Book of Common Prayer
Thanksgiving and a Cry for Help
For the choir director. A psalm of David.
40 I waited patiently for the Lord,
and he turned to me and heard my cry for help.(A)
2 He brought me up from a desolate[a] pit,
out of the muddy clay,(B)
and set my feet on a rock,
making my steps secure.(C)
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.(D)
Many will see and fear,
and they will trust in the Lord.(E)
4 How happy is anyone
who has put his trust in the Lord
and has not turned to the proud
or to those who run after lies!(F)
5 Lord my God, you have done many things –
your wondrous works and your plans for us;
none can compare with you.
If I were to report and speak of them,
they are more than can be told.(G)
6 You do not delight in sacrifice and offering;
you open my ears to listen.[b]
You do not ask for a whole burnt offering or a sin offering.(H)
7 Then I said, ‘See, I have come;
in the scroll it is written about me.(I)
8 I delight to do your will, my God,(J)
and your instruction is deep within me.’(K)
9 I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
see, I do not keep my mouth closed[c] –
as you know, Lord.(L)
10 I did not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I spoke about your faithfulness and salvation;
I did not conceal your constant love and truth
from the great assembly.(M)
11 Lord, you do not[d] withhold your compassion from me.
Your constant love and truth will always guard me.(N)
12 For troubles without number have surrounded me;
my iniquities have overtaken me; I am unable to see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my courage leaves me.(O)
13 Lord, be pleased to rescue me;
hurry to help me, Lord.(P)
14 Let those who intend to take my life
be disgraced and confounded.
Let those who wish me harm
be turned back and humiliated.(Q)
15 Let those who say to me, ‘Aha, aha! ’
be appalled because of their shame.(R)
16 Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you;
let those who love your salvation continually say,
‘The Lord is great! ’(S)
17 I am oppressed and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my helper and my deliverer;
my God, do not delay.(T)
Prayer for Deliverance
For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David. When the Ziphites went and said to Saul, ‘Is David not hiding among us? ’(A)
54 God, save me by your name,
and vindicate me by your might!(B)
2 God, hear my prayer;
listen to the words from my mouth.(C)
3 For strangers rise up against me,
and violent men intend to kill me.
They do not let God guide them.[a](D) Selah
4 God is my helper;
the Lord is the sustainer of my life.[b](E)
5 He will repay my adversaries for their evil.
Because of your faithfulness, annihilate them.(F)
6 I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you.(G)
I will praise your name, Lord,
because it is good.(H)
7 For he has rescued me from every trouble,
and my eye has looked down on my enemies.(I)
A Prayer for Restoration
For the choir director. A psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him after he had gone to Bathsheba.(A)
51 Be gracious to me, God,
according to your faithful love;
according to your abundant compassion,
blot out my rebellion.(B)
2 Completely wash away my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.(C)
3 For I am conscious of my rebellion,
and my sin is always before me.(D)
4 Against you – you alone – I have sinned
and done this evil in your sight.(E)
So you are right when you pass sentence;
you are blameless when you judge.(F)
5 Indeed, I was guilty when I was born;
I was sinful when my mother conceived me.(G)
6 Surely you desire integrity in the inner self,
and you teach me wisdom deep within.(H)
7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.(I)
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.(J)
9 Turn your face away[a] from my sins
and blot out all my guilt.(K)
10 God, create a clean heart for me
and renew a steadfast[b] spirit within me.(L)
11 Do not banish me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.(M)
12 Restore the joy of your salvation to me,
and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit.(N)
13 Then I will teach the rebellious your ways,
and sinners will return to you.(O)
14 Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God(P) –
God of my salvation –
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.(Q)
15 Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.(R)
16 You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it;
you are not pleased with a burnt offering.(S)
17 The sacrifice pleasing to God is[c] a broken spirit.
You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God.(T)
18 In your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper;
build the walls of Jerusalem.(U)
19 Then you will delight in righteous sacrifices,
whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.(V)
The Life of the New Man
3 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.(A) 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.(B) 3 For you died,(C) and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears,(D) then you also will appear with him in glory.(E)
5 Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity,(F) lust,(G) evil desire, and greed,(H) which is idolatry.(I) 6 Because of these, God’s wrath(J) is coming upon the disobedient,[b] 7 and you once walked in these things when you were living(K) in them. 8 But now, put away(L) all the following: anger,(M) wrath,(N) malice,(O) slander,(P) and filthy language from your mouth.(Q) 9 Do not lie(R) to one another, since you have put off(S) the old self(T) with its practices 10 and have put on(U) the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your[c] Creator.(V) 11 In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.(W)
A Centurion’s Faith
7 When he had concluded saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum.(A) 2 A centurion’s servant, who was highly valued by him, was ill and about to die. 3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, requesting him to come and save the life of his servant. 4 When they reached Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, ‘He is worthy for you to grant this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built us a synagogue.’(B)
6 Jesus went with them, and when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, ‘Lord, don’t trouble yourself, since I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I didn’t even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.[a](C) 8 For I too am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, “Go,” and he goes; and to another, “Come,” and he comes; and to my servant, “Do this,” and he does it.’
9 Jesus heard this and was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, ‘I tell you, I have not found so great a faith even in Israel.’ 10 When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant in good health.
A Widow’s Son Raised to Life
11 Afterwards he was on his way to a town called Nain. His disciples and a large crowd were travelling with him. 12 Just as he neared the gate of the town, a dead man was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow.(D) A large crowd from the town was also with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her(E) and said, ‘Don’t weep.’ 14 Then he came up and touched the open coffin, and the pallbearers stopped. And he said, ‘Young man, I tell you, get up! ’(F)
15 The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.(G) 16 Then fear[b] came over everyone,(H) and they glorified God,(I) saying, ‘A great prophet has risen among us,’(J) and ‘God has visited[c] his people.’(K) 17 This report about him went throughout Judea and all the vicinity.
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