Book of Common Prayer
93 The Lord rules.
He puts on majesty as if it were clothes.
The Lord puts on majesty and strength.
Indeed, the world has been set in place.
It is firm and secure.
2 Lord, you began to rule a long time ago.
You have always existed.
3 Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice.
They have lifted up their pounding waves.
4 But Lord, you are more powerful than the roar of the ocean.
You are stronger than the waves of the sea.
Lord, you are powerful in heaven.
5 Your laws do not change, Lord.
Your temple will be holy
for all time to come.
96 Sing a new song to the Lord.
All you people of the earth, sing to the Lord.
2 Sing to the Lord. Praise him.
Day after day tell about how he saves us.
3 Tell the nations about his glory.
Tell all people about the wonderful things he has done.
4 The Lord is great. He is really worthy of praise.
People should have respect for him as the greatest God of all.
5 All the gods of the nations are like their statues.
They can’t do anything.
But the Lord made the heavens.
6 Glory and majesty are all around him.
Strength and glory can be seen in his temple.
7 Praise the Lord, all you nations.
Praise the Lord for his glory and strength.
8 Praise the Lord for the glory that belongs to him.
Bring an offering and come into the courtyards of his temple.
9 Worship the Lord because of his beauty and holiness.
All you people of the earth, tremble when you are with him.
10 Say to the nations, “The Lord rules.”
The world is firmly set in place. It can’t be moved.
The Lord will judge the people of the world fairly.
11 Let the heavens be full of joy. Let the earth be glad.
Let the ocean and everything in it roar.
12 Let the fields and everything in them be glad.
Let all the trees in the forest sing for joy.
13 Let all creation be full of joy in front of the Lord,
because he is coming to judge the earth.
He will faithfully judge the people of the world
in keeping with what is right.
A psalm of David when he was with Abimelek and pretended to be out of his mind. Abimelek drove him away, and David left.
34 I will thank the Lord at all times.
My lips will always praise him.
2 I will find my glory in knowing the Lord.
Let those who are hurting hear me and be joyful.
3 Join me in giving glory to the Lord.
Let us honor him together.
4 I looked to the Lord, and he answered me.
He saved me from everything I was afraid of.
5 Those who look to him have joyful faces.
They are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called out, and the Lord heard him.
He saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord stands guard
around those who have respect for him.
And he saves them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Blessed is the person who goes to him for safety.
9 You holy people of God, have respect for the Lord.
Those who respect him have everything they need.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry.
But those who look to the Lord have every good thing they need.
11 My children, come. Listen to me.
I will teach you to have respect for the Lord.
12 Do you love life
and want to see many good days?
13 Then keep your tongues from speaking evil.
Keep your lips from telling lies.
14 Turn away from evil, and do good.
Look for peace, and go after it.
15 The Lord looks with favor on those who are godly.
His ears are open to their cry.
16 But the Lord doesn’t look with favor on those who do evil.
He removes all memory of them from the earth.
17 Godly people cry out, and the Lord hears them.
He saves them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to those whose hearts have been broken.
He saves those whose spirits have been crushed.
19 The person who does what is right may have many troubles.
But the Lord saves him from all of them.
20 The Lord watches over all his bones.
Not one of them will be broken.
21 Sinners will be killed by their own evil.
The enemies of godly people will be judged.
22 The Lord will save those who serve him.
No one who goes to him for safety will be found guilty.
6 Jerusalem, I have stationed guards on your walls.
They must never be silent day or night.
You who call out to the Lord
must not give yourselves any rest.
7 And don’t give him any rest
until he makes Jerusalem secure.
Don’t give him any peace
until people all over the earth praise that city.
10 Go out through your gates, people of Jerusalem! Go out!
Prepare the way for the rest of your people to return.
Build up the road! Build it up!
Remove the stones.
Raise a banner over the city
for the nations to see.
11 The Lord has announced a message
from one end of the earth to the other.
He has said, “Tell the people of Zion,
‘Look! Your Savior is coming!
He is bringing his people back as his reward.
He has won the battle over their enemies.’ ”
12 They will be called the Holy People.
They will be called the People the Lord Set Free.
And Jerusalem will be named the City the Lord Cares About.
It will be named the City No Longer Deserted.
10 God has made everything. He is now bringing his many sons and daughters to share in his glory. It is only right that Jesus is the one to lead them into their salvation. That’s because God made him perfect by his sufferings. 11 And Jesus, who makes people holy, and the people he makes holy belong to the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. 12 He says,
“I will announce your name to my brothers and sisters.
I will sing your praises among those who worship you.” (Psalm 22:22)
13 Again he says,
“I will put my trust in him.” (Isaiah 8:17)
And again he says,
“Here I am. Here are the children God has given me.” (Isaiah 8:18)
14 Those children have bodies made out of flesh and blood. So Jesus became human like them in order to die for them. By doing this, he could break the power of the devil. The devil is the one who rules over the kingdom of death. 15 Jesus could set people free who were afraid of death. All their lives they were held as slaves by that fear. 16 It is certainly Abraham’s children that he helps. He doesn’t help angels. 17 So he had to be made like people, fully human in every way. Then he could serve God as a kind and faithful high priest. And then he could pay for the sins of the people by dying for them. 18 He himself suffered when he was tempted. Now he is able to help others who are being tempted.
Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about. His mother Mary and Joseph had promised to get married. But before they started to live together, it became clear that she was going to have a baby. She became pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph was faithful to the law. But he did not want to put her to shame in public. So he planned to divorce her quietly.
20 But as Joseph was thinking about this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary home as your wife. The baby inside her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She is going to have a son. You must give him the name Jesus. That’s because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to bring about what the Lord had said would happen. He had said through the prophet, 23 “The virgin is going to have a baby. She will give birth to a son. And he will be called Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) The name Immanuel means “God with us.”
24 Joseph woke up. He did what the angel of the Lord commanded him to do. He took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not sleep with her until she gave birth to a son. And Joseph gave him the name Jesus.
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