Daily Prayer, 3rd Monday in Eastertide

 

 

OPENING SENTENCES

Our help is in the name of the Lord,

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

From the rising of the sun to its setting

my name is great among the nations,

says the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 1:11)

Praise the Lord.

The name of the Lord be praised.

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.

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 145

A Song of Praise. Of David.

I will extol you, my God and King,

and bless your name forever and ever.

Every day I will bless you

and praise your name forever and ever

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,

and his greatness is unsearchable.

One generation shall commend your works to another,

and shall declare your mighty acts.

On the glorious splendor of your majesty,

and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,

and I will declare your greatness.

They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness

and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

The Lord is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

The Lord is good to all,

and his mercy is over all that he has made.

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,

and all your saints shall bless you!

They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom

and tell of your power,

to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,

and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

The Lord is faithful in all his words

and kind in all his works.

The Lord upholds all who are falling

and raises up all who are bowed down.

The eyes of all look to you,

and you give them their food in due season.

You open your hand;

you satisfy the desire of every living thing.

The Lord is righteous in all his ways

and kind in all his works.

The Lord is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.

He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;

he also hears their cry and saves them.

The Lord preserves all who love him,

but all the wicked he will destroy.

My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,

and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

Psalm 115

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,

for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!

Why should the nations say,

“Where is their God?”

Our God is in the heavens;

he does all that he pleases.

Their idols are silver and gold,

the work of human hands.

They have mouths, but do not speak;

eyes, but do not see.

They have ears, but do not hear;

noses, but do not smell.

They have hands, but do not feel;

feet, but do not walk;

and they do not make a sound in their throat.

Those who make them become like them;

so do all who trust in them.

O Israel, trust in the Lord!

He is their help and their shield.

O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord!

He is their help and their shield.

You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!

He is their help and their shield.

The Lord has remembered us; he will bless us;

he will bless the house of Israel;

he will bless the house of Aaron;

he will bless those who fear the Lord,

both the small and the great.

May the Lord give you increase,

you and your children!

May you be blessed by the Lord,

who made heaven and earth!

The heavens are the Lord’s heavens,

but the earth he has given to the children of man.

The dead do not praise the Lord,

nor do any who go down into silence.

But we will bless the Lord

from this time forth and forevermore.

Praise the Lord!

THE PSALM PRAYER

O Lord of all consolation and comfort, look down on your Church, oppressed by her enemies and deliver her for the glory of your holy Name, that the ungodly may be kept from blaspheming you. Destroy the filthy idolatry that overruns the whole world, and do not allow, good and gracious God, your people to be exposed to the angry will of your enemies and ours. Do this, so that, in spite of all troubles, we who are defended and maintained by you, may bless and glorify your name, now and forevermore. AMEN.

THE OLD TESTAMENT LESSON

A reading from Daniel 4:19-27

Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was dismayed for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies! The tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived— it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth. And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven periods of time pass over him,’ this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules. Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

THE EPISTLE LESSON

A reading from 1 John 3:19-4:6

By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

THE GOSPEL LESSON

A reading from Luke 4:14-30

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives

and recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘ “Physician, heal yourself.” What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’ ” And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went away.

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!

Holy God,
holy and mighty,
holy and immortal,
have mercy on 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:

Monday Prayers

God of all truth and grace, who has caused the Sun of Righteousness to arise upon a dark and benighted world, in bringing up your Holy One from the grave; be pleased graciously so to illuminate the hearts of your people with the beams of heavenly wisdom, that they may continually walk in your light, and know both to avoid evil and to follow after that which is good; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Lord Jesus, give us such a love for you, such an awareness of your life in us, such a strong desire to resemble you, that we shall cease to do evil and learn to do good. Preserve us from blindness to our own defects and from all pretense and deceiving of ourselves. Let your compassion and love always be over us; make us brave to bear your mark and seal openly in the sight of all people. O Lord and Master, deliver us and save us to the uttermost, we pray. Almighty God, you are a very present help in time of trouble: Do not let the heart of your people fail when tribulations, trials, or temptations come, but rather sustain and comfort them until these present troubles are past.

O Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father and the Son, Spirit of promise and Sanctifier of those who believe, dwell in us as the Spirit of holiness. Purge our hearts from all evil passions and desires, from envy, hatred, and malice: that we may never allow the sun to go down upon our anger, but may always seek our rest with a conscience free from offence toward you and toward all people.

God, our Father, of whom the whole family in heaven and on earth is named: Bestow upon your household of faith, that grace that shall keep us in the fellowship of Christ’s way; and grant to each one of us that heavenly guidance and control, in all our labors, pleasures, and trials, which shall maintain our hearts in peace with one another and with you. Graciously help and prosper us in our various labors with a willing and cheerful mind; and defend us all, by your almighty power, both from inward evil and from outward harm, so that when the day is ended it may not leave us in sorrow, strife, or shame, but in true unity and thankful rest, through your merciful favor and your forgiving love; in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In his name, Father, we dare to pray for others, claiming your love in Jesus Christ for the whole world and committing ourselves to care for those around us in his name. Especially, we pray for:

• those who work for the benefit of others…
• those who cannot work today…
• those who teach and those who learn…
• those who are poor, or neglected and forgotten…
• the Church of Jesus Christ in Europe…

Lord Jesus, give us such a love for you, such an awareness of your life in us, such a strong desire to resemble you, that we shall cease to do evil and learn to do good. Preserve us from blindness to our own defects and from all pretense and deceiving of ourselves. Let your compassion and love always be over us; make us brave to bear your mark and seal openly in the sight of all people. O Lord and Master, deliver us and save us to the uttermost, we pray. Almighty God, you are a very present help in time of trouble: Do not let the heart of your people fail when tribulations, trials, or temptations come, but rather sustain and comfort them until these present troubles are past.

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 presence 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.