Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 103
Of David.
103 Let my whole being[a] bless the Lord!
Let everything inside me bless his holy name!
2 Let my whole being bless the Lord
and never forget all his good deeds:
3 how God forgives all your sins,
heals all your sickness,
4 saves your life from the pit,
crowns you with faithful love and compassion,
5 and satisfies you with plenty of good things
so that your youth is made fresh like an eagle’s.
6 The Lord works righteousness;
does justice for all who are oppressed.
7 God made his ways known to Moses;
made his deeds known to the Israelites.
8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
very patient, and full of faithful love.
9 God won’t always play the judge;
he won’t be angry forever.
10 He doesn’t deal with us according to our sin
or repay us according to our wrongdoing,
11 because as high as heaven is above the earth,
that’s how large God’s faithful love is for those who honor him.
12 As far as east is from west—
that’s how far God has removed our sin from us.
13 Like a parent feels compassion for their children—
that’s how the Lord feels compassion for those who honor him.
14 Because God knows how we’re made,
God remembers we’re just dust.
15 The days of a human life are like grass:
they bloom like a wildflower;
16 but when the wind blows through it, it’s gone;
even the ground where it stood doesn’t remember it.
17 But the Lord’s faithful love is from forever ago to forever from now
for those who honor him.
And God’s righteousness reaches to the grandchildren
18 of those who keep his covenant
and remember to keep his commands.
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 You divine messengers,
bless the Lord!
You who are mighty in power and keep his word,
who obey everything he says,
bless him!
21 All you heavenly forces,
bless the Lord!
All you who serve him and do his will,
bless him!
22 All God’s creatures,
bless the Lord!
Everywhere, throughout his kingdom,
let my whole being
bless the Lord!
Psalm 114
114 When Israel came out of Egypt—
when the house of Jacob came out
from a people who spoke a different language—
2 Judah was God’s sanctuary;
Israel was God’s territory.
3 The sea saw it happen and ran away;
the Jordan River retreated!
4 The mountains leaped away like rams;
the hills leaped away like lambs!
5 Sea, why did you run away?
Jordan, why did you retreat?
6 Mountains, why did you leap away like rams?
Hills, why did you leap away like lambs?
7 Earth: Tremble before the Lord!
Tremble before the God of Jacob,
8 the one who turned that rock into a pool of water,
that flint stone into a spring of water!
Psalm 115
115 Not to us, Lord, not to us—
no, but to your own name give glory
because of your loyal love and faithfulness!
2 Why do the nations say,
“Where’s their God now?”
3 Our God is in heaven—
he can do whatever he wants!
4 Their idols are just silver and gold—
things made by human hands.
5 They have mouths, but they can’t speak.
They have eyes, but they can’t see.
6 They have ears, but they can’t hear.
They have noses, but they can’t smell.
7 They have hands, but they can’t feel.
They have feet, but they can’t walk.
They can’t even make a noise in their throats!
8 Let the people who made these idols
and all who trust in them
become just like them!
9 But you, Israel, trust in the Lord!
God is their help and shield.
10 Trust in the Lord, house of Aaron!
God is their help and shield.
11 You who honor the Lord, trust in the Lord!
God is their help and shield.
12 The Lord remembers us and will bless us:
God will bless the house of Israel;
God will bless the house of Aaron;
13 God will bless those who honor the Lord—
from the smallest to the greatest.
14 May the Lord add to your numbers—
both you and your children.
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
the maker of heaven and earth!
16 The highest heaven belongs to the Lord,
but he gave the earth to all people.
17 The dead don’t praise the Lord,
nor do those who go down to silence.
18 But us? We will bless the Lord
from now until forever from now!
Praise the Lord!
3 The Lord proclaims:
You were sold for nothing,
and you will be redeemed without money.
4 The Lord God proclaims:
Long ago my people went down
to reside in Egypt.
Moreover, Assyria has oppressed them without cause.
5 And now what have I here? says the Lord.
My people are taken away for nothing.
Their rulers wail, says the Lord,
and continually all day long my name is despised.
6 Therefore, my people will know my name on that day;
I’m the one who promises it; I’m here.
Message to Ephesus
2 “Write this to the angel of the church in Ephesus:
These are the words of the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven gold lampstands: 2 I know your works, your labor, and your endurance. I also know that you don’t put up with those who are evil. You have tested those who say they are apostles but are not, and you have found them to be liars. 3 You have shown endurance and put up with a lot for my name’s sake, and you haven’t gotten tired. 4 But I have this against you: you have let go of the love you had at first. 5 So remember the high point from which you have fallen. Change your hearts and lives and do the things you did at first. If you don’t, I’m coming to you. I will move your lampstand from its place if you don’t change your hearts and lives. 6 But you have this in your favor: you hate what the Nicolaitans are doing, which I also hate. 7 If you can hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. I will allow those who emerge victorious to eat from the tree of life, which is in God’s paradise.
Wedding at Cana
2 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and 2 Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. 3 When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They don’t have any wine.”
4 Jesus replied, “Woman, what does that have to do with me? My time hasn’t come yet.”
5 His mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Nearby were six stone water jars used for the Jewish cleansing ritual, each able to hold about twenty or thirty gallons.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water,” and they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, “Now draw some from them and take it to the headwaiter,” and they did. 9 The headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine. He didn’t know where it came from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew.
The headwaiter called the groom 10 and said, “Everyone serves the good wine first. They bring out the second-rate wine only when the guests are drinking freely. You kept the good wine until now.” 11 This was the first miraculous sign that Jesus did in Cana of Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible