Shane Raynor 10/20/26 Shane Raynor 10/20/26

Wed. morning Oct. 21

Opening response

O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare 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

Now Thank We All Our God

Confession of Sin

The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in mercy.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
nor recompensed us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his mercy toward those who fear Him.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Holy God,
Holy and strong,
Holy and immortal,
have mercy upon us.

As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

As a father pities his children,
so the LORD pities those who fear Him.

Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all that is within me, bless His holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all His benefits.

Psalm 119:153-176

𝙍: I long for Your salvation, O LORD.

Consider my affliction and deliver me,
for I do not forget Your law.
Plead my cause and redeem me;
give me life according to Your word.
Salvation is far from the wicked,
for they seek not Your statutes.
Great are Your tender mercies, O LORD;
give me life according to Your judgments.

𝙍: I long for Your salvation, O LORD.

Many are my persecutors and my enemies,
yet I do not turn from Your testimonies.
I look at the transgressors and grieve,
because they keep not Your word.
Consider how I love Your precepts;
revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness.
The entirety of Your word is truth,
and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.

𝙍: I long for Your salvation, O LORD.

Princes persecute me without cause,
but my heart stands in awe of Your word.
I rejoice at Your word
like one who finds great spoil.
I hate and abhor lying,
but Your law do I love.
Seven times a day do I praise You,
because of Your righteous judgments.

𝙍: I long for Your salvation, O LORD.

Great peace have those who love Your law;
nothing causes them to stumble.
LORD, I hope for Your salvation,
and I keep Your commandments.
My soul keeps Your testimonies,
and I love them exceedingly.
I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies,
for all my ways are before You.

Let my cry come before You, O LORD;
give me understanding according to Your word.
Let my supplication come before You;
deliver me according to Your word.
My lips will utter praise,
for You teach me Your statutes.
My tongue will speak of Your word,
for all Your commandments are righteousness.

𝙍: I long for Your salvation, O LORD.

Let Your hand be ready to help me,
for I have chosen Your precepts.
I long for Your salvation, O LORD,
and Your law is my delight.
Let my soul live that it may praise You,
and let Your ordinances help me.
I have gone astray like a lost sheep;
seek out Your servant,
for I forget not 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.

𝙍: I long for Your salvation, O LORD.

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

2 Kings 23:4-25

The king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the threshold to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the implements that were made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. Then he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel. Then he removed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense on the high places at the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the constellations, and to all the host of heaven. He brought out the Asherah from the house of the LORD to the outside of Jerusalem, to the Kidron Valley. Then he burned it at the Kidron Valley, crushed it to dust, and threw its dust upon the graves of the people. He tore down the houses of the male cult prostitutes that were in the house of the LORD, where the women were weaving hangings for the Asherah.

He brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah and defiled the high places where the priests had made offerings, from Geba to Beer-sheba. He broke down the high places of the gates at the entry of the gates of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on the left at the gate of the city. However the priests of the high places did not go up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem. Instead they ate unleavened bread among their fellow priests.

He defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so that no man would make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech. He removed the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entry of the house of the LORD, by the hall of Nathan-melech the eunuch, which was in the vestibule. The chariots of the sun he burned with fire.

The altars that were on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the Lord the king tore down and banished from there and threw their dust into the Kidron Valley. The high places east of Jerusalem, south of the Mount of Corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, the king defiled. He broke the standing stones, cut down the Asherah poles, and filled their sites with human bones.

Moreover, the altar that was at Bethel and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he tore down. Then he burned the high place and crushed it to powder, and he burned the Asherah. As Josiah turned, he saw the tombs that were there on the mount. He took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar and defiled it, according to the word of the LORD that the man of God proclaimed, the one who announced these things.

Then he said, “What is this monument that I see?”

The men of the city said to him, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things that you have done against the altar of Bethel.”

He said, “Let him rest. No one shall disturb his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came out of Samaria.

Moreover, all the houses of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the LORD to anger, Josiah removed. He did to them just as he had done in Bethel. He slaughtered on the altars all the priests of the high places who were there, and burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

The king commanded all the people, “Keep the Passover to the LORD your God as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” For such a Passover had not been kept from the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was kept to the LORD in Jerusalem.

