin. by Hope Publishing Co., Carol Stream, IL 60188). All rights reserved. Used by permission. For permission to reproduce this hymn, contact: In US & Canada: Hope Publishing Company, www.hopepublishing.com Rest of the World: Stainer & Bell Ltd., www.stainer.co.uk The intercession is from _Patterns for Worship_, material from which is included in this service is copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 1995. The first collect is by Hildegard of Bingen and the second collect is from _Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England_, material from which is included in this service is copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2000. "Listen: there was once a king sitting on his throne. Around him stood great and wonderfully beautiful columns ornamented with ivory, bearing the banners of the king with great honor. Then it pleased the king to raise a small feather from the ground, and he commanded it to fly. The feather flew, not because of anything in itself but because the air bore it along. Thus am I, a feather on the breath of God." Hildegard of Bingen has been called by her admirers "one of the most important figures in the history of the Middle Ages," and "the greatest woman of her time." Her time was the 1100's (she was born in 1098), the century of Eleanor of Aquitaine, of Peter Abelard and Bernard of Clairvaux, of the rise of the great universities and the building of Chartres cathedral. She was the daughter of a knight, and when she was eight years old she went to the Benedictine monastery at Mount St Disibode to be educated. The monastery was in the Celtic tradition, and housed both men and women (in separate quarters). When Hildegard was eighteen, she became a nun. Twenty years later, she was made the head of the female community at the monastery. Within the next four years, she had a series of visions, and devoted the ten years from 1140 to 1150 to writing them down, describing them (this included drawing pictures of what she had seen), and commenting on their interpretation and significance. During this period, Pope Eugenius III sent a commission to inquire into her work. The commission found her teaching orthodox and her insights authentic, and reported so to the Pope, who sent her a letter of approval. (He was probably encouraged to do so by his friend and former teacher, Bernard of Clairvaux.) She wrote back urging the Pope to work harder for reform of the Church. The community of nuns at Mount St. Disibode was growing rapidly, and they did not have adequate room. Hildegard accordingly moved her nuns to a location near Bingen, and founded a monastery for them completely independent of the double monastery they had left. She oversaw its construction, which included such features (not routine in her day) as water pumped in through pipes. The abbot they had left opposed their departure, and the resulting tensions took a long time to heal. Hildegard travelled throughout southern Germany and into Switzerland and as far as Paris, preaching. Her sermons deeply moved the hearers, and she was asked to provide written copies. In the last year of her life, she was briefly in trouble because she provided Christian burial for a young man who had been excommunicated. Her defense was that he had repented on his deathbed, and received the sacraments. Her convent was subjected to an interdict, but she protested eloquently, and the interdict was revoked. She died on 17 September 1179. Her surviving works include more than a hundred letters to emperors and popes, bishops, nuns, and nobility. She wrote 72 songs including a play set to music. Musical notation had only shortly before developed to the point where her music was recorded in a way that we can read today. Accordingly, some of her work is now available on compact disk, and presumably sounds the way she intended. My former room-mate, a non-Christian and a professional musician, is an enthusiastic admirer of her work and considers her a musical genius. Certainly her compositional style is like nothing else we have from the twelfth century. The play set to music is called the Ordo Virtutum and show us a human soul who listens to the Virtues, turns aside to follow the Devil, and finally returns to the Virtues, having found that following the Devil does not make one happy. She left us about seventy poems and nine books. Two of them are books of medical and pharmaceutical advice, dealing with the workings of the human body and the properties of various herbs. (These books are based on her observations and those of others, not on her visions.) I am told that some modern researchers are now checking her statements in the hope of finding some medicinal properties of some plant that has been overlooked till now by modern medicine. She also wrote a commentary on the Gospels and another on the Athanasian Creed. Much of her work has recently been translated into English, part in series like Classics of Western Spirituality, and part in other collections or separately. But her major works are three books on theology: Scivias ("Know the paths!"), Liber Vitae Meritorum (on ethics), and De Operatione Dei. They deal (or at least the first and third do) with the material of her visions. The visions, as she describes them, are often enigmatic but deeply moving, and many who have studied them believe that they have learned something from the visions that is not easily put into words. Her use of parable and metaphor, of symbols, visual imagery, and non-verbal means to communicate makes her work reach out to many who are totally deaf to more standard approaches. In particular, non-Western peoples are often accustomed to expressing their views of the world in visionary language, and find that Hildegard's use of similar language to express a Christian view of reality produces instant rapport, if not necessarily instant agreement. Hildegard wrote and spoke extensively about social justice, about freeing the downtrodden, about the duty of seeing to it that every human being, made in the image of God, has the opportunity to develop and use the talents that God has given him, and to realize his God-given potential. This strikes a chord today. Hildegard wrote explicitly about the natural world as God's creation, charged through and through with His beauty and His energy; entrusted to our care, to be used by us for our benefit, but not to be mangled or destroyed. [James Kiefer, abridged] From steve.benner at oremus.org Wed Sep 17 17:00:00 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:00:00 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 18 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080917170000.8EBAB313E1A@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Thursday, September 18, 2008 Ninian, Bishop of Galloway, Apostle to the Picts O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, O God, in Christ the walls that divide are broken down, the chains that enslave are thrown aside, and we are freed from death and despair to life and hope, liberated from hate and war and empowered to love and seek peace. For these and all your mercies, we praise you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 31 In you, O Lord, have I taken refuge; let me never be put to shame;* deliver me in your righteousness. Incline your ear to me;* make haste to deliver me. Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe, for you are my crag and my stronghold;* for the sake of your name, lead me and guide me. Take me out of the net that they have secretly set for me,* for you are my tower of strength. Into your hands I commend my spirit,* for you have redeemed me, O Lord, O God of truth. I hate those who cling to worthless idols,* and I put my trust in the Lord. I will rejoice and be glad because of your mercy;* for you have seen my affliction; you know my distress. You have not shut me up in the power of the enemy;* you have set my feet in an open place. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble;* my eye is consumed with sorrow, and also my throat and my belly. For my life is wasted with grief, and my years with sighing;* my strength fails me because of affliction, and my bones are consumed. I have become a reproach to all my enemies and even to my neighbours, a dismay to those of my acquaintance;* when they see me in the street they avoid me. I am forgotten like the dead, out of mind;* I am as useless as a broken pot. For I have heard the whispering of the crowd; fear is all around;* they put their heads together against me; they plot to take my life. But as for me, I have trusted in you, O Lord.* I have said, 'You are my God. 'My times are in your hand;* rescue me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me. 'Make your face to shine upon your servant,* and in your loving-kindness save me.' Lord, let me not be ashamed for having called upon you;* rather, let the wicked be put to shame; let them be silent in the grave. Let the lying lips be silenced which speak against the righteous,* haughtily, disdainfully and with contempt. How great is your goodness, O Lord, which you have laid up for those who fear you;* which you have done in the sight of all for those who put their trust in you. You hide them in the covert of your presence from those who slander them;* you keep them in your shelter from the strife of tongues. Blessed be the Lord!* for he has shown me the wonders of his love in a besieged city. Yet I said in my alarm, 'I have been cut off from the sight of your eyes.'* Nevertheless, you heard the sound of my entreaty when I cried out to you. Love the Lord, all you who worship him;* the Lord protects the faithful, but repays to the full those who act haughtily. Be strong and let your heart take courage,* all you who wait for the Lord. Great and Wonderful (Revelation 15.3,4) Great and wonderful are your deeds, . Lord God the Almighty. Just and true are your ways, . O ruler of the nations. Who shall not revere and praise your name, O Lord? . for you alone are holy. All nations shall come and worship in your presence: . for your just dealings have been revealed. Psalm 148 Alleluia! Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise him in the heights. Praise him, all you angels of his;* praise him, all his host. Praise him, sun and moon;* praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, heaven of heavens,* and you waters above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord;* for he commanded and they were created. He made them stand fast for ever and ever;* he gave them a law which shall not pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth,* you sea-monsters and all deeps; Fire and hail, snow and fog,* tempestuous wind, doing his will; Mountains and all hills,* fruit trees and all cedars; Wild beasts and all cattle,* creeping things and winged birds; Kings of the earth and all peoples,* princes and all rulers of the world; Young men and maidens,* old and young together. Let them praise the name of the Lord,* for his name only is exalted, his splendour is over earth and heaven. He has raised up strength for his people and praise for all his loyal servants,* the children of Israel, a people who are near him. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Job 10:1-9, 12-18]: Then Job answered: 'I loathe my life; I will give free utterance to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say to God, Do not condemn me; let me know why you contend against me. Does it seem good to you to oppress, to despise the work of your hands and favour the schemes of the wicked? Do you have eyes of flesh? Do you see as humans see? Are your days like the days of mortals, or your years like human years, that you seek out my iniquity and search for my sin, although you know that I am not guilty, and there is no one to deliver out of your hand? Your hands fashioned and made me; and now you turn and destroy me. Remember that you fashioned me like clay; and will you turn me to dust again? You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit. Yet these things you hid in your heart; I know that this was your purpose. If I sin, you watch me, and do not acquit me of my iniquity. If I am wicked, woe to me! If I am righteous, I cannot lift up my head, for I am filled with disgrace and look upon my affliction. Bold as a lion you hunt me; you repeat your exploits against me. You renew your witnesses against me, and increase your vexation towards me; you bring fresh troops against me. 'Why did you bring me forth from the womb? Would that I had died before any eye had seen me, HYMN Words: Joseph Addison (1672-1719), 1712 Tune: Contemplation, Belgrave, St. Stephen, St. Fulbert, Durham http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/w/w254.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. When all thy mercies, O my God, my rising soul surveys, transported with the view, I'm lost in wonder, love and praise. Thy Providence my life sustained, and all my wants redressed, while in the silent womb I lay, and hung upon the breast. To all my weak complaints and cries thy mercy lent an ear, ere yet my feeble thoughts had learned to form themselves in prayer. Unnumbered comforts to my soul thy tender care bestowed, before my infant heart conceived from whom those comforts flowed. When in the slippery paths of youth with heedless steps I ran, thine arm unseen conveyed me safe, and led me up to man. Through hidden dangers, toils, and deaths, it gently cleared my way; and through the pleasing snares of vice, more to be feared than they. O how shall words with equal warmth the gratitude declare, that glows within my ravished heart? but thou canst read it there. Thy bounteous hand with worldly bliss hath made my cup run o'er; and, in a kind and faithful Friend, hath doubled all my store. Ten thousand thousand precious gifts my daily thanks employ; nor is the last a cheerful heart that tastes those gifts with joy. When worn with sickness, oft hast thou with health renewed my face; and, when in sins and sorrows sunk, revived my soul with grace. Through every period of my life thy goodness I'll pursue and after death, in distant worlds, the glorious theme renew. When nature fails, and day and night divide thy works no more, my ever grateful heart, O Lord, thy mercy shall adore. Through all eternity to thee a joyful song I'll raise; for, oh, eternity's too short to utter all thy praise! SECOND READING [Matthew 13:1-23]: That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: 'Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!' Then the disciples came and asked him, 'Why do you speak to them in parables?' He answered, 'To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. The reason I speak to them in parables is that "seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand." With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says: "You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive. For this people's heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn and I would heal them." But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it. 'Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.' The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: We pray for the family of the church, for loving relationships, and for the life of families around us, saying Jesus, Lord of love: in your mercy, hear us. Jesus, born in poverty and soon a refugee, be with families today who are poor and live in hunger and want. . . Jesus, Lord of love: in your mercy, hear us. Jesus, who grew in wisdom and in favor with God and the people in the family of Joseph the carpenter, bring wisdom and the presence of God into the work and growth of families today. . . Jesus, Lord of love: in your mercy, hear us. Jesus, who blessed marriage in the wedding at Cana, be with those preparing for marriage and with those who come to the end of their resources. . . Jesus, Lord of love: in your mercy, hear us. Jesus, who healed Peter's mother in law, bring healing to hurt relationships and families today. . . Jesus, Lord of love: in your mercy, hear us. Jesus, who on the cross said, 'Mother, behold your son', provide today for those who lose their families, the bereaved and childless, orphans and widows. . . Jesus, Lord of love: in your mercy, hear us. Jesus, who on the seashore provided food for the disciples, bring the whole Church on earth and in heaven into your risen presence to eat at the eternal banquet. Jesus, Lord of love: in your mercy, hear us. Lord Jesus Christ, in our pilgrimage through this life, rescue us from evil, and make your face to shine on us, for you are our Lord and our God. Amen. Almighty and everlasting God, who called your servant Ninian to preach the gospel to the people of northern Britain: raise up in this and every land heralds and evangelists of your kingdom, that your Church may make know the immeasurable riches of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Let your peace, O God, fill our hearts, our world, our universe. Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms and first collect are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer uses phrases from a hymn by Walter Farquahrson and a prayer by Satish Kumar. The closing prayer uses a sentence from the same prayer by Kumar. The intercession is from _Patterns for Worship_, material from which is included in this service is copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 1995. The second collect is from _Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England_, material from which is included in this service is copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2000. Ninian is also called Nynia, Ninias, Rigna, Trignan, Ninnidh, Ringan, Ninus, or Dinan. He was a Celt, born in southern Scotland in about 360, and is regarded as the first major preacher of the Gospel to the people living in Britain north of the Wall--that is, living outside the territory that had been under Roman rule. He is said to have studied in Rome (note that he is contemporary with Ambrose, Jerome, and Augustine), but was chiefly influenced by his friendship with Martin of Tours, with whom he spent some considerable time when he was returning from Italy to Britain. It is probable that he named his headquarters in Galloway after Martin's foundation in Gall. Martin had a monastery known as LOCO TEIAC, a Latinized form of the Celtic LEUG TIGIAC. LEUG means "white, shining," and TIG means "house" (a shanty, or SHAN-TIG, is an old house). The suffix -AC means "little." Thus, Martin's monastery had a name which in Celtic means "little white house." At about the time of Martin's death in 397, Ninian built a church at Galloway, in southwest Scotland. It was built of stone and plastered white, an unusual construction in a land where almost all buildings were wood. He called it Candida Casa (White House) or Whithorn, presumably after Martin's foundation at Tours. Archaeologists have excavated and partially restored his church in this century. From his base at Galloway, Ninian preached throughout southern Scotland, south of the Grampian Mountains, and conducted preaching missions among the Picts of Scotland, as far north as the Moray Firth, He also preached in the Solway Plains and the Lake District of England. Like Patrick (a generation later) and Columba (a century and a half later), he was a principal agent in preserving the tradition of the old Romano-British Church and forming the character of Celtic Christianity. Some historians think that the number and extent of his conversions has been exaggerated, but throughout southern Scotland there are many and widespread churches that bear his name, and have traditionally been assumed to be congregations originally founded by him. Our information about him comes chiefly from Bede's History (Book 3, chapter 4), an anonymous eighth century account, and a 12th century account by Aelred. Aelred is writing 700 years after the event, and is for that reason rejected as untrustworthy by many critics. However, he claims to rely on an earlier account, "written by a barbarian." This suggests that he may have had an authentic record by a member of Ninian's community in Galloway. [James Kiefer] From steve.benner at oremus.org Thu Sep 18 17:00:01 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:00:01 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 19 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080918170001.0A7F73144A0@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Friday, September 19, 2008 Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury, 690 O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, O God, in Christ the walls that divide are broken down, the chains that enslave are thrown aside, and we are freed from death and despair to life and hope, liberated from hate and war and empowered to love and seek peace. For these and all your mercies, we praise you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 22 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?