Book of Common Prayer
A psalm of praise. A psalm of David.
145 I will honor you, my God the King.
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you.
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
3 Lord, you are great. You are really worthy of praise.
No one can completely understand how great you are.
4 Parents praise your works to their children.
They tell about your mighty acts.
5 They speak about your glorious majesty.
I will spend time thinking about your wonderful deeds.
6 They speak about the powerful and wonderful things you do.
I will talk about the great things you have done.
7 They celebrate your great goodness.
They sing for joy about your holy acts.
8 The Lord is gracious, kind and tender.
He is slow to get angry and full of love.
9 The Lord is good to all.
He shows deep concern for everything he has made.
10 Lord, all your works praise you.
Your faithful people praise you.
11 They tell about your glorious kingdom.
They speak about your power.
12 Then all people will know about the mighty things you have done.
They will know about the glorious majesty of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is a kingdom that will last forever.
Your rule will continue for all time to come.
The Lord will keep all his promises.
He is faithful in everything he does.
14 The Lord takes good care of all those who fall.
He lifts up all those who feel helpless.
15 Every living thing looks to you for food.
You give it to them exactly when they need it.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the needs of every living creature.
17 The Lord is right in everything he does.
He is faithful in everything he does.
18 The Lord is ready to help all those who call out to him.
He helps those who really mean it when they call out to him.
19 He satisfies the needs of those who have respect for him.
He hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord watches over all those who love him.
But he will destroy all sinful people.
21 I will praise the Lord with my mouth.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.
104 I will praise the Lord.
Lord my God, you are very great.
You are dressed in glory and majesty.
2 The Lord wraps himself in light as if it were a robe.
He spreads out the heavens like a tent.
3 He builds his palace high in the heavens.
He makes the clouds serve as his chariot.
He rides on the wings of the wind.
4 He makes the winds serve as his messengers.
He makes flashes of lightning serve him.
5 He placed the earth on its foundations.
It can never be moved.
6 You, Lord, covered it with the oceans like a blanket.
The waters covered the mountains.
7 But you commanded the waters, and they ran away.
At the sound of your thunder they rushed off.
8 They flowed down the mountains.
They went into the valleys.
They went to the place you appointed for them.
9 You drew a line they can’t cross.
They will never cover the earth again.
10 The Lord makes springs pour water into the valleys.
It flows between the mountains.
11 The springs give water to all the wild animals.
The wild donkeys satisfy their thirst.
12 The birds in the sky build nests by the waters.
They sing among the branches.
13 The Lord waters the mountains from his palace high in the clouds.
The earth is filled with the things he has made.
14 He makes grass grow for the cattle
and plants for people to take care of.
That’s how they get food from the earth.
15 There is wine to make people glad.
There is olive oil to make their skin glow.
And there is bread to make them strong.
16 The cedar trees of Lebanon belong to the Lord.
He planted them and gave them plenty of water.
17 There the birds make their nests.
The stork has its home in the juniper trees.
18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats.
The cliffs are a safe place for the rock badgers.
19 The Lord made the moon to mark off the seasons.
The sun knows when to go down.
20 You, Lord, bring darkness, and it becomes night.
Then all the animals of the forest prowl around.
21 The lions roar while they hunt.
All their food comes from God.
22 The sun rises, and they slip away.
They return to their dens and lie down.
23 Then people get up and go to work.
They keep working until evening.
24 Lord, you have made so many things!
How wise you were when you made all of them!
The earth is full of your creatures.
25 Look at the ocean, so big and wide!
It is filled with more creatures than people can count.
It is filled with living things, from the largest to the smallest.
26 Ships sail back and forth on it.
Leviathan, the sea monster you made, plays in it.
27 All creatures depend on you
to give them their food when they need it.
28 When you give it to them,
they eat it.
When you open your hand,
they are satisfied with good things.
29 When you turn your face away from them,
they are terrified.
When you take away their breath,
they die and turn back into dust.
30 When you send your Spirit,
you create them.
You give new life to the ground.
31 May the glory of the Lord continue forever.
May the Lord be happy with what he has made.
32 When he looks at the earth, it trembles.
When he touches the mountains, they pour out smoke.
33 I will sing to the Lord all my life.
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May these thoughts of mine please him.
I find my joy in the Lord.
35 But may sinners be gone from the earth.
May evil people disappear.
I will praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
A Song of Praise to the Lord
25 Lord, you are my God.
I will honor you.
I will praise your name.
You have been perfectly faithful.
You have done wonderful things.
You had planned them long ago.
2 You have turned cities into piles of trash.
You have pulled down the high walls that were around them.
You have destroyed our enemies’ forts.
They will never be rebuilt.