Moreover, Josiah disposed of the mediums, the soothsayers, the teraphim, the idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, so that he established the words of the law that were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD. Now there had been no king like him before or after, who turned to the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

1 Timothy 3

This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the office of an overseer, he desires a good work. An overseer then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, sober, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach; not given to drunkenness, not violent, not greedy for money, but patient, not argumentative, not covetous; and one who manages his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence. For if a man does not know how to manage his own house, how will he take care of the church of God? He must not be newly converted, so that he does not become prideful and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good reputation among those who are outsiders, so that he does not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Likewise deacons must be honorable, not insincere, not given to much wine, not greedy, keeping the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. And let them first be tested; then, being found blameless, let them serve as deacons.

Likewise, the women must be honorable, not slanderers, sober, and faithful in all things.

Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, managing their children and their own houses well. For those who have served well in the office of deacon purchase for themselves good standing and great boldness in the faith, which is in Christ Jesus.

I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you shortly, but if I am delayed, you might know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. Without question, great is the mystery of godliness:

God was revealed in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit,
seen by angels,
preached to the Gentiles,
believed on in the world,
taken up into glory.

Silence may be kept.

The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)

Luke 1:68-79

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for He has visited and redeemed His people,
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of His servant David,
as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets of long ago,
that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us,
to perform the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember His holy covenant,
the oath which He swore to our father Abraham,
to grant us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies,
might serve Him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives.

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;
for you will go before the presence of the Lord to prepare His ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to His people
by the remission of their sins,
through the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise from on high has visited 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.

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.

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.
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.

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

God, the giver of life, whose Holy Spirit wells up within your Church: by the Spirit's gifts equip us to live the gospel of Christ and make us eager to do your will, that we may share with the whole creation the joys of eternal life; 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 forever.
Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

As our Savior taught us, so we pray

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. Amen.

Conclusion

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

Shane Raynor 10/19/26 Shane Raynor 10/19/26

Tue. morning Oct. 20

Opening response

O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.

Prayer of thanksgiving

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

Revive Us Again

Confession of Sin

Silence is kept for reflection.

Holy God,
Holy and strong,
Holy and immortal,
have mercy upon us.

As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

As a father pities his children,
so the LORD pities those who fear Him.

Bless the LORD, O my soul;
andall that is within me, bless His holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all His benefits.

Psalm 132

𝙍: The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.

O LORD, remember David
and all his afflictions;
how he swore to the LORD,
and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
“Surely I will not enter my house,
nor go up to my bed;
I will not give sleep to my eyes,
or slumber to my eyelids,
until I find a place for the LORD,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

𝙍: The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.

Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;
we found it in the fields of Jaar.
“Let us go into His dwelling place;
let us worship at His footstool.”
Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place,
You and the ark of Your strength.
Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and let Your saints shout for joy.

For the sake of Your servant David,
turn not away the face of Your anointed.

𝙍: The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.

The LORD has sworn in truth to David
from which He will not turn back:
“A son of the fruit of your body
will I set upon your throne.
If your sons will keep My covenant
and My testimony which I shall teach them,
their sons also, forevermore,
shall sit upon your throne.”

𝙍: The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.

For the LORD has chosen Zion;
He has desired it for His dwelling place:
“This is My resting place forever;
here will I dwell, for I have chosen it.
I will abundantly bless her provisions;
I will satisfy her poor with bread.
Also her priests will I clothe with salvation,
and her saints will shout for joy.

“There will I make the horn of David sprout up;
I have prepared a lamp for My anointed.
His enemies will I clothe with shame,
but upon himself shall his crown flourish.”

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.

𝙍: The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.

Psalm prayer

Jesus, Son of David, make us a priestly people; clothe us in righteousness, make us fruitful, and give us hearts to shout for joy in your salvation; we pray in the power of the Spirit.

Psalm 133

𝙍: Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed.

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
for brothers to dwell together in unity!

It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down upon the edge of his robes.
It is like the dew of Hermon,
descending upon the mountains of Zion;
for there the LORD commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.

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.

𝙍: Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed.

