Book of Common Prayer
For the choir director; a song; a psalm.
66 Shout happily to God, all the earth!
2 Make music to praise the glory of his name.
Make his praise glorious.
3 Say to God,
“How awe-inspiring are your deeds!
Your power is so great that your enemies will cringe in front of you.
4 The whole earth will worship you.
It will make music to praise you.
It will make music to praise your name.” Selah
5 Come and see what God has done—
his awe-inspiring deeds for Adam’s descendants.
6 He turned the sea into dry land.
They crossed the river on foot.
We rejoiced because of what he did there.
7 He rules forever with his might.
His eyes watch the nations.
Rebels will not be able to oppose him. Selah
8 Thank our God, you nations.
Make the sound of his praise heard.
9 He has kept us alive
and has not allowed us to fall.
10 You have tested us, O God.
You have refined us in the same way silver is refined.
11 You have trapped us in a net.
You have laid burdens on our backs.
12 You let people ride over our heads.
We went through fire and water,
but then you brought us out and refreshed us.
13 I will come into your temple with burnt offerings.
I will keep my vows to you,
14 the vows made by my lips and spoken by my ⌞own⌟ mouth
when I was in trouble.
15 I will offer you a sacrifice of fattened livestock for burnt offerings
with the smoke from rams.
I will offer cattle and goats. Selah
16 Come and listen, all who fear God,
and I will tell you what he has done for me.
17 With my mouth I cried out to him.
High praise was on my tongue.
18 If I had thought about doing anything sinful,
the Lord would not have listened ⌞to me⌟.
19 But God has heard me.
He has paid attention to my prayer.
20 Thanks be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or taken away his mercy from me.
For the choir director; on stringed instruments; a psalm; a song.
67 May God have pity on us and bless us!
May he smile on us. Selah
2 Then your ways will be known on earth,
your salvation throughout all nations.
3 Let everyone give thanks to you, O God.
Let everyone give thanks to you.
4 Let the nations be glad and sing joyfully
because you judge everyone with justice
and guide the nations on the earth. Selah
5 Let the people give thanks to you, O God.
Let all the people give thanks to you.
6 The earth has yielded its harvest.
May God, our God, bless us.
7 May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth worship him.
4 He said to me, “Son of man, go to the people of Israel, and speak my words to them. 5 I am not sending you to people whose language is hard to understand or difficult to speak. I am sending you to Israel. 6 I am not sending you to nations whose language is hard to understand, difficult to speak, or whose words you cannot understand. If I send you to those nations, they will certainly listen to you. 7 But the people of Israel will refuse to listen to you because they refuse to listen to me. All the people of Israel are very stubborn and hardheaded. 8 Yet, I will make you as stubborn and as hardheaded as they are. 9 I will make you as hard as a diamond, harder than stone. Don’t be afraid of them. Don’t be terrified in their presence, even though they are rebellious people.”
10 He also said to me, “Son of man, take to heart everything I have spoken to you, and listen closely. 11 Go to the exiles, to your people. Whether they listen or not, tell them, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says.’ ”
34 Then Peter said, “Now I understand that God doesn’t play favorites. 35 Rather, whoever respects God and does what is right is acceptable to him in any nation. 36 God sent his word to the people of Israel and brought them the Good News of peace through Jesus Christ. This Jesus Christ is everyone’s Lord. 37 You know what happened throughout Judea. Everything began in Galilee after John spread the news about baptism. 38 You know that God anointed Jesus from Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Jesus went everywhere and did good things, such as healing everyone who was under the devil’s power. Jesus did these things because God was with him. 39 We can testify to everything Jesus did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. People hung him on a cross and killed him, 40 but God brought him back to life on the third day. God didn’t show him 41 to all the people. He showed Jesus to witnesses, apostles he had already chosen. We apostles are those men who ate and drank with Jesus after he came back to life. 42 He ordered us to warn the people, ‘God has appointed Jesus to judge the living and the dead.’ 43 In addition, all the prophets testify that people who believe in the one named Jesus receive forgiveness for their sins through him.”
44 While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit came to everyone who heard his message.
118 Give thanks to the Lord because he is good,
because his mercy endures forever.
2 Israel should say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
3 The descendants of Aaron should say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
4 Those who fear the Lord should say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
5 During times of trouble I called on the Lord.
The Lord answered me ⌞and⌟ set me free ⌞from all of them⌟.
6 The Lord is on my side.
I am not afraid.
What can mortals do to me?
7 The Lord is on my side as my helper.
I will see ⌞the defeat of⌟ those who hate me.
8 It is better to depend on the Lord
than to trust mortals.
9 It is better to depend on the Lord
than to trust influential people.
10 All the nations surrounded me,
⌞but armed⌟ with the name of the Lord, I defeated them.
11 They surrounded me. Yes, they surrounded me,
⌞but armed⌟ with the name of the Lord, I defeated them.
12 They swarmed around me like bees,
but they were extinguished like burning thornbushes.
⌞So armed⌟ with the name of the Lord, I defeated them.
13 They pushed hard to make me fall,
but the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and my song.
He is my savior.
15 The sound of joyful singing and victory is heard
in the tents of righteous people.
The right hand of the Lord displays strength.
16 The right hand of the Lord is held high.
The right hand of the Lord displays strength.
17 I will not die,
but I will live and tell what the Lord has done.
18 The Lord disciplined me severely,
but he did not allow me to be killed.
19 Open the gates of righteousness for me.
I will go through them ⌞and⌟ give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord
through which righteous people will enter.
21 I give thanks to you,
because you have answered me.
You are my savior.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
23 The Lord is responsible for this,
and it is amazing for us to see.
24 This is the day the Lord has made.
Let’s rejoice and be glad today!
25 We beg you, O Lord, save us!
We beg you, O Lord, give us success!
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
We bless you from the Lord’s house.
27 The Lord is God, and he has given us light.
March in a festival procession
with branches to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I give thanks to you.
My God, I honor you highly.
29 Give thanks to the Lord because he is good,
because his mercy endures forever.
Jesus Speaks with Peter
15 After they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than the other disciples do?”
Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus told him, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Jesus asked him again, a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus told him, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 Jesus asked him a third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter felt sad because Jesus had asked him a third time, “Do you love me?” So Peter said to him, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”
Jesus told him, “Feed my sheep. 18 I can guarantee this truth: When you were young, you would get ready to go where you wanted. But when you’re old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will get you ready to take you where you don’t want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to show by what kind of death Peter would bring glory to God. After saying this, Jesus told Peter, “Follow me!”
20 Peter turned around and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved. That disciple was following them. He was the one who leaned against Jesus’ chest at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he asked Jesus, “Lord, what about him?”
22 Jesus said to Peter, “If I want him to live until I come again, how does that concern you? Follow me!”
Copyright © 1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God’s Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.