Daily Office Readings

Week of Sunday, August-26-2012 - Proper 16 (8-24)
Wednesday

Daily Morning Prayer: Rite Two

Officiant begins with the following:

Confession of Sin

Dearly beloved, we have come together in the presence of Almighty God our heavenly Father, to set forth his praise, to hear his holy Word, and to ask, for ourselves and on behalf of others, those things that are necessary for our life and our salvation. And so that we may prepare ourselves in heart and mind to worship him, let us kneel in silence, and with penitent and obedient hearts confess our sins, that we may obtain forgiveness by his infinite goodness and mercy.

Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.

Silence may be kept.
Officiant and People together, all kneeling

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 you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.

*A deacon or lay person using the preceding form remains kneeling, and substitutes "us" for "you" and "our" for "your."

The Invitatory and Psalter

All stand

Officiant Lord, open our lips.
People And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Officiant and People
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.

-or-
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

On other Sundays and weekdays
The mercy of the Lord is everlasting: Come, let us adore him.

On Feasts of the Incarnation
[Alleluia.] The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us: O come, let us adore him. [Alleluia.]

On all Saints and other Major Saints' Days
[Alleluia.] The Lord is glorious in his saints: O come, let us adore him. [Alleluia.]

Venite
Psalm 95:1-7

Come let us sing to the Lord; *
 let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation. 
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *
 and raise a loud shout to him with psalms. 

[Antiphon, if used.]

For the Lord is a great God, *
 and a great King above all gods. 
In his hand are the caverns of the earth, *
 and the heights of the hills are his also. 
The sea is his, for he made it, *
 and his hands have molded the dry land. 

[Antiphon, if used.]

Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *
 and kneel before the Lord our Maker. 
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *
 Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!

The Psalm or Psalms Appointed:

Psalm 119:1-24
¹Blessed are the undefiled in the way,
Who walk in the law of the LORD!

²Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,
Who seek Him with the whole heart!

³They also do no iniquity;
They walk in His ways.

⁴You have commanded us
To keep Your precepts diligently.

⁵Oh, that my ways were directed
To keep Your statutes!

⁶Then I would not be ashamed,
When I look into all Your commandments.

⁷I will praise You with uprightness of heart,
When I learn Your righteous judgments.

⁸I will keep Your statutes;
Oh, do not forsake me utterly!

⁹How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.

¹⁰With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!

¹¹Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.

¹²Blessed are You, O LORD!
Teach me Your statutes.

¹³With my lips I have declared
All the judgments of Your mouth.

¹⁴I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
As much as in all riches.

¹⁵I will meditate on Your precepts,
And contemplate Your ways.

¹⁶I will delight myself in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.

¹⁷Deal bountifully with Your servant,
That I may live and keep Your word.

¹⁸Open my eyes, that I may see
Wondrous things from Your law.

¹⁹I am a stranger in the earth;
Do not hide Your commandments from me.

²⁰My soul breaks with longing
For Your judgments at all times.

²¹You rebuke the proud-the cursed,
Who stray from Your commandments.

²²Remove from me reproach and contempt,
For I have kept Your testimonies.

²³Princes also sit and speak against me,
But Your servant meditates on Your statutes.

²⁴Your testimonies also are my delight
And my counselors.

-- NKJV

Psalm 12
^{To the Chief Musician. On an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David.
1}Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases!
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.

²They speak idly everyone with his neighbor;
With flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

³May the LORD cut off all flattering lips,
And the tongue that speaks proud things,

⁴Who have said,
"With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are our own;
Who is lord over us?"

⁵"For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy,
Now I will arise," says the LORD;
"I will set him in the safety for which he yearns."

⁶The words of the LORD are pure words,
Like silver tried in a furnace of earth,
Purified seven times.

⁷You shall keep them, O LORD,
You shall preserve them from this generation forever.

⁸The wicked prowl on every side,
When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.
-- NKJV

Psalm 13
^{To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
1}How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?

²How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

³Consider and hear me, O LORD my God;
Enlighten my eyes,
Lest I sleep the sleep of death;

⁴Lest my enemy say,
"I have prevailed against him";
Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

⁵But I have trusted in Your mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

⁶I will sing to the LORD,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
-- NKJV

Psalm 14
^{To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
1}The fool has said in his heart,
"There is no God."
They are corrupt,
They have done abominable works,
There is none who does good.

²The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.

³They have all turned aside,
They have together become corrupt;
There is none who does good,
No, not one.

⁴Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And do not call on the LORD?

⁵There they are in great fear,
For God is with the generation of the righteous.

⁶You shame the counsel of the poor,
But the LORD is his refuge.