* and are so far from my cry and from the words of my distress? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not answer;* by night as well, but I find no rest. Yet you are the Holy One,* enthroned upon the praises of Israel. Our forebears put their trust in you;* they trusted and you delivered them. They cried out to you and were delivered;* they trusted in you and were not put to shame. But as for me, I am a worm and no man,* scorned by all and despised by the people. All who see me laugh me to scorn;* they curl their lips and wag their heads, saying, 'He trusted in the Lord; let him deliver him;* let him rescue him, if he delights in him.' Yet you are he who took me out of the womb,* and kept me safe upon my mother's breast. I have been entrusted to you ever since I was born;* you were my God when I was still in my mother's womb. Be not far from me, for trouble is near,* and there is none to help. Many young bulls encircle me;* strong bulls of Bashan surround me. They open wide their jaws at me,* like a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like water; all my bones are out of joint;* my heart within my breast is melting wax. My mouth is dried out like a pot-sherd; my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;* and you have laid me in the dust of the grave. Packs of dogs close me in, and gangs of evildoers circle around me;* they pierce my hands and my feet; I can count all my bones. They stare and gloat over me;* they divide my garments among them; they cast lots for my clothing. Be not far away, O Lord;* you are my strength; hasten to help me. Save me from the sword,* my life from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion's mouth,* my wretched body from the horns of wild bulls. I will declare your name to my people;* in the midst of the congregation I will praise you. Praise the Lord, you that fear him;* stand in awe of him, O offspring of Israel; all you of Jacob's line, give glory. For he does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty; neither does he hide his face from them;* but when they cry to him he hears them. My praise is of him in the great assembly;* I will perform my vows in the presence of those who worship him. The poor shall eat and be satisfied, and those who seek the Lord shall praise him:* 'May your heart live for ever!' All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord,* and all the families of the nations shall bow before him. For kingship belongs to the Lord;* he rules over the nations. To him alone all who sleep in the earth bow down in worship;* all who go down to the dust fall before him. My soul shall live for him; my descendants shall serve him;* they shall be known as the Lord's for ever. They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn* the saving deeds that he has done. A Song of Humility (Hosea 6.1-6) Come, let us return to the Lord who has torn us and will heal us. God has stricken us and will bind up our wounds. After two days, he will revive us, and on the third day will raise us up, that we may live in his presence. Let us strive to know the Lord; his appearing is as sure as the sunrise. He will come to us like the showers, like the spring rains that water the earth. 'O Ephraim, how shall I deal with you? How shall I deal with you, O Judah? 'Your love for me is like the morning mist, like the dew that goes early away. 'Therefore, I have hewn them by the prophets, and my judgement goes forth as the light. 'For loyalty is my desire and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.' Psalm 149 Alleluia! Sing to the Lord a new song;* sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful. Let Israel rejoice in his maker;* let the children of Zion be joyful in their king. Let them praise his name in the dance;* let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp. For the Lord takes pleasure in his people* and adorns the poor with victory. Let the faithful rejoice in triumph;* let them be joyful on their beds. Let the praises of God be in their throat* and a two-edged sword in their hand; To wreak vengeance on the nations* and punishment on the peoples; To bind their kings in chains* and their nobles with links of iron; To inflict on them the judgement decreed;* this is glory for all his faithful people. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Job 11:7-end]: Then Zophar the Naamathite answered: 'Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? It is higher than heaven what can you do? Deeper than Sheol what can you know? Its measure is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea. If he passes through, and imprisons, and assembles for judgement, who can hinder him? For he knows those who are worthless; when he sees iniquity, will he not consider it? But a stupid person will get understanding, when a wild ass is born human. 'If you direct your heart rightly, you will stretch out your hands towards him. If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and do not let wickedness reside in your tents. Surely then you will lift up your face without blemish; you will be secure, and will not fear. You will forget your misery; you will remember it as waters that have passed away. And your life will be brighter than the noonday; its darkness will be like the morning. And you will have confidence, because there is hope; you will be protected and take your rest in safety. You will lie down, and no one will make you afraid; many will entreat your favour. But the eyes of the wicked will fail; all way of escape will be lost to them, and their hope is to breathe their last.' HYMN Words: Katharina Amalia Dorothea von Schlegel (born 1697), trans. Jane Laurie Borthwick (1813-1897) Tune: Finlandia http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/b/b017.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side; bear patiently the cross of grief or pain; leave to thy God to order and provide; in every change he faithful will remain. Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend through thorny ways leads to a joyful end. Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake to guide the future as he has the past. Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake; all now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know his voice who ruled them while he dwelt below. Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart, and all is darkened in the vale of tears, then shalt thou better know his love, his heart, who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears. Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay, from his own fulness, all he takes away. Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on when we shall be forever with the Lord, when disappointment, grief and fear are gone, sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored,. Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past, all safe and bless?d we shall meet at last. SECOND READING [Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43]: Jesus put before them another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, "Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?" He answered, "An enemy has done this." The slaves said to him, "Then do you want us to go and gather them?" But he replied, "No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn." ' Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, 'Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.' He answered, 'The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen! The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: We pray for the coming of God's kingdom, saying, Father, by your Spirit: bring in your kingdom. You came in Jesus to bring good news to the poor, sight to the blind, freedom to the captives, and salvation to your people: anoint us with your Spirit; rouse us to work in his name. Father, by your Spirit, bring in your kingdom. Send us to bring help to the poor and freedom to the oppressed: Father, by your Spirit, bring in your kingdom. Send us to tell the world the good news of your healing love: Father, by your Spirit, bring in your kingdom. Send us to those who mourn, to bring joy and gladness instead of grief: Father, by your Spirit, bring in your kingdom. Send us to proclaim that the time is here for you to save your people: Father, by your Spirit, bring in your kingdom. Father, your tortured Son felt abandoned, and cried out in anguish from the cross, yet you delivered him He overcame the bonds of death and rose in triumph from the grave. Do not hide your face from those who cry to you: feed the hungry, strengthen the weak, and break the chains of the oppressed, that your people may rejoice in your saving deeds. This we ask in the Name of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen. Almighty God, you called your servant Theodore of Tarsus from Rome to the see of Canterbury, and gave him gifts of grace and wisdom to establish unity where there had been division, and order where there had been chaos: Create in your Church, by the operation of your Holy Spirit, such godly union and concord that it may proclaim, both by word and example, the Gospel of the Prince of Peace; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Let your peace, O God, fill our hearts, our world, our universe. Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer uses phrases from a hymn by Walter Farquahrson and a prayer by Satish Kumar. The closing prayer uses a sentence from the same prayer by Kumar. The intercession is from _Patterns for Worship_, material from which is included in this service is copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 1995. The first collect is from _Daily Prayer_, copyright (c) The Scottish Episcopal Church, 1998. Used with permission. http://www.scottishepiscopal.com The second collect is from _The Proper for the Lesser Feasts and Fasts_, 3rd edition, (c) 1980 The Church Pension Fund. When the pagan Anglo-Saxons invaded England, they drove the native Celtic inhabitants north into Scotland and west into Ireland, Wales, and Cornwall. The Anglo-Saxons were subsequently converted to Christianity by Celtic missionaries from the north and west, and Roman and Gallic missionaries from the south and east. As a result, they ended up with two different "flavors" of Christianity. The difference was expressed mainly in the form of a disagreement about the proper method for calculating the date of Easter, a disagreement which we may suspect was a stand-in for other disagreements a little more difficult to articulate. In 663, a council was called to settle the dispute, the Synod of Whitby. It decided in favor of the Roman or continental way of doing things. Soon after, the Archbishop of Canterbury died, and the English elected a successor, Wighard, and sent him to Rome to be consecrated by the Pope. Wighard died in Rome before he could be consecrated, and the Pope (Vitalian) took it upon himself to choose a man to fill the vacancy. He consecrated Theodore of Tarsus (the native city of the Apostle Paul), a learned monk (not a priest) from the East then living in Rome, 65 years old. This surprising choice turned out to be a very good one. Theodore was (as Bede put it in his Ecclesiastical History) "the first archbishop whom all the English obeyed." Having made a tour of his charge, Theodore filled the vacant bishoprics and in 672 presided over the first council of the entire English Churh, at Hertford. He established definite territorial boundaries for the various dioceses, and founded new dioceses where needed. He found the Church of England an unorganized missionary body, and left it a fully ordered province of the universal Church. The body of canon law drawn up under his supervision, and his structure of dioceses and parishes, survived the turmoil of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and are substantially intact today. He founded a school at Canterbury that trained Christians from both the Celtic and the Roman traditions, and did much to unite the two groups. The school was headed by Adrian, an abbot born in Africa but later resident in Italy, who had been the Pope's first choice for Archbishop, but who had refused and recommended Theodore instead. Adrian was learned in the Scriptures, a good administrator, and fluent in Latin and Greek. The school taught Bible, theology and sacred studies, Latin and Greek (Bede alleges that some of the students knew these languages as well as they knew English), poetry, astronomy, and calendar calculation (of some importance for political reasons, as stated above). Adrian died 9 January 710. Theodore died 19 September 690, being 88 years old. [James Kiefer] From steve.benner at oremus.org Fri Sep 19 17:00:01 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:00:01 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 20 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080919170001.0503D313E19@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Saturday, September 20, 2008 John Coleridge Patteson, First Bishop of Melanesia, and his Companions, Martyrs, 1871 O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, O God, in Christ the walls that divide are broken down, the chains that enslave are thrown aside, and we are freed from death and despair to life and hope, liberated from hate and war and empowered to love and seek peace. For these and all your mercies, we praise you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 145 I will exalt you, O God my King,* and bless your name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless you* and praise your name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;* there is no end to his greatness. One generation shall praise your works to another* and shall declare your power. I will ponder the glorious splendour of your majesty* and all your marvellous works. They shall speak of the might of your wondrous acts,* and I will tell of your greatness. They shall publish the remembrance of your great goodness;* they shall sing of your righteous deeds. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,* slow to anger and of great kindness. The Lord is loving to everyone* and his compassion is over all his works. All your works praise you, O Lord,* and your faithful servants bless you. They make known the glory of your kingdom* and speak of your power; That the peoples may know of your power* and the glorious splendour of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom;* your dominion endures throughout all ages. The Lord is faithful in all his words* and merciful in all his deeds. The Lord upholds all those who fall;* he lifts up those who are bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord,* and you give them their food in due season. You open wide your hand* and satisfy the needs of every living creature. The Lord is righteous in all his ways* and loving in all his works. The Lord is near to those who call upon him,* to all who call upon him faithfully. He fulfils the desire of those who fear him,* he hears their cry and helps them. The Lord preserves all those who love him,* but he destroys all the wicked. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord;* let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever. A Song of God's Love (1 John 4.7-11,12b) Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was revealed among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we ought also to love one another. For if we love one another, God abides in us, and God's love will be perfected in us. Psalm 150 Alleluia! Praise God in his holy temple;* praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts;* praise him for his excellent greatness. Praise him with the blast of the ram's-horn;* praise him with lyre and harp. Praise him with timbrel and dance;* praise him with strings and pipe. Praise him with resounding cymbals;* praise him with loud-clanging cymbals. Let everything that has breath* praise the Lord. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Job 12:1-10]: Then Job answered: 'No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you. But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these? I am a laughing-stock to my friends; I, who called upon God and he answered me, a just and blameless man, I am a laughing-stock. Those at ease have contempt for misfortune, but it is ready for those whose feet are unstable. The tents of robbers are at peace, and those who provoke God are secure, who bring their god in their hands. 'But ask the animals, and they will teach you; the birds of the air, and they will tell you; ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being.' HYMN Words: Isaac Watts, 1714 Tune: Monmouth, Old 113th http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/i/i209.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. I'll praise my Maker while I've breath, and when my voice is lost in death, praise shall employ my nobler powers; my days of praise shall ne'er be past, while life, and thought, and being last, or immortality endures. Why should I make a man my trust? Princes must die and turn to dust; vain is the help of flesh and blood: their breath departs, their pomp, and power, and thoughts, all vanish in an hour, nor can they make their promise good. Happy the man whose hopes rely on Israel's God: he made the sky, and earth, and seas, with all their train; his truth for ever stands secure, he saves th'oppressed, he feeds the poor, and none shall find his promise vain. The Lord has eyes to give the blind; the Lord supports the sinking mind; he sends the laboring conscience peace; he helps the stranger in distress, the widow, and the fatherless, and grants the prisoner sweet release. He loves his saints, he knows them well, but turns the wicked down to hell; thy God, O Zion! ever reigns: Let every tongue, let every age, in this exalted work engage; praise him in everlasting strains. I'll praise him while he lends me breath, and when my voice is lost in death, praise shall employ my nobler powers; my days of praise shall ne'er be past, while life, and thought, and being last, or immortality endures. SECOND READING [Matthew 13:31-35, 44-52]: Jesus put before them another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.' He told them another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.' Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing. This was to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet: 'I will open my mouth to speak in parables; I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.' 'The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 'Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. 'Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 'Have you understood all this?' They answered, 'Yes.' And he said to them, 'Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.' The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: In your glory, Lord, protect us by the power of your name: that we may be one as you are one. We are in the world but not of it: protect us from the evil one. Give us your word and the full measure of your joy: sanctify us by your truth. May your Spirit unite us in the love and glory of Father and Son; we pray especially for your Church in the Diocese of may we be one that the world may believe. As you sent your Son into the world: so send us, to make your glory known. Lord God, King of the Universe, you show the bright glory of your reign in acts of mercy and enduring love: raise the spirits of the downcast and restore those who have fallen away, that your Church may continually sing of your saving help; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. God of all tribes and peoples and tongues, who called your servant John Coleridge Patteson to witness in life and death to the gospel of Christ amongst the peoples of Melanesia: grant us to hear your call to service and to respond trustfully and joyfully to Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Let your peace, O God, fill our hearts, our world, our universe. Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms and first collect are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer uses phrases from a hymn by Walter Farquahrson and a prayer by Satish Kumar. The closing prayer uses a sentence from the same prayer by Kumar. The intercession is from _Patterns for Worship_, material from which is included in this service is copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 1995. The second collect is from _Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England_, material from which is included in this service is copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2000. John Coleridge Patteson was born in London in 1827. He attended Balliol College, Oxford, and graduated in 1849. After a tour of Europe and a study of languages, he became a fellow of Merton College, Oxford, in 1852. In 1855, he heard Bishop George Selwyn of New Zealand (11 Apr) call for volunteers to go the South Pacific to preach the Gospel. He went there, and founded a school for the education of native Christian workers. He was adept at languages, and learned twenty-three of the languages spoken in the Polynesian and Melanesian Islands of the South Pacific. In 1861 he was consecrated Bishop of Melanesia. The slave-trade was technically illegal in the South Pacific at that time, but the laws were only laxly enforced and in fact slave-raiding was a flourishing business. Patteson was actively engaged in the effort to stamp it out. However, injured men do not always distinguish friends from foes. After slave-raiders had attacked the island of Nakapu, in the Santa Cruz group, Patteson and several companions visited the area. They were assumed to be connected with the raiders, and Patteson's body was floated back to his ship with five hatchet wounds in the chest, one for each native who had been killed in the earlier raid. The death of Bishop Patteson caused an uproar back in England, and stimulated the government there to take firm measures to stamp out slavery and the slave trade in its Pacific territories. It was also the seed of a strong and vigorous Church in Melanesia today. Patteson and his companions died on 20 September 1871. From steve.benner at oremus.org Sat Sep 20 17:00:00 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Sat, 20 Sep 2008 17:00:00 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 21 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080920170000.248DB31487D@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Sunday, September 21, 2008 Saint Matthew the Evangelist O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, God of love, for in Christ your Son you revealed your compassion for humankind and in mercy you invite sinners to sit at the banquet of your kingdom. We give you thanks for Matthew, who responded to the call of Christ and made him welcome in his house. Changed and renewed by the coming of the Lord, he dedicated himself to proclaiming your wonderful works of salvation. For these and all your mercies, we praise you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 65 You are to be praised, O God, in Zion;* to you shall vows be performed in Jerusalem. To you that hear prayer shall all flesh come,* because of their transgressions. Our sins are stronger than we are,* but you will blot them out. Happy are they whom you choose and draw to your courts to dwell there!* they will be satisfied by the beauty of your house, by the holiness of your temple. Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness, O God of our salvation,* O Hope of all the ends of the earth and of the seas that are far away. You make fast the mountains by your power;* they are girded about with might. You still the roaring of the seas,* the roaring of their waves, and the clamour of the peoples. Those who dwell at the ends of the earth will tremble at your marvellous signs;* you make the dawn and the dusk to sing for joy. You visit the earth and water it abundantly; you make it very plenteous;* the river of God is full of water. You prepare the grain,* for so you provide for the earth. You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges;* with heavy rain you soften the ground and bless its increase. You crown the year with your goodness,* and your paths overflow with plenty. May the fields of the wilderness be rich for grazing,* and the hills be clothed with joy. May the meadows cover themselves with flocks and the valleys cloak themselves with grain;* let them shout for joy and sing. A Song of the Lord's Anointed (Isaiah 61.1-3,11,6a) The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the year of the Lord's favour, to comfort all who mourn, To give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit, That they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. For as the earth puts forth her blossom, and as seeds in the garden spring up, So shall the Lord God make righteousness and praise blossom before all the nations. You shall be called priests of the Lord they shall speak of you as ministers of our God. Psalm 117 Alleluia! Praise the Lord, all you nations;* laud him, all you peoples. For his loving-kindness towards us is great,* and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever. Alleluia! FIRST READING [1 Chronicles 29:9-17]: Then the people rejoiced because these had given willingly, for with single mind they had offered freely to the Lord; King David also rejoiced greatly. Then David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly; David said: 'Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, for ever and ever. Yours, O Lord, are the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Riches and honour come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might; and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all. And now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise your glorious name. 'But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to make this freewill-offering? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. For we are aliens and transients before you, as were all our ancestors; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope. O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. I know, my God, that you search the heart, and take pleasure in uprightness; in the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you.' HYMN Words: (c) Timothy Dudley-Smith Tune: Es flog ein kleins Waldv"gelein http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/f/f260.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. >From all the wind's wide quarters, come, see the feast is spread, of soul-sustaining waters, of true and living bread; of sorrows long-departed, and joys beyond compare-- come, poor and humble-hearted, the feast of life to share! With mercy all-prevailing, God bids the wanderer come; in grace and peace unfailing invites the children home. With loving-kindness tender, God frees us from our sins-- in glory and in splendor the feast of life begins! Come, claim the promise spoken! God's purpose stands secure. The fruitful word unbroken shall evermore endure. All ancient bondage ended to sin's corrupting powers-- forgiven, freed, befriended, the feast of life is ours! SECOND READING [Romans 10:1-15]: Brothers and sisters, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. I can testify that they have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened. For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they have not submitted to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that 'the person who does these things will live by them.' But the righteousness that comes from faith says, 'Do not say in your heart, "Who will ascend into heaven?" ' (that is, to bring Christ down) 'or "Who will descend into the abyss?" ' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? 'The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart' (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, 'No one who believes in him will be put to shame.' For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!' The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: O God, your word has gone out to all the world through the witness of your Evangelists and your Church. Empower your Church always to proclaim the saving message of the Gospel. Strong Word of God, send us forth to proclaim your good news. May the Holy Spirit who inspired your evangelist Matthew be our guide into all truth. Strong Word of God, send us forth to proclaim your good news. Bless those who work through translation and publishing to make the faith more widely known. Strong Word of God, send us forth to proclaim your good news. May all our living fulfill the teaching of the Gospel. Strong Word of God, send us forth to proclaim your good news. Bless our reading of Scripture and lead us always into new paths of understanding. Strong Word of God, send us forth to proclaim your good news. May those who loved the word of truth in this world rejoice for ever in the presence of the living Word. Strong Word of God, send us forth to proclaim your good news. O Almighty God, whose blessed Son called Matthew the tax-collector to be an apostle and evangelist give us grace to forsake the selfish pursuit of gain and the possessive love of riches that we may follow in the way of your Son Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Give us grace to persevere in following Jesus, in whom is the pattern of true discipleship. Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer of thanksgiving is adapted by Stephen Benner from _We Give You Thanks and Praise: The Ambrosian Eucharistic Prefaces_, translated by Alan Griffiths, (c) The Canterbury Press Norwich, 1999. The intercession is adapted from a prayer in _Leading Intercessions_ by Raymond Chapman, 2000. The collect is from _Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England_, material from which is included in this service is copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2000. Hymn (c) 1985 by Hope Publishing Co., Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission. For permission to reproduce this hymn in all territories except the UK, Europe & Africa, contact: Hope Publishing Company, www.hopepublishing.com For UK, Europe & Africa: contact: Bishop Timothy Dudley-Smith, 9 Ashlands, Ford, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4 6DY England The closing sentence are adapted from collects in _Revised Common Lectionary Prayers_, copyright (c) 2002 Consultation on Common Texts One day Jesus was walking and saw a tax collector named Matthew sitting at a tax collection post, and said to him, "Follow me." And Matthew stood up and followed him, and became one of his twelve apostles. Tax collectors in those days were social outcasts. Devout Jews avoided them because they were usually dishonest (the job carried no salary, and they were expected to make their profits by cheating the people from whom they collected taxes). Patriotic and nationalistic Jews hated them because they were agents of the Roman government, the conquerors, and hated them with a double hatred if (like Matthew) they were Jews, because they had gone over to the enemy, had betrayed their own people for money. Thus, throughout the Gospels, we find tax collectors (publicans) mentioned as a standard type of sinful and despised outcast. Matthew brought many of his former associates to meet Jesus, and social outcasts in general were shown that the love of Jesus extended even to them. The name "Matthew" means "gift of the LORD." Mark and Luke, in the story of his calling, name him "Levi." Perhaps this was his original name, and he received a new name from Jesus when he became a disciple. (It has also been suggested that he was simply a member of the tribe of Levi.) Of Matthew's life after Pentecost the Scriptures tell us nothing. Later accounts of his life vary, some reporting that he was martyred, others that he died a natural death. The Christian community since early times has commemorated him as a martyr. Whether the Apostle Matthew is also the Evangelist Matthew -- that is, whether the Apostle Matthew wrote the Gospel that bears his name -- is disputed. The Gospel itself does not say who wrote it, but the designation "according to Matthew" is very old. [James Kiefer, abridged] From steve.benner at oremus.org Sun Sep 21 17:00:00 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 17:00:00 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 22 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080921170000.778E8314A8B@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Monday, September 22, 2008 Philander Chase, Bishop of Ohio and of Illinois, missionary, 1852 O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, God of miracles and of mercy, all creation sings your praise, for your grace is extravagant and unexpected. You lead us to repentance and the acceptance of your grace, that we may witness to your love, which embraces both those we call friend and those we call stranger. For these and all your mercies, we praise you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 33 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous;* it is good for the just to sing praises. Praise the Lord with the harp;* play to him upon the psaltery and lyre. Sing for him a new song;* sound a fanfare with all your skill upon the trumpet. For the word of the Lord is right,* and all his works are sure. He loves righteousness and justice;* the loving-kindness of the Lord fills the whole earth. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made,* by the breath of his mouth all the heavenly hosts. He gathers up the waters of the ocean as in a water-skin* and stores up the depths of the sea. Let all the earth fear the Lord;* let all who dwell in the world stand in awe of him. For he spoke and it came to pass;* he commanded and it stood fast. The Lord brings the will of the nations to naught;* he thwarts the designs of the peoples. But the Lord's will stands fast for ever,* and the designs of his heart from age to age. Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord!* happy the people he has chosen to be his own! The Lord looks down from heaven,* and beholds all the people in the world. >From where he sits enthroned he turns his gaze* on all who dwell on the earth. He fashions all the hearts of them* and understands all their works. There is no king that can be saved by a mighty army;* the strong are not delivered by great strength.nbsp; The horse is a vain hope for deliverance;* for all its strength it cannot save. Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear him,* on those who wait upon his love, To pluck their lives from death,* and to feed them in time of famine. Our soul waits for the Lord;* he is our help and our shield. Indeed, our heart rejoices in him,* for in his holy name we put our trust. Let your loving-kindness, O Lord, be upon us,* as we have put our trust in you. A Song of God's Grace (Ephesians 1.3-10) Blessed are you, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for you have blest us in Christ Jesus with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. You chose us to be yours in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before you. In love you destined us for adoption as your children, through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of your will, To the praise of your glorious grace, which you freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In you, we have redemption through the blood of Christ, the forgiveness of our sins, According to the riches of your grace, which you have lavished upon us. You have made known to us, in all wisdom and insight, the mystery of your will, According to your purpose which you set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, To unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth. Psalm 146 Alleluia! Praise the Lord, O my soul!* I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth,* for there is no help in them. When they breathe their last, they return to earth,* and in that day their thoughts perish. Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help!* whose hope is in the Lord their God; Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them;* who keeps his promise for ever; Who gives justice to those who are oppressed,* and food to those who hunger. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind;* the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous; the Lord cares for the stranger;* he sustains the orphan and widow, but frustrates the way of the wicked. The Lord shall reign for ever,* your God, O Zion, throughout all generations. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Job 12:13-22]: Job continued, 'With God are wisdom and strength; he has counsel and understanding. If he tears down, no one can rebuild; if he shuts someone in, no one can open up. If he withholds the waters, they dry up; if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land. With him are strength and wisdom; the deceived and the deceiver are his. He leads counsellors away stripped, and makes fools of judges. He looses the sash of kings, and binds a waistcloth on their loins. He leads priests away stripped, and overthrows the mighty. He deprives of speech those who are trusted, and takes away the discernment of the elders. He pours contempt on princes, and looses the belt of the strong. He uncovers the deeps out of darkness, and brings deep darkness to light.' HYMN Words: Mary Ann Faulkner Thomson, 1870 Tune: Tidings http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/o/o724.