Daily Prayer, 2nd Saturday in Eastertide

 

 

OPENING SENTENCES

Our help is in the name of the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 124:8)

Those who patiently trust in the Lord

shall renew their strength.

They shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Praise the Lord.

The name of the Lord be praised.

THE GLORIA PATRI

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. AMEN.

THE PSALMS

Psalm 149

Praise the Lord!

Sing to the Lord a new song,

his praise in the assembly of the godly!

Let Israel be glad in his Maker;

let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!

Let them praise his name with dancing,

making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!

For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;

 he adorns the humble with salvation.

Let the godly exult in glory;

let them sing for joy on their beds.

Let the high praises of God be in their throats

and two-edged swords in their hands,

to execute vengeance on the nations

and punishments on the peoples,

to bind their kings with chains

and their nobles with fetters of iron,

to execute on them the judgment written!

This is honor for all his godly ones.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 23

A Psalm of David.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

THE PSALM PRAYER

Eternal and everlasting Father, fountain of all goodness and mercy, we give you praise and thanks that you have made known to us our Shepherd and Defender, Jesus Christ, who will deliver us, the children whom you have adopted, from the power of all our enemies. Grant that we, casting away all fear and terror, even of death itself, may embrace and confess your truth, which it has pleased you to reveal to us in your Son, our Lord and Sovereign Master, Jesus Christ. AMEN.

THE OLD TESTAMENT LESSON

A reading from Daniel 3:19-30

Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. Because the king’s order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”

Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them.

Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

THE EPISTLE LESSON

A reading from 1 John 3:11-18

“For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

THE GOSPEL LESSON

A reading from Luke 4:1-13

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him,

“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’ ”

And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written,

“ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God,

and him only shall you serve.’ ”

And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,

“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,

to guard you,’

and

“ ‘On their hands they will bear you up,

lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”

And Jesus answered him,

“It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”

And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

THE MIDDAY PRAYERS

I will bless the Lord at all times.

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Holy God,
holy and mighty,
holy and immortal,
have mercy on us.

Lord Jesus Christ, our deliverer, you walk with the meek and the poor, the compassionate and those who mourn, and you call us to walk humbly with you. When we are foolish, be our wisdom; when we are weak, be our strength; that, as we learn to do justice and to love kindness, your rule as King over us may come as blessing.

Lord our God, hear us now, as we pray together as our Savior taught us:

The Lord’s Prayer     

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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. AMEN.

O Lord, hear our prayer;

And let our cry come to you.

Let us pray:

Saturday Prayers

Your tender mercies are new every morning, great God of light, and all day long you are working good in the world. Stir up in your servants the desire to serve you, to live peacefully with our neighbors, and to devote each day to your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord.

Almighty God, our Father and Preserver: We give you thanks that of your goodness you have watched over us the past night and brought us to a new day. And we beseech you to strengthen and guard us by your Spirit; that we may spend it completely in your service and to your glory, looking to your blessing for all prosperity, and seeking only those things which are well pleasing in your sight. Enable us, O Lord, while we labor for the life that now is, always to consider that heavenly life that you have promised to your children. Defend us body and soul from all harm. Reveal your steadfast love to all people, according to the need of every living soul, especially those whom we love and those who are in any kind of trouble or distress, whom we now remember silently before you (here let there be a moment of silence); protect our country and prosper your Church here in North America; bless those who do good in the world, and restrain and avenge those who do evil. And finally, be pleased to cast out of your remembrance all our past offenses, forgiving them in your boundless mercy and purifying our hearts, that we may lead a better life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Holy and mighty Lord, who turned back the angel of the plague from the dwellings of your people: We beseech you to hear our cry for those who are suffering and dying under this present pestilence. In your mercy give understanding and sound judgment to those called to make decisions of public policy; bless the means which are used to stay the spread of sickness; strengthen those who labor to heal and comfort the afflicted; support those who are in pain and distress; speedily restore those who have been brought low; and unto all who are beyond healing in this life, grant your heavenly consolation and your saving grace. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

THE DISMISSAL

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

For his steadfast love endures forever!

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.