From steve.benner at oremus.org Mon Jun 1 21:53:17 2009 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Mon, 1 Jun 2009 21:53:17 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 2 June 2009 Message-ID: <20090601215317.DBA0A313C22@justus2.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org for more resources, a link to our store in association with Amazon and other opportunities to support this ministry. This ministry can only continue with your support. ******************************************************* OREMUS for Tuesday, June 2, 2009 Lord, open our lips, and our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, O Lord, your love reaches to the heavens, and your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like teh strong mountains, your justice like the great deep; you save your entire creation, O Lord, in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 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. Psalm 18:1-32 I love you, O Lord my strength,* O Lord my stronghold, my crag and my haven. My God, my rock in whom I put my trust,* my shield, the horn of my salvation and my refuge; you are worthy of praise. I will call upon the Lord,* and so shall I be saved from my enemies. The breakers of death rolled over me,* and the torrents of oblivion made me afraid. The cords of hell entangled me,* and the snares of death were set for me. I called upon the Lord in my distress* and cried out to my God for help. He heard my voice from his heavenly dwelling;* my cry of anguish came to his ears. The earth reeled and rocked;* the roots of the mountains shook; they reeled because of his anger. Smoke rose from his nostrils and a consuming fire out of his mouth;* hot burning coals blazed forth from him. He parted the heavens and came down* with a storm cloud under his feet. He mounted on cherubim and flew;* he swooped on the wings of the wind. He wrapped darkness about him;* he made dark waters and thick clouds his pavilion. >From the brightness of his presence, through the clouds,* burst hailstones and coals of fire. The Lord thundered out of heaven;* the Most High uttered his voice. He loosed his arrows and scattered them;* he hurled thunderbolts and routed them. The beds of the seas were uncovered, and the foundations of the world laid bare,* at your battle cry, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils. He reached down from on high and grasped me;* he drew me out of great waters. He delivered me from my strong enemies and from those who hated me;* for they were too mighty for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster;* but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into an open place;* he rescued me because he delighted in me. A Song of Deliverance (Isaiah 12.2-6) 'Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and will not be afraid; 'For the Lord God is my strength and my song, and has become my salvation.' With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. On that day you will say, 'Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name; 'Make known his deeds among the nations, proclaim that his name is exalted. 'Sing God's praises, who has triumphed gloriously; let this be known in all the world. 'Shout and sing for joy, you that dwell in Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.' 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 [Ezekiel 36:22-28]: Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O?house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when through you I display my holiness before their eyes. I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances. Then you shall live in the land that I gave to your ancestors; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. HYMN Words: Charles Wesley (1707-1788) Tune: St Flavian Come, O thou all-victorious Lord, Thy power to us make know; Strike with the hammer of thy word, And break these hearts of stone. Give us ourselves and thee to know, In this our gracious day; Repentance unto life bestow, And take our sins away. Conclude us first in unbelief, And freely then release; Fill every soul with sacred grief, And then with sacred peace. Impoverish, Lord, and then relieve, And then enrich the poor; The knowledge of our sickness give, The knowledge of our cure. That bless?d sense of guilt impart, And then remove the load; Trouble, and wash the troubled heart In the atoning blood. Our desperate state through sin declare, And speak our sins forgiven; By perfect holiness prepare, And take us up to heaven. SECOND READING [1 Corinthians 12:1-13]: Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says 'Let Jesus be cursed!' and no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body?Jews or Greeks, slaves or free?and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 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. Praise to you, God of our salvation; you come to our help and set us free. May your strength be our shield and your word be our lamp, that we may serve you with pure hearts and find victory through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer May we feast at your abundant table, O Lord, and drink from the river of your delights. 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 and the closing sentence are adapted from Psalm 36. From steve.benner at oremus.org Tue Jun 2 19:42:41 2009 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Tue, 2 Jun 2009 19:42:41 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 3 June 2009 Message-ID: <20090602194241.B95A0313CF4@justus2.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org for more resources, a link to our store in association with Amazon and other opportunities to support this ministry. This ministry can only continue with your support. ******************************************************* OREMUS for Wednesday, June 3, 2009 The Martyrs of Uganda, 1886 Lord, open our lips, and our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, O Lord, your love reaches to the heavens, and your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the strong mountains, your justice like the great deep; you save your entire creation, O Lord, in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 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. Psalm 132 Lord, remember David* and all the hardships he endured; How he swore an oath to the Lord* and vowed a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob: 'I will not come under the roof of my house,* nor climb up into my bed; 'I will not allow my eyes to sleep,* nor let my eyelids slumber; 'Until I find a place for the Lord,* a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.' 'The Ark! We heard it was in Ephrathah;* we found it in the fields of Jearim. 'Let us go to God's dwelling place;* let us fall upon our knees before his footstool.' Arise, O Lord, into your restingplace,* you and the ark of your strength. Let your priests be clothed with righteousness;* let your faithful people sing with joy. For your servant David's sake,* do not turn away the face of your anointed. The Lord has sworn an oath to David;* in truth, he will not break it: 'A son, the fruit of your body* will I set upon your throne. 'If your children keep my covenant and my testimonies that I shall teach them,* their children will sit upon your throne for evermore.' For the Lord has chosen Zion,* he has desired her for his habitation: 'This shall be my restingplace for ever;* here will I dwell, for I delight in her. 'I will surely bless her provisions,* and satisfy her poor with bread. 'I will clothe her priests with salvation,* and her faithful people will rejoice and sing. 'There will I make the horn of David flourish;* I have prepared a lamp for my anointed. (As for his enemies, I will clothe them with shame;* but as for him, his crown will shine.( A Song of Deliverance (Isaiah 12.2-6) 'Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and will not be afraid; 'For the Lord God is my strength and my song, and has become my salvation.' With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. On that day you will say, 'Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name; 'Make known his deeds among the nations, proclaim that his name is exalted. 'Sing God's praises, who has triumphed gloriously; let this be known in all the world. 'Shout and sing for joy, you that dwell in Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.' 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 38:34b--39:8]: How different the one who devotes himself ???to the study of the law of the Most High! He seeks out the wisdom of all the ancients, ???and is concerned with prophecies; he preserves the sayings of the famous ???and penetrates the subtleties of parables; he seeks out the hidden meanings of proverbs ???and is at home with the obscurities of parables. He serves among the great ???and appears before rulers; he travels in foreign lands ???and learns what is good and evil in the human lot. He sets his heart on rising early ???to seek the Lord who made him, ???and to petition the Most High; he opens his mouth in prayer ???and asks pardon for his sins. If the great Lord is willing, ???he will be filled with the spirit of understanding; he will pour forth words of wisdom of his own ???and give thanks to the Lord in prayer. The Lord will direct his counsel and knowledge, ???as he meditates on his mysteries. He will show the wisdom of what he has learned, ???and will glory in the law of the Lord?s covenant. HYMN Words: Isaac Watts (1674-1748) Tune: Duke Street Nature with open volume stands To spread her Maker's praise abroad, And every labour of his hands Shows something worthy of a God. But in the grace that rescued man His brightest form of glory shines; Here on the cross 'tis fairest drawn In precious blood and crimson lines. Here his whole name appears complete; Nor wit can guess, nor reason prove, Which of the letters best is writ, The power, the wisdom, or the love. Here I behold his inmost heart, where grace and vengeance strangely join, piercing his son with sharpest smart, to make the purchased pleasures mine. O the sweet wonders of that cross Where God the Saviour loved and died! Her noblest life my spirit draws >From his dear wounds and bleeding side. I would for ever speak his name In sounds to mortal ears unknown, With angels join to praise the Lamb, And worship at his Father's throne. SECOND READING [1 Corinthians 2]: When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God. Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. But we speak God?s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, 'What no eye has seen, nor ear?heard, ???nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him'? these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God?s except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual. Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God?s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are discerned spiritually. Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else?s scrutiny. 'For who has known the mind of?the?Lord ???so as to instruct him?'? But we have the mind of Christ. 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. Jesus, Son of David, Mighty One of God, you have called us to be priests of the new covenant: clothe us with righteousness, make us faithful and give us hearts to shout for joy in your salvation. To you be glory for ever! Amen. O God, by the blood of Christian martyrs you planted in the heart of Uganda the seed of a strong and living Church: may we who cherish their remembrance before you be valiant in our witness against the terrors of unjust rulers and remain steadfast in the love by which you bind us to yourself; 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 we feast at your abundant table, O Lord, and drink from the river of your delights. 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 and the closing sentence are adapted from Psalm 36. From steve.benner at oremus.org Thu Jun 4 19:31:01 2009 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Thu, 4 Jun 2009 19:31:01 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 5 June 2009 Message-ID: <20090604193101.B51CF313CC8@justus2.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org for more resources, a link to our store in association with Amazon and other opportunities to support this ministry. This ministry can only continue with your support. ******************************************************* OREMUS for Friday, June 5, 2009 Boniface (Wynfrith) of Crediton, Bishop, Apostle of Germany, Martyr, 754 Lord, open our lips, and our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, O Lord, your love reaches to the heavens, and your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like teh strong mountains, your justice like the great deep; you save your entire creation, O Lord, in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 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. 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 125 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,* which cannot be moved, but stands fast for ever. The hills stand about Jerusalem;* so does the Lord stand round about his people, from this time forth for evermore. The sceptre of the wicked shall not hold sway over the land allotted to the just,* so that the just shall not put their hands to evil. Show your goodness, O Lord, to those who are good* and to those who are true of heart. As for those who turn aside to crooked ways, the Lord will lead them away with the evildoers;* but peace be upon Israel. 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 twoedged 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 [Isaiah 61:1-9]: The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, ???because the Lord 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 release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord?s?favour, ???and the day of vengeance of our?God; ???to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion? ???to give them a garland instead of?ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, ???the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, ???the planting of the Lord, to display his glory. They shall build up the ancient ruins, ???they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, ???the devastations of many generations. Strangers shall stand and feed your?flocks, ???foreigners shall till your land and dress your vines; but you shall be called priests of the Lord, ???you shall be named ministers of our God; you shall enjoy the wealth of the?nations, ???and in their riches you shall glory. Because their shame was double, ???and dishonour was proclaimed as their lot, therefore they shall possess a double portion; ???everlasting joy shall be theirs. For I the Lord love justice, ???I hate robbery and wrongdoing; I will faithfully give them their recompense, ???and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants shall be known among the nations, ???and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge ???that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed. HYMN Words: verses 1-4: Philip Doddridge, 1736; verse 5: unknown Scottish author Tune: Burford, Stracathro, Dundee, Martyrdom http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/o/o172.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. O God of Bethel, by whose hand thy people still are fed; who through this earthly pilgrimage hast all our fathers led: Our vows, our prayers, we now present before thy throne of grace: O God of Israel, be the God of their succeeding race. Through each perplexing path of life our wandering footsteps guide; give us each day our daily bread, and raiment fit provide. O spread thy covering wings around, till all our wanderings cease, and at our Father's loved abode our souls arrive in peace! Such blessings from thy gracious hand our humble prayers implore; and thou shalt be our covenant God and portion evermore. SECOND READING [2 Corinthians 3]: Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Surely we do not need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you or from you, do we? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all; and you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such is the confidence that we have through Christ towards God. Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Now if the ministry of death, chiselled in letters on stone tablets, came in glory so that the people of Israel could not gaze at Moses? face because of the glory of his face, a glory now set aside, how much more will the ministry of the Spirit come in glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, much more does the ministry of justification abound in glory! Indeed, what once had glory has lost its glory because of the greater glory; for if what was set aside came through glory, much more has the permanent come in glory! Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. 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 our joy and gladness, hear our prayer for the peace of this world and bring us at last, with all our companions in faith, to the peace of that city where you live and reign, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and to all eternity. Amen. God our redeemer, who called your servant Boniface to preach the gospel among the German people and to build up your Church in holiness: grant that we may preserve in our hearts that faith which he taught with his words and sealed with his blood, and profess it in lives dedicated to your Son Jesus Christ 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 we feast at your abundant table, O Lord, and drink from the river of your delights. 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 and the closing sentence are adapted from Psalm 36. 