Book of Common Prayer
2 Why do the nations plan evil together?
Why do they make useless plans?
2 The kings of the earth rise up against the Lord.
The rulers of the earth join together against his anointed king.
3 “Let us break free from their chains,” they say.
“Let us throw off their ropes.”
4 The God who sits on his throne in heaven laughs.
The Lord makes fun of those rulers and their plans.
5 When he is angry, he warns them.
When his anger blazes out, he terrifies them.
6 He says to them,
“I have placed my king on my holy mountain of Zion.”
7 I will announce what the Lord has promised.
He said to me, “You are my son.
Today I have become your father.
8 Ask me, and I will give the nations to you.
All nations on earth will belong to you.
9 You will break them with an iron scepter.
You will smash them to pieces like clay pots.”
10 Kings, be wise!
Rulers of the earth, be warned!
11 Serve the Lord and have respect for him.
Celebrate his rule with trembling.
12 Obey the son completely, or he will be angry.
Your way of life will lead to your death.
His anger can blaze out at any moment.
Blessed are all those who go to him for safety.
A psalm of David.
24 The earth belongs to the Lord. And so does everything in it.
The world belongs to him. And so do all those who live in it.
2 He set it firmly on the oceans.
He made it secure on the waters.
3 Who can go up to the temple on the mountain of the Lord?
Who can stand in his holy place?
4 Anyone who has clean hands and a pure heart.
Anyone who does not trust in the statue of a god.
Anyone who doesn’t use the name of that god when he makes a promise.
5 People like that will receive the Lord’s blessing.
When God their Savior hands down his sentence, it will be in their favor.
6 The people who look to God are like that.
God of Jacob, they look to you.
7 Open wide, you gates.
Open up, you ancient doors.
Then the King of glory will come in.
8 Who is the King of glory?
The Lord, who is strong and mighty.
The Lord, who is mighty in battle.
9 Open wide, you gates.
Open wide, you ancient doors.
Then the King of glory will come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The Lord who rules over all.
He is the King of glory.
12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain. Stay here. I will give you the stone tablets. They contain the law and commandments I have written to teach the people.”
13 Then Moses and Joshua, his helper, started out. Moses went up on the mountain of God. 14 He said to the elders, “Wait for us here until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you. Anyone who has a problem can go to them.”
15 Moses went up on the mountain. Then the cloud covered it. 16 The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. The cloud covered the mountain for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called out to Moses from inside the cloud. 17 The people of Israel saw the glory of the Lord. It looked like a fire burning on top of the mountain. 18 Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. He stayed on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights.
A Treasure in Clay Jars
4 So because of God’s mercy, we have work to do. He has given it to us. And we don’t give up. 2 Instead, we have given up doing secret and shameful things. We don’t twist God’s word. In fact, we do just the opposite. We present the truth plainly. In the sight of God, we make our appeal to everyone’s sense of what is right and wrong. 3 Suppose our good news is covered with a veil. Then it is veiled to those who are dying. 4 The god of this world has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They can’t see the light of the good news that makes Christ’s glory clear. Christ is the likeness of God. 5 The message we preach is not about ourselves. Our message is about Jesus Christ. We say that he is Lord. And we say that we serve you because of Jesus. 6 God said, “Let light shine out of darkness.” (Genesis 1:3) He made his light shine in our hearts. His light gives us the light to know God’s glory. His glory is shown in the face of Christ.
A psalm of Solomon.
72 God, give the king the ability to judge fairly.
He is your royal son. Help him to do what is right.
2 May he rule your people in the right way.
May he be fair to those among your people who are hurting.
3 May the mountains and the hills produce rich crops,
because the people will do what is right.
4 May the king stand up for those who are hurting.
May he save the children of those who are in need.
May he crush those who treat others badly.
5 May the king rule as long as the sun shines
and the moon gives its light.
May he rule for all time to come.
6 May he be like rain falling on the fields.
May he be like showers watering the earth.
7 May godly people do well as long as he rules.
May they have more than they need as long as the moon lasts.
8 May the king rule from sea to sea.
May his kingdom reach from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
9 May the desert tribes bow down to him.
May his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of places far away
bring him gifts.
May the kings of Sheba and Seba
give him presents.
11 May all kings bow down to him.
May all nations serve him.
12 The king will save needy people who cry out to him.
He will save those who are hurting and have no one else to help.
13 He will take pity on those who are weak and in need.
He will save them from death.
14 He will save them from people who treat others badly.
He will save them from people who do mean things to them.
Their lives are very special to him.
15 May the king live a long time!
May gold from Sheba be given to him.
May people always pray for him.
May they ask the Lord to bless him all day long.
16 May there be plenty of grain everywhere in the land.
May it sway in the wind on the tops of the hills.
May the crops grow well, like those in Lebanon.
May they grow like the grass of the field.
17 May the king’s name be remembered forever.
May his fame last as long as the sun shines.
Then all nations will be blessed because of him.
They will call him blessed.
18 Give praise to the Lord God, the God of Israel.
Only he can do wonderful things.
19 Give praise to his glorious name forever.
May his glory fill the whole earth.
Amen and Amen.
20 The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, end here.
27 “My soul is troubled. What should I say? ‘Father, keep me from having to go through with this’? No. This is the very reason I have come to this point in my life. 28 Father, bring glory to your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven. It said, “I have brought glory to my name. I will bring glory to it again.” 29 The crowd there heard the voice. Some said it was thunder. Others said an angel had spoken to Jesus.
30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now it is time for the world to be judged. Now the prince of this world will be thrown out. 32 And I am going to be lifted up from the earth. When I am, I will bring all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show them how he was going to die.
34 The crowd spoke up. “The Law tells us that the Messiah will remain forever,” they said. “So how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”
35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light. Do this before darkness catches up with you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. 36 While you have the light, believe in it. Then you can become children of light.” When Jesus had finished speaking, he left and hid from them.
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