Book of Common Prayer
The Lord Is Always Merciful
1 (A) Tell the Lord
how thankful you are,
because he is kind
and always merciful.
2 Let Israel shout,
“God is always merciful!”
3 Let the family of Aaron
the priest shout,
“God is always merciful!”
4 Let every true worshiper
of the Lord shout,
“God is always merciful!”
5 When I was really hurting,
I prayed to the Lord.
He answered my prayer,
and took my worries away.
6 (B) The Lord is on my side,
and I am not afraid
of what others can do to me.
7 With the Lord on my side,
I will defeat
my hateful enemies.
8 It is better to trust the Lord
for protection
than to trust anyone else,
9 including strong leaders.
10 Nations surrounded me,
but I got rid of them
by the power of the Lord.
11 They attacked from all sides,
but I got rid of them
by the power of the Lord.
12 They swarmed around like bees,
but by the power of the Lord,
I got rid of them
and their fiery sting.
13 Their attacks were so fierce
that I nearly fell,
but the Lord helped me.
14 (C) My power and my strength
come from the Lord,
and he has saved me.
15 From the tents of God's people
come shouts of victory:
“The Lord is powerful!
16 With his mighty arm
the Lord wins victories!
The Lord is powerful!”
17 And so my life is safe,
and I will live to tell
what the Lord has done.
18 He punished me terribly,
but he did not let death
lay its hands on me.
19 Open the gates of justice!
I will enter and tell the Lord
how thankful I am.
20 Here is the gate of the Lord!
Everyone who does right
may enter this gate.
21 I praise the Lord
for answering my prayers
and saving me.
22 (D)(E) The stone that the builders
tossed aside
has now become
the most important stone.
23 The Lord has done this,
and it is amazing to us.
24 This day belongs to the Lord!
Let's celebrate
and be glad today.
25 (F) We'll ask the Lord to save us!
We'll sincerely ask the Lord
to let us win.
26 (G) God bless the one who comes
in the name of the Lord!
We praise you from here
in the house of the Lord.
27 The Lord is our God,
and he has given us light!
Start the celebration!
March with palm branches
all the way to the altar.[a]
28 The Lord is my God!
I will praise him and tell him
how thankful I am.
29 Tell the Lord
how thankful you are,
because he is kind
and always merciful.
(By David for praise.)
The Lord Is Kind and Merciful
1 I will praise you,
my God and King,
and always honor your name.
2 I will praise you each day
and always honor your name.
3 You are wonderful, Lord,
and you deserve all praise,
because you are much greater
than anyone can understand.
4 Each generation will announce
to the next your wonderful
and powerful deeds.
5 I will keep thinking about
your marvelous glory
and your mighty miracles.[a]
6 Everyone will talk about
your fearsome deeds,
and I will tell all nations
how great you are.
7 They will celebrate and sing
about your matchless mercy
and your power to save.
8 You are merciful, Lord!
You are kind and patient
and always loving.
9 You are good to everyone,
and you take care
of all your creation.
10 All creation will thank you,
and your loyal people
will praise you.
11 They will tell about
your marvelous kingdom
and your power.
12 Then everyone will know about
the mighty things you do
and your glorious kingdom.
13 Your kingdom will never end,
and you will rule forever.
Our Lord, you keep your word
and do everything you say.[b]
14 When someone stumbles or falls,
you give a helping hand.
15 Everyone depends on you,
and when the time is right,
you provide them with food.
16 By your own hand you satisfy
the desires of all who live.
17 Our Lord, everything you do
is kind and thoughtful,
18 and you are near to everyone
whose prayers are sincere.
19 You satisfy the desires
of all your worshipers,
and you come to save them
when they ask for help.
20 You take care of everyone
who loves you,
but you destroy the wicked.
21 I will praise you, Lord,
and everyone will respect
your holy name forever.
Peace at Last
11 (A) Like a branch that sprouts
from a stump,
someone from David's family[a]
will someday be king.
2 The Spirit of the Lord
will be with him
to give him understanding,
wisdom, and insight.
He will be powerful,
and he will know
and honor the Lord.
3 His greatest joy will be
to obey the Lord.
This king won't judge
by appearances
or listen to rumors.
4 The poor and the needy
will be treated with fairness
and with justice.
His word will be law
everywhere in the land,
and criminals
will be put to death.
5 (B) Honesty and fairness
will be his royal robes.
6 (C) Leopards will lie down
with young goats,
and wolves will rest
with lambs.
Calves and lions
will eat together
and be cared for
by little children.
7 Cows and bears will share
the same pasture;
their young will rest
side by side.
Lions and oxen
will both eat straw.
8 Little children will play
near snake holes.
They will stick their hands
into dens of poisonous snakes
and never be hurt.
9 (D) Nothing harmful will take place
on the Lord's holy mountain.
Just as water fills the sea,
the land will be filled
with people who know
and honor the Lord.
Telling about Christ and the Cross
2 Friends, when I came and told you the mystery[a] that God had shared with us, I didn't use big words or try to sound wise. 2 In fact, while I was with you, I made up my mind to speak only about Jesus Christ, who had been nailed to a cross.
3 (A) At first, I was weak and trembling with fear. 4 When I talked with you or preached, I didn't try to prove anything by sounding wise. I simply let God's Spirit show his power. 5 That way you would have faith because of God's power and not because of human wisdom.
6 We do use wisdom when speaking to people who are mature in their faith. But it isn't the wisdom of this world or of its rulers, who will soon disappear. 7 We speak of God's hidden and mysterious wisdom that God decided to use for our glory long before the world began. 8 (B) The rulers of this world didn't know anything about this wisdom. If they had known about it, they would not have nailed the glorious Lord to a cross. 9 (C) But it is just as the Scriptures say,
“What God has planned
for people who love him
is more than eyes have seen
or ears have heard.
It has never even
entered our minds!”
10 God's Spirit has shown you everything. His Spirit finds out everything, even what is deep in the mind of God. 11 You are the only one who knows what is in your own mind, and God's Spirit is the only one who knows what is in God's mind. 12 But God has given us his Spirit. This is why we don't think the same way that the people of this world think. This is also why we can recognize the blessings God has given us.
13 Every word we speak was taught to us by God's Spirit, not by human wisdom. And this same Spirit helps us teach spiritual things to spiritual people.[b]
21 (A) If you love me, you will do what I have said, and my Father will love you. I will also love you and show you what I am like.
22 The other Judas, not Judas Iscariot,[a] then spoke up and asked, “Lord, what do you mean by saying that you will show us what you are like, but you will not show the people of this world?”
23 Jesus replied:
If anyone loves me, they will obey me. Then my Father will love them, and we will come to them and live in them. 24 But anyone who doesn't love me, won't obey me. What they have heard me say doesn't really come from me, but from the Father who sent me.
25 I have told you these things while I am still with you. 26 But the Holy Spirit will come and help[b] you, because the Father will send the Spirit to take my place. The Spirit will teach you everything and will remind you of what I said while I was with you.
27 I give you peace, the kind of peace only I can give. It isn't like the peace this world can give. So don't be worried or afraid.
28 You have already heard me say I am going and I will also come back to you. If you really love me, you should be glad I am going back to the Father, because he is greater than I am.
29 I am telling you this before I leave, so when it does happen, you will have faith in me.
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