Today's Readings
Psalm 102:1-28Hosea 10:1-15Acts 21:37-40,22:1-16Luke 6:12-26Ordinary Time
Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling. Psalm 43:3
Confession of Sin
Most merciful God,
I confess that I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done, and by what I have left undone. I have not loved you with my whole heart; I have not loved my neighbors as myself. I am truly sorry and I humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on me and forgive me; that I may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.
Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen
The Invitatory and Psalter Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen Alleluia
Venite
Come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving
and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the caverns of the earth,
and the heights of the hills are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands have molded the dry land.
Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee,
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!
The Antiphon:
The Lessons
Psalm 102
(5) Because of the sound of my groaning My bones cling to my skin. (6) I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert. (7) I lie awake, And am like a sparrow alone on the housetop. (8) My enemies reproach me all day long, Those who deride me swear an oath against me.
(9) For I have eaten ashes like bread, And mingled my drink with weeping, (10) Because of Your indignation and Your wrath; For You have lifted me up and cast me away. (11) My days are like a shadow that lengthens, And I wither away like grass. (12) But You, O LORD, shall endure forever, And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.
(13) You will arise and have mercy on Zion; For the time to favor her, Yes, the set time, has come. (14) For Your servants take pleasure in her stones, And show favor to her dust. (15) So the nations shall fear the name of the LORD, And all the kings of the earth Your glory. (16) For the LORD shall build up Zion; He shall appear in His glory.
(17) He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, And shall not despise their prayer. (18) This will be written for the generation to come, That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD. (19) For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary; From heaven the LORD viewed the earth, (20) To hear the groaning of the prisoner, To release those appointed to death,
(21) To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, And His praise in Jerusalem, (22) When the peoples are gathered together, And the kingdoms, to serve the LORD. (23) He weakened my strength in the way; He shortened my days. (24) I said, 'O my God, Do not take me away in the midst of my days; Your years are throughout all generations.
(25) Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. (26) They will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will change them, And they will be changed. (27) But You are the same, And Your years will have no end. (28) The children of Your servants will continue, And their descendants will be established before You.'
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Hosea Chapter 10
(5) The inhabitants of Samaria fear Because of the calf of Beth Aven. For its people mourn for it, And its priests shriek for it -- Because its glory has departed from it. (6) The idol also shall be carried to Assyria As a present for King Jareb. Ephraim shall receive shame, And Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel. (7) As for Samaria, her king is cut off Like a twig on the water. (8) Also the high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, Shall be destroyed. The thorn and thistle shall grow on their altars; They shall say to the mountains, 'Cover us!' And to the hills, 'Fall on us!'
(9) O Israel, you have sinned from the days of Gibeah; There they stood. The battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity Did not overtake them. (10) When it is My desire, I will chasten them. Peoples shall be gathered against them When I bind them for their two transgressions. (11) Ephraim is a trained heifer That loves to thresh grain; But I harnessed her fair neck, I will make Ephraim pull a plow. Judah shall plow; Jacob shall break his clods.' (12) Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.
(13) You have plowed wickedness; You have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies, Because you trusted in your own way, In the multitude of your mighty men. (14) Therefore tumult shall arise among your people, And all your fortresses shall be plundered As Shalman plundered Beth Arbel in the day of battle -- A mother dashed in pieces upon her children. (15) Thus it shall be done to you, O Bethel, Because of your great wickedness. At dawn the king of Israel Shall be cut off utterly.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Acts Chapter 21
(1) Brethren and fathers, hear my defense before you now.' (2) And when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent. Then he said: (3) I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers' law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today. (4) I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women,
(5) as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished. (6) Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. (7) And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?' (8) So I answered, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said to me, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.'
(9) And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me. (10) So I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord said to me, 'Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.' (11) And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus. (12) Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there,
(13) came to me; and he stood and said to me, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight.' And at that same hour I looked up at him. (14) Then he said, 'The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. (15) For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. (16) And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.'
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Luke Chapter 6
(16) Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor. (17) And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, (18) as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. (19) And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.
(20) Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: 'Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God. (21) Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh. (22) Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man's sake. (23) Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.
(24) But woe to you who are rich, For you have received your consolation. (25) Woe to you who are full, For you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, For you shall mourn and weep. (26) Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The Second Song of Isaiah      Isaiah 55:6 to 11 Seek the Lord while he wills to be found;
call upon him when he draws near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the evil ones their thoughts;
And let them turn to the Lord, and he will have compassion,
and to our God, for he will richly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For as rain and snow fall from the heavens
and return not again, but water the earth,
Bringing forth life and giving growth,
seed for sowing and bread for eating,
So is my word that goes forth from my mouth;
it will not return to me empty;
But it will accomplish that which I have purposed,
and prosper in that for which I sent it.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord.
  He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
  He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
  He descended to the dead.
  On the third day he rose again.
  He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
  He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
  the communion of saints,
  the forgiveness of sins,
  the resurrection of the body,
  and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Prayers
The Prayers
The Lord's Prayer
  hallowed be thy Name,
  thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
  on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
  And forgive us our trespasses,
  as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
  but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
  and the power, and the glory,
  forever and ever. Amen.
Suffrages
And grant us your salvation.
Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
Let your people sing with joy.
Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
For only in you can we live in safety.
Lord, keep this nation under your care;
And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
Let your way be known upon earth;
Your saving health among all nations.
Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Create in us clean hearts, O God;
And sustain us by your Holy Spirit.
Collect of the Day:
Seasonal Collect: Proper 21 The Sunday closest to September 28
O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing
mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we,
running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of
your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Personal Prayers and Reflection
Closing Prayers
Thanksgiving
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory, and, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.
Conclude with the following
Let Us Bless the Lord, Thanks be to God
May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Romans 15:13