Friday morning November 16

Saturday morning
Thursday 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

Into a World of Ruffians Sent

Charles Wesley

Into a world of ruffians sent,

I walk on hostile ground,

Wild human bears on slaughter bent,

And ravening wolves, surround.

The lion seeks my soul to slay,

In some unguarded hour,

And waits to tear his sleeping prey,

And watches to devour.

But worse than all my foes I find

The enemy within,

The evil heart, the carnal mind,

My own insidious sin.

My nature every moment waits

To render me secure,

And all my paths with ease besets,

To make my ruin sure.

But thou hast given a loud alarm;

And thou shalt still prepare

My soul for all assaults, and arm

With never-ceasing prayer.

O do not suffer me to sleep,

Who on thy love depend;

But still thy faithful servant keep,

And save me to the end!

Confession of sin

O King enthroned on high,

filling the earth with your glory:

holy is your name,

Lord God almighty.

A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.

In our sinfulness we cry to you

to take our guilt away,

and to cleanse our lips to speak your word,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

May the God of all healing and forgiveness

draw us to himself,

and cleanse us from all our sins

that we may behold the glory of his Son,

the Word made flesh,

Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The Word of God

Psalm 28

Refrain:

The Lord is my strength and my shield.

I cry out to you, Lord.

You are my rock; don’t refuse to hear me.

If you won’t talk to me,

I’ll be just like those going down to the pit.

Listen to my request for mercy when I cry out to you,

when I lift up my hands to your holy inner sanctuary.

Don’t drag me off with the wicked and those who do evil;

the type who talk nice to their friends

while evil thoughts are in their hearts!

Pay them back for what they’ve done!

Pay them back for their evil deeds!

Pay them back for their handiwork!

Give back to them exactly what they deserve!

Because they have no regard for what the Lord has done,

no regard for his handiwork,

God will tear them down and never rebuild!

Bless the Lord

because he has listened to my request for mercy!

The Lord is my strength and my shield.

My heart trusts him.

I was helped, my heart rejoiced,

and I thank him with my song.

The Lord is his people’s strength;

he is a fortress of protection for his anointed one.

Save your people, God!

Bless your possession!

Shepherd them and carry them for all time!

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 is my strength and my shield.

Psalm prayer

Hear us, Shepherd of your people,

forgive us our sins

and, in a world of pretenses,

make us true in heart and mind;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 32

Refrain:

You who are righteous, rejoice in the Lord and be glad!

The one whose wrongdoing is forgiven,

whose sin is covered over, is truly happy!

The one the Lord doesn’t consider guilty—

in whose spirit there is no dishonesty—

that one is truly happy!

When I kept quiet, my bones wore out;

I was groaning all day long—

every day, every night!—

because your hand was heavy upon me.

My energy was sapped as if in a summer drought.

So I admitted my sin to you;

I didn’t conceal my guilt.

“I’ll confess my sins to the Lord, ” is what I said.

Then you removed the guilt of my sin.

That’s why all the faithful should pray to you during troubled times,

so that a great flood of water won’t reach them.

You are my secret hideout!

You protect me from trouble.

You surround me with songs of rescue!

I will instruct you and teach you

about the direction you should go.

I’ll advise you and keep my eye on you.

Don’t be like some senseless horse or mule,

whose movement must be controlled

with a bit and a bridle.

Don’t be anything like that!

The pain of the wicked is severe,

but faithful love surrounds the one who trusts the Lord.

You who are righteous, rejoice in the Lord and be glad!

All you whose hearts are right, sing out in joy!

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 who are righteous, rejoice in the Lord and be glad!

Psalm prayer

Give us honest hearts, O God,

and send your kindly Spirit

to help us confess our sins

and bring us the peace of your forgiveness;

in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament reading
Daniel 7:1-14

In the first year of Babylon’s King Belshazzar, Daniel had a dream—a vision in his head as he lay on his bed. He wrote the dream down. Here is the beginning of the account:

I am Daniel. In the vision I had during the night I saw the four winds of heaven churning the great sea. Four giant beasts emerged from the sea, each different from the others. The first was like a lion with eagle’s wings. I observed it until its wings were pulled off, and it was lifted up from the ground. It was then set on two feet, like a human being, and it received a human mind. Then I saw another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told: “Get up! Devour much flesh!” I kept watching, and suddenly there was another beast, this one like a leopard. On its back it had four wings like bird wings. This beast had four heads. Authority was given to it.

After this, as I continued to watch this night vision, I saw a fourth beast, terrifying and hideous, with extraordinary power and with massive iron teeth. As it ate and crushed, its feet smashed whatever was left over. It was different from all the other beasts before it, and it had ten horns. I was staring at the horns when, suddenly, another small horn came up between them. Three of the earlier horns were ripped out to make room for it. On this new horn were eyes like human eyes and a mouth that bragged and bragged.

As I was watching,

thrones were raised up.

The ancient one took his seat.

His clothes were white like snow;

his hair was like a lamb’s wool.

His throne was made of flame;

its wheels were blazing fire.

A river of fire flowed out from his presence;

thousands upon thousands served him;

ten thousand times ten thousand stood ready to serve him!

The court sat in session; the scrolls were opened.

I kept watching. I watched from the moment the horn started bragging until the beast was killed and its body was destroyed, handed over to be burned with fire. Then the authority of the remaining beasts was brought to an end, but they were given an extension among the living for a set time and season.

As I continued to watch this night vision of mine, I suddenly saw

one like a human being

coming with the heavenly clouds.

He came to the ancient one

and was presented before him.

Rule, glory, and kingship were given to him;

all peoples, nations, and languages will serve him.

His rule is an everlasting one—

it will never pass away!—

his kingship is indestructible.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading
Revelation 9:1-12

Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the abyss. He opened the shaft of the abyss; and smoke rose up from the shaft, like smoke from a huge furnace. The sun and air were darkened by the smoke from the shaft. Then locusts came forth from the smoke and onto the earth. They were given power like the power that scorpions have on the earth. They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree. They could only hurt the people who didn’t have the seal of God on their foreheads. The locusts weren’t allowed to kill them, but only to make them suffer for five months—and the suffering they inflict is like that of a scorpion when it strikes a person. In those days people will seek death, but they won’t find it. They will want to die, but death will run away from them.

The locusts looked like horses ready for battle. On their heads were what seemed to be gold crowns. Their faces were like human faces, their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. In front they had what seemed to be iron armor upon their chests, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of many chariots and horses racing into battle. They also have tails with stingers, just like scorpions; and in their tails is their power to hurt people for five months. Their king is an angel from the abyss, whose Hebrew name is Abaddon, and whose Greek name is Apollyon.

The first horror has passed. Look! Two horrors are still coming after this.

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

Father, by your Spirit

Bring in your kingdom.

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.