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. Wynfrith, nicknamed Boniface ("good deeds"), was born around 680 near Crediton in Devonshire, England. When he was five, he listened to some monks who were staying at his father's house. They had returned from a mission to the pagans on the continent, and Boniface was so impressed by them that he resolved to follow their example. Although his father had intended him for a secular career, he gave way to his son's entreaties and sent him at the age of seven to a monastery school. He eventually became director of the school at Nursling, in Winchester, where he wrote the first Latin grammar in England, and gave lectures that were widely copied and circulated. At thirty, he was ordained and set out to preach in Friesland (overlaps with modern Holland), whence he was soon expelled because of war between its heathen king and Charles Martel of France. Boniface, after a brief withdrawal, went into Hesse and Bavaria, having secured the support of the Pope and of Charles Martel for his work there. In Hesse, in the presence of a large crowd of pagans, he cut down the Sacred Oak of Geismar, a tree of immense age and girth, sacred to the god Thor. It is said that after only a few blows of his axe, the tree tottered and crashed to the ground, breaking into four pieces and revealing itself to be rotted away within. It was the beginning of a highly successful missionary effort, and the planting of a vigorous Christian church in Germany, where Boniface was eventually consecrated bishop. He asked the Christian Saxons of England to support his work among their kinsmen on the continent, and they responded with money, books, supplies, and above all, with a steady supply of monks to assist him in teaching and preaching. Boniface did not confine his attentions to Germany. He worked to establish cooperation between the Pope and others in Italy on the one hand and Charles and his successors in France on the other. He persuaded Carloman and Pepin, the sons of Charles, to call synods for the reform of the church in their territories, where under previous rulers bishoprics had often been sold to the highest bidder. He never forgot his initial failure in Friesland, and in old age resigned his bishopric and returned to work there. Many Frisians had been converted earlier by Willibrord (another Saxon missionary from England), but had lapsed after his death. Boniface preached among them with considerable success. On June 5, the eve of Pentecost, 754, he was preparing a group of Frisians for confirmation when they were attacked and killed by heathen warriors. From steve.benner at oremus.org Fri Jun 5 20:13:24 2009 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Fri, 5 Jun 2009 20:13:24 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 6 June 2009 Message-ID: <20090605201324.432B4313C49@justus2.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org for more resources, a link to our store in association with Amazon and other opportunities to support this ministry. This ministry can only continue with your support. ******************************************************* OREMUS for Saturday, June 6, 2009 Lord, open our lips, and our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, O Lord, your love reaches to the heavens, and your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like teh strong mountains, your justice like the great deep; you save your entire creation, O Lord, in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 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. Psalm 19 The heavens declare the glory of God,* and the firmament shows his handiwork. One day tells its tale to another,* and one night imparts knowledge to another. Although they have no words or language,* and their voices are not heard, Their sound has gone out into all lands,* and their message to the ends of the world. In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun;* it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber; it rejoices like a champion to run its course. It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens and runs about to the end of it again;* nothing is hidden from its burning heat. The law of the Lord is perfect and revives the soul;* the testimony of the Lord is sure and gives wisdom to the innocent. The statutes of the Lord are just and rejoice the heart;* the commandment of the Lord is clear and gives light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean and endures for ever;* the judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, more than much fine gold,* sweeter far than honey, than honey in the comb. By them also is your servant enlightened,* and in keeping them there is great reward. Who can tell how often he offends?* Cleanse me from my secret faults. Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins; let them not get dominion over me;* then shall I be whole and sound, and innocent of a great offence. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight,* O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. The Prayer of Habakkuk (Habakkuk 3.2-4,13a,15-19) O Lord, I have heard of your renown, and I stand in awe, O Lord, of your work. In the midst of the years renew it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy. God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. His brightness was like the sun, rays flashed from his hand; there he veiled his power. You came forth to save your people, to save your anointed. You trampled the sea with your horses, churning the mighty waters. I hear, and my belly trembles, my lips quiver at the sound; Rottenness enters into my bones, and my steps totter beneath me. I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon the people that invade us. Though the fig tree does not blossom, nor fruit appear on the vines, the produce of the olive fail, and the fields yield no food, Though the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, Yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will exult in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like hinds' feet, and makes me tread upon the high places. 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 [Micah 3:5-8]: Thus says the Lord concerning the?prophets ???who lead my people astray, who cry ?Peace? ???when they have something to eat, but declare war against those ???who put nothing into their mouths. Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision, ???and darkness to you, without revelation. The sun shall go down upon the?prophets, ???and the day shall be black over?them; the seers shall be disgraced, ???and the diviners put to shame; they shall all cover their lips, ???for there is no answer from God. But as for me, I am filled with?power, ???with the spirit of the Lord, ???and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression ???and to Israel his sin. HYMN Words: Charles Wesley (1707-1788) Tune: Dominica Riches unsearchable In Jesu's love we know; And pleasures, springing from the well Of life, our souls o'erflow. The spirit we receive Of wisdom, grace, and power; And always sorrowful we live, Rejoicing evermore. Angels our servants are, And keep in all our ways, And in their watchful hands they bear The sacred sons of grace: Unto that heavenly bliss They all our steps attend; And God Himself our Father is, And Jesus is our Friend. SECOND READING [2 Timothy 1:1-14]: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I am grateful to God?whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did?when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him. Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us. 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 Let the Sun of Righteousness arise, O God, with healing in his wings; may he come forth as the bridegroom to rejoice with the bride and make your people acceptable in his sight; 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 we feast at your abundant table, O Lord, and drink from the river of your delights. 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 and the closing sentence are adapted from Psalm 36. From steve.benner at oremus.org Sat Jun 6 10:39:56 2009 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Sat, 6 Jun 2009 10:39:56 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 7 June 2009 Message-ID: <20090606103956.ECF2D313C1B@justus2.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org for more resources, a link to our store in association with Amazon and other opportunities to support this ministry. This ministry can only continue with your support. ******************************************************* OREMUS for Sunday, June 7, 2009 Trinity Sunday Lord, open our lips, and our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, eternal and triune God, whom we worship as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In Jesus Christ you spoke the word that brought the world into being. By the Holy Spirit, you brought order out of chaos and breathed life into your creatures. In parental love, you stood by us in spite of our disobedience, correcting us with gracious reproof, and welcoming us again into your loving embrace. 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. 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. Psalm 100 Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands;* serve the Lord with gladness and come before his presence with a song. Know this: The Lord himself is God;* he himself has made us and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise;* give thanks to him and call upon his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting;* and his faithfulness endures from age to age. Te Deum We praise you, O God, we acclaim you as the Lord; all creation worships you, the Father everlasting. To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, the cherubim and seraphim, sing in endless praise: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. The glorious company of apostles praise you. The noble fellowship of prophets praise you. The white-robed army of martyrs praise you. Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you: Father, of majesty unbounded, your true and only Son, worthy of all praise, the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide. You, Christ, are the King of glory, the eternal Son of the Father. When you took our flesh to set us free you humbly chose the Virgin's womb. You overcame the sting of death and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You are seated at God's right hand in glory. We believe that you will come and be our judge. Come then, Lord, and help your people, bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting. 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 6:1-8]: In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said: ?Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.? The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: ?Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!? Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: ?Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.? Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ?Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?? And I said, ?Here am I; send me!? HYMN Words: Ave colenda Trinitas tr John D Chambers (1805-1893) Tune: Festus, O lux beata Trinitas, Sharon All hail, adored Trinity! All hail, eternal Unity! O God the Father, God the Son, And God the Spirit, ever One. To thee upon this festal day We offer here our thankful lay: O let our work accepted be, That bless?d work of praising thee. Three Persons praise we evermore, One only God our hearts adore: In thy sure mercy ever kind May we our strong protection find. O Trinity! O Unity! Be present as we worship thee; And with the songs that angels sing Unite the hymns of praise we bring. SECOND READING [1 Peter 1:1-12]: Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who have been chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with his blood: May grace and peace be yours in abundance. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and 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. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith?being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire?may be found to result in praise and glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours made careful search and inquiry, inquiring about the person or time that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated, when it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ and the subsequent glory. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things that have now been announced to you through those who brought you good news by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven?things into which angels long to look! The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: Let us bring our prayers to our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We pray for our government at this time: that they would have wisdom and be able to govern effectively. We pray for the families of the passengers and crew of the Air France plane lost over the Atlantic: that they may be comforted; and that investigators would be able to establish what happened to the aircraft. We pray for the country of Pakistan in the wake of yet another terrorist attack: that there might be an end to the violence in that area. We pray for the victims of the landslide in the Chongqing area of China: that rescuers would find those buried by rubble and that power and communication would be restored. We pray for President Barack Obama as he works for peace in the Middle East: that his efforts might bear fruit and that there might be increased dialogue and improved relations between the parties. Heavenly Father, we ask you to hear the prayers that we offer through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, 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 O God in Three Persons, you bring to life, call us to freedom, and move between us in love. May we so participate in your dance of trinity that our lives may resonate with you, now and for ever. 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 based on a eucharistic prayer in _Book of Common Worship_, (c) 1993 Westminster / John Knox Press. The closing sentence is from _New Patterns for Worship_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. From steve.benner at oremus.org Sat Jun 6 17:00:00 2009 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Sat, 6 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 7 June 2009 Message-ID: <20090606170000.39104313C62@justus2.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org for more resources, a link to our store in association with Amazon and other opportunities to support this ministry. This ministry can only continue with your support. ******************************************************* OREMUS for Sunday, June 7, 2009 Trinity Sunday Lord, open our lips, and our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, eternal and triune God, whom we worship as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In Jesus Christ you spoke the word that brought the world into being. By the Holy Spirit, you brought order out of chaos and breathed life into your creatures. In parental love, you stood by us in spite of our disobedience, correcting us with gracious reproof, and welcoming us again into your loving embrace. 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. 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. Psalm 100 Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands;* serve the Lord with gladness and come before his presence with a song. Know this: The Lord himself is God;* he himself has made us and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise;* give thanks to him and call upon his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting;* and his faithfulness endures from age to age. Te Deum We praise you, O God, we acclaim you as the Lord; all creation worships you, the Father everlasting. To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, the cherubim and seraphim, sing in endless praise: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. The glorious company of apostles praise you. The noble fellowship of prophets praise you. The white-robed army of martyrs praise you. Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you: Father, of majesty unbounded, your true and only Son, worthy of all praise, the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide. You, Christ, are the King of glory, the eternal Son of the Father. When you took our flesh to set us free you humbly chose the Virgin's womb. You overcame the sting of death and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You are seated at God's right hand in glory. We believe that you will come and be our judge. Come then, Lord, and help your people, bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting. 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 6:1-8]: In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said: ?Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.? The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: ?Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!? Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: ?Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.? Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ?Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?? And I said, ?Here am I; send me!? HYMN Words: Ave colenda Trinitas tr John D Chambers (1805-1893) Tune: Festus, O lux beata Trinitas, Sharon All hail, adored Trinity! All hail, eternal Unity! O God the Father, God the Son, And God the Spirit, ever One. To thee upon this festal day We offer here our thankful lay: O let our work accepted be, That bless?d work of praising thee. Three Persons praise we evermore, One only God our hearts adore: In thy sure mercy ever kind May we our strong protection find. O Trinity! O Unity! Be present as we worship thee; And with the songs that angels sing Unite the hymns of praise we bring. SECOND READING [1 Peter 1:1-12]: Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who have been chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with his blood: May grace and peace be yours in abundance. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and 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. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith?being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire?may be found to result in praise and glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours made careful search and inquiry, inquiring about the person or time that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated, when it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ and the subsequent glory. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things that have now been announced to you through those who brought you good news by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven?things into which angels long to look! The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: Let us bring our prayers to our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We pray for our government at this time: that they would have wisdom and be able to govern effectively. We pray for the families of the passengers and crew of the Air France plane lost over the Atlantic: that they may be comforted; and that investigators would be able to establish what happened to the aircraft. We pray for the country of Pakistan in the wake of yet another terrorist attack: that there might be an end to the violence in that area. We pray for the victims of the landslide in the Chongqing area of China: that rescuers would find those buried by rubble and that power and communication would be restored. We pray for President Barack Obama as he works for peace in the Middle East: that his efforts might bear fruit and that there might be increased dialogue and improved relations between the parties. Heavenly Father, we ask you to hear the prayers that we offer through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, 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 O God in Three Persons, you bring to life, call us to freedom, and move between us in love. May we so participate in your dance of trinity that our lives may resonate with you, now and for ever. 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 based on a eucharistic prayer in _Book of Common Worship_, (c) 1993 Westminster / John Knox Press. The closing sentence is from _New Patterns for Worship_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. From steve.benner at oremus.org Sun Jun 7 17:00:00 2009 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Sun, 7 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 8 June 2009 Message-ID: <20090607170000.49894313CA9@justus2.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org for more resources, a link to our store in association with Amazon and other opportunities to support this ministry. This ministry can only continue with your support. ******************************************************* OREMUS for Monday, June 8, 2009 Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells, Non-Juror, Hymn Writer, 1711 Lord, open our lips, and our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, O Lord, full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger and of great kindness. You have not dealt with us according to our sins, your mercy is great upon those who fear you. In your Son Jesus Christ you have redeemed our life from the grave and crowned us with mercy and loving-kindness. You satisfy us with good things, and our youth is renewed like an eagle's. For these and all your mercies, we praise you, Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. Psalm 4 Answer me when I call, O God, defender of my cause;* you set me free when I am hardpressed; have mercy on me and hear my prayer. 'You mortals, how long will you dishonour my glory;* how long will you worship dumb idols and run after false gods?' Know that the Lord does wonders for the faithful;* when I call upon the Lord, he will hear me. Tremble, then, and do not sin;* speak to your heart in silence upon your bed. Offer the appointed sacrifices* and put your trust in the Lord. Many are saying, 'O that we might see better times!'* Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O Lord. You have put gladness in my heart,* more than when grain and wine and oil increase. I lie down in peace; at once I fall asleep;* for only you, Lord, make me dwell in safety. 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 God's Children (Romans 8.2,14,15b-19) The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death. All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God; for we have received the Spirit that enables us to cry, 'Abba, Father'. The Spirit himself bears witness that we are children of God and if God's children, then heirs of God; If heirs of God, then fellow-heirs with Christ; since we suffer with him now, that we may be glorified with him. These sufferings that we now endure are not worth comparing to the glory that shall be revealed. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God. 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 [Numbers 16:1-14]: Now Korah son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi, along with Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth?descendants of Reuben?took two hundred and fifty Israelite men, leaders of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men, and they confronted Moses. They assembled against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them, 'You have gone too far! All the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. So why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?' When Moses heard it, he fell on his face. Then he said to Korah and all his company, 'In the morning the Lord will make known who is his, and who is holy, and who will be allowed to approach him; the one whom he will choose he will allow to approach him. Do this: take censers, Korah and all your company, and tomorrow put fire in them, and lay incense on them before the Lord; and the man whom the Lord chooses shall be the holy one. You Levites have gone too far!' Then Moses said to Korah, 'Hear now, you Levites! Is it too little for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to allow you to approach him in order to perform the duties of the Lord's tabernacle, and to stand before the congregation and serve them? He has allowed you to approach him, and all your brother Levites with you; yet you seek the priesthood as well! Therefore you and all your company have gathered together against the Lord. What is Aaron that you rail against him?' Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab; but they said, 'We will not come! Is it too little that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness, that you must also lord it over us? It is clear you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Would you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come!' HYMN Words: Thomas Ken, 1695, 1709 Tune: Morning Hymn http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/a/a408.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. Awake, my soul, and with the sun thy daily stage of duty run; shake off dull sloth, and joyful rise to pay thy morning sacrifice. Lord, I my vows to thee renew; disperse my sins as morning dew; guard my first springs of thought and will, and with thyself my spirit fill. Direct, control, suggest, this day, all I design or do or say; that all my powers, with all their might, in thy sole glory may unite. Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; praise him, all creatures here below; praise him above, ye heavenly host: praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. SECOND READING [Luke 1:1-25]: Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed. In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years. Once when he was serving as priest before God and his section was on duty, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. Now at the time of the incense-offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him. But the angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.' Zechariah said to the angel, 'How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.' The angel replied, 'I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.' Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah, and wondered at his delay in the sanctuary. When he did come out, he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and remained unable to speak. When his time of service was ended, he went to his home. After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said, 'This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favourably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.' The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: All-seeing, all-loving God, you behold the human family as one. You regard each of us as loved, redeemed, a temple of your Spirit. Beholding you, we respond in thanks and praise as one Church. Renew the Church in a dynamic sense of your grace. Renew us, O Lord. We remember your Church in the Diocese of Renew us, O Lord. Work in us a continuing conversion: Renew us, O Lord. Give all your disciples eyes to see you in the ordinary: Renew us, O Lord. Lift the heavy hands of oppression from the poor, the abused and the exploited: Renew us, O Lord. Kindle in the suffering and desperate the warmth of your nearness and consolation: Renew us, O Lord. Stir up in us attention to the Spirit breathing within us: Renew us, O Lord. We bless you, Master of the heavens, for the order which enfolds all things and that this universe should find its meaning in a Son of Man through whom and for whom all is made, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. O God, from whom all blessings flow, by whose providence we are kept and by whose grace we are directed: help us, through the example of your servant Thomas Ken, faithfully to keep your word, humbly to accept adversity and steadfastly to worship you; 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 O God in Three Persons, you bring to life, call us to freedom, and move between us in love. May we so participate in your dance of trinity that our lives may resonate with you, now and for ever. 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 based on a eucharistic prayer in _Book of Common Worship_, (c) 1993 Westminster / John Knox Press. The closing sentence is from _New Patterns for Worship_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. 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. Thomas Ken in the course of his lifetime was both rewarded and punished for his firm adherence to principle. He was born in 1637 and reared by his half-sister Anne and her husband the well-known angler Izaak Walton. He became a clergyman and served for a year at the Hague as chaplain to Mary, Princess of England and Queen of Holland, niece of King Charles II of England and wife of the Dutch King William of Orange. During this year he publicly rebuked King William for his treatment of his wife the said Mary, which may be why he was chaplain there for only a year. Upon his return to England, he was made Royal Chaplain to King Charles. The King had a mistress, Nell Gwyn, and for his convenience wished to lodge her in his chaplain's residence. Thomas sent the King a sharp refusal, saying that it was not suitable that the Royal Chaplain should double as the Royal Pimp. Charles admired his honesty and bluntness, and when the bishopric of Bath and Wells became available soon after, he declared, "None shall have it but that little man who refused lodging to poor Nellie!" Ken was accordingly made a bishop. When Charles was on his deathbed, it was Ken whom he asked to be with him and prepare him for death. Under the next king, James II, brother of Charles, matters were different. James converted to Roman Catholicism, the religion of his mother, and political turmoil followed. James issued a decree known as the Declaration of Indulgence, which decreed that various public offices formerly open only to Anglicans, should thereafter be open to all persons. It was feared that the King would appoint large numbers of Roman Catholics to positions of power, and eventually transfer to them the control of the government. When the King commanded the bishops to proclaim the Declaration of Indulgence, seven of them refused to do so and were by the King's command imprisoned in the Tower of London. The people of London rioted, and the bishops were freed and carried in triumph through the streets of the city. Soon after, Parliament offered the crown to the King's daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange and James fled into exile. William and Mary naturally began their reign by demanding oaths of allegiance from all persons holding public positions, including the bishops. Thomas Ken and others (known as the Non-Jurors -- the older meaning of "juror" is "one who takes an oath," hence "perjurer" as "one who swears falsely") refused to take the oath, on the grounds that they had sworn allegiance to James, and could not during his lifetime swear allegiance to another monarch without making such oaths a mockery. They were accordingly put out of office. Thomas Ken became a private tutor and spent the rest of his life in retirement. He died 19 March 1711. [James Kiefer, abridged] From steve.benner at oremus.org Mon Jun 8 17:00:00 2009 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Mon, 8 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 9 June 2009 Message-ID: <20090608170000.C579F313CFD@justus2.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org for more resources, a link to our store in association with Amazon and other opportunities to support this ministry. This ministry can only continue with your support. ******************************************************* OREMUS for Tuesday, June 9, 2009 Columba, Abbot of Iona, Missionary, 597 Lord, open our lips, and our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, O Lord, full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger and of great kindness. You have not dealt with us according to our sins, your mercy is great upon those who fear you. In your Son Jesus Christ you have redeemed our life from the grave and crowned us with mercy and loving-kindness. You satisfy us with good things, and our youth is renewed like an eagle's. For these and all your mercies, we praise you, Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. Psalm 16 Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you;* I have said to the Lord, 'You are my Lord, my good above all other.' All my delight is upon the godly that are in the land,* upon those who are noble among the people. But those who run after other gods* shall have their troubles multiplied. Their libations of blood I will not offer,* nor take the names of their gods upon my lips. O Lord, you are my portion and my cup;* it is you who uphold my lot. My boundaries enclose a pleasant land;* indeed, I have a goodly heritage. I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel;* my heart teaches me, night after night. I have set the Lord always before me;* because he is at my right hand I shall not fall. My heart, therefore, is glad and my spirit rejoices;* my body also shall rest in hope. For you will not abandon me to the grave,* nor let your holy one see the Pit. You will show me the path of life;* in your presence there is fullness of joy, and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore. Psalm 20 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble,* the name of the God of Jacob defend you; Send you help from his holy place* and strengthen you out of Zion; Remember all your offerings* and accept your burnt sacrifice; Grant you your heart's desire* and prosper all your plans. We will shout for joy at your victory and triumph in the name of our God;* may the Lord grant all your requests. Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed;* he will answer him out of his holy heaven, with the victorious strength of his right hand. Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses,* but we will call upon the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall down,* but we will arise and stand upright. O Lord, give victory to the king* and answer us when we call. 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 147:1-12 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 [Numbers 16:15-35]: Moses was very angry and said to the Lord, 'Pay no attention to their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, and I have not harmed any one of them.' 16And Moses said to Korah, 'As for you and all your company, be present tomorrow before the Lord, you and they and Aaron; 17and let each one of you take his censer, and put incense on it, and each one of you present his censer before the Lord, two hundred and fifty censers; you also, and Aaron, each his censer.' 18So each man took his censer, and they put fire in the censers and laid incense on them, and they stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron. 19Then Korah assembled the whole congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole congregation. 20Then the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying: 21Separate yourselves from this congregation, so that I may consume them in a moment. 22They fell on their faces, and said, 'O?God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one person sin and you become angry with the whole congregation?' 23And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 24Say to the congregation: Get away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. 25So Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram; the elders of Israel followed him. 26He said to the congregation, 'Turn away from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, or you will be swept away for all their sins.' 27So they got away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrance of their tents, together with their wives, their children, and their little ones. 28And Moses said, 'This is how you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works; it has not been of my own accord: 29If these people die a natural death, or if a natural fate comes on them, then the Lord has not sent me. 30But if the Lord creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up, with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the Lord.' 31As soon as he finished speaking all these words, the ground under them was split apart. 32The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, along with their households?everyone who belonged to Korah and all their goods. 