Saturday morning November 17

Sunday morning
Friday morning

Preparation

Opening response


Lord, open our lips

and our mouth will proclaim your praise.


All your faithful ones bless you.

They speak of the glory of your kingdom.


Prayer of thanksgiving


Blessed are you, Sovereign God,

ruler and judge of all,

to you be praise and glory forever.

In the darkness of this age that is passing away

may the light of your presence which the saints enjoy

surround our steps as we journey on.

May we reflect your glory this day

and so be made ready to see your face

in the heavenly city where night shall be no more.

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


This Slumber From My Spirit Shake


Charles Wesley

This slumber from my spirit shake,

Warned by the Spirit’s inward call,

Let me to righteousness awake,

And pray that I may never fall;

Or give to sin or Satan place,

But walk in all thy righteous ways.


O wouldst thou, Lord, thy servant guard;

Against every known or secret foe;

A mind for all assaults prepared,

A sober vigilance bestow;

Ever apprised of danger nigh,

And when to fight and when to fly.


O never suffer me to sleep,

Secure within the verge of hell;

But still my watchful spirit keep

In lowly awe and loving zeal;

And bless me with a godly fear,

And plant that guardian angel here.


Attended by that sacred dread,

And wise from evil to depart,

Let me from strength to strength proceed,

And rise to purity of heart;

Through all the paths of duty move,

From humble faith to perfect love.


Confession of sin


Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.


Silence may be kept.


Most merciful God,

we confess that we have sinned against you

in thought, word, and deed,

by what we have done,

and by what we have left undone.

We have not loved you with our whole heart;

we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.

We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.

For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,

have mercy on us and forgive us;

that we may delight in your will,

and walk in your ways,

to the glory of your name. Amen.


Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins

through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all

goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in

eternal life.

Amen.


The Word of God


Psalm 33


Refrain:

The Lord’s faithful love fills the whole earth.


All you who are righteous,

shout joyfully to the Lord!

It’s right for those who do right to praise God.

Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre!

Sing praises to him with the ten-stringed harp!

Sing to him a new song!

Play your best with joyful shouts!

Because the Lord’s word is right,

his every act is done in good faith.

He loves righteousness and justice;

the Lord’s faithful love fills the whole earth.

The skies were made by the Lord’s word,

all their starry multitude by the breath of his mouth.

He gathered the ocean waters into a heap;

he put the deep seas into storerooms.

All the earth honors the Lord;

all the earth’s inhabitants stand in awe of him.

Because when he spoke, it happened!

When he commanded, there it was!

The Lord overrules what the nations plan;

he frustrates what the peoples intend to do.

But the Lord’s plan stands forever;

what he intends to do lasts from one generation to the next.

The nation whose God is the Lord,

the people whom God has chosen as his possession,

is truly happy!

The Lord looks down from heaven;

he sees every human being.

From his dwelling place God observes

all who live on earth.

God is the one who made all their hearts,

the one who knows everything they do.

Kings aren’t saved by the strength of their armies;

warriors aren’t rescued by how much power they have.

A warhorse is a bad bet for victory;

it can’t save despite its great strength.

But look here: the Lord’s eyes watch all who honor him,

all who wait for his faithful love,

to deliver their lives from death

and keep them alive during a famine.

We put our hope in the Lord.

He is our help and our shield.

Our heart rejoices in God

because we trust his holy name.

Lord, let your faithful love surround us

because we wait for you.


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:

The Lord’s faithful love fills the whole earth.


Psalm prayer


Feed your people, Lord,

with your holy word

and free us from the emptiness of our

wrongful desires,

that we may sing the new song of salvation

through Jesus Christ our Lord.


Old Testament reading
Daniel 7:15-28


Now this caused me, Daniel, to worry. My visions disturbed me greatly. So I went to one of the servants who was standing ready nearby. I asked him for the truth about all this.

He spoke to me and explained to me the meaning of these things. “These four giant beasts are four kings that will rise up from the earth, but the holy ones of the Most High will receive the kingship. They will hold the kingship securely forever and always.”

Next I wanted greater clarity about the fourth beast, the one that was different from all the others and utterly terrifying with its iron teeth and bronze claws. As it ate and crushed, its feet smashed whatever was left over. I wanted greater clarity about the ten horns on its head, and the other horn that came up, along with the three that fell out to make room for it—but especially about the horn that had eyes and a mouth that bragged, and that seemed more important than the others. As I watched, this same horn waged war against the holy ones and defeated them, until the Ancient One came. Then judgment was given in favor of the holy ones of the Most High. The set time arrived, and the holy ones held the kingship securely.

This is what he said:

“The fourth beast means

that there will be a fourth kingship on the earth.

It will be different from all the other kingships.

It will devour the entire earth, trample it, crush it.

The ten horns mean

that from this kingship will rise ten kings,

and after them will rise yet another.

He will be different from the previous ones.

He will defeat three kings.

He will say things against the Most High

and will exhaust the holy ones of the Most High.

He will try to change times set by law.

And for a period of time,

periods of time,

and half a period of time,

they will be delivered into his power.

Then the court will sit in session.

His rule will be taken away—

ruined and wiped out for all time.

The kingship, authority, and power

of all kingdoms under heaven

will be given to the people,

the holy ones of the Most High.

Their kingship is an everlasting one; every authority will serve them and obey.”

The account ends here.

Now as for how I, Daniel, felt about this: My thoughts disturbed me greatly. My mood darkened considerably, and I kept thinking about this matter.


Silence may be kept.


New Testament reading
Revelation 9:13-21


Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the gold altar that is before God. It said to the sixth angel, who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” Then the four angels who had been made ready for that hour, day, month, and year were released to kill a third of humankind. The number of cavalry troops was two hundred million. I heard their number. And this is the way I saw the horses and their riders in the vision: they had breastplates that were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The horses’ heads were like lions’ heads, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur. By these three plagues a third of humankind was killed: by the fire, smoke, and sulfur coming out of their mouths. The horses’ power is in their mouths and their tails, for their tails are like snakes with heads that inflict injuries.

The rest of humankind, who weren’t killed by these plagues, didn’t change their hearts and lives and turn from their handiwork. They didn’t stop worshipping demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can’t see or hear or walk. They didn’t turn away from their murders, their spells and drugs, their sexual immorality, or their stealing.


Silence may be kept.


Gospel canticle
The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)


Refrain:

You have shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and remembered your holy covenant.


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 shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and remembered your holy covenant.


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 saints on earth, that they may live as citizens of heaven

All people, that they may hear and believe the word of God

All who fear the winter months

All sovereigns and political leaders, that they may imitate the righteous rule of Christ

All who grieve or wait with the dying


Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.


Response


Lord of life

In your mercy, hear us.


Silence may be kept.


Collect of the day


Almighty Father,

whose will is to restore all things

in your beloved Son, the King of all:

govern the hearts and minds of those in authority,

and bring the families of the nations,

divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin,

to be subject to his just and gentle rule;

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.


The Lord’s Prayer


Uniting our prayers with the whole company of heaven, 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


May Christ, who has opened the kingdom of heaven, bring us to reign with him in glory.

Amen.