Daily Prayer, 2nd Wednesday in Eastertide
OPENING SENTENCES
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 124:8)
I am the Light of the world, says the Lord Jesus;
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life. (John 8:12)
O God and Father of the risen Christ, in whose light do we see light and in whose resurrection we receive new life: Send your Spirit to dwell among us in this time of prayer and worship.
O risen Christ, Son of the Father, may we hear your word of peace today.
O Spirit of the living God, teach us once more to live in the power of Christ’s resurrection, in whose name we make all our prayers. 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 147:1-11
Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
The Lord lifts up the humble;
he casts the wicked to the ground.
Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre!
He covers the heavens with clouds;
he prepares rain for the earth;
he makes grass grow on the hills.
He gives to the beasts their food,
and to the young ravens that cry.
His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
Psalm 9
To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David.
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
When my enemies turn back,
they stumble and perish before your presence.
For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.
You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;
their cities you rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.
But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for justice,
and he judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with uprightness.
The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion!
Tell among the peoples his deeds!
For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
Be gracious to me, O Lord!
See my affliction from those who hate me,
O you who lift me up from the gates of death,
that I may recount all your praises,
that in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may rejoice in your salvation.
The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;
in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.
The Lord has made himself known; he has executed judgment;
the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah
The wicked shall return to Sheol,
all the nations that forget God.
For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.
Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail;
let the nations be judged before you!
Put them in fear, O Lord!
Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah
THE PSALM PRAYER
Almighty God, who never despises those who trust in you: Hear the complaint of your poor servants and do not allow the wicked to accomplish their cruel plans against us, but rather, take them in their own snares. Do this so that we may magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Redeemer and Defender. AMEN.
THE OLD TESTAMENT LESSON
A reading from Daniel 2:17-30
Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said:
“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
to whom belong wisdom and might.
He changes times and seasons;
he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those who have understanding;
he reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what is in the darkness,
and the light dwells with him.
To you, O God of my fathers,
I give thanks and praise,
for you have given me wisdom and might,
and have now made known to me what we asked of you,
for you have made known to us the king’s matter.”
Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.”
Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.” The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.”
THE EPISTLE LESSON
A reading from 1 John 2:12-17
I am writing to you, little children,
because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.
I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, children,
because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God abides in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
THE GOSPEL LESSON
A reading from John 17:20-26
Jesus continued to pray, saying, “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
THE MIDDAY PRAYERS
I will bless the Lord at all times.
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Christ is risen from the dead,
by death he has trampled down death,
and upon those in the tombs
he has bestowed life!
Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the Living God,
have mercy upon us
miserable sinners.
O omniscient and holy Lord God, we humbly confess before you our sins and weaknesses. Though you originally created us good, after your own image in righteousness and true holiness, yet has our nature fallen, and we are conceived and born in sin. Create in us, we beseech you, a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within us. Make us by true faith partakers of Christ and all his benefits; and grant us the Holy Ghost that he may comfort and abide with us forever. Through Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who taught us to pray together, saying:
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:
Wednesday Prayers
Almighty and most merciful father, from whom are all things and for whom all things exist, to whose tender compassion we owe our safety in days past, together with all the comforts of this present life, and the hopes of that which is to come: We praise you, O God; you are our very great joy, daily pouring your benefits upon us. Grant, we beseech you, that Jesus our Lord, the Hope of glory, may be formed in us, in all humility, patience, and absolute surrender of our souls and bodies to your holy will and pleasure. Leave us not, nor forsake us, O Father, but conduct us safe through all changes of our condition here, in an unchangeable love to you, and in holy tranquility of mind in your love to us, till we come to dwell with you and rejoice in you for ever.
O Lord, as you have called us to serve one another, and the generation in which we live, give us strength to do our daily work with cheerfulness and in humble dependence upon your help. Prosper our labors, and let the work of our hands be established upon us for your praise. Help us to carry the spirit of the Lord’s Day, your holy day, into all that we do; and while our bodies and minds are engaged in honest and useful work, may our hearts still live and rest in you. Save us from the spirit of worldliness. Do not allow us to seek our good what we possess, and having food and clothing and a roof over our heads, grant may we be content with that. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Merciful Father, strengthen us in prayer, that we may lift up the brokenness of this world for your healing and share in the saving love of Christ our Lord. Especially we pray for:
- those in positions of authority over others…
- the lonely and forgotten…
- children without families or homes…
- those who provide care and relief to others in need…
- the Church in Asia and the Middle East…
Eternal God, your hand shaped our lives by grace and your hand rescued us from sin by love. May your hand guide us through this day, shielding us from all evil, strengthening us to do justice and love kindness and walk humbly with you, in 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.