OFFICIANT
In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Isaiah 40:3
OFFICIANT
Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Isaiah 40:3
Confession of Sin
OFFICIANT
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
OFFICIANT
Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.
Silence may be kept.
Officiant and People together, all kneeling
ALL
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.
ALL
Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep, we have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts, we have offended against thy holy laws, we have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, spare thou those who confess their faults, restore thou those who are penitent, according to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord; and grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.
Remain kneeling for the concluding prayer.
OFFICIANT
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.
OFFICIANT
The Almighty and merciful Lord grant us absolution and remission of all our sins, true repentance, amendment of life, and the grace and consolation of his Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Invitatory and Psalter
All stand
OFFICIANT
Lord, open our lips.
PEOPLE
And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
ALL
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
ALL
Alleluia.
OFFICIANT
O Lord, open thou our lips.
PEOPLE
And our mouth shall show forth thy praise.
ALL
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
ALL
Alleluia
Venite
ALL
Our King and Savior now draws near: Come, let us adore him.
ALL
Our King and Savior draweth nigh: O come, let us adore him.
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.
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.
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!
O come, let us sing unto the Lord; *
let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *
and show ourselves glad in him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God, *
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are all the corners of the earth, *
and the strength of the hills is his also.
The sea is his, and he made it, *
and his hands prepared the dry land.
O come, let us worship and fall down, *
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For he is the Lord our God, *
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; *
let the whole earth stand in awe of him.
For he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth, *
and with righteousness to judge the world and the peoples with his truth.
ALL
Our King and Savior now draws near: Come, let us adore him.
ALL
Our King and Savior draweth nigh: O come, let us adore him.
Psalms 16, 17
Psalm 16Conserva me, Domine
Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you; *
I have said to the LORD, "You are my Lord,
my good above all other."
All my delight is upon the godly that are in the land, *
upon those who are noble among the people.
But those who run after other gods *
shall have their troubles multiplied.
Their libations of blood I will not offer, *
nor take the names of their gods upon my lips.
O LORD, you are my portion and my cup; *
it is you who uphold my lot.
My boundaries enclose a pleasant land; *
indeed, I have a goodly heritage.
I will bless the LORD who gives me counsel; *
my heart teaches me, night after night.
I have set the LORD always before me; *
because he is at my right hand I shall not fall.
My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices; *
my body also shall rest in hope.
For you will not abandon me to the grave, *
nor let your holy one see the Pit.
You will show me the path of life; *
in your presence there is fullness of joy,
and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.
Psalm 17Exaudi, Domine
Hear my plea of innocence, O LORD;
give heed to my cry; *
listen to my prayer, which does not come from lying lips.
Let my vindication come forth from your presence; *
let your eyes be fixed on justice.
Weigh my heart, summon me by night, *
melt me down; you will find no impurity in me.
I give no offense with my mouth as others do; *
I have heeded the words of your lips.
My footsteps hold fast to the ways of your law; *
in your paths my feet shall not stumble.
I call upon you, O God, for you will answer me; *
incline your ear to me and hear my words.
Show me your marvelous loving-kindness, *
O Savior of those who take refuge at your right hand
from those who rise up against them.
Keep me as the apple of your eye; *
hide me under the shadow of your wings,
From the wicked who assault me, *
from my deadly enemies who surround me.
They have closed their heart to pity, *
and their mouth speaks proud things.
They press me hard,
now they surround me, *
watching how they may cast me to the ground,
Like a lion, greedy for its prey, *
and like a young lion lurking in secret places.
Arise, O LORD; confront them and bring them down; *
deliver me from the wicked by your sword.
Deliver me, O LORD, by your hand *
from those whose portion in life is this world;
Whose bellies you fill with your treasure, *
who are well supplied with children
and leave their wealth to their little ones.
But at my vindication I shall see your face; *
when I awake, I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.
ALL
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
The Lessons
The First Lesson
1Hear this word, O house of Israel, this lamentation I take up against you:
2“Fallen is Virgin Israel,
never to rise again.
She lies abandoned on her land,
with no one to raise her up.”
3This is what the Lord GOD says:
“The city that marches out a thousand strong
will have but a hundred left,
and the one that marches out a hundred strong
will have but ten left in the house of Israel.”
4For this is what the LORD says to the house of Israel:
“Seek Me and live!
5Do not seek Bethel or go to Gilgal;
do not journey to Beersheba,
for Gilgal will surely go into exile,
and Bethel will come to nothing.
6Seek the LORD and live,
or He will sweep like fire through the house of Joseph;
it will devour everything,
with no one at Bethel to extinguish it.
7There are those who turn justice into wormwood
and cast righteousness to the ground.
8He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
who turns darkness into dawn
and darkens day into night,
who summons the waters of the sea
and pours them over the face of the earth —
the LORD is His name —
9He flashes destruction on the strong,
so that fury comes upon the stronghold.
10There are those who hate the one who reproves in the gate
and despise him who speaks with integrity.
11Therefore, because you trample on the poor
and exact from him a tax of grain,
you will never live
in the stone houses you have built;
you will never drink the wine
from the lush vineyards you have planted.
12For I know that your transgressions are many
and your sins are numerous.
You oppress the righteous by taking bribes;
you deprive the poor of justice in the gate.
13Therefore, the prudent keep silent in such times,
for the days are evil.
14Seek good, not evil,
so that you may live.
And the LORD, the God of Hosts,
will be with you, as you have claimed.
15Hate evil and love good;
establish justice in the gate.
Perhaps the LORD, the God of Hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”
16Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Hosts, the Lord, says:
“There will be wailing in all the public squares
and cries of ‘Alas! Alas!’ in all the streets.
The farmer will be summoned to mourn,
and the mourners to wail.
17There will be wailing in all the vineyards,
for I will pass through your midst,”
says the LORD.
Silence may be kept after each Reading.
The Second Song of Isaiah
A Song of Praise
Seek the Lord while he wills to be found; *
call upon him when he draws near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways *
and the evil ones their thoughts;
And let them turn to the Lord, and he will have compassion, *
and to our God, for he will richly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, *
nor your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, *
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For as rain and snow fall from the heavens *
and return not again, but water the earth,
Bringing forth life and giving growth, *
seed for sowing and bread for eating,
So is my word that goes forth from my mouth; *
it will not return to me empty;
But it will accomplish that which I have purposed, *
and prosper in that for which I sent it.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Blessed art thou, O Lord God of our fathers; *
praised and exalted above all for ever.
Blessed art thou for the Name of thy Majesty; *
praised and exalted above all for ever.
Blessed art thou in the temple of thy holiness; *
praised and exalted above all for ever.
Blessed art thou that beholdest the depths, and dwellest between the Cherubim; *
praised and exalted above all for ever.
Blessed art thou on the glorious throne of thy kingdom; *
praised and exalted above all for ever.
Blessed art thou in the firmament of heaven; *
praised and exalted above all for ever.
Blessed art thou, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; *
praised and exalted above all for ever.
The Second Lesson
1Once again, Jesus spoke to them in parables: 2“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his servants to call those he had invited to the banquet, but they refused to come.
4Again, he sent other servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
5But they paid no attention and went away, one to his field, another to his business. 6The rest seized his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.
7The king was enraged, and he sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city. 8Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited were not worthy. 9Go therefore to the crossroads and invite to the banquet as many as you can find.’
10So the servants went out into the streets and gathered everyone they could find, both evil and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11But when the king came in to see the guests, he spotted a man who was not dressed in wedding clothes. 12‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’
But the man was speechless.
13Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Silence may be kept after each Reading.
A Song to the Lamb
The Song of Zechariah
Splendor and honor and kingly power *
are yours by right, O Lord our God,
For you created everything that is, *
and by your will they were created and have their being;
And yours by right, O Lamb that was slain, *
for with your blood you have redeemed for God,
From every family, language, people, and nation, *
a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
And so, to him who sits upon the throne, *
and to Christ the Lamb,
Be worship and praise, dominion and splendor, *
for ever and for evermore.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, *
for he hath visited and redeemed his people;
And hath raised up a mighty salvation for us *
in the house of his servant David,
As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, *
which have been since the world began:
That we should be saved from our enemies, *
and from the hand of all that hate us;
To perform the mercy promised to our forefathers, *
and to remember his holy covenant;
To perform the oath which he sware to our forefather Abraham, *
that he would give 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 life.
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest, *
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
To give knowledge of salvation unto his people *
for the remission of their sins,
Through the tender mercy of our God, *
whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us;
To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, *
and 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 for ever. Amen.
The Apostles’ Creed
Officiant and People together, all standing
ALL
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 power of 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.
ALL
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost,
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
OFFICIANT
The Lord be with you.
PEOPLE
And also with you.
OFFICIANT
Let us pray.
OFFICIANT
The Lord be with you.
PEOPLE
And with thy spirit.
OFFICIANT
Let us pray.
ALL
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.
ALL
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.
OFFICIANT
Show us your mercy, O Lord;
PEOPLE
And grant us your salvation.
OFFICIANT
Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
PEOPLE
Let your people sing with joy.
OFFICIANT
Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
PEOPLE
For only in you can we live in safety.
OFFICIANT
Lord, keep this nation under your care;
PEOPLE
And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
OFFICIANT
Let your way be known upon earth;
PEOPLE
Your saving health among all nations.
OFFICIANT
Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
PEOPLE
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
OFFICIANT
Create in us clean hearts, O God;
PEOPLE
And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.
OFFICIANT
O Lord, show thy mercy upon us;
PEOPLE
And grant us thy salvation.
OFFICIANT
Endue thy ministers with righteousness;
PEOPLE
And make thy chosen people joyful.
OFFICIANT
Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
PEOPLE
For only in thee can we live in safety.
OFFICIANT
Lord, keep this nation under thy care;
PEOPLE
And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
OFFICIANT
Let thy way be known upon earth;
PEOPLE
Thy saving health among all nations.
OFFICIANT
Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
PEOPLE
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
OFFICIANT
Create in us clean hearts, O God;
PEOPLE
And sustain us with thy Holy Spirit.
The Collect of the Day
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
A Collect for Fridays
OFFICIANT
Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
OFFICIANT
Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer for Mission
OFFICIANT
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.
OFFICIANT
Lord Jesus Christ, who didst stretch out thine arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of thy saving embrace: So clothe us in thy Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know thee to the knowledge and love of thee; for the honor of thy Name. Amen.
Here may be sung a hymn or anthem.
Authorized intercessions and thanksgivings may follow.
The General Thanksgiving
ALL
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.
ALL
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we thine unworthy servants do give thee most humble and hearty thanks for all thy goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all men. We bless thee for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for thine inestimable 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 beseech thee, give us that due sense of all thy mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful; and that we show forth thy praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to thy service, and by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.
Dismissal
OFFICIANT
Let us bless the Lord.
PEOPLE
Thanks be to God.
OFFICIANT
Let us bless the Lord.
PEOPLE
Thanks be to God.
OFFICIANT
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.
OFFICIANT
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen.
Text from the Book of Common Prayer (1979), The Episcopal Church.
The Psalter from the Book of Common Prayer (1979), The Episcopal Church.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain.