through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
as in the beginning, so now, and for ever. Amen.
O Lord you are great and marvellous,
you are marvellous in your strength, invincible.
Let the whole creation serve you:
for you spoke and all things came to be;
You sent out your Spirit and it formed them:
no one can resist your voice.
Mountains and seas are stirred to their depths:
rocks melt like wax at your presence;
But to those who revere you:
you still show mercy.
let us pray with one heart and mind.
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and for ever. Amen.
all that you did in their days, in time of old;
2 How with your hand you drove out nations and planted us in,
and broke the power of peoples and set us free.
3 For not by their own sword did our ancestors take the land
nor did their own arm save them,
4 But your right hand, your arm, and the light of your countenance,
because you were gracious to them.
5 You are my King and my God,
who commanded salvation for Jacob.
6 Through you we drove back our adversaries;
through your name we trod down our foes.
7 For I did not trust in my bow;
it was not my own sword that saved me;
8 It was you that saved us from our enemies
and put our adversaries to shame.
9 We gloried in God all the day long,
and were ever praising your name.
10 But now you have rejected us and brought us to shame,
and go not out with our armies.
11 You have made us turn our backs on our enemies,
and our enemies have despoiled us.
12 You have made us like sheep to be slaughtered,
and have scattered us among the nations.
13 You have sold your people for a pittance
and made no profit on their sale.
14 You have made us the taunt of our neighbours,
the scorn and derision of those that are round about us.
15 You have made us a byword among the nations;
among the peoples they wag their heads.
16 My confusion is daily before me,
and shame has covered my face,
17 At the taunts of the slanderer and reviler,
at the sight of the enemy and avenger.
18 All this has come upon us,
though we have not forgotten you
and have not played false to your covenant.
19 Our hearts have not turned back,
nor our steps gone out of your way,
20 Yet you have crushed us in the haunt of jackals,
and covered us with the shadow of death.
21 If we have forgotten the name of our God,
or stretched out our hands to any strange god,
22 Will not God search it out?
For he knows the secrets of the heart.
23 But for your sake are we killed all the day long,
and are counted as sheep for the slaughter.
24 Rise up! Why sleep, O Lord?
Awake, and do not reject us for ever.
25 Why do you hide your face
and forget our grief and oppression?
26 Our soul is bowed down to the dust;
our belly cleaves to the earth.
27 Rise up, O Lord, to help us
and redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.
1 Chronicles 28:1–10 (Listen)
David’s Charge to Israel
28:1 David assembled at Jerusalem all the officials of Israel, the officials of the tribes, the officers of the divisions that served the king, the commanders of thousands, the commanders of hundreds, the stewards of all the property and livestock of the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the mighty men and all the seasoned warriors. 2 Then King David rose to his feet and said: “Hear me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD and for the footstool of our God, and I made preparations for building. 3 But God said to me, ‘You may not build a house for my name, for you are a man of war and have shed blood.’ 4 Yet the LORD God of Israel chose me from all my father’s house to be king over Israel forever. For he chose Judah as leader, and in the house of Judah my father’s house, and among my father’s sons he took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel. 5 And of all my sons (for the LORD has given me many sons) he has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel. 6 He said to me, ‘It is Solomon your son who shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. 7 I will establish his kingdom forever if he continues strong in keeping my commandments and my rules, as he is today.’ 8 Now therefore in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God, observe and seek out all the commandments of the LORD your God, that you may possess this good land and leave it for an inheritance to your children after you forever.
David’s Charge to Solomon
9 “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever. 10 Be careful now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it.”
(ESV)
Mark 11:1–11 (Listen)
The Triumphal Entry
11:1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus1 sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” 4 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. 5 And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. 7 And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. 8 And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. 9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”
11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
Footnotes
[1] 11:1
(ESV)
and bear much fruit to your glory.
I will trust and will not be afraid;
'For the Lord God is my strength and my song:
and has become my salvation.'
With joy you will draw water:
from the wells of salvation.
On that day you will say:
'Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name;
'Make known his deeds among the nations:
proclaim that his name is exalted.
'Sing God's praises, who has triumphed gloriously:
let this be known in all the world.
'Shout and sing for joy, you that dwell in Zion:
for great in your midst in the Holy One of Israel.'
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 from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come 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.
Christ have mercy Lord have mercy.
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.
whose blessed Son became poor
so that we through his poverty might become rich:
deliver us from an inordinate love of this world,
so that, inspired by the devotion of your servant N,
we may serve you with singleness of heart,
and attain to the riches of the age to come;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
who gave to your servant N special gifts of grace
to understand and teach the truth in Christ Jesus:
grant that, enlightened by this teaching,
we may know you, the one true God,
and Jesus Christ whom you have sent;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
And also with you.
Let us praise the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
so that by the power of the Holy Spirit we may abound in hope.
as in the beginning, so now, and for ever. Amen.
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good tidings to the afflicted. The Lord has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted:
to proclaim liberty for the captives,
and release for those in prison,
To comfort all who mourn:
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning:
a garment of splendour for the heavy heart.
They shall be called tress of righteousness:
planted for the glory of the Lord.
Let us pray with one heart and mind.
O sing to God with shouts of joy.
2 For the Lord Most High is to be feared;
he is the great King over all the earth.
3 He subdued the peoples under us
and the nations under our feet.
