The Lessons

Psalm 10

⁽¹⁾ Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do You hide in times of trouble? ⁽²⁾ The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised. ⁽³⁾ For the wicked boasts of his heart's desire; He blesses the greedy and renounces the LORD. ⁽⁴⁾ The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.

⁽⁵⁾ His ways are always prospering; Your judgments are far above, out of his sight; As for all his enemies, he sneers at them. ⁽⁶⁾ He has said in his heart, 'I shall not be moved; I shall never be in adversity.' ⁽⁷⁾ His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity. ⁽⁸⁾ He sits in the lurking places of the villages; In the secret places he murders the innocent; His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless.

⁽⁹⁾ He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den; He lies in wait to catch the poor; He catches the poor when he draws him into his net. ⁽¹⁰⁾ So he crouches, he lies low, That the helpless may fall by his strength. ⁽¹¹⁾ He has said in his heart, 'God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see.' ⁽¹²⁾ Arise, O LORD! O God, lift up Your hand! Do not forget the humble.

⁽¹³⁾ Why do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, 'You will not require an account.' ⁽¹⁴⁾ But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief, To repay it by Your hand. The helpless commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless. ⁽¹⁵⁾ Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; Seek out his wickedness until You find none. ⁽¹⁶⁾ The LORD is King forever and ever; The nations have perished out of His land.

⁽¹⁷⁾ LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, ⁽¹⁸⁾ To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Jeremiah Chapter 31

⁽¹⁰⁾ Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, And declare it in the isles afar off, and say, 'He who scattered Israel will gather him, And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.' ⁽¹¹⁾ For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, And ransomed him from the hand of one stronger than he. ⁽¹²⁾ Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, Streaming to the goodness of the LORD -- For wheat and new wine and oil, For the young of the flock and the herd; Their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, And they shall sorrow no more at all. ⁽¹³⁾ Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, And the young men and the old, together; For I will turn their mourning to joy, Will comfort them, And make them rejoice rather than sorrow.

⁽¹⁴⁾ I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance, And My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the LORD.' ⁽¹⁵⁾ Thus says the LORD: 'A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted for her children, Because they are no more.' ⁽¹⁶⁾ Thus says the LORD: 'Refrain your voice from weeping, And your eyes from tears; For your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD, And they shall come back from the land of the enemy. ⁽¹⁷⁾ There is hope in your future, says the LORD, That your children shall come back to their own border.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

1 Corinthians Chapter 15

⁽¹⁹⁾ If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. ⁽²⁰⁾ But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ⁽²¹⁾ For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. ⁽²²⁾ For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

⁽²³⁾ But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. ⁽²⁴⁾ Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. ⁽²⁵⁾ For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. ⁽²⁶⁾ The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

John Chapter 14

⁽¹⁾ Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. ⁽²⁾ In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ⁽³⁾ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. ⁽⁴⁾ And where I go you know, and the way you know.'

⁽⁵⁾ Thomas said to Him, 'Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?' ⁽⁶⁾ Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

?A canticle is a hymn, or other Christian song of praise with lyrics taken from biblical texts

The Canticles

The Song of Zechariah Luke 1: 68 to 79

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham,
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

You are God

You are God: we praise you;
You are the Lord; we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships you.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
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 worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you became man to set us free
you did not shun 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.


The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord.
  He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
  He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
  He descended to the dead.
  On the third day he rose again.
  He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
  He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
  the holy catholic Church,
  the communion of saints,
  the forgiveness of sins,
  the resurrection of the body,
  and the life everlasting. Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven,
  hallowed be thy Name,
  thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
  on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
  And forgive us our trespasses,
  as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
  but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
  and the power, and the glory,
  forever and ever. Amen.

Our Father in heaven,
  hallowed be thy Name,
  your kingdom come, your will be done,
  on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
  Forgive us our sins,
  as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial,
  and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
  and the glory are yours,
  now and forever and ever. Amen.

Show us your mercy, O Lord;
And grant us your salvation.
Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
Let your people sing with joy.
Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
For only in you can we live in safety.
Lord, keep this nation under your care;
And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
Let your way be known upon earth;
Your saving health among all nations.
Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Create in us clean hearts, O God;
And sustain us by your Holy Spirit.

Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance;
Govern and uphold them, now and always.
Day by day we bless you;
We praise your name forever.
Lord, keep us from all sin today;
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
Lord, show us your love and mercy;
For we put our trust in you.
In you, Lord, is our hope;
And we shall never hope in vain.

The General Thanksgiving
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

A Prayer of Saint Chrysostom
Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.