Book of Common Prayer
Thanksgiving to God
118 Give thanks to the Lord,
for he is good;
his gracious love is eternal.
2 Let Israel now say,
“His gracious love is eternal.”
3 Let the house of Aaron now say,
“His gracious love is eternal.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord now say,
“His gracious love is eternal.”
5 I called on the Lord in my distress;
the Lord answered me openly.[a]
6 The Lord is with me.
I will not be afraid.
What can people do to me?
7 With the Lord beside me as my helper,
I will triumph over those who hate me.
8 It is better to take shelter[b] in the Lord
than to trust in people.
9 It is better to take shelter[c] in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
10 All the nations surrounded me;
but in the name of the Lord I will defeat them.
11 They surrounded me, they are around me;
but in the name of the Lord I will defeat them.
12 They surrounded me like bees;
but they will be extinguished like[d] burning thorns.
In the name of the Lord I will defeat them.
13 Indeed, you[e] oppressed me so much that I nearly fell,
but the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and protector,[f]
for he has become my deliverer.[g]
15 There’s exultation[h] for deliverance in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the Lord is victorious![i]
16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted!
The right hand of the Lord is victorious!”[j]
17 I will not die, but I will live
to recount the deeds of the Lord.
18 The Lord will discipline me severely,
but he won’t hand me over to die.
19 Open for me the righteous gates
so I may enter through them to give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the Lord’s gate—
The righteous will enter through it.
21 I will praise you because you have answered me
and have become my deliverer.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
23 This is from the Lord—
it is awesome in our sight.
24 This is the day that the Lord has made;
let’s rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Please Lord, deliver us!
Please Lord, hurry[k] and bring success now!
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Let us bless you from the Lord’s house.
27 The Lord is God—he will be our light!
Bind the festival sacrifice with ropes
to the horn at the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise you;
my God, and I will exalt you.
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good
and his gracious love is eternal.
A Davidic Psalm[a]
Praising God for His Works
145 I will speak highly of you, my God and King,
and I will bless your name forever and ever.
2 I will bless you every day
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
3 The Lord is great,
and to be praised highly,
though his greatness is indescribable.
4 One generation will acclaim your works to another
and will describe your mighty actions.
5 I[b] will speak about the glorious splendor of your majesty
as well as[c] your awesome actions.
6 People[d] will speak about the might of your great deeds,
and I will announce your greatness.
7 They will extol the fame of your abundant goodness,
and will sing out loud about your righteousness.
8 Gracious and merciful is the Lord,
slow to become angry,
and overflowing with gracious love.
9 The Lord is good to everyone
and his mercies extend to everything he does.
10 Lord, everything you have done will praise you,
and your holy ones will bless you.
11 They will speak about the glory of your kingdom,
and they will talk about your might,
12 in order to make known your mighty acts to mankind[e]
as well as the majestic splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your authority endures from one generation to another.
13b God[f] is faithful about everything he says
and merciful in everything he does.
14 The Lord supports everyone who falls
and raises up those who are bowed down.
15 Everyone’s eyes are on you,
as you give them their food in due time.
16 You[g] open your hand
and keep on satisfying the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all of his ways
and graciously loving in all of his activities.
18 The Lord remains near to all who call out to him,
to everyone who calls out to him sincerely.[h]
19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him,
hearing their cry and saving them.
20 The Lord preserves everyone who loves him,
but he will destroy all of the wicked.
21 My mouth will praise the Lord,
and all creatures will bless his holy name forever and ever.
16 This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says:
“Don’t listen to the words of the prophets
who are prophesying to you;
they’re giving you false hopes.
They declare visions from their own minds—
they don’t come from the Lord![a]
17 They keep on saying to those who despise me,
‘The Lord has said, “You will have peace.”’
To all who stubbornly follow their own desires[b] they say,
‘Disaster won’t come upon you.’
18 But who has stood in the Lord’s council
to see and hear his message?
Who has paid attention to his message and obeyed it?[c]
19 Look, the storm of the Lord’s wrath has gone forth,
a whirling tempest,
and it will swirl down
around the head of the wicked.
20 The Lord’s anger won’t turn back
until he has accomplished
what he intended to do.
In the future
you will clearly understand it.
21 I didn’t send these prophets,[d]
but they ran anyway.
I didn’t speak to them,
but they prophesied.
22 If they had stood in my council
and had delivered my words to my people,
then they would have turned them back
from their evil way,
from their evil deeds.”
23 “Am I a God who is near,” declares the Lord,
“rather than a God who is far away?
24 If a person hides himself in secret places,
will I not see him?”
declares the Lord.
“I fill the heavens and the earth, do I not?”
declares the Lord.
25 “I’ve heard what the prophets who prophesy lies in my name have said: ‘I had a dream; I had a dream.’ 26 How long will this go on?[e] Is there anything[f] in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy from the deceit that is in their hearts? 27 With their dreams that they relate to one another,[g] they plan to make my people forget my name just as their ancestors forgot my name by embracing[h] Baal. 28 Let the prophet who has a dream relate the dream, but let whoever receives my message[i] speak my message truthfully. What does straw have in common with wheat?” declares the Lord. 29 “My message is like fire or like a hammer that shatters rock, is it not?” declares the Lord.
30 “Therefore, look, I’m against the prophets,” declares the Lord, “who steal my words from each other. 31 Look, I’m against the prophets,” declares the Lord, “who use their tongues to issue a declaration.[j] 32 Look, I’m against those who prophesy based on false dreams,” declares the Lord, “and relate them and lead my people astray with their lies and their recklessness. I didn’t send them; I didn’t command them, and they provide no benefit at all to these people,” declares the Lord.
19 Although I am free from everyone’s expectations, I have made myself a servant to all of them to win more people. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew in order to win Jews. To those under the Law I became like a man under the Law, in order to win those under the Law (although I myself am not under the Law). 21 To those who do not have the Law, I became like a man who does not have the Law in order to win those who do not have the Law. However, I am not free from God’s Law, but I’m subject to the Messiah’s[a] law. 22 To the weak I became weak in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some of them. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel in order to have a share in its blessings.
24 You know that in a race all the runners run but only one wins the prize, don’t you? You must run in such a way that you may be victorious. 25 Everyone who enters an athletic contest practices self-control in everything. They do it to win a wreath that withers away, but we run to win a prize that[b] never fades. 26 That is the way I run, with a clear goal in mind. That is the way I fight, not like someone shadow boxing. 27 No, I keep on disciplining my body, making it serve me so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not somehow be disqualified.
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection(A)
31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man would have to suffer a great deal and be rejected by the elders, the high priests, and the scribes. Then he would be killed, but after three days he would rise again. 32 He was speaking about this matter quite openly.
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and looking at his disciples, Jesus[a] rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind me, Satan, because you’re not thinking God’s thoughts, but human thoughts!”
34 Then Jesus[b] called the crowd to himself along with his disciples and told them, “If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow me continuously, 35 because whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel will save it. 36 What profit will a person have if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? 37 Indeed, what can a person give in exchange for his life? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes with the holy angels in his Father’s glory.”
9 Then he told them, “I tell all of you[c] with certainty, some people standing here will not experience[d] death until they see the kingdom of God arrive with power.”
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