Book of Common Prayer
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
40 I was patient while I waited for the Lord.
He turned to me and heard my cry for help.
2 I was sliding down into the pit of death, and he pulled me out.
He brought me up out of the mud and dirt.
He set my feet on a rock.
He gave me a firm place to stand on.
3 He gave me a new song to sing.
It is a hymn of praise to our God.
Many people will see and have respect for the Lord.
They will put their trust in him.
4 Blessed is the person
who trusts in the Lord.
They don’t trust in proud people.
Those proud people worship statues of gods.
5 Lord my God,
no one can compare with you.
You have done many wonderful things.
You have planned to do these things for us.
There are too many of them
for me to talk about.
6 You didn’t want sacrifices and offerings.
You didn’t require burnt offerings and sin offerings.
You opened my ears so that I could hear you and obey you.
7 Then I said, “Here I am.
It is written about me in the book.
8 My God, I have come to do what you want.
Your law is in my heart.”
9 I have told the whole community of those who worship you.
I have told them what you have done to save me.
Lord, you know
that I haven’t kept quiet.
10 I haven’t kept to myself that what you did for me was right.
I have spoken about how faithful you were when you saved me.
I haven’t hidden your love and your faithfulness
from the whole community.
11 Lord, don’t hold back your mercy from me.
May your love and faithfulness always keep me safe.
12 There are more troubles all around me than I can count.
My sins have caught up with me, and I can’t see any longer.
My sins are more than the hairs of my head.
I have lost all hope.
13 Lord, please save me.
Lord, come quickly to help me.
14 Let all those who are trying to kill me be put to shame.
Let them lose their way.
Let all those who want to destroy me
be turned back in shame.
15 Some people make fun of me.
Let them be shocked when their plans fail.
16 But let all those who seek you
be joyful and glad because of what you have done.
Let those who count on you to save them always say,
“The Lord is great!”
17 But I am poor and needy.
May the Lord be concerned about me.
You are the God who helps me and saves me.
You are my God, so don’t wait any longer.
For the director of music. To be played on stringed instruments. A maskil of David when the men from Ziph had gone to Saul. They had said, “Isn’t David hiding among us?”
54 God, save me by your power.
Set me free by your might.
2 God, hear my prayer.
Listen to what I’m saying.
3 Enemies who are proud are attacking me.
Mean people are trying to kill me.
They don’t care about God.
4 But I know that God helps me.
The Lord is the one who keeps me going.
5 My enemies tell lies about me.
Do to them the evil things they planned against me.
God, be faithful and destroy them.
6 I will sacrifice an offering to you
just because I choose to.
Lord, I will praise your name
because it is good.
7 You have saved me from all my troubles.
With my own eyes I have seen you win the battle over my enemies.
For the director of music. A psalm of David when the prophet Nathan came to him. Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.
51 God, have mercy on me
according to your faithful love.
Because your love is so tender and kind,
wipe out my lawless acts.
2 Wash away all the evil things I’ve done.
Make me pure from my sin.
3 I know the lawless acts I’ve committed.
I can’t forget my sin.
4 You are the one I’ve really sinned against.
I’ve done what is evil in your sight.
So you are right when you sentence me.
You are fair when you judge me.
5 I know I’ve been a sinner ever since I was born.
I’ve been a sinner ever since my mother became pregnant with me.
6 I know that you wanted faithfulness even when I was in my mother’s body.
You taught me wisdom in that secret place.
7 Sprinkle me with hyssop, then I will be clean.
Wash me, then I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear you say, “Your sins are forgiven.”
That will bring me joy and gladness.
Let the body you have broken be glad.
9 Take away all my sins.
Wipe away all the evil things I’ve done.
10 God, create a pure heart in me.
Give me a new spirit that is faithful to you.
11 Don’t send me away from you.
Don’t take your Holy Spirit away from me.
12 Give me back the joy that comes from being saved by you.
Give me a spirit that obeys you so that I will keep going.
13 Then I will teach your ways to those who commit lawless acts.
And sinners will turn back to you.
14 You are the God who saves me.
I have committed murder.
God, take away my guilt.
Then my tongue will sing about how right you are
no matter what you do.
15 Lord, open my lips so that I can speak.
Then my mouth will praise you.
16 You don’t take delight in sacrifice.
If you did, I would bring it.
You don’t take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 The greatest sacrifice you want is a broken spirit.
God, you will gladly accept a heart
that is broken because of sadness over sin.
18 May you be pleased to give Zion success.
May it please you to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of those who do what is right.
Whole burnt offerings will bring delight to you.
And bulls will be offered on your altar.
Teachings About Holy Living
3 You have been raised up with Christ. So think about things that are in heaven. That is where Christ is. He is sitting at God’s right hand. 2 Think about things that are in heaven. Don’t think about things that are only on earth. 3 You died. Now your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 Christ is your life. When he appears again, you also will appear with him in heaven’s glory.
5 So put to death anything that comes from sinful desires. Get rid of sexual sins and impure acts. Don’t let your feelings get out of control. Remove from your life all evil desires. Stop always wanting more and more. You might as well be worshiping statues of gods. 6 God’s anger is going to come because of these things. 7 That’s the way you lived at one time in your life. 8 But now here are the kinds of things you must also get rid of. You must get rid of anger, rage, hate and lies. Let no dirty words come out of your mouths. 9 Don’t lie to one another. You have gotten rid of your old way of life and its habits. 10 You have started living a new life. Your knowledge of how that life should have the Creator’s likeness is being made new. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew. There is no difference between those who are circumcised and those who are not. There is no rude outsider, or even a Scythian. There is no slave or free person. But Christ is everything. And he is in everything.
A Roman Commander Has Faith
7 Jesus finished saying all these things to the people who were listening. Then he entered Capernaum. 2 There the servant of a Roman commander was sick and about to die. His master thought highly of him. 3 The commander heard about Jesus. So he sent some elders of the Jews to him. He told them to ask Jesus to come and heal his servant. 4 They came to Jesus and begged him, “This man deserves to have you do this. 5 He loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” 6 So Jesus went with them.
When Jesus came near the house, the Roman commander sent friends to him. He told them to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself. I am not good enough to have you come into my house. 7 That is why I did not even think I was fit to come to you. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 I myself am a man who is under authority. And I have soldiers who obey my orders. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes. I tell that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at the commander. Jesus turned to the crowd that was following him. He said, “I tell you, even in Israel I have not found anyone whose faith is so strong.” 10 Then the men who had been sent to Jesus returned to the house. They found that the servant was healed.
Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son From the Dead
11 Some time later, Jesus went to a town called Nain. His disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 He approached the town gate. Just then, a dead person was being carried out. He was the only son of his mother. She was a widow. A large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, he felt sorry for her. So he said, “Don’t cry.”
14 Then he went up and touched the coffin. Those carrying it stood still. Jesus said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk. Then Jesus gave him back to his mother.
16 The people were all filled with wonder and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” 17 This news about Jesus spread all through Judea and the whole country.
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