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. O Zion, haste, thy mission high fulfilling, to tell to all the world that God is Light; that he who made all nations is not willing one soul should fail to know his love and might. Refrain: Publish glad tidings: tidings of peace tidings of Jesus, redemption and release. Behold how many thousands still are lying bound in the darksome prison house of sin, with none to tell them of the Savior's dying, or of the life he died for them to win. Refrain 'Tis thine to save from peril of perdition the souls for whom the Lord his life laid down; beware lest, slothful to fulfill thy mission, thou lose one jewel that should deck his crown. Refrain Proclaim to every people, tongue, and nation that God, in whom they live and move, is Love; tell how he stooped to save his lost creation, and died on earth that all might live above. Refrain Give of thy sons to bear the message glorious; give of thy wealth to speed them on their way; pour out thy soul for them in prayer victorious till God shall bring his kingdom's joyful day. Refrain He comes again! O Zion, ere thou meet him, make known to every heart his saving grace; let none whom he hath ransomed fail to greet him, through thy neglect, unfit to see his face. Refrain SECOND READING [Matthew 13:53-14:12]: When Jesus had finished these parables, he left that place. He came to his home town and began to teach the people in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, 'Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?' And they took offence at him. But Jesus said to them, 'Prophets are not without honour except in their own country and in their own house.' And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief. At that time Herod the ruler heard reports about Jesus; and he said to his servants, 'This is John the Baptist; he has been raised from the dead, and for this reason these powers are at work in him.' For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because John had been telling him, 'It is not lawful for you to have her.' Though Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded him as a prophet. But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company, and she pleased Herod so much that he promised on oath to grant her whatever she might ask. Prompted by her mother, she said, 'Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.' The king was grieved, yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he commanded it to be given; he sent and had John beheaded in the prison. The head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, who brought it to her mother. His disciples came and took the body and buried it; then they went and told Jesus. The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: Merciful God, you give us every good gift. Hear our prayers which we now offer through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. We pray for your Church. May our divisions be healed, that we may go into the world proclaiming your Good News. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer. We pray for the physical and spiritual well-being of our family and friends, that they may rejoice in your mercy and love and share in your joy in your heavenly Kingdom. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer. We pray for those who work, especially those who are stressed or overwhelmed, that they may know you are their refuge and strength. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer. We pray for those who are persecuted for fighting for justice and liberty, that they may remember that you are the source of all things just and free. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer. Blessed are you, Creator of the universe: In your loving kindness you watch over your chosen people. Make us witnesses to your truth and instruments of your peace that all may know you as the God of justice, and praise your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen. Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith: We give you heartfelt thanks for the pioneering spirit of your servant Philander Chase, and for his zeal in opening new frontiers for the ministry of your Church. Grant us grace to minister in Christ's name in every place, led by bold witnesses to the Gospel of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Teach us your ways of justice, O Lord, and lead us to practice your generosity. Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer and closing prayer are adapted from _Revised Common Lectionary Prayers_, copyright (c) 2002 Consultation on Common Texts The intercession and second collect are by Stephen T. Benner. The first collect is from _Daily Prayer_, copyright (c) The Scottish Episcopal Church, 1998. Used with permission. http://www.scottishepiscopal.com Philander Chase was born in New Hampshire in 1775. He graduated from Dartmouth, and then entered the ministry in the Episcopal Church. He felt the calling to preaching on the frontier and so moved west. He became bishop of Ohio, and also founded Kenyon College, raising the necessary funds in England. He ran into conflicts, both in his diocese and in the college, and so resigned his positions and moved to Michigan. However, the newly-formed diocese of Illinois called him in 1835 to be its bishop, and he served in this position until his death. [http://satucket.com/] From steve.benner at oremus.org Mon Sep 22 17:00:00 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:00:00 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 23 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080922170000.4440B314856@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Tuesday, September 23, 2008 O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, God of miracles and of mercy, all creation sings your praise, for your grace is extravagant and unexpected. You lead us to repentance and the acceptance of your grace, that we may witness to your love, which embraces both those we call friend and those we call stranger. For these and all your mercies, we praise you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 39 I said, 'I will keep watch upon my ways,* so that I do not offend with my tongue. 'I will put a muzzle on my mouth* while the wicked are in my presence.' So I held my tongue and said nothing;* I refrained from rash words; but my pain became unbearable. My heart was hot within me; while I pondered, the fire burst into flame;* I spoke out with my tongue: Lord, let me know my end and the number of my days,* so that I may know how short my life is. You have given me a mere handful of days, and my lifetime is as nothing in your sight;* truly, even those who stand erect are but a puff of wind. We walk about like a shadow and in vain we are in turmoil;* we heap up riches and cannot tell who will gather them. And now, what is my hope?* O Lord, my hope is in you. Deliver me from all my transgressions* and do not make me the taunt of the fool. I fell silent and did not open my mouth,* for surely it was you that did it. Take your affliction from me;* I am worn down by the blows of your hand. With rebukes for sin you punish us; like a moth you eat away all that is dear to us;* truly, everyone is but a puff of wind. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry;* hold not your peace at my tears. For I am but a sojourner with you,* a wayfarer, as all my forebears were. Turn your gaze from me, that I may be glad again,* before I go my way and am no more. A Song of the Messiah (Isaiah 9.2,3b,4a,6,7) The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, upon them the light has dawned. You have increased their joy and given them great gladness; they rejoiced before you as with joy at the harvest. For you have shattered the yoke that burdened them; the collar that lay heavy on their shoulders. For to us a child is born and to us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder. And his name will be called: Wonderful Counsellor; the Mighty God; the Everlasting Father; the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and uphold it with justice and righteousness. >From this time forth and for evermore; the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. Psalm 147:1-12 Alleluia! How good it is to sing praises to our God!* how pleasant it is to honour him with praise! The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem;* he gathers the exiles of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted* and binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars* and calls them all by their names. Great is our Lord and mighty in power;* there is no limit to his wisdom. The Lord lifts up the lowly,* but casts the wicked to the ground. Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;* make music to our God upon the harp. He covers the heavens with clouds* and prepares rain for the earth; He makes grass to grow upon the mountains* and green plants to serve us all. He provides food for flocks and herds* and for the young ravens when they cry. He is not impressed by the might of a horse,* he has no pleasure in human strength; But the Lord has pleasure in those who fear him,* in those who await his gracious favour. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Job 14:1-14]: Job continued, 'A mortal, born of woman, few of days and full of trouble, comes up like a flower and withers, flees like a shadow and does not last. Do you fix your eyes on such a one? Do you bring me into judgement with you? Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one can. Since their days are determined, and the number of their months is known to you, and you have appointed the bounds that they cannot pass, look away from them, and desist, that they may enjoy, like labourers, their days. 'For there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease. Though its root grows old in the earth, and its stump dies in the ground, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth branches like a young plant. But mortals die, and are laid low; humans expire, and where are they? As waters fail from a lake, and a river wastes away and dries up, so mortals lie down and do not rise again; until the heavens are no more, they will not awake or be roused out of their sleep. O that you would hide me in Sheol, that you would conceal me until your wrath is past, that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me! If mortals die, will they live again? All the days of my service I would wait until my release should come. HYMN Words: Nahum Tate (1652-1715) and Nicholas Brady (1659-1726), 1696 Tune: Wiltshire http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/t/t657.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. Through all the changing scenes of life, in trouble and in joy, the praises of my God shall still my heart and tongue employ. O magnify the Lord with me, with me exalt his Name; when in distress to him I called, he to my rescue came. The hosts of God encamp around the dwellings of the just; deliverance he affords to all who on his succor trust. O make but trial of his love; experience will decide how blest are they, and only they who in his truth confide. Fear him, ye saints, and you will then have nothing else to fear; make you his service your delight; your wants shall be his care. For God preserves the souls of those who on his truth depend; to them and their posterity his blessing shall descend. SECOND READING [Matthew 14:13-21]: Now when Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, 'This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.' Jesus said to them, 'They need not go away; you give them something to eat.' They replied, 'We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.' And he said, 'Bring them here to me.' Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: Ever-present Spirit of God, as we abide with you and you with us, we cry out for our brothers and sisters: Healing Spirit, hear our prayer. For all who suffer want, loneliness or depression: Healing Spirit, hear our prayer. For racial, cultural and national groups who suffer prejudice, oppressive leaders or economic exploitation. Healing Spirit, hear our prayer. For the Church in those places where it suffers blindness, controversy, disorientation, persecution or change. Healing Spirit, hear our prayer. For those we have to tried to love and serve today. Healing Spirit, hear our prayer. God our hope, when we are troubled by fear and uncertainty, teach us to commit our lives to your care and to go forward on our pilgrimage, trusting in the knowledge of your love and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Teach us your ways of justice, O Lord, and lead us to practice your generosity. Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer and closing prayer are adapted from _Revised Common Lectionary Prayers_, copyright (c) 2002 Consultation on Common Texts The intercession is reprinted from _THE DAILY OFFICE: A Book of Hours of Daily Prayer after the Use of the Order of Saint Luke_, (c) 1997 by The Order of Saint Luke. Used by permission. The first collect is from _Daily Prayer_, copyright (c) The Scottish Episcopal Church, 1998. Used with permission. http://www.scottishepiscopal.com From steve.benner at oremus.org Tue Sep 23 17:00:00 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:00:00 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 24 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080923170000.822663145DB@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Wednesday, September 24, 2008 O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, God of miracles and of mercy, all creation sings your praise, for your grace is extravagant and unexpected. You lead us to repentance and the acceptance of your grace, that we may witness to your love, which embraces both those we call friend and those we call stranger. For these and all your mercies, we praise you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 50 The Lord, the God of gods, has spoken;* he has called the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. Out of Zion, perfect in its beauty,* God reveals himself in glory. Our God will come and will not keep silence;* before him there is a consuming flame, and round about him a raging storm. He calls the heavens and the earth from above* to witness the judgement of his people. 'Gather before me my loyal followers,* those who have made a covenant with me and sealed it with sacrifice.' Let the heavens declare the rightness of his cause;* for God himself is judge. Hear, O my people, and I will speak: 'O Israel, I will bear witness against you;* for I am God, your God. 'I do not accuse you because of your sacrifices;* your offerings are always before me. 'I will take no bull-calf from your stalls,* nor he-goats out of your pens; 'For the beasts of the forest are mine,* the herds in their thousands upon the hills. 'I know every bird in the sky,* and the creatures of the fields are in my sight. 'If I were hungry, I would not tell you,* for the whole world is mine and all that is in it. 'Do you think I eat the flesh of bulls,* or drink the blood of goats? 'Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving* and make good your vows to the Most High. 'Call upon me in the day of trouble;* I will deliver you and you shall honour me.' But to the wicked God says:* 'Why do you recite my statutes, and take my covenant upon your lips; 'Since you refuse discipline,* and toss my words behind your back? 'When you see a thief, you make him your friend,* and you cast in your lot with adulterers. 'You have loosed your lips for evil,* and harnessed your tongue to a lie. 'You are always speaking evil of your brother* and slandering your own mother's son. 'These things you have done and I kept still,* and you thought that I am like you. 'I have made my accusation;* I have put my case in order before your eyes. 'Consider this well, you who forget God,* lest I rend you and there be none to deliver you. 'Whoever offers me the sacrifice of thanksgiving honours me;* but to those who keep in my way will I show the salvation of God.' A Song of Praise (Revelation 4.11; 5.9b,10) You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power. For you have created all things, and by your will they have their being. You are worthy, O Lamb, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God, and they will reign with you on earth. Psalm 147:13-end Alleluia! Worship the Lord, O Jerusalem;* praise your God, O Zion; For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;* he has blessed your children within you. He has established peace on your borders;* he satisfies you with the finest wheat. He sends out his command to the earth,* and his word runs very swiftly. He gives snow like wool;* he scatters hoarfrost like ashes. He scatters his hail like bread crumbs;* who can stand against his cold? He sends forth his word and melts them;* he blows with his wind and the waters flow. He declares his word to Jacob,* his statutes and his judgements to Israel. He has not done so to any other nation;* to them he has not revealed his judgements. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Job 18:5-7, 14-21]: Then Bildad the Shuhite answered: 'Surely the light of the wicked is put out, and the flame of their fire does not shine. The light is dark in their tent, and the lamp above them is put out. Their strong steps are shortened, and their own schemes throw them down. They are torn from the tent in which they trusted, and are brought to the king of terrors. In their tents nothing remains; sulphur is scattered upon their habitations. Their roots dry up beneath, and their branches wither above. Their memory perishes from the earth, and they have no name in the street. They are thrust from light into darkness, and driven out of the world. They have no offspring or descendant among their people, and no survivor where they used to live. They of the west are appalled at their fate, and horror seizes those of the east. Surely such are the dwellings of the ungodly, such is the place of those who do not know God.' HYMN Words: Isaac Watts, 1714 Tune: Monmouth, Old 113th http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/i/i209.