3 Powerful nations will honor you.
Even sinful people from their cities will have respect for you.
4 Poor people have come to you for safety.
You have kept needy people safe when they were in trouble.
You have been a place to hide when storms came.
You have been a shade from the heat of the sun.
Evil people attack us.
They are like a storm beating against a wall.
5 They are like the heat of the desert.
You stopped the noisy shouts of our enemies.
You kept them from winning the battle over us and singing about it.
You are like the shadow of a cloud that cools the earth.
6 On Mount Zion the Lord who rules over all will prepare
a feast for all the nations.
The best and richest foods
and the finest aged wines will be served.
7 On that mountain the Lord will destroy
the veil of sadness that covers all the nations.
He will destroy the gloom that is spread over everyone.
8 He will swallow up death forever.
The Lord and King will wipe away the tears
from everyone’s face.
He will remove the shame of his people
from the whole earth.
The Lord has spoken.
9 At that time they will say,
“He is our God.
We trusted in him, and he saved us.
He is the Lord. We trusted in him.
Let us be filled with joy because he saved us.”
13 The leaders saw how bold Peter and John were. They also realized that Peter and John were ordinary men with no training. This surprised the leaders. They realized that these men had been with Jesus. 14 The leaders could see the man who had been healed. He was standing there with them. So there was nothing they could say. 15 They ordered Peter and John to leave the Sanhedrin. Then they talked things over. 16 “What can we do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed an unusual miracle. We can’t say it didn’t happen. 17 We have to stop this thing. It must not spread any further among the people. We have to warn these men. They must never speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.”
18 Once again the leaders called in Peter and John. They commanded them not to speak or teach at all in Jesus’ name. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Which is right from God’s point of view? Should we listen to you? Or should we listen to God? You be the judges! 20 There’s nothing else we can do. We have to speak about the things we’ve seen and heard.”
21 The leaders warned them again. Then they let them go. They couldn’t decide how to punish Peter and John. They knew that all the people were praising God for what had happened. 22 The man who had been healed by the miracle was over 40 years old.
The Believers Pray
23 Peter and John were allowed to leave. They went back to their own people. They reported everything the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 The believers heard this. Then they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Lord and King,” they said, “you made the heavens, the earth and the sea. You made everything in them. 25 Long ago you spoke by the Holy Spirit. You spoke through the mouth of our father David, who served you. You said,
“ ‘Why are the nations angry?
Why do the people make useless plans?
26 The kings of the earth rise up.
The rulers of the earth gather together
against the Lord
and against his anointed king.’ (Psalm 2:1,2)
27 In fact, Herod and Pontius Pilate met with the Gentiles in this city. They also met with the people of Israel. All of them made plans against your holy servant Jesus. He is the one you anointed. 28 They did what your power and purpose had already decided should happen. 29 Now, Lord, consider the bad things they say they are going to do. Help us to be very bold when we speak your word. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal. Do signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit. They were bold when they spoke God’s word.
The Disciples’ Sadness Will Turn Into Joy
16 Jesus continued, “In a little while, you will no longer see me. Then after a little while, you will see me.”
17 After they heard this, some of his disciples spoke to one another. They said, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while, you will no longer see me. Then after a little while, you will see me’? And what does he mean by saying, ‘I am going to the Father’?” 18 They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”
19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about these things. So he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant? Didn’t you understand when I said, ‘In a little while, you will no longer see me. Then after a little while, you will see me’? 20 What I’m about to tell you is true. You will weep and mourn while the world is full of joy. You will be sad, but your sadness will turn into joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a baby has pain. That’s because her time to give birth has come. But when her baby is born, she forgets the pain. She forgets because she is so happy that a baby has been born into the world. 22 That’s the way it is with you. Now it’s your time to be sad. But I will see you again. Then you will be full of joy. And no one will take away your joy. 23 When that day comes, you will no longer ask me for anything. What I’m about to tell you is true. My Father will give you anything you ask for in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask, and you will receive what you ask for. Then your joy will be complete.
25 “I have not been speaking to you plainly. But a time is coming when I will speak clearly. Then I will tell you plainly about my Father. 26 When that day comes, you will ask for things in my name. I am not saying I will ask the Father instead of you asking him. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me. He also loves you because you have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and entered the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”
29 Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking plainly. You are using examples that are clear. 30 Now we can see that you know everything. You don’t even need anyone to ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”
31 “Do you believe now?” Jesus replied. 32 “A time is coming when you will be scattered and go to your own homes. In fact, that time is already here. You will leave me all alone. But I am not really alone. My Father is with me.
33 “I have told you these things, so that you can have peace because of me. In this world you will have trouble. But be encouraged! I have won the battle over the world.”
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