33So they with all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol; the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. 34All Israel around them fled at their outcry, for they said, 'The earth will swallow us too!' 35And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men offering the incense. HYMN Words: Caroline Maria Noel (1817-1877) Tune: Kings Weston, Gute B?ume bringen, Evelyns At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, every tongue confess him King of Glory now. 'Tis the Father's pleasure we should call him Lord, who from the beginning was the mighty Word: Mighty and mysterious in the highest height, God from everlasting very light of light: in the Father's bosom with the Spirit blest, love, in love eternal, rest, in perfect rest. At his voice creation sprang at once to sight, all the angel faces all the hosts of light, thrones and dominations, stars upon their way, all the heavenly orders in their great array. Humbled for a season, to receive a name from the lips of sinners unto whom he came, faithfully he bore it spotless to the last, brought it back victorious when from death he passed. Bore it up triumphant with its human light, through all ranks of creatures to the central height, to the throne of Godhead, to the Father's breast; filled it with the glory of that perfect rest. Name him brothers name him, with love as strong as death, but with awe and wonder, and with bated breath; he is God the Saviour, he is Christ the Lord, ever to be worshipped, trusted and adored. In your hearts enthrone him; there let him subdue all that is not holy, all that is not true: crown him as your captain in temptation's hour; let his will enfold you in its light and power. Brothers, this Lord Jesus shall return again, with his Father's glory, with his angel train; for all wreaths of empire meet upon his brow, and our hearts confess him King of Glory now. SECOND READING [Luke 1:26-38]: In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, 'Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.' But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.' Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I am a virgin?' The angel said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.' Then Mary said, 'Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.' Then the angel departed from her. 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. Gracious God, we bless your holy Name for the heritage you have given us: Show us the path of life, that we may follow it in hope, and come to know the joy of the resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. Almighty God, who filled the heart of Columba with the joy of the Holy Spirit and with deep love for those in his care: may your pilgrim people follow him, strong in faith, sustained by hope, and one in the love that binds us to you; 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 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless God's holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all that God has done. 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 and the closing sentence are adapted from Psalm 103. 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. In the troubled and violent Dark Ages in Northern Europe, monasteries served as inns, orphanages, centers of learning, and even as fortresses. The light of civilization flickered dimly and might have gone out altogether if it had not been for these convent-shelters. Columba, a stern and strong monk from Ireland, founded three such establishments. He founded the monasteries of Derry and Durrow in his native Ireland, and the island monastery of Iona on the coast of Scotland. Iona was the center of operations for the conversion of the Scots and Picts, and became the most famous religious house in Scotland. There Columba baptized Brude, King of the Picts, and later a King of the Scots came to this Abbot of the "Holy Isle" for baptism. The historian Bede tells us that Columba led many to Christianity by his "preaching and example." He was much admired for his physical as well as spiritual prowess. He was a strict ascetic and remained physically vigorous and unflagging in his missionary and pastoral journeys throughout his seventy-six years of life. The memory of Columba lives on in Scotland, and Iona, though desecrated during the Reformation, today houses a flourishing ecumenical religious community. [James Kiefer] From steve.benner at oremus.org Tue Jun 9 23:38:54 2009 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Tue, 9 Jun 2009 23:38:54 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 10 June 2009 Message-ID: <20090609233854.D8A1B313C1F@justus2.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org for more resources, a link to our store in association with Amazon and other opportunities to support this ministry. This ministry can only continue with your support. ******************************************************* OREMUS for Wednesday, June 10, 2009 Ephrem of Syria, Deacon, Hymn Writer, Teacher of the Faith, 373 Lord, open our lips, and our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, O Lord, full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger and of great kindness. You have not dealt with us according to our sins, your mercy is great upon those who fear you. In your Son Jesus Christ you have redeemed our life from the grave and crowned us with mercy and loving-kindness. You satisfy us with good things, and our youth is renewed like an eagle's. For these and all your mercies, we praise you, Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. 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. 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 147:1-12 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 [Numbers 17:1-11]: The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelites, and get twelve staffs from them, one for each ancestral house, from all the leaders of their ancestral houses. Write each man?s name on his staff, and write Aaron?s name on the staff of Levi. For there shall be one staff for the head of each ancestral house. Place them in the tent of meeting before the covenant, where I meet with you. And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout; thus I will put a stop to the complaints of the Israelites that they continually make against you. Moses spoke to the Israelites; and all their leaders gave him staffs, one for each leader, according to their ancestral houses, twelve staffs; and the staff of Aaron was among theirs. So Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant. When Moses went into the tent of the covenant on the next day, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted. It put forth buds, produced blossoms, and bore ripe almonds. Then Moses brought out all the staffs from before the Lord to all the Israelites; and they looked, and each man took his staff. And the Lord said to Moses, 'Put back the staff of Aaron before the covenant, to be kept as a warning to rebels, so that you may make an end of their complaints against me, or else they will die.' Moses did so; just as the Lord commanded him, so he did. HYMN Words: From the Liturgy of Malabar (South India), and based on a poem by St Ephraim the Syrian, 4th century, translated by Jack C Winslow (1882-1974) Tune: Dulce Carmen http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/t/t698.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. Strengthen, Lord, for loving service Hands which took thy mysteries here; Be the ears which heard thy praises Shielded from the voice of fear; May the eyes that saw thy mercy See thy bless?d hope appear. May the tongues which chanted 'Holy' Ever unto truth incline; Grant the feet which trod thy temple In the land of light to shine; Bodies by thy body nourished Quicken thou with life divine. With thy worshippers abide thou; May thy light direct our ways; Hear the prayers we lift before thee, And accept our thankful praise; May thy grace and mercy keep us Safe from harm through all our days. In the hour of thine appearing May we stand before thy face; Raise we ever glad hosannas For the wonder of thy grace, And the love which stooped to save us, Rescuing our fallen race. Lord, who knowest our offences, Yet dost pardon and restore, Grant us grace to own thy Godhead And in lowliest faith adore, To thy majesty uplifting Praise and blessing evermore. SECOND READING [Luke 1:39-56]: In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary?s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.' ?And Mary said, 'My soul magnifies the Lord, ???and my spirit rejoices in God my?Saviour, for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. ???Surely, from now on all generations will call me?blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, ???and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him ???from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his?arm; ???he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, ???and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good?things, ???and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, ???in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, ???to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.' ?And Mary remained with her for about three months and then returned to her home. 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 disciplemaking. 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. God of compassion and love, forgive our sins, relieve our misery, satisfy our longing, and fulfill all our hopes for peace; through your Son Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen. Pour out on us, O Lord, that same Spirit by which your deacon Ephraim rejoiced to proclaim in sacred song the mysteries of faith; and so gladden our hearts that we, like him, may be devoted to you alone; 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 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless God's holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all that God has done. 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 and the closing sentence are adapted from Psalm 103. From steve.benner at oremus.org Wed Jun 10 17:00:00 2009 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 11 June 2009 Message-ID: <20090610170000.BB9C3313C84@justus2.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org for more resources, a link to our store in association with Amazon and other opportunities to support this ministry. This ministry can only continue with your support. ******************************************************* OREMUS for Thursday, June 11, 2009 Corpus Christi Lord, open our lips, and our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Most merciful Lord, your love compels us to come in. Our hands were unclean, our hearts were unprepared; we were not fit even to eat the crumbs from under your table. But you, Lord, are the God of our salvation, and share your bread with sinners, cleansing and feeding us with the precious Body and Blood of your Son, that he may live in us and we in him; and that we, with the whole company of Christ, may sit and eat in your kingdom. 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 110:1-5 The Lord said to my lord, 'Sit at my right hand,* until I make your enemies your footstool.' The Lord will send the sceptre of your power out of Zion,* saying, 'Rule over your enemies round about you. 'Princely state has been yours from the day of your birth,* in the beauty of holiness have I begotten you, like dew from the womb of the morning.' The Lord has sworn and he will not recant:* 'You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.' 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 116:10-end How shall I repay the Lord* for all the good things he has done for me? I will lift up the cup of salvation* and call upon the name of the Lord. I will fulfil my vows to the Lord* in the presence of all his people. Precious in the sight of the Lord* is the death of his servants. O Lord, I am your servant;* I am your servant and the child of your handmaid; you have freed me from my bonds. I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving* and call upon the name of the Lord. I will fulfil my vows to the Lord* in the presence of all his people. In the courts of the Lord's house,* in the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Alleluia! A Song of David (1 Chronicles 29:10b-13,14b) Blessed are you, God of Israel, for ever and ever, for yours is the greatness, the power, the glory, the splendour and the majesty. Everything in heaven and on earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O Lord and you are exalted as head over all. Riches and honour come from you and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might; yours it is to give power and strength to all. And now we give you thanks, our God, and praise your glorious name. For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. 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 [Deuteronomy 8:2-16]: Remember the long way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments. He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. The clothes on your back did not wear out and your feet did not swell these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a parent disciplines a child so the Lord your God disciplines you. Therefore keep the commandments of the Lord your God, by walking in his ways and by fearing him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land where you may eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you may mine copper. You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has given you. Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God, by failing to keep his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes, which I am commanding you today. When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, an arid waste-land with poisonous snakes and scorpions. He made water flow for you from flint rock, and fed you in the wilderness with manna that your ancestors did not know, to humble you and to test you, and in the end to do you good. HYMN Words: Carl P. Daw, Jr. (c) Tune: St. Thomas (Wade), Pange lingua http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/w/w544.html Hit "Back" in your browser to return to Oremus. With the body that was broken, to the body who proclaim, by the blood that is life's token, for the life found in his name: so the Word-made-flesh has spoken, and his presence here we claim. In the cross of Christ confiding, by the cross we bear as sign, through the Spirit's gifts and guiding, with these gifts of bread and wine: so the church in faith abiding keeps the feast Christ made divine. Fed by breaking and outpouring, joined in breaking-forth of praise, given the peace of God's restoring, sent in peace to live always: so we show forth our adoring as God's servants all our days. SECOND READING [Luke 9:11-17]: Jesus welcomed the crowds, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed to be cured. The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, 'Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place.' But he said to them, 'You give them something to eat.' They said, 'We have no more than five loaves and two fish unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.' For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, 'Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.' They did so and made them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces. The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: Let us remember with thanksgiving the gracious gifts of our God, who feeds us and sustains us in all our days. You feed your Church through the continual grace of the sacraments. Keep us faithful to our calling to continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers. Generous God of mercy, hear our prayer. You sustain your Church throughout the world with the sacrament of your Body and Blood. Send us out into the world to proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ. Generous God of mercy, hear our prayer. Your living Word calls us to hunger and thirst for righteousness. Help us to overcome divisions and prejudice, that we may strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being. Generous God of mercy, hear our prayer. Faithful God, you have made a covenant with your people through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who offered his Body and Blood for us: Grant that we who receive Christ in these holy mysteries may also reverence him in the needy of the world and by lives dedicated to the service of that kingdom, where he lives and reigns 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 May the Father, who fed his children with bread and honey in the wilderness, strengthen us in our pilgrimage to the Promised Land. 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 and the closing sentence are adapted from prayers in _New Patterns for Worship_, copyright (c) The Archbishops' Council, 2002. The intercession is by Stephen Benner. The collect is by Stephen Benner and uses phrases from two prayers in _Opening Prayers: Collects in Contemporary Language_. (c) International Commission on English in the Liturgy, 1997. Hymn (c) 1989 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 From steve.benner at oremus.org Thu Jun 11 17:00:00 2009 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 12 June 2009 Message-ID: <20090611170000.8A33B313C43@justus2.