4 He has chosen our heritage for us,
the pride of Jacob, whom he loves.
5 God has gone up with a merry noise,
the Lord with the sound of the trumpet.
6 O sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth;
sing praises with all your skill.
8 God reigns over the nations;
God has taken his seat upon his holy throne.
9 The nobles of the peoples are gathered together
with the people of the God of Abraham.
10 For the powers of the earth belong to God
and he is very highly exalted.
listen, all you that dwell in the world,
2 You of low or high degree,
both rich and poor together.
3 My mouth shall speak of wisdom
and my heart shall meditate on understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a parable;
I will unfold my riddle with the lyre.
5 Why should I fear in evil days,
when the malice of my foes surrounds me,
6 Such as trust in their goods
and glory in the abundance of their riches?
7 For no one can indeed ransom another
or pay to God the price of deliverance.
8 To ransom a soul is too costly;
there is no price one could pay for it,
9 So that they might live for ever,
and never see the grave.
10 For we see that the wise die also;
with the foolish and ignorant they perish
and leave their riches to others.
11 Their tomb is their home for ever,
their dwelling through all generations,
though they call their lands after their own names.
12 Those who have honour, but lack understanding,
are like the beasts that perish.
13 Such is the way of those who boast in themselves,
the end of those who delight in their own words.
14 Like a flock of sheep they are destined to die;
death is their shepherd;
they go down straight to the Pit.
15 Their beauty shall waste away,
and the land of the dead shall be their dwelling.
16 But God shall ransom my soul;
from the grasp of death will he take me.
17 Be not afraid if some grow rich
and the glory of their house increases,
18 For they will carry nothing away when they die,
nor will their glory follow after them.
19 Though they count themselves happy while they live
and praise you for your success,
20 They shall enter the company of their ancestors
who will nevermore see the light.
21 Those who have honour, but lack understanding,
are like the beasts that perish.
1 Kings 8:31–62 (Listen)
31 “If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath and comes and swears his oath before your altar in this house, 32 then hear in heaven and act and judge your servants, condemning the guilty by bringing his conduct on his own head, and vindicating the righteous by rewarding him according to his righteousness.
33 “When your people Israel are defeated before the enemy because they have sinned against you, and if they turn again to you and acknowledge your name and pray and plead with you in this house, 34 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them again to the land that you gave to their fathers.
35 “When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and turn from their sin, when you afflict them, 36 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk, and grant rain upon your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance.
37 “If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence or blight or mildew or locust or caterpillar, if their enemy besieges them in the land at their gates,1 whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, 38 whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing the affliction of his own heart and stretching out his hands toward this house, 39 then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind), 40 that they may fear you all the days that they live in the land that you gave to our fathers.
41 “Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a far country for your name’s sake 42 (for they shall hear of your great name and your mighty hand, and of your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this house, 43 hear in heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name.
44 “If your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to the LORD toward the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, 45 then hear in heaven their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause.
46 “If they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near, 47 yet if they turn their heart in the land to which they have been carried captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly,’ 48 if they repent with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies, who carried them captive, and pray to you toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen, and the house that I have built for your name, 49 then hear in heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause 50 and forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions that they have committed against you, and grant them compassion in the sight of those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them 51 (for they are your people, and your heritage, which you brought out of Egypt, from the midst of the iron furnace). 52 Let your eyes be open to the plea of your servant and to the plea of your people Israel, giving ear to them whenever they call to you. 53 For you separated them from among all the peoples of the earth to be your heritage, as you declared through Moses your servant, when you brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD.”
Solomon’s Benediction
54 Now as Solomon finished offering all this prayer and plea to the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, where he had knelt with hands outstretched toward heaven. 55 And he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying, 56 “Blessed be the LORD who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant. 57 The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us or forsake us, 58 that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his rules, which he commanded our fathers. 59 Let these words of mine, with which I have pleaded before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, and may he maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as each day requires, 60 that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other. 61 Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the LORD our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.”
Solomon’s Sacrifices
62 Then the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the LORD.
Footnotes
[1] 8:37
(ESV)
Acts 16:6–24 (Listen)
The Macedonian Call
6 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. 8 So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 And when Paul1 had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
The Conversion of Lydia
11 So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the2 district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
Paul and Silas in Prison
16 As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18 And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.
19 But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. 20 And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. 21 They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. 23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
(ESV)
and bear much fruit to your glory.
has set us free from the law of sin and death.
All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God:
it is the Spirit that enables us to cry, 'Abba!' Father.
The Spirit bears witness
that we are God's Children:
and if God's children, then heirs of God.
We are heirs of God and fellow-heirs with Christ:
If we share his sufferings now
we shall be glorified with him hereafter.
These sufferings that we now endure:
are not worth comparing
with the glory that shall be revealed.
For the creation waits with eager longing:
for the revealing of the children of God.
Christ have mercy Lord have mercy.
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.
whose blessed Son became poor
so that we through his poverty might become rich:
deliver us from an inordinate love of this world,
so that, inspired by the devotion of your servant N,
we may serve you with singleness of heart,
and attain to the riches of the age to come;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
who gave to your servant N special gifts of grace
to understand and teach the truth in Christ Jesus:
grant that, enlightened by this teaching,
we may know you, the one true God,
and Jesus Christ whom you have sent;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
And also with you.
Let us praise the Lord.
Thanks be to God.