Book of Common Prayer
(A psalm by David.)
Who Can Enter the Lord's Temple?
1 (A) The earth and everything on it,
including its people,
belong to the Lord.
The world and its people
belong to him.
2 The Lord placed it all
on the oceans and rivers.
3 Who may climb the Lord's hill[a]
or stand in his holy temple?
4 (B) Only those who do right
for the right reasons,
and don't worship idols
or tell lies under oath.
5 The Lord God, who saves them,
will bless and reward them,
6 because they worship and serve
the God of Jacob.[b]
7 Open the ancient gates,
so that the glorious king
may come in.
8 Who is this glorious king?
He is our Lord, a strong
and mighty warrior.
9 Open the ancient gates,
so that the glorious king
may come in.
10 Who is this glorious king?
He is our Lord,
the All-Powerful!
(A psalm by David.)
The Voice of the Lord in a Storm
1 (A) All you angels[a] in heaven,
honor the glory and power
of the Lord!
2 Honor the wonderful name
of the Lord,
and worship the Lord
most holy and glorious.[b]
3 The voice of the Lord
echoes over the oceans.
The glorious Lord God
thunders above the roar
of the raging sea,
4 and his voice is mighty
and marvelous.
5 The voice of the Lord
destroys the cedar trees;
the Lord shatters cedars
on Mount Lebanon.
6 God makes Mount Lebanon
skip like a calf
and Mount Hermon
jump like a wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord
makes lightning flash
8 and the desert tremble.
And because of the Lord,
the desert near Kadesh
shivers and shakes.
9 The voice of the Lord
makes deer give birth
before their time.[c]
Forests are stripped of leaves,
and the temple is filled
with shouts of praise.
10 The Lord rules on his throne,
king of the flood[d] forever.
11 Pray that our Lord
will make us strong
and give us peace.
(A psalm by David for the music leader.[a])
The Wonderful Name of the Lord
1 Our Lord and Ruler,
your name is wonderful
everywhere on earth!
You let your glory be seen[b]
in the heavens above.
2 (A) With praises from children
and from tiny infants,
you have built a fortress.
It makes your enemies silent,
and all who turn against you
are left speechless.
3 I often think of the heavens
your hands have made,
and of the moon and stars
you put in place.
4 (B) Then I ask, “Why do you care
about us humans?
Why are you concerned
for us weaklings?”
5 (C) You made us a little lower
than you yourself,[c]
and you have crowned us
with glory and honor.
6 (D) You let us rule everything
your hands have made.
And you put all of it
under our power—
7 the sheep and the cattle,
and every wild animal,
8 the birds in the sky,
the fish in the sea,
and all ocean creatures.
9 Our Lord and Ruler,
your name is wonderful
everywhere on earth!
(For the music leader.[a] A psalm by the clan of Korah.)
The Joy of Worship
1 Lord God All-Powerful,
your temple is so lovely!
2 Deep in my heart I long
for your temple,
and with all that I am
I sing joyful songs to you.
3 Lord God All-Powerful,
my King and my God,
sparrows find a home
near your altars;
swallows build nests there
to raise their young.
4 You bless everyone
who lives in your house,
and they sing your praises.
5 You bless all who depend
on you for their strength
and all who deeply desire
to visit your temple.
6 When they reach Dry Valley,[b]
springs start flowing,
and the autumn rain fills it
with pools of water.[c]
7 Your people grow stronger,
and you, the God of gods,
will be seen in Zion.
8 Lord God All-Powerful,
the God of Jacob,
please answer my prayer!
9 You are the shield
that protects your people,
and I am your chosen one.
Won't you smile on me?
10 One day in your temple
is better than a thousand
anywhere else.
I would rather serve
in your house,
than live in the homes
of the wicked.
11 Our Lord and our God,
you are like the sun
and also like a shield.
You treat us with kindness
and with honor,
never denying any good thing
to those who live right.
12 Lord God All-Powerful,
you bless everyone
who trusts you.
