Opening Sentence

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; let the whole earth tremble before him. Psalm 96:9

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 49 Audite haec, omnes

1

Hear this, all you peoples;
hearken, all you who dwell in the world, *
you of high degree and low, rich and poor together.

2

My mouth shall speak of wisdom, *
and my heart shall meditate on understanding.

3

I will incline my ear to a proverb *
and set forth my riddle upon the harp.

4

Why should I be afraid in evil days, *
when the wickedness of those at my heels surrounds me,

5

The wickedness of those who put their trust in their goods, *
and boast of their great riches?

6

We can never ransom ourselves, *
or deliver to God the price of our life;

7

For the ransom of our life is so great, *
that we should never have enough to pay it,

8

In order to live for ever and ever, *
and never see the grave.

9

For we see that the wise die also;
like the dull and stupid they perish *
and leave their wealth to those who come after them.

10

Their graves shall be their homes for ever,
their dwelling places from generation to generation, *
though they call the lands after their own names.

11

Even though honored, they cannot live for ever; *
they are like the beasts that perish.

12

Such is the way of those who foolishly trust in themselves, *
and the end of those who delight in their own words.

13

Like a flock of sheep they are destined to die;
Death is their shepherd; *
they go down straightway to the grave.

14

Their form shall waste away, *
and the land of the dead shall be their home.

15

But God will ransom my life; *
he will snatch me from the grasp of death.

16

Do not be envious when some become rich, *
or when the grandeur of their house increases;

17

For they will carry nothing away at their death, *
nor will their grandeur follow them.

18

Though they thought highly of themselves while they lived, *
and were praised for their success,

19

They shall join the company of their forebears, *
who will never see the light again.

20

Those who are honored, but have no understanding, *
are like the beasts that perish.

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 13:10-17 (NRSV)

10 Then the disciples came and asked him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" 11 He answered, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 13 The reason I speak to them in parables is that 'seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.' 14 With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says:
'You will indeed listen, but never understand,
and you will indeed look, but never perceive.
15 For this people's heart has grown dull,
and their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;
so that they might not look with their eyes,
and listen with their ears,
and understand with their heart and turn-
and I would heal them.'
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Canticle 15 The Song of Mary
Magnificat Luke 1:46-55

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.

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 St. Dioscorus II, the 31st Pope of Alexandria

His first work after his enthronement to the See of St. Mark was writing a universal Epistle to the holy father Abba Severus the Patriarch of Antioch. This Epistle contained an article about the Holy Trinity as equal in Essence and Divinity, and an explanation of the Incarnation and how God the Word was incarnated and united in a human body complete in everything, and by this unity became one Son, one Christ, one Lord, inseparable not two. The Trinity is one before and after this unity with no addition after Incarnation.

When the Epistle reached Abba Severus he made it known to the people of Antioch. He rejoiced after reading it and responded to St. Dioscorus congratulating him on his Christian leadership and for guarding the Orthodox faith. He commanded him to keep guarding the faith and to let the sayings and work of the Orthodox faith instituted by the Three Hundred and Eighteen Fathers in Nicaea be his accord. Abba Dioscorus joyfully received this message and he read it from the pulpit to all the people.

This father continually taught his people, urged and commanded the priests in every city to shepherd and guide their flocks. Having ended his course, he departed in peace.

May his prayers be with us. Glory be to God forever. Amen.

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 25

Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

For Protection

O God, the life of all who live, the light of the faithful, the strength of those who labor, and the repose of the dead: We thank you for the blessings of the day that is past, and humbly ask for your protection through the coming night. Bring us in safety to the morning hours; through him who died and rose again for us, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

For Mission

World Cycle of Prayer

We pray for the people of North Korea.

Korean News (website)

Ecumenical Cycle of Prayer

We pray for our sisters and brothers, members of the Mennonite Brethern Church.

The Mennonite Brethern Church

For Cities

Heavenly Father, in your Word you have given us a vision of that holy City to which the nations of the world bring their glory: Behold and visit, we pray, the cities of the earth. Renew the ties of mutual regard which form our civic life. Send us honest and able leaders. Enable us to eliminate poverty, prejudice, and oppression, that peace may prevail with righteousness, and justice with order, and that men and women from different cultures and with differing talents may find with one another the fulfillment of their humanity;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Those Who Influence Public Opinion

For the Future of the Human Race

O God our heavenly Father, you have blessed us and given us dominion over all the earth: Increase our reverence before the mystery of life; and give us new insight into your purposes for the human race, and new wisdom and determination in making provision for its future in accordance with your will;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer of Self-Dedication

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.