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org for more resources, a link to our store in association with Amazon and other opportunities to support this ministry. This ministry can only continue with your support. ******************************************************* OREMUS for , 2009 Lord, open our lips, and our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, O Lord, full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger and of great kindness. You have not dealt with us according to our sins, your mercy is great upon those who fear you. In your Son Jesus Christ you have redeemed our life from the grave and crowned us with mercy and loving-kindness. You satisfy us with good things, and our youth is renewed like an eagle's. For these and all your mercies, we praise you, Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. Psalm 6 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger;* do not punish me in your wrath. Have pity on me, Lord, for I am weak;* heal me, Lord, for my bones are racked. My spirit shakes with terror;* how long, O Lord, how long? Turn, O Lord, and deliver me;* save me for your mercy's sake. For in death no one remembers you;* and who will give you thanks in the grave? I grow weary because of my groaning;* every night I drench my bed and flood my couch with tears. My eyes are wasted with grief* and worn away because of all my enemies. Depart from me, all evildoers,* for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. The Lord has heard my supplication;* the Lord accepts my prayer. All my enemies shall be confounded and quake with fear;* they shall turn back and suddenly be put to shame. Psalm 26 Give judgement for me, O Lord, for I have lived with integrity;* I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered. Test me, O Lord, and try me;* examine my heart and my mind. For your love is before my eyes;* I have walked faithfully with you. I have not sat with the worthless,* nor do I consort with the deceitful. I have hated the company of evildoers;* I will not sit down with the wicked. I will wash my hands in innocence, O Lord,* that I may go in procession round your altar, Singing aloud a song of thanksgiving* and recounting all your wonderful deeds. Lord, I love the house in which you dwell* and the place where your glory abides. Do not sweep me away with sinners,* nor my life with those who thirst for blood, Whose hands are full of evil plots,* and their right hand full of bribes. As for me, I will live with integrity;* redeem me, O Lord, and have pity on me. My foot stands on level ground;* in the full assembly I will bless the Lord. 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 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 [Numbers 20:14-end]: Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, 'Thus says your brother Israel: You know all the adversity that has befallen us: how our ancestors went down to Egypt, and we lived in Egypt for a long time; and the Egyptians oppressed us and our ancestors; and when we cried to the Lord, he heard our voice, and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt; and here we are in Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory. Now let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vineyard, or drink water from any well; we will go along the King's Highway, not turning aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.' But Edom said to him, 'You shall not pass through, or we will come out with the sword against you.' The Israelites said to him, 'We will stay on the highway; and if we drink of your water, we and our livestock, then we will pay for it. It is only a small matter; just let us pass through on foot.' But he said, 'You shall not pass through.' And Edom came out against them with a large force, heavily armed. Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through their territory; so Israel turned away from them. They set out from Kadesh, and the Israelites, the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor. Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, on the border of the land of Edom, 'Let Aaron be gathered to his people. For he shall not enter the land that I have given to the Israelites, because you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah. Take Aaron and his son Eleazar, and bring them up Mount Hor; strip Aaron of his vestments, and put them on his son Eleazar. But Aaron shall be gathered to his people, and shall die there.' Moses did as the Lord had commanded; they went up Mount Hor in the sight of the whole congregation. Moses stripped Aaron of his vestments, and put them on his son Eleazar; and Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. When all the congregation saw that Aaron had died, all the house of Israel mourned for Aaron for thirty days. HYMN Words: Charles Wesley (1707-1788) Tune: Ratisbon, Heathlands, England's Lane, Spanish Melody Christ, whose glory fills the skies, Christ, the true, the only light, Sun of righteousness, arise, Triumph o'er the shades of night; Day-spring from on high, be near; Day-star, in my heart appear. Dark and cheerless is the morn Unaccompanied by thee: Joyless is the day's return, Till thy mercy's beams I see, Till they inward light impart, Glad my eyes, and warm my heart. Visit then this soul of mine; Pierce the gloom of sin and grief; Fill me, radiancy divine; Scatter all my unbelief; More and more thyself display, Shining to the perfect day. SECOND READING [Luke 1:67-end]: Then Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy: 'Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, ???for he has looked favourably on his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a mighty saviour for us ???in the house of his servant David, as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, ???that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, ???and has remembered his holy?covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, ???to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness ???before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; ???for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people ???by the forgiveness of their sins. By the tender mercy of our God, ???the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, ???to guide our feet into the way of?peace.' The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel. The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: Great are you, Lord, and greatly to be praised! There is no end to your greatness. Let your Spirit shape and make new our character, encourage us in constant prayer, direct us in the way of love and bring us at last to heaven with all your saints in light. All that is unfinished in us and in the world, we entrust to you, Lord. Every aspiration, longing and dream crushed by temptation, sin and dullness of heart, we entrust to you, Lord. Holy Church seeking to offer you worship in every place and culture we entrust to you, Lord. Every people and tribe oppressed by the greed and prejudice of others, we entrust to you, Lord. The empty and hungry places in our spirits and in our relationships with others, we entrust to you, Lord. God of mercy and tenderness, giver of life and conqueror of death, look upon our weakness and grief, and restore us to health, that we may sing a new song to your praise; through Jesus Christ our risen Lord. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless God's holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all that God has done. 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 and the closing sentence are adapted from Psalm 103. From steve.benner at oremus.org Fri Jun 12 17:00:00 2009 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 13 June 2009 Message-ID: <20090612170000.69903313C96@justus2.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org for more resources, a link to our store in association with Amazon and other opportunities to support this ministry. This ministry can only continue with your support. ******************************************************* OREMUS for Saturday, June 13, 2009 Antony of Padua, OFM, Missionary, Preacher, 1231 Lord, open our lips, and our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, O Lord, full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger and of great kindness. You have not dealt with us according to our sins, your mercy is great upon those who fear you. In your Son Jesus Christ you have redeemed our life from the grave and crowned us with mercy and loving-kindness. You satisfy us with good things, and our youth is renewed like an eagle's. For these and all your mercies, we praise you, Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. 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 sackcloth 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 Judith (Judith 16.13-16) I will sing a new song to my God, for you are great and glorious, truly strong and invincible. May your whole creation serve you, for you spoke and all things came to be. You sent forth your Spirit and they were formed, for no one can resist your voice. Mountains and seas are stirred to their depths; at your presence rocks shall melt like wax. But to those who fear you, you continue to show mercy. No sacrifice, however fragrant, can please you, but whoever fears the Lord shall stand in your sight for ever. 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 [Numbers 21:4-9]: >From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses, 'Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.' Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, 'We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.' So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, 'Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.' So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live. HYMN Words: William A Ogden (1841-1897) http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/i/v/iveamesg.htm I've a message from the Lord, Hallelujah! The message unto you I'll give, 'Tis recorded in His word, Hallelujah! It is only that you 'look and live'. 'Look and live,' my brother, live, Look to Jesus now and live, 'Tis recorded in His word; Hallelujah! It is only that you 'look and live.' I've a message full of love, Hallelujah! A message, O my friend, for you. 'Tis a message from above, Hallelujah! Jesus said it and I know its true. Refrain Life is offered unto you, Hallelujah! Eternal life your soul shall have, If you'll only look to Him, Hallelujah! Look to Jesus who alone can save. Refrain SECOND READING [Luke 2:1-20]: In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for see?I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, ???and on earth peace among those whom he favours!' When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.' So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: Blessed are you, eternal God, to be praised and glorified for ever. Hear us as we pray for your holy Catholic Church: make us all one, that the world may believe. Grant that every member of the Church may truly and humbly serve you: that the life of Christ may be revealed in us. Strengthen all who minister in Christ(s name: give them courage to proclaim your Gospel. Inspire and lead those who hold authority in the nations of the world: guide them in the ways of justice and peace. Make us alive to the needs of our community: help us to share each other(s joys and burdens. Look with kindness on our homes and families: grant that your love may grow in our hearts. Deepen our compassion for all who suffer from sickness, grief or trouble: in your presence may they find their strength. We remember those who have died: may they rest in your peace. We praise you for all your saints who have entered your eternal glory: bring us all to share in your heavenly kingdom. God of mystery and power, open our eyes to the flame of your love, and open our ears to the thunder of your justice, that we may receive your gifts of blessing and peace, to the glory of your Name; 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 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless God's holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all that God has done. 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 and the closing sentence are adapted from Psalm 103. From steve.benner at oremus.org Sun Jun 14 20:09:34 2009 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:09:34 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 15 June 2009 Message-ID: <20090614200934.3A3D1313C23@justus2.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org for more resources, a link to our store in association with Amazon and other opportunities to support this ministry. This ministry can only continue with your support. ******************************************************* OREMUS for Monday, June 15, 2009 Evelyn Underhill, Spiritual Writer, 1941 Lord, open our lips, and our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, Holy One, Seed Planter: you place faith deep within us, so we can bear witness to your just and loving kingdom. Your love regulates our hearts, so we can welcome all in your name. You fill us with hope, so we can sing God's joy all of our days. 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. Psalm 28 O Lord, I call to you; my rock, do not be deaf to my cry;* lest, if you do not hear me, I become like those who go down to the Pit. Hear the voice of my prayer when I cry out to you,* when I lift up my hands to your holy of holies. Do not snatch me away with the wicked or with the evildoers,* who speak peaceably with their neighbours, while strife is in their hearts. Repay them according to their deeds,* and according to the wickedness of their actions. According to the work of their hands repay them,* and give them their just deserts. They have no understanding of the Lord's doings, nor of the works of his hands;* therefore he will break them down and not build them up. Blessed is the Lord!* for he has heard the voice of my prayer. The Lord is my strength and my shield;* my heart trusts in him and I have been helped; Therefore my heart dances for joy,* and in my song will I praise him. The Lord is the strength of his people,* a safe refuge for his anointed. Save your people and bless your inheritance;* shepherd them and carry them for ever. 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 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 [Numbers 22:2-14]: Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. Moab was in great dread of the people, because they were so numerous; Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel. And Moab said to the elders of Midian, 'This horde will now lick up all that is around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.' Now Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. He sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is on the Euphrates, in the land of Amaw, to summon him, saying, 'A people has come out of Egypt; they have spread over the face of the earth, and they have settled next to me. Come now, curse this people for me, since they are stronger than I; perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land; for I know that whomsoever you bless is blessed, and whomsoever you curse is cursed.' So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand; and they came to Balaam, and gave him Balak's message. He said to them, 'Stay here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, just as the Lord speaks to me'; so the officials of Moab stayed with Balaam. God came to Balaam and said, 'Who are these men with you?' Balaam said to God, 'King Balak son of Zippor of Moab has sent me this message: ?A people has come out of Egypt and has spread over the face of the earth; now come, curse them for me; perhaps I shall be able to fight against them and drive them out.? ' God said to Balaam, 'You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.' So Balaam rose in the morning, and said to the officials of Balak, 'Go to your own land, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.' So the officials of Moab rose and went to Balak, and said, 'Balaam refuses to come with us.' HYMN Words: Frances Ridley Havergal (1836-1879) Tune: Deus tuorum militum, Eisenach, Warrington, Melcombe, Fulda Lord, speak to me, that I may speak In living echoes of thy tone; As you have sought, so let me seek Thy erring children lost and lone. O lead me, Lord, that I may lead The wandering and the wavering feet; O feed me, Lord, that I may feed Thy hungering ones with manna sweet. O strengthen me, that, while I stand Firm on the rock, and strong in thee, I may stretch out a loving hand To wrestlers with the troubled sea. O teach me, Lord, that I may teach The precious things thou dost impart; And wing my words, that they may reach The hidden depths of many a heart. O give thine own sweet rest to me, That I may speak with soothing power A word in season, as from thee, To weary ones in needful hour. O fill me with thy fullness, Lord, Until my very heart o'erflow In kindling thought and glowing word, Thy love to tell, thy praise to show. O use me, Lord, use even me, Just as thou wilt, and when, and where, Until thy bless?d face I see, Thy rest, thy joy, thy glory share. SECOND READING [Luke 2:21-40]: After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, 'Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord'), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, 'a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.' 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.' There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him. 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, especially ecumenical councils and church agencies: We pray to you, Lord. For a resolution to unresolved matters of this day: We pray to you, Lord. Hear us, Shepherd of your people, you who commanded us to love our neighbours with our whole hearts: forgive us our sins and make us whole in body and soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. disclose all of its hidden richness and make its beauty more accessible to us. Amen. O God, the windows of Christ's Mysteries split the Light up into Many-coloured loveliness: Disclose all of your hidden richness to the Church, that like your servant Evelyn Underhill, we may make your beauty more accessible to all; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, 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 we live as new creations in Jesus who was raised to life for us and who makes all things new.