Psalm prayer

Grant to your people, good Lord, the spirit of unity, that they may dwell together in your love, and so bear to the world the ointment of your healing and the dew of your blessing; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament reading

2 Kings 22:1-23:3

Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah from Bozkath. He did what was right in the sight of the LORD and walked in all the ways of David his father. He did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

In the eighteenth year of King Josiah the king sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the LORD, saying, “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, and have him prepare the money that has been brought to the house of the LORD, which the keepers of the threshold have gathered from the people. Let them deliver it to the hand of the appointed workers of the house of the LORD, and let them give it to the workers who are in the house of the LORD to repair the damages to the house, that is, to the carpenters, the builders, and the masons to buy timber and cut stone to repair the house. But there need be no settling of accounts with them concerning the money that was given to their hand, because they are behaving honestly.”

Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD.” Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. Then Shaphan the scribe came to the king and brought the king a report. He said, “Your servants have emptied the money that was found in the house and have given it into the hand of the appointed workers of the house of the LORD.” Shaphan the scribe informed the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” So Shaphan read it before the king.

When the king had heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes. Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Akbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah, a servant of the king, saying, “Go, inquire of the LORD for me, for the people, and for all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book by doing according to all that is written concerning us.”

So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Akbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, wife of Shallum, son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (she lived in Jerusalem in the second quarter), and they spoke with her.

She said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: Tell the man that sent you to Me, Thus says the LORD: Behold, I will bring evil on this place and on its inhabitants —all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read. Because they have forsaken Me and have made offerings to other gods, so that they have provoked Me to anger with all the works of their hands, therefore My wrath will be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched. But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the LORD, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the LORD God of Israel with regard to the words you have heard: Because your heart was timid, and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you, declares the LORD. Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the evil which I am about to bring upon this place.”

Then they brought the king a report.

Then the king sent them away and they gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to him. The king went up to the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, the priests, the prophets, and all the people, both small and great. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that was found in the house of the LORD. The king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the LORD to follow the LORD, to keep His commandments, His testimonies, and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. All the people agreed with the covenant.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

1 Timothy 1:18-2:15

This command I commit to you, my son Timothy, according to the prophecies that were previously given to you, that by them you might fight a good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

Therefore I exhort first of all that you make supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for everyone, for kings and for all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty, for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all. This was the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I speak the truth in Christ and do not lie), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Therefore I desire that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath or contentiousness. In like manner also, that women clothe themselves in modest clothing, with decency and self-control, not with braided hair, gold, pearls, or expensive clothing, but with good works, which is proper for women professing godliness.

Let a woman learn in silence with all obedience. I do not permit a woman to teach or to usurp authority over a man, but to be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman, being deceived, fell into sin. Yet she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.

Silence may be kept.

The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)

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.

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 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.

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:

All who are sick in body, mind, or spirit
Those in the midst of famine or disaster
Victims of abuse and violence, intolerance, and prejudice
Those who are bereaved
All who work in the medical and healing professions

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

The Lord’s Prayer

As our Savior taught us, so we pray

Conclusion

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

Shane Raynor 10/18/26 Shane Raynor 10/18/26

Mon. morning Oct. 19

Opening response

O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.

Prayer of thanksgiving

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

Beneath the Cross of Jesus

Confession of Sin

Seek the LORD while He may be found,
call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
and let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him,
and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

cf Isaiah 55

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

Lord God, I have sinned against you; I have done what is evil in your sight. I am sorry and repent. Have mercy on me according to your lovingkindness. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Renew a right spirit within me, and restore unto me the joy of your salvation, through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

cf Psalm 51

May the Father of all mercies cleanse us from our sins, and restore us in his image to the praise and glory of his name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Blessed be the LORD,
because He has heard the voice of my supplications.
Therefore my heart rejoices,
and with my song I will thank Him.

cf Psalm 28:7,9

Psalm 123

𝙍: Our eyes wait upon the LORD our God.

Unto You do I lift up my eyes,
O You who are enthroned in the heavens.
Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God,
until He has mercy upon us.

𝙍: Our eyes wait upon the LORD our God.

Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us,
for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.
Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorn of those who are at ease,
and with the contempt of the proud.

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.

𝙍: Our eyes wait upon the LORD our God.

Psalm prayer

Sovereign God, enthroned in the heavens, look upon us with your eyes of mercy, as we look on you with humility and love, and fill our souls with your peace through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 124

𝙍: Our help is in the name of the LORD.