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. I'll praise my Maker while I've breath, and when my voice is lost in death, praise shall employ my nobler powers; my days of praise shall ne'er be past, while life, and thought, and being last, or immortality endures. Why should I make a man my trust? Princes must die and turn to dust; vain is the help of flesh and blood: their breath departs, their pomp, and power, and thoughts, all vanish in an hour, nor can they make their promise good. Happy the man whose hopes rely on Israel's God: he made the sky, and earth, and seas, with all their train; his truth for ever stands secure, he saves th'oppressed, he feeds the poor, and none shall find his promise vain. The Lord has eyes to give the blind; the Lord supports the sinking mind; he sends the laboring conscience peace; he helps the stranger in distress, the widow, and the fatherless, and grants the prisoner sweet release. He loves his saints, he knows them well, but turns the wicked down to hell; thy God, O Zion! ever reigns: Let every tongue, let every age, in this exalted work engage; praise him in everlasting strains. I'll praise him while he lends me breath, and when my voice is lost in death, praise shall employ my nobler powers; my days of praise shall ne'er be past, while life, and thought, and being last, or immortality endures. SECOND READING [Matthew 14:13-21]: Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking towards them on the lake. But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, 'It is a ghost!' And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, 'Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.' Peter answered him, 'Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.' He said, 'Come.' So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, 'You of little faith, why did you doubt?' When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, 'Truly you are the Son of God.' When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. After the people of that place recognized him, they sent word throughout the region and brought all who were sick to him, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed. The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: Bountiful God, you give us every good gift; hear us as we offer our prayers to you. We pray for our family and friends and for all who are dear to us, that in following you and rejoicing in your mercy, they may share in your joy for ever. Bountiful God, hear our prayer. We pray for those who are worn by their work, for older persons and for children, that they may know you are the strength of the weak and the refuge of the distressed. Bountiful God, hear our prayer. We pray for all who follow Christ, that they may grow in their sense of discipleship and calling to proclaim the Good News to others. Bountiful God, hear our prayer. We pray for all in the medical professions, that they may work wisely to promote health, knowing that you are source of all healing. Bountiful God, hear our prayer. We pray for all who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness and for all who are oppressed, that they may gain the true liberation which comes from you alone. Bountiful God, hear our prayer. Give to us, O God, a heart of joy, that rests in your peace and a soul of tranquility that delights in your beauty; a spirit of glory that sings your praise, a life of serenity at home in your presence and a mind of quietness renewed by your Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Teach us your ways of justice, O Lord, and lead us to practice your generosity. Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer and closing prayer are adapted from _Revised Common Lectionary Prayers_, copyright (c) 2002 Consultation on Common Texts The intercession is by Stephen Benner and the collect is by Evelyn Underhill. From steve.benner at oremus.org Wed Sep 24 17:00:00 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:00:00 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 25 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080924170000.69F78314627@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Thursday, September 25, 2008 Lancelot Andrewes, Bishop of Winchester, Spiritual Writer, 1626 O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, God of miracles and of mercy, all creation sings your praise, for your grace is extravagant and unexpected. You lead us to repentance and the acceptance of your grace, that we may witness to your love, which embraces both those we call friend and those we call stranger. For these and all your mercies, we praise you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 73 Truly, God is good to Israel,* to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had nearly slipped;* I had almost tripped and fallen; Because I envied the proud* and saw the prosperity of the wicked: For they suffer no pain,* and their bodies are sleek and sound; In the misfortunes of others they have no share;* they are not afflicted as others are; Therefore they wear their pride like a necklace* and wrap their violence about them like a cloak. Their iniquity comes from gross minds,* and their hearts overflow with wicked thoughts. They scoff and speak maliciously;* out of their haughtiness they plan oppression. They set their mouths against the heavens,* and their evil speech runs through the world. And so the people turn to them* and find in them no fault. They say, 'How should God know?* is there knowledge in the Most High?' So then, these are the wicked;* always at ease, they increase their wealth. In vain have I kept my heart clean,* and washed my hands in innocence. I have been afflicted all day long,* and punished every morning. Had I gone on speaking this way,* I should have betrayed the generation of your children. When I tried to understand these things,* it was too hard for me; Until I entered the sanctuary of God* and discerned the end of the wicked. Surely, you set them in slippery places;* you cast them down in ruin. O how suddenly do they come to destruction,* come to an end and perish from terror! Like a dream when one awakens, O Lord,* when you arise you will make their image vanish. When my mind became embittered,* I was sorely wounded in my heart. I was stupid and had no understanding;* I was like a brute beast in your presence. Yet I am always with you;* you hold me by my right hand. You will guide me by your counsel,* and afterwards receive me with glory. Whom have I in heaven but you?* and having you I desire nothing upon earth. Though my flesh and my heart should waste away,* God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever. Truly, those who forsake you will perish;* you destroy all who are unfaithful. But it is good for me to be near God;* I have made the Lord God my refuge. I will speak of all your works* in the gates of the city of Zion. A Song of Tobit (Tobit 13.1,3,4-6a) Blessed be God, who lives for ever, whose reign endures throughout all ages. Declare God's praise before the nations, you who are the children of Israel. For if our God has scattered you among them, there too has he shown you his greatness. Exalt him in the sight of the living, because he is our Lord and God and our Father for ever. Though God punishes you for your wickedness, mercy will be shown to you all. God will gather you from every nation, from wherever you have been scattered. When you turn to the Lord with all your heart and soul, God will hide his face from you no more. See what the Lord has done for you and give thanks with a loud voice. Praise the Lord of righteousness and exalt the King of the ages. Psalm 148 Alleluia! Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise him in the heights. Praise him, all you angels of his;* praise him, all his host. Praise him, sun and moon;* praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, heaven of heavens,* and you waters above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord;* for he commanded and they were created. He made them stand fast for ever and ever;* he gave them a law which shall not pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth,* you sea-monsters and all deeps; Fire and hail, snow and fog,* tempestuous wind, doing his will; Mountains and all hills,* fruit trees and all cedars; Wild beasts and all cattle,* creeping things and winged birds; Kings of the earth and all peoples,* princes and all rulers of the world; Young men and maidens,* old and young together. Let them praise the name of the Lord,* for his name only is exalted, his splendour is over earth and heaven. He has raised up strength for his people and praise for all his loyal servants,* the children of Israel, a people who are near him. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Job 21:7-20, 29-33]: Then Job answered: Why do the wicked live on, reach old age, and grow mighty in power? Their children are established in their presence, and their offspring before their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear, and no rod of God is upon them. Their bull breeds without fail; their cow calves and never miscarries. They send out their little ones like a flock, and their children dance around. They sing to the tambourine and the lyre, and rejoice to the sound of the pipe. They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol. They say to God, "Leave us alone! We do not desire to know your ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him?" Is not their prosperity indeed their own achievement? The plans of the wicked are repugnant to me. 'How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? How often does calamity come upon them? How often does God distribute pains in his anger? How often are they like straw before the wind, and like chaff that the storm carries away? You say, "God stores up their iniquity for their children." Let it be paid back to them, so that they may know it. Let their own eyes see their destruction, and let them drink of the wrath of the Almighty. Have you not asked those who travel the roads, and do you not accept their testimony, that the wicked are spared on the day of calamity, and are rescued on the day of wrath? Who declares their way to their face, and who repays them for what they have done? When they are carried to the grave, a watch is kept over their tomb. The clods of the valley are sweet to them; everyone will follow after, and those who went before are innumerable. HYMN Words: Margaret Clarkson (c) Tune: Blaenwern, Nettleton http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/l/l480.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. Lord, we hear your word with gladness: you have spoken we rejoice: words of love and life and freedom help us make their truth our choice! Now in holy celebration for your Word we worship you; spoken, written, known in Jesus, ours today to prove anew. May we hear with understanding, by your Spirit taught and led; may the springs of all our being by your living Word be fed; may our hearts accept with meekness all the grace your light makes known; may obedience mark our footsteps till we make each word our own! You have spoken; yours the fullness, ours the wealth of this your Word: debtors, then as living letters, we must make our gospel heard! By your Spirit's power transform us; shed your saving light abroad till our lives by love in action show our world the truth of God! SECOND READING [Matthew 15:1-20]: Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 'Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat.' He answered them, 'And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, "Honour your father and your mother," and, "Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die." But you say that whoever tells father or mother, "Whatever support you might have had from me is given to God", then that person need not honour the father. So, for the sake of your tradition, you make void the word of God. You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied rightly about you when he said: "This people honours me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines." ' Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, 'Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.' Then the disciples approached and said to him, 'Do you know that the Pharisees took offence when they heard what you said?' He answered, 'Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.' But Peter said to him, 'Explain this parable to us.' Then he said, 'Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.' The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: Blessed art Thou, 0 Lord, Our God, the God of our Fathers; Who turnest the shadow of death into the morning; and lightenest the face of the earth; Who separatest darkness from the face of the light ; and banishest night and bringest back the day; Who lightenest mine eyes, that I sleep not in death; Who deliverest me from the terror by night, from the pestilence that walketh in darkness; Who drivest sleep from mine eyes, and slumber from mine eyelids; Who makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to praise Thee; because I laid me down and slept and rose up again, for the Lord sustained me; because I waked and beheld, and my sleep was sweet unto me. Blot out as a thick cloud my transgressions, and as a cloud my sins; grant me to be a child of light, a child of the day, to walk soberly, holily, honestly, as in the day, vouchsafe to keep me this day without sin. Thou who upholdest the falling and liftest the fallen, let me not harden my heart in provocation, or temptation or deceitfulness of any sin. Moreover, deliver me to-day from the snare of the hunter and from the noisome pestilence; from the arrow that flieth by day, from the sickness that destroyeth in the noon day. Defend this day against my evil, against the evil of this day defend Thou me. Let not my days be .spent in vanity, nor my years in sorrow. One day teileth another, and one night certifierh another. 0 let me hear Thy loving-kindness betimes in the morning, for in Thee is my trust; shew Thou me the way that I should walk in, for I lift up my soul unto Thee. Deliver me, 0 Lord, from mine enemies, for I flee unto Thee. Teach me to do the thing that pleaseth Thee, for Thou art my God: let Thy loving Spirit 1ead me forth into the land of righteousness. Quicken me, 0 Lord, for Thy Name's sake, and for Thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble: remove from me foolish imaginations, inspire those which are good and pleasing in Thy sight. Turn awav mine eyes lest they behold vanitv : let mine eyes look right on, and let mine eyelids look straight before me. Hedge up mine ears with thorns lest they incline to undisciplined words. Give me early the ear to hear, and open mine ears to the instruction of Thy oracles. Set a watch, 0 Lord, before my mouth, and keep the door of my lips. Let my word be seasoned with salt, that it may minister grace to the hearers. Let no deed be grief unto me nor offence of heart. Let me do some work for which Thou wilt remember me, Lord, for good, and spare me according to the greatness of Thv mercy. Into Thine hands I commend mv spirit, soul, and body, which Thou hast created, redeemed, regenerated, 0 Lord, Thou God of truth: and together with me all mine and all that belongs to me. Thou hast vouchsafed them to me, Lord, in Thy goodness. Guard us from all evil, guard our souls, I beseech Thee, 0 Lord. Guard us without falling, and place us immaculate in the presence of Thy glory in that day. Guard my going out and my coming in henceforth and for ever. Prosper, I pray Thee, Thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of those who meet him. 0 God, make speed to save me, 0 Lord, make haste to help me. 0 turn Thee then unto me, and have mercy upon me; give Thy strength unto Thy servant, and help the son of Thine handmaid. Show some token upon me for good, that they who hate me may see it and be ashamed, because Thou, Lord, hast holpen me and comforted me. Amen. Lord God, who gave to Lancelot Andrewes many gifts of your Holy Spirit, making him a man of prayer and a pastor of your people: perfect in us that which is lacking in your gifts, of faith, to increase it, of hope, to establish it, of love, to kindle it, that we may live in the light of your grace and glory; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Teach us your ways of justice, O Lord, and lead us to practice your generosity. Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer and closing prayer are adapted from _Revised Common Lectionary Prayers_, copyright (c) 2002 Consultation on Common Texts Hymn (c) 1987 by Hope Publishing Co., Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission. For permission to reproduce this hymn, contact: Hope Publishing Company, www.hopepublishing.com The intercession is a commendation by Lancelot Andrewes. The second collect is from _Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England_, material from which is included in this service is copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2000. Lancelot Andrewes (1555-1626), Bishop of Winchester, was on the committee of scholars that produced the King James Translation of the Bible, and probably contributed more to that work than any other single person. It is accordingly no surprise to find him not only a devout writer but a learned and eloquent one, a master of English prose, and learned in Latin, Greek, Hebrew and eighteen other languages. His sermons were popular in his own day, but are perhaps too academic for most modern readers. He prepared for his own use a manuscript notebook of Private Prayers, which was published after his death. The material was apparently intended, not to be read aloud, but to serve as a guide and stimulus to devout meditation. [James Kiefer, abridged] From steve.benner at oremus.org Thu Sep 25 17:00:00 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:00:00 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 26 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080925170000.56C84314594@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Friday, September 26, 2008 Wilson Carlile, Founder of the Church Army, 1942 O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, God of miracles and of mercy, all creation sings your praise, for your grace is extravagant and unexpected. You lead us to repentance and the acceptance of your grace, that we may witness to your love, which embraces both those we call friend and those we call stranger. For these and all your mercies, we praise you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 85 You have been gracious to your land, O Lord,* you have restored the good fortune of Jacob. You have forgiven the iniquity of your people* and blotted out all their sins. You have withdrawn all your fury* and turned yourself from your wrathful indignation. Restore us then, O God our Saviour;* let your anger depart from us. Will you be displeased with us for ever?* will you prolong your anger from age to age? Will you not give us life again,* that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your mercy, O Lord,* and grant us your salvation. I will listen to what the Lord God is saying,* for he is speaking peace to his faithful people and to those who turn their hearts to him. Truly, his salvation is very near to those who fear him,* that his glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth have met together;* righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring up from the earth,* and righteousness shall look down from heaven. The Lord will indeed grant prosperity,* and our land will yield its increase. Righteousness shall go before him,* and peace shall be a pathway for his feet. Psalm 86 Bow down your ear, O Lord, and answer me,* for I am poor and in misery. Keep watch over my life, for I am faithful;* save your servant who trusts in you. Be merciful to me, O Lord, for you are my God;* I call upon you all the day long. Gladden the soul of your servant,* for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,* and great is your love towards all who call upon you. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer,* and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the time of my trouble I will call upon you,* for you will answer me. Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord,* nor anything like your works. All nations you have made will come and worship you, O Lord,* and glorify your name. For you are great; you do wondrous things;* and you alone are God. Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth;* knit my heart to you that I may fear your name. I will thank you, O Lord my God, with all my heart,* and glorify your name for evermore. For great is your love towards me;* you have delivered me from the nethermost Pit. The arrogant rise up against me, O God, and a violent band seeks my life;* they have not set you before their eyes. But you, O Lord, are gracious and full of compassion,* slow to anger and full of kindness and truth. Turn to me and have mercy upon me;* give your strength to your servant; and save the child of your handmaid. Show me a sign of your favour, so that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed;* because you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me. The Song of Christ's Glory (Philippians 2.5-11) Christ Jesus was in the form of God, but he did not cling to equality with God. He emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, and was born in our human likeness. Being found in human form he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him, and bestowed on him the name above every name, That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth; And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Psalm 149 Alleluia! Sing to the Lord a new song;* sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful. Let Israel rejoice in his maker;* let the children of Zion be joyful in their king. Let them praise his name in the dance;* let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp. For the Lord takes pleasure in his people* and adorns the poor with victory. Let the faithful rejoice in triumph;* let them be joyful on their beds. Let the praises of God be in their throat* and a two-edged sword in their hand; To wreak vengeance on the nations* and punishment on the peoples; To bind their kings in chains* and their nobles with links of iron; To inflict on them the judgement decreed;* this is glory for all his faithful people. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Job 24:1-4, 12-20]: Job answered: 'Why are times not kept by the Almighty, and why do those who know him never see his days? The wicked remove landmarks; they seize flocks and pasture them. They drive away the donkey of the orphan; they take the widow's ox for a pledge. They thrust the needy off the road; the poor of the earth all hide themselves. >From the city the dying groan, and the throat of the wounded cries for help; yet God pays no attention to their prayer. 'There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths. The murderer rises at dusk to kill the poor and needy, and in the night is like a thief. The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight, saying, "No eye will see me"; and he disguises his face. In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves up; they do not know the light. For deep darkness is morning to all of them; for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness. 'Swift are they on the face of the waters; their portion in the land is cursed; no treader turns towards their vineyards. Drought and heat snatch away the snow-waters; so does Sheol those who have sinned. The womb forgets them; the worm finds them sweet; they are no longer remembered; so wickedness is broken like a tree.' HYMN Words: Sabine Baring-Gould, 1864 Tune: St. Gertrude http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/o/o812.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before! Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe; forward into battle, see, his banners go. Refrain: Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before! At the sign of triumph Satan's host doth flee; on then, Christian soldiers, on to victory! Hell's foundations quiver at the shout of praise; Brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise. Refrain Like a mighty army moves the Church of God; Brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod; we are not divided, all one body we, one in hope and doctrine, one in charity. Refrain What the saints established that I hold for true. what the saints believ?d, that I believe too. Long as earth endureth, men the faith will hold, kingdoms, nations, empires, in destruction rolled. Refrain Crown and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane, but the Church of Jesus constant will remain; gates of hell can never 'gainst that Church prevail; we have Christ's own promise, and that cannot fail. Refrain Onward, then, ye people, join our happy throng; blend with ours your voices in the triumph song: glory, laud, and honor, unto Christ the King; this through countless ages men and angels sing. Refrain SECOND READING [Matthew 15:21-end]: Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, 'Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.' But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, 'Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.' He answered, 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.' But she came and knelt before him, saying, 'Lord, help me.' He answered, 'It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs.' She said, 'Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.' Then Jesus answered her, 'Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.' And her daughter was healed instantly. After Jesus had left that place, he passed along the Sea of Galilee, and he went up the mountain, where he sat down. Great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the mute, and many others. They put them at his feet, and he cured them, so that the crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 'I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.' The disciples said to him, 'Where are we to get enough bread in the desert to feed so great a crowd?' Jesus asked them, 'How many loaves have you?' They said, 'Seven, and a few small fish.' Then ordering the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish; and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all of them ate and were filled; and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. Those who had eaten were four thousand men, besides women and children. After sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan. The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: Beginning and End of all things, we bless you for the present that is ever yielding to your new heaven and new earth. For all the means of grace, we praise you, O Lord. For every prompting of your Spirit we praise you, O Lord. We yield our cares to your unceasing mercy: Attend the sick and the suffering, In your mercy, Lord, hear us. Touch the dying: In your mercy, Lord, hear us. Claim the newborn: In your mercy, Lord, hear us. Shelter the homeless: In your mercy, Lord, hear us. Sing in the fearful: In your mercy, Lord, hear us. Chasten the arrogant and powerful: In your mercy, Lord, hear us. Lift up the lowly: In your mercy, Lord, hear us. Center the Church: In your mercy, Lord, hear us. Grant peace to Jerusalem and every people: In your mercy, Lord, hear us. Shape our lives by the mystery of Christ crucified, risen and interceding for us: In your mercy, Lord, hear us. God of grace, you loved the world so much that you gave your only Son to be our Savior. Help us to rejoice in our salvation by showing mercy and truth, and by walking in the way of righteousness and peace. We ask this in his Name and for his sake. Amen. Almighty God, by whose grace Wilson Carlile, kindled with the fire of your love, became a burning and a shining light in the Church: inflame us with the same spirit of discipline and love, that we may ever walk before you as children of light; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Teach us your ways of justice, O Lord, and lead us to practice your generosity. Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer and closing prayer are adapted from _Revised Common Lectionary Prayers_, copyright (c) 2002 Consultation on Common Texts The intercession is reprinted from _THE DAILY OFFICE: A Book of Hours of Daily Prayer after the Use of the Order of Saint Luke_, (c) 1997 by The Order of Saint Luke. Used by permission. The first collect is from _Daily Prayer_, copyright (c) The Scottish Episcopal Church, 1998. Used with permission. http://www.scottishepiscopal.com The second collect is from _Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England_, material from which is included in this service is copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2000. Wilson Carlile was born in 1847 in Brixton. He suffered from a spinal weakness all his life, which hampered his education. He entered his grandfather's business at the age of thirteen but soon moved on and learned French fluently, which he used to good advantage in France trading in silk. He later learned German and Italian to enhance his business but was ruined in the slump of 1873. After a serious illness, he began to treat his religion more seriously and became confirmed in the Church of England. He acted as organist to Ira D Sankey during the Moody and Sankey missions and, in 1881, was ordained priest, serving his curacy at St Mary Abbots in Kensington, together with a dozen other curates. The lack of contact between the Church and the working classes was a cause of real concern to him and he began outdoor preaching. In 1882, he resigned his curacy and founded the Church Army, four years after the founding of the Salvation Army. Under his influence it thrived and he continued to take part in its administration until a few weeks before his death on this day in 1942. [Exciting Holiness] From steve.benner at oremus.org Fri Sep 26 17:00:00 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2008 17:00:00 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 27 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080926170000.73B2431ACE9@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Saturday, September 27, 2008 O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, God of miracles and of mercy, all creation sings your praise, for your grace is extravagant and unexpected. You lead us to repentance and the acceptance of your grace, that we may witness to your love, which embraces both those we call friend and those we call stranger. For these and all your mercies, we praise you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 98 Sing to the Lord a new song,* for he has done marvellous things. With his right hand and his holy arm* has he won for himself the victory. The Lord has made known his victory;* his righteousness has he openly shown in the sight of the nations. He remembers his mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel,* and all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. Shout with joy to the Lord, all you lands;* lift up your voice, rejoice and sing. Sing to the Lord with the harp,* with the harp and the voice of song. With trumpets and the sound of the horn* shout with joy before the King, the Lord. Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it,* the lands and those who dwell therein. Let the rivers clap their hands,* and let the hills ring out with joy before the Lord, when he comes to judge the earth. In righteousness shall he judge the world,* and the peoples with equity. A Song of God's Herald (Isaiah 40:9-11) Go up to a high mountain, herald of good tidings to Zion; lift up your voice with strength, herald of good tidings to Jerusalem. Lift up your voice, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, 'Behold your God!' See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him. Behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. God will feed his flock like a shepherd, and gather the lambs in his arms; He will carry them in his breast, and gently lead those that are with young. Psalm 150 Alleluia! Praise God in his holy temple;* praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts;* praise him for his excellent greatness. Praise him with the blast of the ram's-horn;* praise him with lyre and harp. Praise him with timbrel and dance;* praise him with strings and pipe. Praise him with resounding cymbals;* praise him with loud-clanging cymbals. Let everything that has breath* praise the Lord. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Job 25:2-6; 26:6-14]: Bildad the Shuhite answered: 'Dominion and fear are with God; he makes peace in his high heaven. Is there any number to his armies? Upon whom does his light not arise? How then can a mortal be righteous before God? How can one born of woman be pure? If even the moon is not bright and the stars are not pure in his sight, how much less a mortal, who is a maggot, and a human being, who is a worm!' And Job answered: 'Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has no covering. He stretches out Zaphon over the void, and hangs the earth upon nothing. He binds up the waters in his thick clouds, and the cloud is not torn open by them. He covers the face of the full moon, and spreads over it his cloud. He has described a circle on the face of the waters, at the boundary between light and darkness. The pillars of heaven tremble, and are astounded at his rebuke. By his power he stilled the Sea; by his understanding he struck down Rahab. By his wind the heavens were made fair; his hand pierced the fleeing serpent. These are indeed but the outskirts of his ways; and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?' HYMN Words: Words: Jean-Baptiste de Sante?il, 1686; trans. Isaac Williams, 1836, Tune: Hanover, Old 104th http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/d/d054.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. Disposer supreme, and Judge of the earth, who choosest for thine the weak and the poor; to frail earthen vessels, and things of no worth, entrusting thy riches which ay shall endure. Those vessels soon fail, though full of thy light, and at thy decree are broken and gone; thence brightly appeareth the arm of thy might, as through the clouds breaking the lightnings have shone. Like clouds are they borne to do thy great will, and swift as the winds about the world go: the Word with his wisdom their spirits doth fill; they thunder, they lighten, the waters o'erflow. Their sound goeth forth, "Christ Jesus is Lord!" Then Satan doth fear, his citadels fall; as when the dread trumpets went forth at thy word, and on the ground lieth the Canaanite's wall. O loud be their trump, and stirring their sound, to rouse us, O Lord, from sin's deadly sleep. May lights which thou kindlest in darkness around the dull soul awaken her vigils to keep! All honor and praise, dominion and might, to God, Three in One, eternally be, who round us hath shed his own marvelous light, and called us from darkness his glory to see. SECOND READING [Matthew 16:1-12]: The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test Jesus they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, 'When it is evening, you say, "It will be fair weather, for the sky is red." And in the morning, "It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening." You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.' Then he left them and went away. When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. Jesus said to them, 'Watch out, and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.' They said to one another, 'It is because we have brought no bread.' And becoming aware of it, Jesus said, 'You of little faith, why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? How could you fail to perceive that I was not speaking about bread? Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!' Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: God of all time, we bless you for the gift of this day and for our hope in Christ Jesus. In the midst of all that demands our attention, free us to love you with all our hearts and to love the world with your mercy and justice. Let our love be genuine: Kyrie eleison Let our affections be tempered with holiness: Kyrie eleison Let our desires be shaped by the vision of a new heaven and a new earth: Kyrie eleison Let our actions reflect the balance of love for your reign in all things: Kyrie eleison Let our perceptions and feelings be ordered by the hope we have in Christ: Kyrie eleison Lord God, just and true, you make your salvation known in the sight of the nations; let the song of our hearts echo the music of your creation, as you come among us to judge the earth in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Teach us your ways of justice, O Lord, and lead us to practice your generosity. Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle and collect are from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer and closing prayer are adapted from _Revised Common Lectionary Prayers_, copyright (c) 2002 Consultation on Common Texts The intercession is reprinted from _THE DAILY OFFICE: A Book of Hours of Daily Prayer after the Use of the Order of Saint Luke_, (c) 1997 by The Order of Saint Luke. Used by permission. From steve.benner at oremus.org Sat Sep 27 17:00:00 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2008 17:00:00 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 28 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080927170000.3C4193152D3@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Sunday, September 28, 2008 The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, God of our salvation, we falter before the demands of your word and turn away from your call to life. Yet you pour out your mercy on us as you showed mercy to your people of old, that we may turn from our sinfulness and walk the path of self-emptying love made known in Jesus Christ. For these and all your mercies, we praise you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 80 Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock;* shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim. In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh,* stir up your strength and come to help us. Restore us, O God of hosts;* show the light of your countenance and we shall be saved. O Lord God of hosts,* how long will you be angered despite the prayers of your people? You have fed them with the bread of tears;* you have given them bowls of tears to drink. You have made us the derision of our neighbours,* and our enemies laugh us to scorn. Restore us, O God of hosts;* show the light of your countenance and we shall be saved. You have brought a vine out of Egypt;* you cast out the nations and planted it. You prepared the ground for it;* it took root and filled the land. The mountains were covered by its shadow* and the towering cedar trees by its boughs. You stretched out its tendrils to the Sea* and its branches to the River. Why have you broken down its wall,* so that all who pass by pluck off its grapes? The wild boar of the forest has ravaged it,* and the beasts of the field have grazed upon it. Turn now, O God of hosts, look down from heaven; behold and tend this vine;* preserve what your right hand has planted. They burn it with fire like rubbish;* at the rebuke of your countenance let them perish. Let your hand be upon the man of your right hand,* the son of man you have made so strong for yourself. And so will we never turn away from you;* give us life, that we may call upon your name. Restore us, O Lord God of hosts;* show the light of your countenance and we shall be saved. Benedicite (The Song of the Three 35-65) Bless the Lord all you works of the Lord: sing his praise and exalt him for ever. Bless the Lord you heavens: sing his praise and exalt him for ever. Bless the Lord you angels of the Lord: bless the Lord all you his hosts; bless the Lord you waters above the heavens: sing his praise and exalt him for ever. Bless the Lord sun and moon: bless the Lord you stars of heaven; bless the Lord all rain and dew: sing his praise and exalt him for ever. Bless the Lord all winds that blow: bless the Lord you fire and heat; bless the Lord scorching wind and bitter cold: sing his praise and exalt him for ever. Bless the Lord dews and falling snows: bless the Lord you nights and days; bless the Lord light and darkness: sing his praise and exalt him for ever. Bless the Lord frost and cold: bless the Lord you ice and snow; bless the Lord lightnings and clouds: sing his praise and exalt him for ever. O let the earth bless the Lord: bless the Lord you mountains and hills; bless the Lord all that grows in the ground: sing his praise and exalt him for ever. Bless the Lord you springs: bless the Lord you seas and rivers; bless the Lord you whales and all that swim in the waters: sing his praise and exalt him for ever. Bless the Lord all birds of the air: bless the Lord you beasts and cattle; bless the Lord all people on earth: sing his praise and exalt him for ever. O people of God bless the Lord: bless the Lord you priests of the Lord; bless the Lord you servants of the Lord: sing his praise and exalt him for ever. Bless the Lord all you of upright spirit: bless the Lord you that are holy and humble in heart. Psalm 117 Alleluia! Praise the Lord, all you nations;* laud him, all you peoples. For his loving-kindness towards us is great,* and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Jeremiah 5:7-19]: How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me, and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of prostitutes. They were well-fed lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbour's wife. Shall I not punish them for these things? says the Lord; and shall I not bring retribution on a nation such as this? Go up through her vine-rows and destroy, but do not make a full end; strip away her branches, for they are not the Lord's. For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly faithless to me, says the Lord. They have spoken falsely of the Lord, and have said, 'He will do nothing. No evil will come upon us, and we shall not see sword or famine.' The prophets are nothing but wind, for the word is not in them. Thus shall it be done to them! Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts: Because they have spoken this word, I am now making my words in your mouth a fire, and this people wood, and the fire shall devour them. I am going to bring upon you a nation from far away, O house of Israel, says the Lord. It is an enduring nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say. Their quiver is like an open tomb; all of them are mighty warriors. They shall eat up your harvest and your food; they shall eat up your sons and your daughters; they shall eat up your flocks and your herds; they shall eat up your vines and your fig trees; they shall destroy with the sword your fortified cities in which you trust. But even in those days, says the Lord, I will not make a full end of you. And when your people say, 'Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?' you shall say to them, 'As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve strangers in a land that is not yours.' HYMN Words: John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892), 1867 Tune: Bishopthorpe (Jeremiah Clarke, 1743-1809) http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/i/i226.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. Immortal love, forever full, forever flowing free, forever shared, forever whole, a never ebbing sea! Our outward lips confess the name all other names above; love only knoweth whence it came, and comprehendeth love. We may not climb the heavenly steeps to bring the Lord Christ down; In vain we search the lowest deeps, for him no depths can drown. But warm, sweet, tender, even yet, a present help is he; and faith still has its Olivet, and love its Galilee. The healing of his seamless dress is by our beds of pain; we touch him in life's throng and press, and we are whole again. Through him the first fond prayers are said our lips of childhood frame, the last low whispers of our dead are burdened with his Name. O Lord and Master of us all, whate'er our name or sign, we own thy sway, we hear thy call, we test our lives by thine. SECOND READING [2 Corinthians 13]: This is the third time I am coming to you. 'Any charge must be sustained by the evidence of two or three witnesses.' I warned those who sinned previously and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again, I will not be lenient since you desire proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful in you. For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God. Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you? unless, indeed, you fail to pass the test! I hope you will find out that we have not failed. But we pray to God that you may not do anything wrong not that we may appear to have passed the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. For we rejoice when we are weak and you are strong. This is what we pray for, that you may become perfect. So I write these things while I am away from you, so that when I come, I may not have to be severe in using the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down. Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: We are called to be united in conviction and in love. Together let us bring our prayers to the Lord. We pray for those affected by the financial problems in our world today; for all those whose homes, jobs and security are threatened: may we learn to work together for the common good. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. We pray in this harvest season for farmers and all who work on the land and to bring food to our table: may we always be thankful to the Lord for all his gifts, and may we strive for a fairer sharing of the world's resources. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. We pray, as we prepare for the work of the agencies who work to bring aid to those who live in poverty: may we be generous in our giving to our brothers and sisters in need. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. We pray for those children in China whose health has been damaged by contaminated milk, and for their families: may they have the support and care they need to recover. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. We pray for all those killed in the shootings in Finland this week, and for their families and friends: may they know peace with God. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Heavenly Father, in his great love your Son Jesus Christ accepted death on the cross for our salvation. We ask you to hear the prayers that we make through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. Grant, O merciful God, that your people may have that mind that was in Christ Jesus, who emptied himself, and took the form of a servant, and in humility became obedient even to death. For you have highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, Jesus Christ, the Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in everlasting glory. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Pour out your Spirit, O God, over all the world, to inspire every heart with knowledge and love of you. Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer is adapted from _Revised Common Lectionary Prayers_, copyright (c) 2002 Consultation on Common Texts. The closing prayer use phrases from a prayer in _Opening Prayers: Collects in Contemporary Language_. Canterbury Press, Norwich, 1999. The petitions are gathered by Redemptorist Publications and are published each Friday on their website: http://www.rpbooks.co.uk/page.php?page=prayers The collect is from _A Prayer Book for Australia_. (c) 1995, The Anglican Church of Australia Trust Corporation. From steve.benner at oremus.org Sun Sep 28 17:00:01 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Sun, 28 Sep 2008 17:00:01 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 29 September 2008 Message-ID: <20080928170001.00BAB314ACC@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Monday, September 29, 2008 Saint Michael and All Angels O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, God of power and might, the glorious Lord of the universe: you created the host of angels and archangels to become your eternal crown of praise while carrying into your presence our own acts of worship, faith and prayer. For these and all your mercies, we praise you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 34 I will bless the Lord at all times;* his praise shall ever be in my mouth. I will glory in the Lord;* let the humble hear and rejoice. Proclaim with me the greatness of the Lord;* let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord and he answered me* and delivered me out of all my terror. Look upon him and be radiant,* and let not your faces be ashamed. I called in my affliction and the Lord heard me* and saved me from all my troubles. The angel of the Lord encompasses those who fear him,* and he will deliver them. Taste and see that the Lord is good;* happy are they who trust in him! Fear the Lord, you that are his saints,* for those who fear him lack nothing. The young lions lack and suffer hunger,* but those who seek the Lord lack nothing that is good. Come, children, and listen to me;* I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who among you loves life* and desires long life to enjoy prosperity? Keep your tongue from evil-speaking* and your lips from lying words. Turn from evil and do good;* seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous,* and his ears are open to their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,* to root out the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry and the Lord hears them* and delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted* and will save those whose spirits are crushed. Many are the troubles of the righteous,* but the Lord will deliver him out of them all. He will keep safe all his bones;* not one of them shall be broken. Evil shall slay the wicked,* and those who hate the righteous will be punished. The Lord ransoms the life of his servants,* and none will be punished who trust in him. A Song of God's Assembled (Hebrews 12:22-24a,28-29) We have come before God's holy mountain, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. We have come before countless angels making festival, before the assembly of the firstborn citizens of heaven. We have come before God, who is judge of all, before the spirits of the just made perfect. We have come before Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant. We are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken: so let us give thanks and offer to God acceptable worship, full of reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire. Psalm 146 Alleluia! Praise the Lord, O my soul!* I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth,* for there is no help in them. When they breathe their last, they return to earth,* and in that day their thoughts perish. Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help!* whose hope is in the Lord their God; Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them;* who keeps his promise for ever; Who gives justice to those who are oppressed,* and food to those who hunger. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind;* the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous; the Lord cares for the stranger;* he sustains the orphan and widow, but frustrates the way of the wicked. The Lord shall reign for ever,* your God, O Zion, throughout all generations. Alleluia! FIRST READING [2 Kings 6:8-17]: Once when the king of Aram was at war with Israel, he took counsel with his officers. He said, 'At such and such a place shall be my camp.' But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, 'Take care not to pass this place, because the Arameans are going down there.' The king of Israel sent word to the place of which the man of God spoke. More than once or twice he warned such a place so that it was on the alert. The mind of the king of Aram was greatly perturbed because of this; he called his officers and said to them, 'Now tell me who among us sides with the king of Israel?' Then one of his officers said, 'No one, my lord king. It is Elisha, the prophet in Israel, who tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedchamber.' He said, 'Go and find where he is; I will send and seize him.' He was told, 'He is in Dothan.' So he sent horses and chariots there and a great army; they came by night, and surrounded the city. When an attendant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. His servant said, 'Alas, master! What shall we do?' He replied, 'Do not be afraid, for there are more with us than there are with them.' Then Elisha prayed: 'O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.' So the Lord opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw; the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. HYMN Words: Latin, ninth century, attributed to Rabanus Maurus (ca. 776-856); Trans. C. S. Phillips Tune: Caelites plaudant (Rouen) http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/c/c096.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. Christ, the fair glory of the holy angels, ruler of all, and author of creation, grant us in thy mercy grace to win by patience realms everlasting. Send forth thine angel Michael from thy presence: peacemaker bless d, may he hover o'er us hallow our dwellings, that for us thy children all things may prosper. Send forth thine angel Gabriel the mighty; on strong wings flying, may he come from heaven, drive from thy temple Satan the old foeman, succor our weakness. Send forth thine angel Raphael the healer through him with wholesome medicines of salvation, heal our backsliding, and in paths of goodness guide our steps daily. May the blest Mother of our God and Savior, may all the countless company of angels, may the assembly of the saints in glory, ever assist us. Father Almighty, Son, and Holy Spirit, Godhead eternal, grant us our petition; thine be the glory through the whole creation now and for ever. SECOND READING [Acts 12:1-11]: About that time King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword. After he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. (This was during the festival of Unleavened Bread.) When he had seized him, he put him in prison and handed him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover. While Peter was kept in prison, the church prayed fervently to God for him. The very night before Herod was going to bring him out, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while guards in front of the door were keeping watch over the prison. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him, saying, 'Get up quickly.' And the chains fell off his wrists. The angel said to him, 'Fasten your belt and put on your sandals.' He did so. Then he said to him, 'Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.' Peter went out and followed him; he did not realize that what was happening with the angel's help was real; he thought he was seeing a vision. After they had passed the first and the second guard, they came before the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went outside and walked along a lane, when suddenly the angel left him. Then Peter came to himself and said, 'Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hands of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.' The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: Father in heaven, by his blood your Christ has ransomed us to you, and has made us a kingdom and priests to you our God. As the angels minister to you in heaven, strengthen your Church to serve you here on earth. Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us. Father in heaven, when the angels greeted the birth of your Son they sang for joy 'Glory to God and peace on earth'. Bless with Christ's peace the nations of the world... Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us. Father in heaven, your Son has promised to your children the care of the guardian angels who look upon your face. Protect by your mercy our neighbours, families and friends... Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us. Father in heaven, your angel declares 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.' 'Blessed indeed,' says the Spirit, 'for they may rest from their labours, for they take with them the record of their deeds.' Enfold in your love (... and) all who come in faith to your judgement seat in heaven. Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us. Father in heaven, the angels sing by day and night around your throne 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.' With Michael, prince of the angels, who contends by our side, with Gabriel, your herald, who brings glad tidings, and with the whole company of heaven, we worship you, we give you glory, we sing your praise and exalt you for ever. Amen. Everlasting God, you have ordained and constituted the ministries of angels and mortals in a wonderful order grant that as your holy angels always serve you in heaven, so, at your command, they may help and defend us on earth; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Send your holy angels to watch over us, O loving God, that on our lips will be found your truth and in our hearts your love; for his sake who died for love of our love, even Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer of thanksgiving is by Stephen Benner and is based on a prayer from _We Give You Thanks and Praise: The Ambrosian Eucharistic Prefaces_, translated by Alan Griffiths, (c) The Canterbury Press Norwich, 1999. The second collect is from _Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England_, material from which is included in this service is copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2000. The intercession and the closing sentence are from _Enriching the Christian Year_ SPCK, compilation (c)Michael Perham 1993. Hymn (c) 1932 Hope Publishing Company, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission. For permission to reproduce this hymn in all territories except the UK, contact: Hope Publishing Company, www.hopepublishing.com In the UK, contact: Hymns Ancient & Modern Ltd., St. Mary's Works, St. Mary's Plain, Norwich, Norfolk NR3 3BH England On the Feast of Michael and all Angels, popularly called Michaelmas, we give thanks for the many ways in which God's loving care watches over us, both directly and indirectly, and we are reminded that the richness and variety of God's creation far exceeds our knowledge of it. The Holy Scriptures often speak of created intelligences other than humans who worship God in heaven and act as His messengers and agents on earth. We are not told much about them, and it is not clear how much of what we are told is figurative. Jesus speaks of them as rejoicing over penitent sinners (Lk 15:10). Elsewhere, in a statement that has been variously understood (Mt 18:10), He warns against misleading a child, because their angels behold the face of God. (Acts 12:15 may refer to a related idea.)