A Prayer for the Lord's Help
9 Wake up! Do something, Lord.
Be strong and ready.
Wake up! Do what you did
for our people long ago.
Didn't you chop up
Rahab[a] the monster?
10 Didn't you dry up the deep sea
and make a road for your people
to follow safely across?
11 Now those you have rescued
will return to Jerusalem,
singing on their way.
They will be crowned
with great happiness,
never again to be burdened
with sadness and sorrow.
The Lord Gives Hope
12 I am the Lord, the one
who encourages you.
Why are you afraid
of mere humans?
They dry up and die like grass.
13 I spread out the heavens
and laid foundations
for the earth.
But you have forgotten me,
your Lord and Creator.
All day long you were afraid
of those who were angry
and hoped to oppress you.
Where are they now?
14 Everyone crying out in pain
will be quickly set free;
they will be rescued
from the power of death
and never go hungry.
15 I will help them
because I am your God,
the Lord All-Powerful,
who makes the ocean roar.
16 I have told you what to say,
and I will keep you safe
in the palm of my hand.
I spread out the heavens
and laid foundations
for the earth.
Now I say, “Jerusalem,
your people are mine.”
8 (A) Abraham had faith and obeyed God. He was told to go to the land that God had said would be his, and he left for a country he had never seen. 9 (B) Because Abraham had faith, he lived as a stranger in the promised land. He lived there in a tent, and so did Isaac and Jacob, who were later given the same promise. 10 Abraham did this, because he was waiting for the eternal city God had planned and built.
11 (C) Even when Sarah was too old to have children, she had faith that God would do what he had promised, and she had a son. 12 (D) Her husband Abraham was almost dead, but he became the ancestor of many people. In fact, there are as many of them as there are stars in the sky or grains of sand along the seashore.
13 (E) Every one of those people died. But they still had faith, even though they had not received what they had been promised. They were glad just to see these things from far away, and they agreed that they were only strangers and foreigners on this earth. 14 When people talk this way, it is clear they are looking for a place to call their own. 15 If they had been talking about the land where they had once lived, they could have gone back at any time. 16 But they were looking forward to a better home in heaven. This is why God wasn't ashamed for them to call him their God. He even built a city for them.
14 When the festival was about half over, Jesus went into the temple and started teaching. 15 The leaders were surprised and said, “How does this man know so much? He has never been taught!”
16 Jesus replied:
I am not teaching something I thought up. What I teach comes from the one who sent me. 17 If you really want to obey God, you will know if what I teach comes from God or from me. 18 If I wanted to bring honor to myself, I would speak for myself. But I want to honor the one who sent me. This is why I tell the truth and not a lie. 19 Didn't Moses give you the Law? Yet none of you obey it! So why do you want to kill me?
20 The crowd replied, “You're crazy! What makes you think someone wants to kill you?”
21 Jesus answered:
I worked one miracle,[a] and it amazed you. 22 (A) Moses commanded you to circumcise your sons. But it wasn't really Moses who gave you this command. It was your ancestors, and even on the Sabbath you circumcise your sons 23 (B) in order to obey the Law of Moses. Why are you angry with me for making someone completely well on the Sabbath? 24 Don't judge by appearances. Judge by what is right.
25 Some of the people from Jerusalem were saying, “Isn't this the man they want to kill? 26 Yet here he is, speaking for everyone to hear. And no one is arguing with him. Do you suppose the authorities know he is the Messiah? 27 But how could that be? No one knows where the Messiah will come from, but we know where this man comes from.”
28 As Jesus was teaching in the temple, he shouted, “Do you really think you know me and where I came from? I didn't come on my own! The one who sent me is truthful, and you don't know him. 29 But I know the one who sent me, because I came from him.”
30 Some of the people wanted to arrest Jesus right then. But no one even laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come.[b] 31 A lot of people in the crowd put their faith in him and said, “When the Messiah comes, he surely won't perform more miracles[c] than this man has done!”
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