Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 46
The King’s Reign
Heading
For the choir director. By the Sons of Korah.
According to alamoth.[a] A song.
The Earth Shaken
1 God is our refuge and strength,
a helper who can always be found in times of trouble.
2 That is why we will not fear when the earth dissolves
and when the mountains tumble into the heart of the sea.
3 Its waters roar and foam.
The mountains quake when it rises. Interlude
A City Unshaken
4 There is a river—its streams bring joy to the city of God,
to the holy dwelling of the Most High.
5 God is in her. She will not fall.
God will help her at daybreak.
6 Nations are in turmoil. Kingdoms fall.
God raises his voice. The earth melts.
7 The Lord of Armies is with us.
The God of Jacob is a fortress for us. Interlude
8 Come, look at the works of the Lord.
What a wasteland he has made of the earth!
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth.
He shatters the bow. He cuts up the spear.
He burns the carts[b] with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations.
I will be exalted on the earth.”
11 The Lord of Armies is with us.
The God of Jacob is a fortress for us. Interlude
Psalm 97
The Lord Reigns. Throw Away Your Idols
Introduction
1 The Lord reigns. Let the earth celebrate.
Let the many islands and coastlands rejoice.
God Will Judge
2 Clouds and deep darkness surround him.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes out in front of him.
It burns up his foes all around him.
4 His lightning lights up the world.
The earth sees and writhes in pain.
5 The mountains melt like wax
in the presence of the Lord,
in the presence of the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.
Warning Against Idols
7 All who serve idols are put to shame,
those who boast in “nothings.”[a]
Bow to him, all you gods![b]
His People’s Response
8 Zion hears and rejoices,
and the daughters of Judah[c] celebrate
because of your judgments, O Lord.
9 For you, O Lord, are the Most High over all the earth.
You are raised up far above all gods.
10 Let those who love the Lord hate evil.
He guards the lives of his favored ones.
He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light rises[d] for the righteous
and joy for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous,
and give thanks as you remember his holiness.
Psalm 96
Sing to the Lord a New Song
Call to Worship
1 Sing to the Lord a new song.
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord. Praise his name.
Proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day.
3 Tell about his glory among the nations,
about his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
Praise Him Alone
4 For great is the Lord and worthy of great praise.
He is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are “nothings,”[a]
but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him.
Power and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the Lord, families of peoples,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and power.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name.
Bring a gift and come into his courtyards.
9 Bow down to the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.[b]
Look away from his face,[c] all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
The world is firmly established.
It will not be moved.
He will judge the peoples with fairness.
Let Nature Praise Him
11 Let the heavens rejoice.
Let the earth celebrate.
Let the sea roar,
and all that fills it.
12 Let the fields be overjoyed,
and everything that is in them.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy
13 before the Lord, for he comes,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his faithfulness.
Psalm 100
He Rules His People
Heading
A psalm for giving thanks.
Know That the Lord Is God
1 Shout to the Lord with joy, all the earth.
2 Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
He made us, and we are his.[a]
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courtyards with praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.[b]
5 For the Lord is good. His mercy endures forever.
His faithfulness continues through all generations.
The Second Servant Song
The Lord’s Servant Saves the Nations
49
Listen to me, you coastlands.
Pay attention, you faraway peoples!
The Lord called me from the womb.
When I was inside my mother, he mentioned my name.
2 He made my mouth like a sharpened sword.
He hid me in the shadow of his hand.
He made me a polished arrow.
He concealed me in his quiver.
3 He said to me, “You are my servant Israel,
in whom I will display my glory.”
4 But I said to myself, “I have labored in vain.
I spent my strength and came up empty, with nothing.
Yet a just verdict for me rests with the Lord,
and my reward is with my God.”
5 But now the Lord,
who formed me from the womb to be his servant,
to turn Jacob back to him,
so that Israel might be gathered to him,
so that I will be honored in the eyes of the Lord,
because my God has been my strength—
6 the Lord said:
It is too small a thing that you should just be my servant
to raise up only the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the ones I have preserved in Israel,
so I will appoint you to be a light for the nations,
so that my salvation will be known to the end of the earth.
7 This is what the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, its Holy One,
says to the one deeply despised,
to the one who is detested by the nation,
to the servant of rulers.
Kings will see and stand up.
Officials will see and bow down,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
because of the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God has given it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations[a] will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory[b] into it. 25 There is no day when its gates will be shut, for there will be no night in that place. 26 They will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. 27 Nothing that is unclean and no one who does what is detestable or who tells lies will ever enter it, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted against him, considering how they might put him to death.
“Here Is My Servant”
15 Since Jesus was aware of this, he withdrew from that place. Large crowds followed him and he healed them all. 16 He ordered them not to tell others about him. 17 This happened to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:
18 Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I am[a] well pleased.
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.[b]
19 He will not quarrel or cry out,
and no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed he will not break.
A smoldering wick he will not put out,
until he leads justice to victory.
21 And in his name the nations[c] will hope.[d]
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.