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 from a prayer by Thom Shuman and the closing prayer is adapted from a prayer by Nathan Nettleton. The collect is by Stephen Benner, 2009, and quotes a sentence from Evelyn Underhill. Evelyn Underhill was born in 1850 and grew up in London. Her friends included Laurence Housman (poet and brother of the poet A E Housman) and Sarah Bernhardt (actress), and Baron Friedrich von Huegel, a writer on theology and mysticism. Largely under his guidance, she embarked on a life of reading, writing, meditation, and prayer. From her studies and experience she produced a series of books on contemplative prayer. The list includes the following: 1902 The Bar-lamb's Ballad (poetry) 1911 Mysticism 1913 The Mystic Way 1913 Immanence (poetry) 1927 Man and the Supernatural 1936 Worship 1938 The Mystery of Sacrifice Miss Underhill (Mrs. Hubert Stuart Moore) taught that the life of contemplative prayer is not just for monks and nuns, but can be the life of any Christian who is willing to undertake it. She also taught that modern psychological theory, far from being a threat to contemplation, can fruitfully be used to enhance it. In her later years, she spent a great deal of time as a lecturer and retreat director. She died on June 15, 1941. [James Kiefer] From steve.benner at oremus.org Fri Jun 19 21:09:55 2009 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:09:55 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 20 June 2009 Message-ID: <20090619210955.32156313C1E@justus2.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org for more resources, a link to our store in association with Amazon and other opportunities to support this ministry. This ministry can only continue with your support. ******************************************************* OREMUS for Saturday, June 20, 2009 Lord, open our lips, and our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, Holy One, Seed Planter: you place faith deep within us, so we can bear witness to your just and loving kingdom. Your love regulates our hearts, so we can welcome all in your name. You fill us with hope, so we can sing God's joy all of our days. 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. 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 the Lord's Gracious Deeds (Isaiah 63.1-3a,7-9) Who is this that comes from Edom, coming from Bozrah, his garments stained crimson? Who is this in glorious apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? 'It is I, who announce that right has won the day, it is I,' says the Lord, 'for I am mighty to save.' Why are your robes all red, O Lord, and your garments like theirs who tread the winepress? 'I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me.' I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord, the praises of the Most High; All that God has done for us in his mercy, by his many acts of love. For God said, 'Surely, they are my people, my children who will not deal falsely,' and he became their Saviour in all their distress. So God redeemed them by his love and pity; he lifted them up and carried them through all the days of old. 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 [Deuteronomy 34]: Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, and the Plain?that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees?as far as Zoar. The Lord said to him, 'This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ?I will give it to your descendants?; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.' Then Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord's command. He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigour had not abated. The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended. Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the Lord had commanded Moses. Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. He was unequalled for all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel. HYMN Words: Isaac Watts (1674-1748) Tune: St Fulbert There is a land of pure delight, Where saints immortal reign; Infinite day excludes the night, And pleasures banish pain. There everlasting spring abides, And never-withering flowers; Death, like a narrow sea, divides This heavenly land from ours. Sweet fields beyond the swelling flood Stand dressed in living green; So to the Jews old Canaan stood, While Jordan rolled between. But timorous mortals start and shrink To cross this narrow sea, And linger, shivering on the brink, And fear to launch away. O could we make our doubts remove, Those gloomy thoughts that rise, And see the Canaan that we love With unbeclouded eyes: Could we but climb where Moses stood, And view the landscape o'er, Not Jordan's stream, nor death's cold flood, Should fright us from the shore! SECOND READING [Luke 4:31-41]: He went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and was teaching them on the sabbath. They were astounded at his teaching, because he spoke with authority. In the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 'Let us alone! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.' But Jesus rebuked him, saying, 'Be silent, and come out of him!' When the demon had thrown him down before them, he came out of him without having done him any harm. They were all amazed and kept saying to one another, 'What kind of utterance is this? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and out they come!' And a report about him began to reach every place in the region. After leaving the synagogue he entered Simon's house. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked him about her. Then he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately she got up and began to serve them. As the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various kinds of diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on each of them and cured them. Demons also came out of many, shouting, 'You are the Son of God!' But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Messiah. The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: God of the Covenant, we are your people through your grace in baptism. Added one by one to your Church, you bind us together in repentance and true profession of faith: We are reborn by water and the Spirit. Accustomed to preserving our selfish autonomy, you call us to a life of mutual oversight and shared mission. We are reborn by water and the Spirit. Teach us to see each other as sisters and brothers who share a common birth and a family table: We are reborn by water and the Spirit. Show us ways to support one another that our faith is increased, our hope confirmed and our love perfected. We are reborn by water and the Spirit. Offer through your Church hospitality to those seeking Christ and hope. We are reborn by water and the Spirit. Most High, you know our faithlessness and our blindness to the rewards of goodness. Guide us with your counsel and be the strength of our hearts, that we may not fall but rejoice in the life of your eternal city; through Jesus Christ our Mediator. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer May we live as new creations in Jesus who was raised to life for us and who makes all things new.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 from a prayer by Thom Shuman and the closing prayer is adapted from a prayer by Nathan Nettleton. From steve.benner at oremus.org Sun Jun 21 20:58:37 2009 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:58:37 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 22 June 2009 Message-ID: <20090621205837.84CA8313C35@justus2.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org for more resources, a link to our store in association with Amazon and other opportunities to support this ministry. This ministry can only continue with your support. ******************************************************* OREMUS for Monday, June 22, 2009 Alban, first Martyr of Britain, c.250 Lord, open our lips, and our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, Faithful God, shaper of goodness and beauty out of the shadows of chaos. You gladdened the soul of all creation with stunning sunsets, clear-streamed valleys, mountains towering into the sky. These gifts, as well as your hopes and dreams, were for us, but we sent them away into the wilderness of forgetfulness, choosing to live in the long days of rebellion. Seeking to unite us with you once more, you sent Jesus, to baptize us with your life, even as he was baptized into death for us. For these and all your mercies, we praise you, Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. Psalm 42 As the deer longs for the waterbrooks,* so longs my soul for you, O God. My soul is athirst for God, athirst for the living God;* when shall I come to appear before the presence of God? My tears have been my food day and night,* while all day long they say to me, 'Where now is your God?' I pour out my soul when I think on these things:* how I went with the multitude and led them into the house of God, With the voice of praise and thanksgiving,* among those who keep holyday. Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul?* and why are you so disquieted within me? Put your trust in God;* for I will yet give thanks to him, who is the help of my countenance, and my God. My soul is heavy within me;* therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan, and from the peak of Mizar among the heights of Hermon. One deep calls to another in the noise of your cataracts;* all your rapids and floods have gone over me. The Lord grants his lovingkindness in the daytime;* in the night season his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. I will say to the God of my strength, 'Why have you forgotten me?* and why do I go so heavily while the enemy oppresses me?' While my bones are being broken,* my enemies mock me to my face; All day long they mock me* say to me, 'Where now is your God?' Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul?* and why are you so disquieted within me? Put your trust in God;* for I will yet give thanks to him, who is the help of my countenance, and my God. Psalm 43 Give judgement for me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people;* deliver me from the deceitful and the wicked. For you are the God of my strength; why have you put me from you?* and why do I go so heavily while the enemy oppresses me? Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me,* and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling; That I may go to the altar of God, to the God of my joy and gladness;* and on the harp I will give thanks to you, O God my God. Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul?* and why are you so disquieted within me? Put your trust in God;* for I will yet give thanks to him, who is the help of my countenance, and my God. A Song of the Blessed (Matthew 5.3-10) Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. Blessed are those who suffer persecution for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Rejoice and be glad for you are the light of the world, and great is your reward in heaven. 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 [Joshua 1]: After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' assistant, saying, 'My servant Moses is dead. Now proceed to cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the Israelites. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and the Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, to the Great Sea in the west shall be your territory. No one shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous; for you shall put this people in possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful. I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.' Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, 'Pass through the camp, and command the people: ?Prepare your provisions; for in three days you are to cross over the Jordan, to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God gives you to possess.? ' To the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, 'Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ?The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest, and will give you this land.? Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan. But all the warriors among you shall cross over armed before your kindred and shall help them, until the Lord gives rest to your kindred as well as to you, and they too take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to your own land and take possession of it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan to the east.' They answered Joshua: 'All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses! Whoever rebels against your orders and disobeys your words, whatever you command, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.' HYMN Words: Johann Roh (fl. 1529-1547) tr John D Libbey (1830-1892) Tune: Komm, Seele Praise God! Praise God with singing, Rejoice thou Christian flock! Fear not though foes are bringing Their hosts against thy rock; For though they here assail thee, And seek thy very life, Let not thy courage fail thee; Thy God shall turn the strife. O be not thou dismay?d, Believing little band; God, in his might array?d, To help thee is at hand. Upon his palms engraven Thy name is ever found; He knows, who dwells in heaven, The ills that thee surround. His purpose stands unshaken- What he hath said he'll do; And, when by all forsaken, His Church he will renew. With pity he beholds her, E'en in her time of woe; Still by his word upholds her, And makes her thrive and grow. To him belong our praises, Who still abides our Lord, Bestowing gifts and graces, According to his word; Nor will he e'er forsake us, But will our guardian be, And ever stable make us, In love and unity. SECOND READING [Luke 4:42-5:11]: At daybreak he departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowds were looking for him; and when they reached him, they wanted to prevent him from leaving them. But he said to them, 'I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.' So he continued proclaiming the message in the synagogues of Judea. Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.' Simon answered, 'Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.' When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, 'Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!' For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, 'Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.' When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him. The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: High and holy God, robed in majesty, Lord of heaven and earth, we pray that you bring justice, faith and salvation to all peoples. Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us. You chose us in Christ to be your people and to be the temple of your Holy Spirit; we pray that you will fill your Church with vision and hope. Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us. Your Spirit enables us to cry, (Abba! Father!(, affirms that we are fellow-heirs with Christ and pleads for us in our weakness; we pray for all who are in need or distress. Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us. In the baptism and birth of Jesus, you have opened heaven to us and enabled us to share in your glory: the joy of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit from before the world was made. May your Church, living and departed, come to a joyful resurrection in your city of light. Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us. Creator God, whose life-giving Spirit wells up with streams of living water, sustain those whose spirits are heavy and whose wells have run dry, through Jesus Christ, the rock of our salvation. Amen. Eternal Father, when the Gospel of Christ first came to Britain you gloriously confirmed the faith of Alban by making him the first to win a martyr's crown: grant that, following his example, in the fellowship of the saints we may worship you, the living God, and give true witness to 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 always to reverence and love your holy name that you have revealed to us in Jesus Christ our Lord. 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 a prayer by Thom Shurman and the closing sentence is adapted from prayers by Alan Griffiths. 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. There were probably Christians in the British Isles already in the first century. However, Alban is the first recorded Christian martyr. The traditional date of his death is 304, during the persecution under the Emperor Diocletian; but many scholars now date it as around 209, during the persecution under the Emperor Septimius Severus. Alban was a pagan, and a soldier in the Roman Army. He gave shelter to a Christian priest who was fleeing from arrest, and in the next few days the two talked at length, and Alban became a Christian. When officers came in search of the priest, Alban met them, dressed in the priest's cloak, and they mistook him for the priest and arrested him. He refused to renounce his new faith, and was beheaded. He thus became the first Christian martyr in Britain. The second was the executioner who was to kill him, but who heard his testimony and was so impressed that he became a Christian on the spot, and refused to kill Alban. The third was the priest, who when he learned that Alban had been arrested in his place, hurried to the court in the hope of saving Alban by turning himself in. The place of their deaths is near the site of St. Alban's Cathedral today. [James Kiefer] From steve.benner at oremus.org Thu Jun 25 17:00:00 2009 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 26 June 2009 Message-ID: <20090625170000.CB2F7313C40@justus2.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org for more resources, a link to our store in association with Amazon and other opportunities to support this ministry. This ministry can only continue with your support. ******************************************************* OREMUS for Friday, June 26, 2009 Lord, open our lips, and our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, Faithful God, shaper of goodness and beauty out of the shadows of chaos. You gladdened the soul of all creation with stunning sunsets, clear-streamed valleys, mountains towering into the sky. These gifts, as well as your hopes and dreams, were for us, but we sent them away into the wilderness of forgetfulness, choosing to live in the long days of rebellion. Seeking to unite us with you once more, you sent Jesus, to baptize us with your life, even as he was baptized into death for us. For these and all your mercies, we praise you, Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. Psalm 77 I will cry aloud to God;* I will cry aloud and he will hear me. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;* my hands were stretched out by night and did not tire; I refused to be comforted. I think of God, I am restless,* I ponder and my spirit faints. You will not let my eyelids close;* I am troubled and I cannot speak. I consider the days of old;* I remember the years long past; I commune with my heart in the night;* I ponder and search my mind. Will the Lord cast me off for ever?* will he no more show his favour? Has his lovingkindness come to an end for ever?* has his promise failed for evermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious?* has he, in his anger, withheld his compassion? And I said, 'My grief is this:* the right hand of the Most High has lost its power.' I will remember the works of the Lord,* and call to mind your wonders of old time. I will meditate on all your acts* and ponder your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy;* who is so great a god as our God? You are the God who works wonders* and have declared your power among the peoples. By your strength you have redeemed your people,* the children of Jacob and Joseph. The waters saw you, O God; the waters saw you and trembled;* the very depths were shaken. The clouds poured out water; the skies thundered;* your arrows flashed to and fro; The sound of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lit up the world;* the earth trembled and shook. Your way was in the sea, and your paths in the great waters,* yet your footsteps were not seen. You led your people like a flock* by the hand of Moses and Aaron. A Song of the Justified (Romans 4.24,25; 5.15,8,9,11) 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 twoedged 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 [Joshua 14:6-end]: Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal; and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, 'You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land; and I brought him an honest report. But my companions who went up with me made the heart of the people fail; yet I wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God. And Moses swore on that day, saying, "Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children for ever, because you have wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God." And now, as you see, the Lord has kept me alive, as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel was journeying through the wilderness; and here I am today, eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was on the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war, and for going and coming. So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day; for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; it may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out, as the Lord said.' Then Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. So Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholeheartedly followed the Lord, the God of Israel. Now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba; this Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim. And the land had rest from war. HYMN Words: John Keble (1792-1866) Tune: Abends Sun of my soul, my Saviour dear, it is not night if You are near; O may no earth-born cloud arise to hide You from Your servant's eyes. When the soft dews of kindly sleep my wearied eyelids gently steep, be my last thought, how sweet to rest for ever on my Saviour's breast! Abide with me from morn till eve, for without You I cannot live; abide with me when night is nigh, for without You I dare not die. If some poor wandering child of Yours have spurned today Your holy voice, now, Lord, the gracious work begin; let them no more be ruled by sin. Watch by the sick; enrich the poor with blessings from Your boundless store; be every mourner's bed tonight, like infant's slumbers, pure and light. Come near and bless us when we wake, ere through the world our way we take; till in the ocean of Your love we lose ourselves in heaven above. SECOND READING [Luke 6:12-26]: Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot, and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them. Then he looked up at his disciples and said: 'Blessed are you who are poor, ???for yours is the kingdom of God. 'Blessed are you who are hungry?now, ???for you will be filled. 'Blessed are you who weep now, ???for you will laugh. ?'Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. 'But woe to you who are rich, ???for you have received your consolation. 'Woe to you who are full now, ???for you will be hungry. 'Woe to you who are laughing now, ???for you will mourn and weep. ?'Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.' The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: Blessed are you, eternal God, to be praised and glorified for ever. Hear us as we pray for your holy catholic Church, make us all one, that the world may believe. Grant that every member of the Church may truly and humbly serve you: that the life of Christ may be revealed in us. Strengthen all who minister in Christ's name: give them courage to proclaim your Gospel. Inspire and lead those who hold authority in the nations of the world: guide them in the ways of justice and peace. Make us alive to the needs of our community: help us to share each other's joys and burdens. Look with kindness on our homes and families: grant that your love may grow in our hearts. Deepen our compassion for all who suffer from sickness, grief or trouble: in your presence may they find their strength. We remember those who have died: Father, into your hands we commend them. We praise you for all your saints who have entered your eternal glory: bring us all to share in your heavenly kingdom. Majestic God, you led your people like a flock and delivered them by your mighty power in times of old: do not forget your people in their troubles and raise up your power to sustain the poor and helpless, for the honour of your Name. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Teach us always to reverence and love your holy name that you have revealed to us in Jesus Christ our Lord. 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 a prayer by Thom Shurman and the closing sentence is adapted from prayers by Alan Griffiths. From steve.benner at oremus.org Sat Jun 27 22:59:20 2009 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Sat, 27 Jun 2009 22:59:20 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 28 June 2009 Message-ID: <20090627225920.4B032313C17@justus2.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org for more resources, a link to our store in association with Amazon and other opportunities to support this ministry. This ministry can only continue with your support. ******************************************************* OREMUS for Sunday, June 28, 2009 The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost Lord, open our lips, and our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, Sovereign God, ruler of all hearts, you call us to obey you and favor us with true freedom. Your Son calls us to leave behind all that hinders us, that we may fix our eyes on him and steadfastly follow in the paths of your kingdom. For these and all your mercies, we praise you, Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. 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 Divine Love (1 Corinthians 13.413) 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 lovingkindness towards us is great,* and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever. Alleluia! FIRST READING [Jeremiah 31:1-14]: At that time, says the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. Thus says the Lord: The people who survived the sword ???found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest, ???the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; ???therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. Again I will build you, and you shall be built, ???O?virgin Israel! Again you shall take your tambourines, ???and go forth in the dance of the merrymakers. Again you shall plant vineyards ???on the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, ???and shall enjoy the fruit. For there shall be a day when sentinels will call ???in the hill country of Ephraim: 'Come, let us go up to Zion, ???to the Lord our God.' For thus says the Lord: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, ???and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, ????Save, O?Lord, your people, ???the remnant of Israel.? See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, ???and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the?lame, ???those with child and those in labour, together; ???a great company, they shall return here. With weeping they shall come, ???and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, ???in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, ???and Ephraim is my firstborn. Hear the word of the Lord, O?nations, ???and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, ?He who scattered Israel will gather him, ???and will keep him as a shepherd a flock.? For the Lord has ransomed Jacob, ???and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him. They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, ???and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the wine, and the?oil, ???and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall become like a watered garden, ???and they shall never languish again. Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, ???and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, ???I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. I will give the priests their fill of fatness, ???and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty, says the Lord. HYMN Words: Sacred Songs and Solos O Christ, in Thee my soul hath found, And found in Thee alone, The peace, the joy I sought so long, The bliss till now unknown. Now none but Christ can satisfy, None other's love for me: There's love and life and lasting joy, Lord Jesus, found in Thee! I sighed for rest and happiness, I yearned for them, not Thee; But while I passed my Saviour by, His love laid hold on me. Chorus I tried the broken cisterns, Lord, But ah! the waters failed! Even as I stooped to drink they fled And mocked me as I wailed. Chorus The pleasures lost I sadly mourned, But never wept for Thee, Till grace the sightless eyes received Thy loveliness to see. Chorus SECOND READING [Matthew 9:9-13]: As Jesus was walking along, Jesus 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.' The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: Let us bring our prayers to the Lord whose love endures for ever. At the start of the Year for Priests we pray for priests across the world: that they would convey the love for God to all people. We pray for the people of Iran, in the wake of the election in their country: that there may be a just and peaceful resolution to the situation. We pray for all those affected by the flooding in Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic: that the waters would recede and that aid would quickly reach those in need. We pray for the people of Southern Asia forced from their homes by conflict and natural disaster: that there may be peace and rebuilding in their lands and that they may be able to return home. We remember Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett, who have died in the past days. Let us give thanks for their gifts and pray that any hurt in their lives may be healed so that they may enjoy the peace of the kingdom. Heavenly Father, we ask you to hear our prayers, which we offer through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Almighty God, you have taught us through your Son that love fulfills the law: May we love you with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength, and may we love our neighbors as ourselves; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Help us so to know you that we may truly love you, so to love you that we may fully serve you, whose service is perfect freedom in Jesus Christ our Lord. 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, intercession and closing sentence are adapted from _Book of Common Worship_, (c) 1993 Westminster / John Knox Press. From steve.benner at oremus.org Sun Jun 28 17:00:02 2009 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Sun, 28 Jun 2009 17:00:02 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 29 June 2009 Message-ID: <20090628170002.04EE0313C35@justus2.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org ******************************************************* OREMUS for Monday, June 29, 2009 Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Apostles O Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, almighty God, eternal Word: we rejoice this day for the gift of your apostles Peter and Paul, whom you chose and set apart, that they may proclaim your word to generations to come. You have made them bright lights in the fellowship of the apostles and, as witnesses to the faith and love of Christ, you have crowned them for all eternity with the radiance of your glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit: Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. http://www.oremus.org/ocan.html Psalm 118 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;* his mercy endures for ever. Let Israel now proclaim,* 'His mercy endures for ever.' Let the house of Aaron now proclaim,* 'His mercy endures for ever.' Let those who fear the Lord now proclaim,* 'His mercy endures for ever.' I called to the Lord in my distress;* the Lord answered by setting me free. The Lord is at my side, therefore I will not fear;* what can anyone do to me? The Lord is at my side to help me;* I will triumph over those who hate me. It is better to rely on the Lord* than to put any trust in flesh. It is better to rely on the Lord* than to put any trust in rulers. All the ungodly encompass me;* in the name of the Lord I will repel them. They hem me in, they hem me in on every side;* in the name of the Lord I will repel them. They swarm about me like bees; they blaze like a fire of thorns;* in the name of the Lord I will repel them. I was pressed so hard that I almost fell,* but the Lord came to my help. The Lord is my strength and my song,* and he has become my salvation. There is a sound of exultation and victory* in the tents of the righteous: 'The right hand of the Lord has triumphed!* the right hand of the Lord is exalted! the right hand of the Lord has triumphed!' I shall not die, but live,* and declare the works of the Lord. The Lord has punished me sorely,* but he did not hand me over to death. Open for me the gates of righteousness;* I will enter them; I will offer thanks to the Lord. 'This is the gate of the Lord;* whoever is righteous may enter.' I will give thanks to you, for you answered me* and have become my salvation. The same stone which the builders rejected* has become the chief corner-stone. This is the Lord's doing,* and it is marvellous in our eyes. On this day the Lord has acted;* we will rejoice and be glad in it. Hosanna, Lord, hosanna!* Lord, send us now success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord;* we bless you from the house of the Lord. God is the Lord; he has shined upon us;* form a procession with branches up to the horns of the altar. 'You are my God and I will thank you;* you are my God and I will exalt you.' Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;* his mercy endures for ever. A Song of Faith (1 Peter 1.3-4,18-21) 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 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 [Ezekiel 34:11-16]: For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice. HYMN Words: Aurea luce, attributed to Elphis wife of Boethius (fl.493) translated by Thomas A Lacey (1853-1931) Tune: Annue Christe With golden splendour and with roseate hues of morn, O gracious Saviour, Light of light, this day adorn, Which brings to ransomed sinners hopes of that far home Where saints and angels sing the praise of martyrdom. Lo, the Keybearer, lo, the Teacher of mankind, Lights of the world and judges sent to loose and bind, Alike triumphant or by cross or sword-stroke found, In life's high Senate stand with victor's laurel crowned. Good Shepherd, Peter, unto whom the charge was given To close or open ways of pilgrimage to heaven, In sin's hard bondage held may we have grace to know The full remission thou wast granted to bestow. O noble Teacher, Paul, we trust to learn of thee Both earthly converse and the flight of ecstasy; Till from the fading truths that now we know in part We pass to fulness of delight for mind and heart. Twin olive branches, pouring oil of gladness forth, Your prayers shall aid us, that for all our little worth, Believing, hoping, loving, we for whom ye plead, This body dying, may attain to life indeed. Now to the glorious Trinity be duly paid Worship and honour, praise and service unafraid, Who in unchanging Unity, one Lord sublime, Hath ever lived as now and to unending time. SECOND READING [Galatians 1:13-2:8]: You have heard, no doubt, of my earlier life in Judaism. I was violently persecuting the church of God and was trying to destroy it. I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of the same age, for I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. But when God, who had set me apart before I was born and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with any human being, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were already apostles before me, but I went away at once into Arabia, and afterwards I returned to Damascus. Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him for fifteen days; but I did not see any other apostle except James the Lord's brother. In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie! Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, and I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea that are in Christ; they only heard it said, 'The one who formerly was persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy.' And they glorified God because of me. Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. I went up in response to a revelation. Then I laid before them (though only in a private meeting with the acknowledged leaders) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure that I was not running, or had not run, in vain. But even Titus, who was with me, was not compelled to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. But because of false believers secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might enslave us we did not submit to them even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might always remain with you. And from those who were supposed to be acknowledged leaders (what they actually were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality) those leaders contributed nothing to me. On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel for the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter making him an apostle to the circumcised also worked through me in sending me to the Gentiles). The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: Encouraged by our fellowship with all the saints, let us make our prayers to the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ. Father, your Son called men and women to leave the past behind them and to follow him as his disciples in the way of the cross. Look with mercy upon those whom he has called today, marked with the cross and made his disciples within the Church. Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Your Son told his disciples not to be afraid, and at Easter breathed on them his gift of peace. Look with mercy upon the world into which he sent them out, and give it that peace for which it longs Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Your Son formed around him a company who were no longer servants but friends, and he called all those who obeyed him his brother and sister and mother. Look with mercy upon our families and friends and upon the communities in which we share Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Your Son sent out disciples to preach and to heal the sick. Look with mercy on all those who yearn to hear the good news of salvation, and renew among your people the gifts of healing Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Your Son promised to those who followed him that they would sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel and would share the banquet of the kingdom. According to your promise, look with mercy on those who have walked with Christ in this life and now have passed through death Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Pursuing, shepherding, and converting God, your risen Son appeared to both Peter and Paul, undoing their past, claiming them for the work of your Church, spilling them out as witnesses to a deeper love. Undo and claim us, that we too may finish the race you set before us in Christ Jesus. Amen. Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Savior has taught us. - The Lord's Prayer Teach us always to reverence and love your holy name that you have revealed to us in Jesus Christ our Lord. 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 in _We Give You Thanks and Praise: The Ambrosian Eucharistic Prefaces_, translated by Alan Griffiths, (c) The Canterbury Press Norwich, 1999. The intercession is from _Enriching the Christian Year_ SPCK, compilation (c)Michael Perham 1993. The collect 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 Confession of Peter ("Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God") is commemorated on 18 January, and the Conversion of Paul (on the approach to Damascus) a week later on 25 January. On 29 June we commemorate the martyrdoms of both apostles. The date is the anniversary of a day around 258, under the Valerian persecution, when what were believed to be the remains of the two apostles were both moved temporarily to prevent them from falling into the hands of the persecutors. The Scriptures do not record the deaths of Peter or Paul, or indeed any of the Apostles except for James the son of Zebedee (Acts 12:2), but they are clearly anticipated (see the readings below), and from an early date it has been said that they were martyred at Rome at the command of the Emperor Nero, and buried there. As a Roman citizen, Paul would probably have been beheaded with a sword. It is said of Peter that he was crucified head downward. The present Church of St Peter in Rome replaces earlier churches built on the same site going back to the time of the Emperor Constantine, in whose reign a church was built there on what was believed to be the burial site of Peter. Excavations under the church suggest that the belief is older than Constantine. St. Augustine writes (Sermon 295): Both apostles share the same feast day, for these two were one; and even though they suffered on different days, they were as one. Peter went first, and Paul followed. And so we celebrate this day made holy for us by the apostles' blood. Let us embrace what they believed, their life, their labors, their sufferings, their preaching, and their confession of faith. From steve.benner at oremus.org Mon Jun 29 22:42:35 2009 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:42:35 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 30 June 2009 Message-ID: <20090629224235.EC507313C21@justus2.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org for more resources, a link to our store in association with Amazon and other opportunities to support this ministry. This ministry can only continue with your support. ******************************************************* OREMUS for Tuesday, June 30, 2009 Lord, open our lips, and our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, Sovereign God, ruler of all hearts, you call us to obey you and favor us with true freedom. Your Son calls us to leave behind all that hinders us, that we may fix our eyes on him and steadfastly follow in the paths of your kingdom. For these and all your mercies, we praise you, Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. Psalm 89, Part I 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 God(s Assembled (Hebrews 12.2224a,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 [Judges 5:1-18]: Then Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying: 'When locks are long in Israel, ???when the people offer themselves willingly? ???bless the Lord! 'Hear, O?kings; give ear, O?princes; ???to the Lord I will sing, ???I will make melody to the Lord, the God of Israel. 'Lord, when you went out from Seir, ???when you marched from the region of Edom, the earth trembled, ???and the heavens poured, ???the clouds indeed poured water. The mountains quaked before the Lord, the One of Sinai, ???before the Lord, the God of Israel. 'In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, ???in the days of Jael, caravans ceased ???and travellers kept to the byways. The peasantry prospered in Israel, ???they grew fat on plunder, because you arose, Deborah, ???arose as a mother in Israel. When new gods were chosen, ???then war was in the gates. Was shield or spear to be seen ???among forty thousand in Israel? My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel ???who offered themselves willingly among the people. ???Bless the Lord. 'Tell of it, you who ride on white donkeys, ???you who sit on rich carpets, ???and you who walk by the way. To the sound of musicians at the watering-places, ???there they repeat the triumphs of the Lord, ???the triumphs of his peasantry in Israel. 'Then down to the gates marched the people of the Lord. 'Awake, awake, Deborah! ???Awake, awake, utter a song! Arise, Barak, lead away your captives, ???O?son of Abinoam. Then down marched the remnant of the noble; ???the people of the Lord marched down for him against the mighty. >From Ephraim they set out into the valley, ???following you, Benjamin, with your kin; from Machir marched down the commanders, ???and from Zebulun those who bear the marshal's staff; the chiefs of Issachar came with Deborah, ???and Issachar faithful to Barak; ???into the valley they rushed out at his heels. Among the clans of Reuben ???there were great searchings of heart. Why did you tarry among the sheepfolds, ???to hear the piping for the flocks? Among the clans of Reuben ???there were great searchings of heart. Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan; ???and Dan, why did he abide with the ships? Asher sat still at the coast of the sea, ???settling down by his landings. Zebulun is a people that scorned death; ???Naphtali too, on the heights of the field. ' HYMN Words: Amos Cresswell (born 1926) based on Wer nur den lieben Gott l?sst walten by Georg Neumark (1621-1681) Tune: Neumark Put all your faith in God's great goodness and hope in him for every day; through all your anguish, pain and sadness his shadow guards along life's way: and if he leads you by the hand you never build on shifting sand. When we are lonely and despairing, when visions fade and hopes are dim, he comes, our depths of sorrow sharing, invites our faith to turn to him; he never will forsake his child; his hold is form though storms are wild. Our Lord is present in our weakness, for this he left his heavenly throne. His power and strength lie in his meekness, 'You will not agonise alone; I drank the bitter cup for you; my crucifixion proves this true.' Sing, pray and tell the mighty story; God comes to us in vibrant Word. The wonder of the heavenly glory is seen by us in Christ, our Lord. Our God has never left in need a soul who trusted him indeed. SECOND READING [Luke 6:39-end]: Jesus also told them a parable: 'Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher. Why do you see the speck in your neighbour's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbour, ?Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye?, when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbour's eye. 'No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. 'Why do you call me ?Lord, Lord?, and do not do what I tell you? I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them. That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, immediately it fell, and great was the ruin of that house.' The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: We rejoice in your generous goodness, O God, and celebrate your lavish gifts to us this day, for you have shown your love in giving Jesus Christ for the salvation of the world. Especially we give thanks for the labors of those who have served us today... (We thank you, Lord) friends with whom we have shared... those whom we love and have loved us... opportunities for our work to help others... all beauty that delights us... Gracious God, we know you are close to all in need, and by our prayers for others we come closer to you. We are bold to claim for others your promises of new life in Jesus Christ, as we claim them for ourselves. Especially we pray for those in dangerous occupations... (Lord, hear our prayer.) physicians and nurses... those who are ill or confined to nursing homes... for those whom we love and for those who love us... those who mourn... the Roman Catholic Church... God of grace and glory, give us that union with you which moves beyond a nice feeling to being transfigured in Christ, woven up into his creative life and activity, and absorbed into his redeeming purpose, heart, soul, mind and strength. We ask this 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 Help us so to know you that we may truly love you, so to love you that we may fully serve you, whose service is perfect freedom in Jesus Christ our Lord. 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, intercession and closing sentence are adapted from _Book of Common Worship_, (c) 1993 Westminster / John Knox Press. From steve.benner at oremus.org Tue Jun 30 20:18:49 2009 From: steve.benner at oremus.org (Steve Benner) Date: Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:18:49 +0000 (GMT) Subject: OREMUS: 1 July 2009 Message-ID: <20090630201849.65828313C57@justus2.anglican.org> ******************************************************* Visit our website at http://www.oremus.org for more resources, a link to our store in association with Amazon and other opportunities to support this ministry. This ministry can only continue with your support. ******************************************************* OREMUS for Wednesday, July 1, 2009 Canada Day Lord, open our lips, and our mouth shall proclaim your praise. Blessed are you, Sovereign God, ruler of all hearts, you call us to obey you and favor us with true freedom. Your Son calls us to leave behind all that hinders us, that we may fix our eyes on him and steadfastly follow in the paths of your kingdom. For these and all your mercies, we praise you, Blessed be God for ever! An opening canticle may be sung. Psalm 92 It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord,* and to sing praises to your name, O Most High; To tell of your lovingkindness early in the morning* and of your faithfulness in the night season; On the psaltery and on the lyre* and to the melody of the harp. For you have made me glad by your acts, O Lord;* and I shout for joy because of the works of your hands. Lord, how great are your works!* your thoughts are very deep. The dullard does not know, nor does the fool understand,* that though the wicked grow like weeds, and all the workers of iniquity flourish, They flourish only to be destroyed for ever;* but you, O Lord, are exalted for evermore. For lo, your enemies, O Lord, lo, your enemies shall perish,* and all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered. But my horn you have exalted like the horns of wild bulls;* I am anointed with fresh oil. My eyes also gloat over my enemies,* and my ears rejoice to hear the doom of the wicked who rise up against me. The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree,* and shall spread abroad like a cedar of Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord* shall flourish in the courts of our God; They shall still bear fruit in old age;* they shall be green and succulent; That they may show how upright the Lord is,* my rock, in whom there is no fault. 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 [Judges 6:1, 11-16, 33-35]: The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian for seven years. Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, 'The Lord is with you, you mighty warrior.' Gideon answered him, 'But sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our ancestors recounted to us, saying, ?Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?? But now the Lord has cast us off, and given us into the hand of Midian.' Then the Lord turned to him and said, 'Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian; I hereby commission you.' He responded, 'But sir, how can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.' The Lord said to him, 'But I will be with you, and you shall strike down the Midianites, every one of them.' Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the east came together, and crossing the Jordan they encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. But the spirit of the Lord took possession of Gideon; and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him. He sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they too were called out to follow him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them. HYMN Words: Thomas T Lynch (1818-1871) Tune: St Ethelwald Say not, my soul, 'From whence 'Can God relieve my care?' Remember that Omnipotence Has servants everywhere. God's help is always sure, His method seldom guessed; Delay will make our pleasure pure, Surprise will give it zest. His wisdom is sublime, His heart profoundly kind; God never is before His time, And never is behind. Hast thou assumed a load, Which few will share with thee,- And art thou carrying it for God, And shall He fail to see? Be comforted at heart, Thou art not left alone; Now, thou the Lord's companion art; Soon, thou wilt share His throne. SECOND READING [Luke 7:11-17]: Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother's only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, 'Do not weep.' Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, 'Young man, I say to you, rise!' The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, 'A great prophet has risen among us!' and 'God has looked favourably on his people!' This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country. The Benedictus (Morning), the Magnificat (Evening), or Nunc dimittis (Night) may follow. Prayer: Give us your peace, O God, that we may rejoice in your goodness to us and to all your children, and be thankful for your love revealed in Jesus Christ. Especially we thank you for people who reveal your truth and righteousness... (We thank you, Lord.) courage to be bold disciples... those who show hospitality... surprises that have blessed us... the unity of the church of Jesus Christ... Give us your peace, O God, that we may be confident of your care for us and all your children, as we remember the needs of others. Especially we pray for friends and relatives who are far away... (Lord, hear our prayer.) neighbors in special need... those who suffer hunger and thirst... those who work at night while others sleep... Episcopal and Methodist churches... O Most High, at all times and in all seasons you are worthy of our grateful praise; grant us the insight to perceive the greatness of your works, the certainty of being founded on you, our eternal Rock, and the wisdom to sing the praises of your Name, in and 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 Help us so to know you that we may truly love you, so to love you that we may fully serve you, whose service is perfect freedom in Jesus Christ our Lord. 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, intercession and closing sentence are adapted from _Book of Common Worship_, (c) 1993 Westminster / John Knox Press.