Wednesday morning June 7

Thursday morning
Tuesday morning

Preparation

Opening response

Lord, open our lips
and our mouth will proclaim your praise.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Sovereign God, creator of all,
to you be glory and praise forever.
You founded the earth in the beginning
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
In the fullness of time you made us in your image,
and in these last days you have spoken to us
in your Son Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.
As we rejoice in the gift of your presence among us
let the light of your love always shine in our hearts,
your Spirit ever renew our lives
and your praises ever be on our lips.
Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God forever.
 
The night has passed, and the day lies open before us;
let us pray with one heart and mind.
 
Silence is kept.
 
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and forever.
Amen.

Hymn

The Lord is King and Earth Submits

Charles Wesley

The Lord is King, and earth submits,
However impatient, to his sway,
Between the cherubim he sits,
And makes his restless foes obey.
 
All power is to our Jesus given,
Over earth's rebellious sons he reigns;
He mildly rules the hosts of heaven,
And holds the powers of hell in chains.
 
In vain doth Satan rage his hour,
Beyond his chain he cannot go;
Our Jesus shall stir up his power,
And soon avenge us of our foe.
 
Jesus shall his great arm reveal;
Jesus, the woman's conquering seed,
Though now the Serpent bruise his heel
Jesus shall bruise the Serpent's head.
 
The enemy his tares hath sown,
But Christ shall shortly root them up,
Shall cast the dire accuser down,
And disappoint his children's hope;
 
Shall still the proud Philistine's noise,
Baffle the sons of unbelief,
Nor long permit them to rejoice,
But turn their triumph into grief.
 
Come, glorious Lord, the rebels spurn,
Scatter thy foes, victorious King!
And Gath and Askelon shall mourn,
And all the sons of God shall sing;
 
Shall magnify the sovereign grace
Of him that sits upon the throne;
And earth and heaven conspire to praise
Jehovah and his conquering Son.

Confession of sin

The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
very patient, and full of faithful love.
He doesn’t deal with us according to our sin
or repay us according to our wrongdoing.
Because as high as heaven is above the earth,
that’s how large God’s faithful love is for those who honor him.
 
Silence is kept for reflection.
 
Holy God,
Holy and strong,
Holy and immortal,
have mercy upon us.

 
As far as east is from west—
that’s how far God has removed our sin from us.
 
As a father has compassion on his children,
that’s how the Lord feels compassion for those who honor him.
 
Let my whole being bless the Lord.
Let everything inside me bless his holy name.
 
Let my whole being bless the Lord,
and never forget all his good deeds.

The Word of God

Psalm 119:153-176

Refrain: 
Lord, I long for your saving help!
 
Look at my suffering and deliver me
    because I haven’t forgotten your Instruction.
Argue my case and redeem me.
    Make me live again by your word.
Salvation is far from the wicked
    because they haven’t pursued your statutes.
You have so much compassion, Lord—
    make me live again, according to your rules.
My oppressors and enemies are many,
    but I haven’t turned away from your laws.
I look on the faithless, and I am disgusted
    because they haven’t kept your word.
Look at how much I love your precepts.
    Make me live again, Lord, according to your faithful love!
The first thing to know about your word is that it is true
    and that all your righteous rules last forever.
 
Rulers oppress me without cause,
    but my heart honors what you’ve said.
I’m overjoyed at your word,
    like someone who finds great treasure.
I hate, I absolutely despise, what is false,
    but I’m in love with your Instruction.
I praise you seven times a day
    for your righteous rules.
The people who love your Instruction enjoy peace—and lots of it.
    There’s no stumbling for them!
Lord, I wait for your saving help.
    I do what you’ve commanded.
I keep your laws;
    I love them so much!
I keep your precepts and your laws
    because all my ways are seen by you.
 
Let my cry reach you, Lord;
    help me understand according to what you’ve said.
Let my request for grace come before you;
    deliver me according to your promise!
Let my lips overflow with praise
    because you’ve taught me your statutes.
Let my tongue declare your word,
    because all your commandments are righteous.
Let your power help me
    because I have chosen your precepts.
Lord, I long for your saving help!
    Your Instruction is my joy!
Let me live again so I can praise you!
    Let your rules help me!
I’ve wandered off like a sheep, lost.
    Find your servant
        because I haven’t forgotten
        your commandments!
 
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.

 
Refrain: 
Lord, I long for your saving help!

Psalm prayer

God of mercy, swift to help us,
as our lips pour forth your praise,
fill our hearts with the peace you give
to those who wait for your salvation
in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament reading
Job 3

Afterward, Job spoke up and cursed the day he was born.
 