If it had not been the LORD who was on our side—
let Israel now say—
if it had not been the LORD who was on our side,
when men rose up against us,
then they would have swallowed us alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
then the waters would have overwhelmed us,
the stream would have gone over our soul;
then the raging waters
would have gone over our soul.

𝙍: Our help is in the name of the LORD.

Blessed be the LORD,
who has not given us as prey to their teeth.
Our soul has escaped
like a bird from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.

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.

𝙍: Our help is in the name of the LORD.

Psalm prayer

O God, maker of heaven and earth, through the blood of your Son you have set us free; help us to put our trust in his victory and to know the salvation won for us by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 125

𝙍: Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God.

Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the LORD surrounds His people,
from this time forth and forevermore.

𝙍: Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God.

For the scepter of the wicked shall not rest
on the land allotted to the righteous,
lest the righteous put forth
their hands to do wrong.

Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,
and to those who are upright in their hearts.
As for those who turn aside to their crooked ways,
the Lord will lead them away with the workers of iniquity.

Peace be upon Israel!

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.

𝙍: Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God.

Psalm prayer

God of power, you are strong to save, and you never fail those who trust in you; keep us under your protection and spread abroad your reign of peace through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 126

𝙍: The LORD has done great things for us.

When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
Then was our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with singing;
then said they among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us,
and we are glad.

𝙍: The LORD has done great things for us.

Bring back our captives, O LORD,
like the streams in the Negev.
Those who sow in tears
shall reap with joy.
He who goes forth weeping,
bearing seed for sowing,
shall come home with rejoicing,
bringing his sheaves with him.

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.

𝙍: The LORD has done great things for us.

Psalm prayer

Lord, as you send rain and flowers even to the wilderness, renew us by your Holy Spirit, help us to sow good seed in time of adversity and to live to rejoice in your good harvest of all creation; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament reading

2 Kings 21:1-18

Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. He did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD dispossessed before the Israelites. He went back and rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed. He erected altars for Baal, made an Asherah pole as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshipped all the host of heaven and served them. He built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem I will put My name.” He built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. He made his son pass through the fire, was conjuring and seeking omens, and dealt with mediums and soothsayers. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.

He put a carved image of Asherah that he had made in the house of which the LORD said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever. I will not make the feet of Israel to wander homeless from the land that I gave to their fathers, if only they will be careful to do according to all that I have commanded them and according to all the law that My servant Moses commanded them.” But they did not listen. Manasseh led them to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites.

The LORD spoke by His servants the prophets, saying, “Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations, things more evil than all that the Amorites did, and has also caused Judah to sin with his idols, therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing evil on Jerusalem and Judah, such evil that the ears of whoever hears about it will tingle. I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the level of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes out a bowl, wiping it and turning it upside down. I will disregard the remnant of My inheritance and give them into the hand of their enemies. They shall become plunder and spoil for all their enemies, because they have done evil in My sight and have provoked Me to anger, since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day.”

Moreover, Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to the other; besides his sin he caused Judah to sin by doing evil in the sight of the LORD.

Now the rest of the deeds of Manasseh, all that he did, and his sin that he committed, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his house, in the garden of Uzza. Amon his son reigned in his place.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading

1 Timothy 1:1-17

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the command of God our Savior, and of the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope,

To Timothy, my true son in the faith:

Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, continue to remain at Ephesus so that you might command some to teach no other teaching, nor pay attention to fables and endless genealogies, which cause debates rather than godly edifying, which is in faith. Now the goal of this command is love from a pure heart, and from a good conscience, and from sincere faith. From this, some have lost their way and turned aside to empty talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, and understanding neither what they say nor what they affirm.

But we know that the law is good if someone uses it lawfully. And we know that the law is not given for a righteous person, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and the profane, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for practicing homosexuals, for slave traders, for liars, for perjurers, and for anything else that is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful and appointed me to the ministry. I was previously a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and an insolent man. But I was shown mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. The grace of our Lord overflowed with the faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, first, Jesus Christ might show all patience, as an example to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life. Now to the eternal, immortal, invisible King, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever. Amen.

Silence may be kept.

The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)

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.

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 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.

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 media and the arts
Farming and fishing
Commerce and industry
Those whose work is unfulfilling, stressful, or fraught with danger
All who are unemployed

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

Response

Father, hear our prayer,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

The Lord’s Prayer

As our Savior taught us, so we pray

Conclusion

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