Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 97
The Glory of God’s Reign
1 The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!(A)
2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.(B)
3 Fire goes before him
and consumes his adversaries on every side.(C)
4 His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.(D)
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all the peoples behold his glory.
7 All servants of images are put to shame,
those who make their boast in worthless idols;
all gods bow down before him.(E)
8 Zion hears and is glad,
and the towns[a] of Judah rejoice
because of your judgments, O God.(F)
9 For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.(G)
Psalm 99
Praise to God for His Holiness
1 The Lord is king; let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!(A)
2 The Lord is great in Zion;
he is exalted over all the peoples.(B)
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name.
Holy is he!
4 Mighty King,[a] lover of justice,
you have established equity;
you have executed justice
and righteousness in Jacob.(C)
5 Extol the Lord our God;
worship at his footstool.
Holy is he!(D)
Psalm 115
The Impotence of Idols and the Greatness of God
1 [a]Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness.(A)
2 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”(B)
3 Our God is in the heavens;
he does whatever he pleases.(C)
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.(D)
5 They have mouths, but they do not speak;
they have eyes, but they do not see.
6 They have ears, but they do not hear;
they have noses, but they do not smell.
7 They have hands, but they do not feel;
they have feet, but they do not walk;
they make no sound in their throats.
8 Those who make them are like them;
so are all who trust in them.(E)
9 O Israel, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.(F)
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.
11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.(G)
12 The Lord has been mindful of us; he will bless us;
he will bless the house of Israel;
he will bless the house of Aaron;
13 he will bless those who fear the Lord,
both small and great.
7 But as for me, I will look to the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
my God will hear me.(A)
Penitence and Trust in God
8 Do not rejoice over me, my enemies;[a]
when I fall, I shall rise;
when I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be a light to me.(B)
9 I must bear the indignation of the Lord
because I have sinned against him,
until he takes my side
and executes judgment for me.
He will bring me out to the light;
I shall see his vindication.(C)
10 Then my enemies[b] will see,
and shame will cover those[c] who said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will see their[d] downfall;[e]
now they[f] will be trodden down
like the mire of the streets.(D)
A Prophecy of Restoration
11 A day for the building of your walls!
On that day the boundary shall be far extended.(E)
12 On that day they will come to you
from Assyria to[g] Egypt
and from Egypt to the River,
from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.(F)
13 But the earth will be desolate
because of its inhabitants,
for the fruit of their doings.(G)
Peter Heals a Crippled Beggar
3 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon.(A) 2 And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple.(B) 3 When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. 4 Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6 Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,[a] stand up and walk.”(C) 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 All the people saw him walking and praising God,(D) 10 and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and astonishment at what had happened to him.
Jesus the True Vine
15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. 2 He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes[a] to make it bear more fruit. 3 You have already been cleansed[b] by the word that I have spoken to you.(A) 4 Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.(B) 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.(C) 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become[c] my disciples.(D) 9 As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.(E) 11 I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.(F)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.