⁷Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When the LORD brings back the captivity of His people,
Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.
-- NKJV

At the end of the Psalm is sung or said

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

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:* 
  as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

The Lessons

The Old Testament Reading

Reader: A Reading (Lesson) from Job 6:1 && Job 7:1-21

Job 6:1
¹Then Job answered and said: -- NKJV

- AND -

Job 7:1-21
¹"Is there not a time of hard service for man on earth? Are not his days also like the days of a hired man? ²Like a servant who earnestly desires the shade, And like a hired man who eagerly looks for his wages, ³So I have been allotted months of futility, And wearisome nights have been appointed to me. ⁴When I lie down, I say, 'When shall I arise, And the night be ended?' For I have had my fill of tossing till dawn. ⁵My flesh is caked with worms and dust, My skin is cracked and breaks out afresh. ⁶"My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, And are spent without hope. ⁷Oh, remember that my life is a breath! My eye will never again see good. ⁸The eye of him who sees me will see me no more; While your eyes are upon me, I shall no longer be. ⁹As the cloud disappears and vanishes away, So he who goes down to the grave does not come up. ¹⁰He shall never return to his house, Nor shall his place know him anymore. ¹¹" Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. ¹²Am I a sea, or a sea serpent, That You set a guard over me? ¹³When I say, 'My bed will comfort me, My couch will ease my complaint,' ¹⁴Then You scare me with dreams And terrify me with visions, ¹⁵So that my soul chooses strangling And death rather than my body. ¹⁶I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone, For my days are but a breath. ¹⁷"What is man, that You should exalt him, That You should set Your heart on him, ¹⁸That You should visit him every morning, And test him every moment? ¹⁹How long? Will You not look away from me, And let me alone till I swallow my saliva? ²⁰Have I sinned? What have I done to You, O watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target, So that I am a burden to myself? ²¹Why then do You not pardon my transgression, And take away my iniquity? For now I will lie down in the dust, And You will seek me diligently, But I will no longer be." -- NKJV

Reader:The Word of the Lord.
Answer: Thanks be to God.

11 The Third Song of Isaiah Surge, illuminare
Isaiah 60:1-3, 11a, 14c, 18-19

Arise, shine, for your light has come, *
 and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you. 

For behold, darkness covers the land; *
 deep gloom enshrouds the peoples. 

But over you the Lord will rise, *
 and his glory will appear upon you. 

Nations will stream to your light, *
 and kings to the brightness of your dawning. 

Your gates will always be open; *
 by day or night they will never be shut. 

They will call you, The City of the Lord, *
 The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. 

Violence will no more be heard in your land, *
 ruin or destruction within your borders. 

You will call your walls, Salvation, *
 and all your portals, Praise. 

The sun will no more be your light by day; *
 by night you will not need the brightness of the moon. 

The Lord will be your everlasting light, *
 and your God will be your glory. 

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
 as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
 	world without end.  Amen. 

The New Testament Reading

Reader: A Reading (Lesson) from Acts 10:1-16

Acts 10:1-16
¹There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, ²a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. ³About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, "Cornelius!" ⁴And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, "What is it, lord?" So he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. ⁵Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. ⁶He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do." ⁷And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually. ⁸So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa. ⁹The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. ¹⁰Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance ¹¹and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. ¹²In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. ¹³And a voice came to him, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." ¹⁴But Peter said, "Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean." ¹⁵And a voice spoke to him again the second time, "What God has cleansed you must not call common." ¹⁶This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again. -- NKJV

Reader:The Word of the Lord.
Answer: Thanks be to God.

16 The Song of Zechariah Benedictus Dominus Deus
Luke 1: 68-79

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 be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
 as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
 	world without end.  Amen. 

The Gospel

Reader: A reading from the Gospel according to St. John.

John 7:1-13
¹After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. ²Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. ³His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. ⁴For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world." ⁵For even His brothers did not believe in Him. ⁶Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. ⁷The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. ⁸You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come." ⁹When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee. ¹⁰But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. ¹¹Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?" ¹²And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people." ¹³However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews. -- NKJV

Reader: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.

The Apostles' Creed
Officiant and People together, all standing

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.

The Prayers
The People stand or kneel

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,
  for ever and ever.  Amen. 

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. 

Save us from the time of trial,
 and deliver us from evil. 

For the kingdom, the power,
 and the glory are yours,
 now and for ever.  Amen. 

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

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

The Collect of the Day:

Proper 16
Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

A Collect for the Renewal of Life
O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness during the day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Then, unless the Eucharist or a form of general intercession is to follow, the following prayer for mission is added.

Prayer for Mission
Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen.

Authorized intercessions and thanksgivings may follow.

Before the close of the Office one or both of the following may be used

The General Thanksgiving
Officiant and People

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 our selves 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 St. Chrysostom
Officiant

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.

Then may be said
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Officiant concludes with:

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Romans 15:13

Scripture taken from the New King James Version.
(Unless otherwise noted.)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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