Job said:
Perish the day I was born,
    the night someone said,
    “A boy has been conceived.”
That day—let it be darkness;
    may God above ignore it,
    and light not shine on it.
May deepest darkness claim it
    and a cloud linger over it;
    may all that darkens the day terrify it.
May gloom seize that night;
    may it not be counted in the days of a year;
    may it not appear in the months.
May that night be childless;
    may no happy singing come in it.
May those who curse the day curse it,
    those with enough skill to awaken Leviathan.
May its evening stars stay dark;
    may it wait in vain for light;
    may it not see dawn’s gleam,
    because it didn’t close the doors of my mother’s womb,
    didn’t hide trouble from my eyes.
Job laments his misfortune
Why didn’t I die at birth,
    come forth from the womb and die?
Why did knees receive me
    and breasts let me nurse?
For now I would be lying down quietly;
    I’d sleep; rest would be mine
        with kings and earth’s advisors,
        who rebuild ruins for themselves,
        or with princes who have gold,
        who fill their houses with silver.
Or why wasn’t I like a buried miscarried infant,
    like babies who never see light?
There the wicked rage no more;
    there the weak rest.
Prisoners are entirely at ease;
    they don’t hear a boss’s voice.
Both small and great are there;
    a servant is free from his masters.
Why is light given to the hard worker,
    life to those bitter of soul,
    those waiting in vain for death,
        who search for it more than for treasure,
    who rejoice excitedly,
        who are thrilled when they find a grave?
Why is light given to the person whose way is hidden,
    whom God has fenced in?
My groans become my bread;
    my roars pour out like water.
Because I was afraid of something awful,
    and it arrived;
    what I dreaded came to me.
I had no ease, quiet, or rest,
    and trembling came.
 
Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading
Romans 2:1-16

So every single one of you who judge others is without any excuse. You condemn yourself when you judge another person because the one who is judging is doing the same things. We know that God’s judgment agrees with the truth, and his judgment is against those who do these kinds of things. If you judge those who do these kinds of things while you do the same things yourself, think about this: Do you believe that you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you have contempt for the riches of God’s generosity, tolerance, and patience? Don’t you realize that God’s kindness is supposed to lead you to change your heart and life? You are storing up wrath for yourself because of your stubbornness and your heart that refuses to change. God’s just judgment will be revealed on the day of wrath. God will repay everyone based on their works. On the one hand, he will give eternal life to those who look for glory, honor, and immortality based on their patient good work. But on the other hand, there will be wrath and anger for those who obey wickedness instead of the truth because they are acting out of selfishness and disobedience. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does what is good, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. God does not have favorites.
 
Those who have sinned outside the Law will also die outside the Law, and those who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law. It isn’t the ones who hear the Law who are righteous in God’s eyes. It is the ones who do what the Law says who will be treated as righteous. Gentiles don’t have the Law. But when they instinctively do what the Law requires they are a Law in themselves, though they don’t have the Law. They show the proof of the Law written on their hearts, and their consciences affirm it. Their conflicting thoughts will accuse them, or even make a defense for them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the hidden truth about human beings through Christ Jesus.
 
Silence may be kept.

Gospel canticle
The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)

Refrain:
You have raised up a mighty savior for us in your servant David’s house.
 
Bless the Lord God of Israel
because he has come to help and has delivered his people.
He has raised up a mighty savior for us in his servant David’s house,
just as he said through the mouths of his holy prophets long ago.
He has brought salvation from our enemies
and from the power of all those who hate us.
He has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,
and remembered his holy covenant,
the solemn pledge he made to our ancestor Abraham.
He has granted that we would be rescued
from the power of our enemies
so that we could serve him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness in God’s eyes,
for as long as we live.
You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.
You will tell his people how to be saved
through the forgiveness of their sins.
Because of our God’s deep compassion,
the dawn from heaven will break upon us,
to give light to those who are sitting in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide us on the path of peace.”

Luke 1:68-79

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.

 
Refrain:
You have raised up a mighty savior for us in your servant David’s house.
 
Brief silence.

The Apostle’s Creed

Let us unite in this historic confession of the Christian faith: 
 
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
 
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
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,
is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and 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.

Prayers

Intercession and thanksgiving

Prayers may be offered for:
 
the day and its tasks
the world and its needs
the church and her life
 
Prayers may include the following concerns:
 
The social services
All who work in the criminal justice system
Victims and perpetrators of crime
The work of aid agencies throughout the world
Those living in poverty or under oppression
 
Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.

Response

Lord, hear your people
and answer our prayers.
 
Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

O Lord, from whom all good things come:
grant to us your humble servants,
that by your holy inspiration
we may think those things that are good,
and by your merciful guiding may perform the same;
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

As our Savior taught us, so we pray
 
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and forever.
Amen.

Conclusion

The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil, and keep us in eternal life.
Amen.