Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 136[a]
Thanksgiving for the Creation and Redemption
1 [b]Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his love endures forever.
4 He alone works great wonders,
for his love endures forever.
5 [c]In his wisdom he made the heavens,
for his love endures forever.
6 He spread out the earth upon the waters,[d]
for his love endures forever.
7 He made the great lights,
for his love endures forever.
8 He made the sun to rule over the day,
for his love endures forever.
9 He made the moon and stars to rule the night,
for his love endures forever.
10 [e]He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
for his love endures forever.
11 He led forth Israel from among them,
for his love endures forever.
12 He did so with a strong hand and outstretched arm,
for his love endures forever.
13 [f]He divided the Red Sea in two,
for his love endures forever.
14 Then he led Israel through its midst,
for his love endures forever.
15 But he swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea,
for his love endures forever.
16 [g]Then he led his people through the wilderness,
for his love endures forever.
17 He struck down great kings,
for his love endures forever.
18 He slew powerful kings,
for his love endures forever.
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his love endures forever.
20 Og, king of Bashan,
for his love endures forever.
21 [h]He gave their land as a heritage,
for his love endures forever.
22 The heritage was for his servant Israel,
for his love endures forever.
23 The Lord remembered us in our wretched state,
for his love endures forever.
24 He rescued us from our enemies,
for his love endures forever.
25 [i]He provides food to every creature,
for his love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his love endures forever.
Psalm 118[a]
Thanksgiving for Salvation
1 [b]Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his kindness[c] endures forever.
2 Let Israel say,
“His kindness endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron say,
“His kindness endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord[d] say,
“His kindness endures forever.”
5 [e]In my distress I called out to the Lord;
he answered by setting me free.
6 With the Lord to protect me I am not afraid.
What can mortals do to me?
7 The Lord is at my side to offer me help;
I will look down upon my enemies.
8 [f]It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to place your trust in mortals.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to place your trust in princes.
10 [g]All the nations surrounded me;
in the name of the Lord I overcame them.
11 They surrounded me on every side;
in the name of the Lord I overcame them.
12 They swarmed around me like bees;
they blazed like a fire in the midst of thorns;
in the name of the Lord I overcame them.
13 I was hard pressed and close to falling,
but the Lord came to my aid.
14 The Lord is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.[h]
15 Joyful shouts of triumph
ring out in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the Lord has done wondrous deeds;
16 the right hand of the Lord is exalted;
the right hand of the Lord has done wondrous deeds.”
17 I shall not die; rather I shall live
and recount[i] the works of the Lord.
18 Even though the Lord punished me harshly,
he did not hand me over to death.
19 [j]Open to me the gates of righteousness
so that I may enter them and praise the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord
through which the righteous enter.
21 I thank you for having answered me;
you have become my salvation.
22 [k]The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the Lord has made;[l]
let us exult and rejoice in it.
25 O Lord, grant us salvation.[m]
O Lord, grant us success.
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.[n]
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
27 The Lord is God,
and he has given us light.
Holding leafy branches, join in the festal procession
up to the horns of the altar.[o]
28 [p]You are my God, and I will offer thanks to you;
you are my God, and I will extol you.
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his kindness endures forever.
Psalm 119[q]
Praise of God’s Law
Aleph
Chapter 13
Sign and Memorial.[a] 1 The Lord spoke to Moses, 2 “Consecrate each firstborn to me, whatever opens the womb in Israel, whether human or animal; it belongs to me.”
11 “When the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanites, as he promised you and your fathers, and he will have given it to you as a possession, 12 you shall dedicate each firstborn from the womb to the Lord. All male firstborn of your animals belong to the Lord. 13 You shall redeem every firstborn donkey with a lamb.[a] If you do not redeem it, you shall break its neck. You shall redeem each firstborn son from among his brothers.
14 “When your son asks you, ‘What is the meaning of this,’ you shall answer, ‘With a mighty arm the Lord brought us out of the land of Egypt, our place of slavery. 15 When Pharaoh was stubborn and would not let us go, the Lord slew the firstborn in the land of Egypt, the firstborn of human and animal. Because of this I sacrifice the firstborn male from every womb to the Lord, and I redeem the firstborn of my sons.’ 16 This shall be a sign on your hand and a memorial before your eyes, to remember that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.”
The Lord Went before Them.[b]51 Listen while I tell you a mystery. We shall not all fall asleep, but we shall all be changed 52 in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.[a] 53 For this perishable body must be clothed with the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.
54 When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then will the words that are written be fulfilled:
“Death has been swallowed up in victory.
55 Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law. 57 But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, stand firm and immovable, devoting yourselves completely to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
The Resurrection
Chapter 24
Jesus Rises from the Dead.[a] 1 At daybreak on the first day of the week, the women came to the tomb with the spices they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went inside, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 While they stood there wondering about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes appeared at their side. 5 They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look among the dead for one who is alive? 6 He is not here. He has been raised. Remember what he told you while he was still in Galilee: 7 that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified and rise again on the third day.” 8 Then they recalled his words.
9 When they returned from the tomb, they reported all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11 However, this story of theirs seemed to be nonsense, and the apostles did not believe them. 12 Nonetheless, Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he looked inside and saw only the linen cloths. Then he returned home, wondering what had occurred.
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