Opening Sentence

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2

Confession

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we 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.

Invitatory

O God, make speed to save us.

O Lord, make haste to help us.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

O Gracious Light Phos hilaron

O gracious light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of Life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.

Psalm 106

Part II Et fecerunt vitulum

19

Israel made a bull-calf at Horeb *
and worshiped a molten image;

20

And so they exchanged their Glory *
for the image of an ox that feeds on grass.

21

They forgot God their Savior, *
who had done great things in Egypt,

22

Wonderful deeds in the land of Ham, *
and fearful things at the Red Sea.

23

So he would have destroyed them,
had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, *
to turn away his wrath from consuming them.

24

They refused the pleasant land *
and would not believe his promise.

25

They grumbled in their tents *
and would not listen to the voice of the LORD.

26

So he lifted his hand against them, *
to overthrow them in the wilderness,

27

To cast out their seed among the nations, *
and to scatter them throughout the lands.

28

They joined themselves to Baal-Peor *
and ate sacrifices offered to the dead.

29

They provoked him to anger with their actions, *
and a plague broke out among them.

30

Then Phinehas stood up and interceded, *
and the plague came to an end.

31

This was reckoned to him as righteousness *
throughout all generations for ever.

32

Again they provoked his anger at the waters of Meribah, *
so that he punished Moses because of them;

33

For they so embittered his spirit *
that he spoke rash words with his lips.

34

They did not destroy the peoples *
as the LORD had commanded them.

35

They intermingled with the heathen *
and learned their pagan ways,

36

So that they worshiped their idols, *
which became a snare to them.

37

They sacrificed their sons *
and their daughters to evil spirits.

38

They shed innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters, *
which they offered to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was defiled with blood.

39

Thus they were polluted by their actions *
and went whoring in their evil deeds.

40

Therefore the wrath of the LORD was kindled against his people *
and he abhorred his inheritance.

41

He gave them over to the hand of the heathen, *
and those who hated them ruled over them.

42

Their enemies oppressed them, *
and they were humbled under their hand.

43

Many a time did he deliver them,
but they rebelled through their own devices, *
and were brought down in their iniquity.

44

Nevertheless, he saw their distress, *
when he heard their lamentation.

45

He remembered his covenant with them *
and relented in accordance with his great mercy.

46

He caused them to be pitied *
by those who held them captive.

47

Save us, O LORD our God,
and gather us from among the nations, *
that we may give thanks to your holy Name
and glory in your praise.

48

Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting; *
and let all the people say, "Amen!"
Hallelujah!

Gloria Patri

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Gospel

Matthew 9:1-8 (NRSV)

1 And after getting into a boat he crossed the sea and came to his own town. 2 And just then some people were carrying a paralyzed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven." 3 Then some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming." 4 But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Stand up and walk'? 6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"-he then said to the paralytic-"Stand up, take your bed and go to your home." 7 And he stood up and went to his home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Canticle 17 The Song of Simeon
Nunc Dimittis Luke 2:29-32

Lord, you now have set your servant free *
to go in peace as you have promised;

For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, *
whom you have prepared for all the world to see:

A Light to enlighten the nations, *
and the glory of your people Israel.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

• Departure of the Great Prophet Jonah
• The Holy Apostle Thomas

Departure of the Great Prophet Jonah
On this day we celebrate the departure of the Great Prophet Jonah, the son of Amittai. It was said that he was the son of the widow of Zarephath whom Elijah the Prophet had raised from the dead. Jonah followed Elijah, served him and gained the grace of prophesy.

God commanded Jonah to go to the City of Nineveh to admonish its people and to tell them that after forty days the city would be destroyed. Jonah pondered in his heart saying: "If God wished to destroy them He would not warn them and I am afraid if I go and preach this warning to them, they might repent and He would not destroy them. I would then look like a liar and no one would listen

to me after that and maybe I will get killed because I conveyed to them a false message from God. I shall arise and flee".

What did this prophet think of? How could anyone flee from the face of God? By escaping, he wanted to get away from the City of Nineveh because he did not want to admonish them even though he knew that God is gracious, merciful, slow to anger and forgiving. He thought that by staying away from Nineveh the Lord would send another prophet to preach to this city.

The escape of Jonah the Prophet and his having been cast into the sea are to make manifest the miracle of his remaining in the belly of the whale for three days and then coming out safely. It is a symbol and evidence of the Resurrection of our Savior from the dead after three days without encountering decay.

Jonah rose up to flee from the presence of the Lord and went down to Joppa; he found a ship going to Tarshish and sailed on it. The Lord sent out a great wind and there was a mighty tempest in the sea and the ship was about to break. The people on the ship cried out, each one to his god. They said everyone to his fellow: "Let us cast lots, that we may know because of whom this evil has befallen us", and when they had cast lots, it fell upon Jonah.

They said to him: "What have you done that brought such an

affliction on us". He replied: "Cast me in the sea and you shall be saved". They begged god's pardon and they cast him into the sea, and a great whale swallowed him. He remained in its belly for three days and three nights and then he was cast out on the seashore. He rose up straightaway and came into Nineveh. He preached to its people and they all repented; the king, the nobles, the poor, the old and the young. They all cried to God with fasting and everyone turned away from evil and God accepted their repentance and had mercy upon them.

Jonah rose up and returned to the land of Israel and died there. He prophesied in the days of Amos and his son Hosea. He lived nearly one hundred years, out of which he prophesied more than seventy year. He preceded the Lord Jesus by more than 900 years.

The Holy Apostle Thomas was born in the Galileian city of Pansada and plied the trade of fisherman. Hearing the good tidings of Jesus Christ, he left all and followed after Him. The Apostle Thomas is included in the number of the holy Twelve Apostles, the 12 closest disciples of the Saviour.

By the account of Holy Scripture, the holy Apostle Thomas did not believe the reports of the other disciples about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: "Unless I see in His hand the wound of the nail, and place my finger into the wound of the nail, and place my hand in His side, I shalt not believe" (Jn 20: 25). On the eighth day after the Resurrection the Lord appeared to the Apostle Thomas and shew His wounds. "My Lord and my God" -- cried out the holy apostle (Jn 20: 28). "Thomas, being once weaker in faith than the other apostles -- says Saint John Chrysostom -- toiled through the grace of God more bravely, more zealously and tirelessly than them all, such that he went preaching almost over nearly all the earth, not fearing to announce the Word of God to savage nations." According to Church Tradition, the holy apostle Thomas founded Christian churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia and India. Preaching the Gospel earned the apostle a martyr's death. For having converted the wife and son of the governor of the Indian city of Meliapur [Melipur], the holy apostle was locked up in prison, suffered torture, and finally, having been pierced with five spears, he expired to the Lord. Part of the relics of the holy Apostle Thomas are in India, in Hungary, and on Athos.

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 power of 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 Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,
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,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Suffrages A

Show us your mercy, O Lord;

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 with your Holy Spirit.

Collect of the Day: Pentecost, proper 22

Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Collect for Protection

Be our light in the darkness, O Lord, and in your great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of your only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

For Mission

Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen.

World Cycle of Prayer

We pray for the people of Malawi.

Malawi government official page

Ecumenical Cycle of Prayer

We pray for our sisters and brothers, members of the Eastern Orthodox Churches.

The Orthodox Church in America

For Agriculture

For Those We Love

For Quiet Confidence

O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we will be saved, in quietness and confidence will be our strength: By the might of your Spirit lift us, we pray, to your presence, where we may be still and know that you are God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer Attributed to St. Francis

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

General Thanksgiving

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom

Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.

Benediction

Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia. Alleluia.

Thanks be to God. Alleluia. Alleluia.