******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Tuesday, September 30, 2008 Jerome, Translator of the Scriptures, Teacher of the Faith, 420 O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, God of our salvation, we falter before the demands of your word and turn away from your call to life. Yet you pour out your mercy on us as you showed mercy to your people of old, that we may turn from our sinfulness and walk the path of self-emptying love made known in Jesus Christ. For these and all your mercies, we praise you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 104 Bless the Lord, O my soul;* O Lord my God, how excellent is your greatness! you are clothed with majesty and splendour. You wrap yourself with light as with a cloak* and spread out the heavens like a curtain. You lay the beams of your chambers in the waters above;* you make the clouds your chariot; you ride on the wings of the wind. You make the winds your messengers* and flames of fire your servants. You have set the earth upon its foundations,* so that it never shall move at any time. You covered it with the deep as with a mantle;* the waters stood higher than the mountains. At your rebuke they fled;* at the voice of your thunder they hastened away. They went up into the hills and down to the valleys beneath,* to the places you had appointed for them. You set the limits that they should not pass;* they shall not again cover the earth. You send the springs into the valleys;* they flow between the mountains. All the beasts of the field drink their fill from them,* and the wild asses quench their thirst. Beside them the birds of the air make their nests* and sing among the branches. You water the mountains from your dwelling on high;* the earth is fully satisfied by the fruit of your works. You make grass grow for flocks and herds* and plants to serve us all; That they may bring forth food from the earth,* and wine to gladden our hearts, Oil to make a cheerful countenance,* and bread to strengthen the heart. The trees of the Lord are full of sap,* the cedars of Lebanon which he planted, In which the birds build their nests,* and in whose tops the stork makes his dwelling. The high hills are a refuge for the mountain goats,* and the stony cliffs for the rock badgers. You appointed the moon to mark the seasons,* and the sun knows the time of its setting. You make darkness that it may be night,* in which all the beasts of the forest prowl. The lions roar after their prey* and seek their food from God. The sun rises and they slip away* and lay themselves down in their dens. The labourer goes forth to work* and to toil until the evening. O Lord, how manifold are your works!* in wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Yonder is the great and wide sea with its living things too many to number,* creatures both small and great. There move the ships, and there is that Leviathan,* which you have made for the sport of it. All of them look to you* to give them their food in due season. You give it to them, they gather it;* you open your hand and they are filled with good things. You hide your face and they are terrified;* you take away their breath and they die and return to their dust. You send forth your Spirit and they are created;* and so you renew the face of the earth. May the glory of the Lord endure for ever;* may the Lord rejoice in all his works. He looks at the earth and it trembles;* he touches the mountains and they smoke. I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;* I will praise my God while I have my being. May these words of mine please him;* I will rejoice in the Lord. Let sinners be consumed out of the earth,* and the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul.* Alleluia! A Song of the Holy City (Revelation 21.1-5a) I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling of God is among mortals. 'He will dwell with them and they shall be his peoples, and God himself will be with them. 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. 'Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.' And the One who sat upon the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' Psalm 147:1-12 Alleluia! How good it is to sing praises to our God!* how pleasant it is to honour him with praise! The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem;* he gathers the exiles of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted* and binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars* and calls them all by their names. Great is our Lord and mighty in power;* there is no limit to his wisdom. The Lord lifts up the lowly,* but casts the wicked to the ground. Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;* make music to our God upon the harp. He covers the heavens with clouds* and prepares rain for the earth; He makes grass to grow upon the mountains* and green plants to serve us all. He provides food for flocks and herds* and for the young ravens when they cry. He is not impressed by the might of a horse,* he has no pleasure in human strength; But the Lord has pleasure in those who fear him,* in those who await his gracious favour. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Job 38:1-11, 16-18]: Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind: 'Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up your loins like a man, I will question you, and you shall declare to me. 'Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy? 'Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb? when I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed bounds for it, and set bars and doors, and said, "Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stopped"? 'Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this.' HYMN Words: Alan Gaunt 1991 by Stainer & Bell Ltd. Used with permission Tune: Bourbon http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/g/g318.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. God's Spirit, as a rising gale, tears down our false tranquility; come surging through our settled minds, demolish our complacency! God's Spirit, as the breath of life, creation's source and guide and goal, breathe life into our souls again; restore our faith and make us whole. God's Spirit, as an icy blast, strike through the scorching enmity that burns our human love to ash; extinguish all hostility. God's Spirit, as a healing breeze, stream gently through our troubled days, to set us on our feet again, with confidence, delight, and praise. God's Spirit, fierce and wild, and yet unfolding like a mother's womb, surprise us: bring us, newly born, with Jesus leaping from the tomb! SECOND READING [Matthew 17:1-13]: Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, 'Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.' While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, 'This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!' When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, 'Get up and do not be afraid.' And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, 'Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.' And the disciples asked him, 'Why, then, do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?' He replied, 'Elijah is indeed coming and will restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands.' Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist. The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: We seek you daily, O Father, and you are there daily to be found. Wherever we seek you, at home, at work, on the highway, you are there, O Lord. Whatever we do, eating and drinking, writing or working, readings, meditating or praying, you are there, O Lord. If we are oppressed, you defend us, O Lord. If we hunger, you feed us, O Lord. Whatever we need, you give us, O Lord. O Lord, how manifold are all your works and the earth is full of your creatures. Send forth your Spirit again this day to renew the face of the earth, that the whole creation may reflect the majesty of your glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. O Lord, O God of truth, your Word is a lantern to our feet and a light upon our path: We give you thanks for your servant Jerome, and those who, following in his steps, have labored to render the Holy Scriptures in the language of the people; and we pray that your Holy Spirit will overshadow us as we read the written Word, and that Christ, the living Word, will transform us according to your righteous will; for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Pour out your Spirit, O God, over all the world, to inspire every heart with knowledge and love of you. Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer is adapted from _Revised Common Lectionary Prayers_, copyright (c) 2002 Consultation on Common Texts. The closing prayer use phrases from a prayer in _Opening Prayers: Collects in Contemporary Language_. Canterbury Press, Norwich, 1999. The intercession is by Stephen Benner and is based on a prayer by James Norden written in 1548. The first collect is from _Daily Prayer_, copyright (c) The Scottish Episcopal Church, 1998. Used with permission. http://www.scottishepiscopal.com The second collect is from _The Proper for the Lesser Feasts and Fasts_, 3rd edition, (c) 1980 The Church Pension Fund. Jerome was the foremost biblical scholar of the ancient Church. His translation of the Bible, along with his commentaries and homilies on the biblical books, have made him a major intellectual force in the Western Church. Jerome was born in about 347, and was converted and baptized during his student days in Rome. On a visit to Trier, he found himself attracted to the monastic life, which he tested in a brief but unhappy experience as a hermit in the deserts of Syria. At Antioch, he continued his studies in Hebrew and Greek. In 379, he went to Constantinople where he studied under Gregory of Nazianzus. From 382 to 384 he was secretary to Pope Damasus I, and spiritual director of many noble Roman ladies who were becoming interested in the monastic life. It was Damasus who set him the task of making a new translation of the Bible into Latin -- into the popular form of the language, hence the name of the translation: the Vulgate. After the death of Damasus, Jerome returned to the East, and estabished a monastery at Bethlehem, where he lived and worked until his death on 30 September 420. Jerome is best known as the translator of the Bible into Latin. A previous version (now called the Old Latin) existed, but Jerome's version far surpassed it in scholarship and in literary quality. Jerome was well versed in classical Latin (as well as Greek and Hebrew), but deliberately translated the Bible into the style of Latin that was actually spoken and written by the majority of persons in his own time. This kind of Latin is known as Vulgate Latin (meaning the Latin of the common people), and accordingly Jerome's translation is called the Vulgate. Jerome was intemperate in controversy, and any correspondence with him tended to degenerate into a flame war. (His friendship with Augustine, conducted by letter, nearly ended before it began. Fortunately Augustine sized him up correctly, soothed his feelings, and was extremely tactful thereafter.) His hot temper, pride of learning, and extravagant promotion of asceticism involved him in many bitter controversies over questions of theology and of Bible interpretation. However, he was candid at times in admitting his failings, and was never ambitious for either worldly or churchly honors. He was a militant champion of orthodoxy, a tireless worker, and a scholar of rare gifts. [James Kiefer, abridged] From steve.benner at oremus.org Tue Sep 30 17:00:00 2008 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:00:00 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 1 October 2008 Message-ID: <20080930170000.80E753144E9@justus2c.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Wednesday, October 1, 2008 O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, God of our salvation, we falter before the demands of your word and turn away from your call to life. Yet you pour out your mercy on us as you showed mercy to your people of old, that we may turn from our sinfulness and walk the path of self-emptying love made known in Jesus Christ. For these and all your mercies, we praise you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 113 Alleluia! Give praise, you servants of the Lord;* praise the name of the Lord. Let the name of the Lord be blessed,* from this time forth for evermore. >From the rising of the sun to its going down* let the name of the Lord be praised. The Lord is high above all nations,* and his glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, who sits enthroned on high,* but stoops to behold the heavens and the earth? He takes up the weak out of the dust* and lifts up the poor from the ashes. He sets them with the princes,* with the princes of his people. He makes the woman of a childless house* to be a joyful mother of children. Psalm 114 Alleluia! When Israel came out of Egypt,* the house of Jacob from a people of strange speech, Judah became God's sanctuary* and Israel his dominion. The sea beheld it and fled;* Jordan turned and went back. The mountains skipped like rams,* and the little hills like young sheep. What ailed you, O sea, that you fled?* O Jordan, that you turned back? You mountains, that you skipped like rams?* you little hills like young sheep? Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,* at the presence of the God of Jacob, Who turned the hard rock into a pool of water* and flint-stone into a flowing spring. A Song of the Lord's Anointed (Isaiah 61.1-3,11,6a) The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the year of the Lord's favour, to comfort all who mourn, To give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit, That they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. For as the earth puts forth her blossom, and as seeds in the garden spring up, So shall the Lord God make righteousness and praise blossom before all the nations. You shall be called priests of the Lord; they shall speak of you as ministers of our God. Psalm 147:13-end Alleluia! Worship the Lord, O Jerusalem;* praise your God, O Zion; For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;* he has blessed your children within you. He has established peace on your borders;* he satisfies you with the finest wheat. He sends out his command to the earth,* and his word runs very swiftly. He gives snow like wool;* he scatters hoarfrost like ashes. He scatters his hail like bread crumbs;* who can stand against his cold? He sends forth his word and melts them;* he blows with his wind and the waters flow. He declares his word to Jacob,* his statutes and his judgements to Israel. He has not done so to any other nation;* to them he has not revealed his judgements. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Job 38:19-30]: The Lord said, 'Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and where is the place of darkness, that you may take it to its territory and that you may discern the paths to its home? Surely you know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great! 'Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war? What is the way to the place where the light is distributed, or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth? 'Who has cut a channel for the torrents of rain, and a way for the thunderbolt, to bring rain on a land where no one lives, on the desert, which is empty of human life, to satisfy the waste and desolate land, and to make the ground put forth grass? 'Has the rain a father, or who has begotten the drops of dew? >From whose womb did the ice come forth, and who has given birth to the hoar-frost of heaven? The waters become hard like stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.' HYMN Words: Latin, thirteenth century; trans. Edward Caswall, 1849 Tune: Veni Sancte Spiritus http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/c/c305.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. Come, thou Holy Spirit, come, and from thy celestial home shed a ray of light divine! Come, thou Father of the poor! Come, thou Source of all our store! Come, within our bosoms shine! Thou, of comforters the best; thou, the soul's most welcome guest; sweet refreshment here below; in our labor, rest most sweet; grateful coolness in the heat; solace in the midst of woe. O most bless?d Light divine, shine within these hearts of thine, and our inmost being fill! Where thou art not, man hath naught, nothing good in deed or thought, nothing free from taint of ill. Heal our wounds, our strength renew; on our dryness pour thy dew; wash the stains of guilt away; bend the stubborn heart and will; melt the frozen, warm the chill; guide the steps that go astray. On the faithful, who adore and confess thee, evermore in thy sevenfold gift descend; give them virtue's sure reward give them thy salvation, Lord; give them joys that never end. SECOND READING [Matthew 17:14-end]: When Jesus and the disciples came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him, and said, 'Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; he often falls into the fire and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.' Jesus answered, 'You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.' And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, 'Why could we not cast it out?' He said to them, 'Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, "Move from here to there", and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.' As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, 'The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised.' And they were greatly distressed. When they reached Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax came to Peter and said, 'Does your teacher not pay the temple tax?' He said, 'Yes, he does.' And when he came home, Jesus spoke of it first, asking, 'What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their children or from others?' When Peter said, 'From others', Jesus said to him, 'Then the children are free. However, so that we do not give offence to them, go to the lake and cast a hook; take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a coin; take that and give it to them for you and me.' The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: Under your holy wings, you gather us, O God, and you shelter us by your grace. Together in faith communities, you call us share your love and mercy. Gather us in, O God. We give you thanks for all that gives shape to life in community: devotion to apostolic teaching, sharing in fellowship around your Word and Table, continuous prayer for the world and the Church. Gather us in, O God. Save your Church from formless piety. Gather us in, O God. Help families and the leaders of households to pattern faith. Gather us in, O God. Choose and renew our leaders for disciple-making. Gather us in, O God. Uphold those who seek peace with justice. Gather us in, O God. Give light to all who strive to discern what is right. Gather us in, O God. Comfort the dying. Gather us in, O God. Heal the broken and suffering. Gather us in, O God. You brought your people out of captivity, O Lord, and give us fresh springs from the barren rock. Deliver us from the slavery of our sins and bring us through the waters of redemption to find new life in your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Pour out your Spirit, O God, over all the world, to inspire every heart with knowledge and love of you. Amen. ******************************************************* The psalms are from _Celebrating Common Prayer_ (Mowbray), (c) The Society of Saint Francis 1992, which is used with permission. The canticle is from _Common Worship: Daily Prayer, Preliminary Edition_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The biblical passage is from The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition), copyright (c) 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The opening prayer is adapted from _Revised Common Lectionary Prayers_, copyright (c) 2002 Consultation on Common Texts. The closing prayer use phrases from a prayer in _Opening Prayers: Collects in Contemporary Language_. Canterbury Press, Norwich, 1999. The intercession is reprinted from _THE DAILY OFFICE: A Book of Hours of Daily Prayer after the Use of the Order of Saint Luke_, (c) 1997 by The Order of Saint Luke. Used by permission. The first collect is from _Daily Prayer_, copyright (c) The Scottish Episcopal Church, 1998. Used with permission. http://www.scottishepiscopal.com