Book of Common Prayer
For the director of music. A song. A psalm.
66 Shout to God for joy, everyone on earth!
2 Sing about the glory of his name!
Give him glorious praise!
3 Say to God, “What wonderful things you do!
Your power is so great
that your enemies bow down to you in fear.
4 Everyone on earth bows down to you.
They sing praise to you.
They sing the praises of your name.”
5 Come and see what God has done.
See what wonderful things he has done for people!
6 He turned the Red Sea into dry land.
The people of Israel passed through the waters on foot.
Come, let us be full of joy because of what he did.
7 He rules by his power forever.
His eyes watch the nations.
Let no one who refuses to obey him rise up against him.
8 Praise our God, all you nations.
Let the sound of the praise you give him be heard.
9 He has kept us alive.
He has kept our feet from slipping.
10 God, you have tested us.
You put us through fire to make us like silver.
11 You put us in prison.
You placed heavy loads on our backs.
12 You let our enemies ride their chariots over our heads.
We went through fire and water.
But you brought us to a place
where we have everything we need.
13 I will come to your temple with burnt offerings.
I will keep my promises to you.
14 I made them with my lips.
My mouth spoke them when I was in trouble.
15 I will sacrifice fat animals to you as burnt offerings.
I will offer rams, bulls and goats to you.
16 Come and hear, all you who have respect for God.
Let me tell you what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him with my mouth.
I praised him with my tongue.
18 If I had enjoyed having sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
19 But God has surely listened.
He has heard my prayer.
20 Give praise to God.
He has accepted my prayer.
He has not held back his love from me.
9 The Lord’s people are making fun of him. They say,
“Who does he think he’s trying to teach?
Who does he think he’s explaining his message to?
Is it to children who do not need their mother’s milk anymore?
Is it to those who have just been taken from her breast?
10 Here is how he teaches.
Do this and do that.
There is a rule for this and a rule for that.
Learn a little here and learn a little there.”
11 All right then, these people won’t listen to me.
So God will speak to them.
He will speak by using people who speak unfamiliar languages.
He will speak by using the mouths of strangers.
12 He said to his people,
“I am offering you a resting place.
Let those who are tired rest.”
He continued, “I am offering you a place of peace and quiet.”
But they wouldn’t listen.
13 So then, here is what the Lord’s message will become to them.
Do this and do that.
There is a rule for this and a rule for that.
Learn a little here and learn a little there.
So when they try to go forward,
they’ll fall back and be wounded.
They’ll be trapped and captured.
14 Listen to the Lord’s message,
you who make fun of the truth.
Listen, you who rule over these people in Jerusalem.
15 You brag, “We have entered into a covenant with the place of the dead.
We have made an agreement with the grave.
When a terrible plague comes to punish us,
it can’t touch us.
That’s because we depend on lies to keep us safe.
We hide behind what isn’t true.”
16 So the Lord and King speaks. He says,
“Look! I am laying a stone in Zion.
It is a stone that has been tested.
It is the most important stone for a firm foundation.
The one who depends on that stone will never be shaken.
Growing Up Together in the Body of Christ
4 I am a prisoner because of the Lord. So I am asking you to live a life worthy of what God chose you for. 2 Don’t be proud at all. Be completely gentle. Be patient. Put up with one another in love. 3 The Holy Spirit makes you one in every way. So try your best to remain as one. Let peace keep you together. 4 There is one body and one Spirit. You were appointed to one hope when you were chosen. 5 There is one Lord, one faith and one baptism. 6 There is one God and Father of all. He is over everything. He is through everything. He is in everything.
7 But each one of us has received a gift of grace. These gifts are given to us by Christ. 8 That is why Scripture says,
“When he went up to his place on high,
he took many prisoners.
He gave gifts to his people.” (Psalm 68:18)
9 What does “he went up” mean? It can only mean that he also came down to the lower, earthly places. 10 The one who came down is the same one who went up. He went up higher than all the heavens. He did it in order to fill all creation. 11 So Christ himself gave the gift of the apostles to the church. He gave the prophets and those who preach the good news. And he also gave the pastors and teachers as a gift to the church. 12 He gave all these people so that they might prepare God’s people to serve. Then the body of Christ will be built up. 13 That will continue until we all become one in the faith. We will also become one in the knowledge of God’s Son. Then we will be grown up in the faith. We will receive everything that Christ has for us.
14 We will no longer be babies in the faith. We won’t be like ships tossed around by the waves. We won’t be blown here and there by every new teaching. We won’t be blown around by cleverness and tricks. Certain people use them to hide their evil plans. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love. So we will grow up in every way to become the body of Christ. Christ is the head of the body. 16 He makes the whole body grow and build itself up in love. Under the control of Christ, each part of the body does its work. It supports the other parts. In that way, the body is joined and held together.
116 I love the Lord, because he heard my voice.
He heard my cry for his help.
2 Because he paid attention to me,
I will call out to him as long as I live.
3 The ropes of death were wrapped around me.
The horrors of the grave came over me.
I was overcome by sadness and sorrow.
4 Then I called out to the Lord.
I cried out, “Lord, save me!”
5 The Lord is holy and kind.
Our God is full of tender love.
6 The Lord takes care of those who are not aware of danger.
When I was in great need, he saved me.
7 I said to myself, “Be calm.
The Lord has been good to me.”
8 Lord, you have saved me from death.
You have dried the tears from my eyes.
You have kept me from tripping and falling.
9 So now I can enjoy life here with you
while I’m still living.
10 I trusted in the Lord even when I said to myself,
“I am in great pain.”
11 When I was terrified, I said to myself,
“No one tells the truth.”
12 The Lord has been so good to me!
How can I ever pay him back?
13 I will bring an offering of wine to the Lord
and thank him for saving me.
I will worship him.
14 In front of all the Lord’s people,
I will do what I promised him.
15 The Lord pays special attention
when his faithful people die.
16 Lord, I serve you.
I serve you just as my mother did.
You have set me free from the chains of my suffering.
17 Lord, I will sacrifice a thank offering to you.
I will worship you.
18 In front of all the Lord’s people,
I will do what I promised him.
19 I will keep my promise in the courtyards of the Lord’s temple.
I will keep my promise in Jerusalem itself.
Praise the Lord.
117 All you nations, praise the Lord.
All you people on earth, praise him.
2 Great is his love for us.
The Lord is faithful forever.
Praise the Lord.
Jesus Promises That the Holy Spirit Will Come
15 “If you love me, obey my commands. 16 I will ask the Father. And he will give you another friend to help you and to be with you forever. 17 That friend is the Spirit of truth. The world can’t accept him. That’s because the world does not see him or know him. But you know him. He lives with you, and he will be in you. 18 I will not leave you like children who don’t have parents. I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore. But you will see me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father. You will know that you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Anyone who has my commands and obeys them loves me. My Father will love the one who loves me. I too will love them. And I will show myself to them.”
22 Then Judas spoke. “Lord,” he said, “why do you plan to show yourself only to us? Why not also to the world?” The Judas who spoke those words was not Judas Iscariot.
23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them. We will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. The words you hear me say are not my own. They belong to the Father who sent me.
25 “I have spoken all these things while I am still with you. 26 But the Father will send the Friend in my name to help you. The Friend is the Holy Spirit. He will teach you all things. He will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 I leave my peace with you. I give my peace to you. I do not give it to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be troubled. And do not be afraid.
28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away. And I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad I am going to the Father. The Father is greater than I am. 29 I have told you now before it happens. Then when it does happen, you will believe. 30 I will not say much more to you. The prince of this world is coming. He has no power over me. 31 But he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father. They must also learn that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me to do.
“Come now. Let us leave.
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