Almighty Father,

who in your great mercy gladdened the disciples with the sight of the risen Lord:

give us such knowledge of his presence with us,

that we may be strengthened and sustained by his risen life

and serve you continually in righteousness and truth;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

or

Risen Christ,

you filled your disciples with boldness and fresh hope:

strengthen us to proclaim your risen life

and fill us with your peace,

to the glory of God the Father.

Readings

Zephaniah 3.14-end

14 Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;

shout, O Israel!

Rejoice and exult with all your heart,

O daughter Jerusalem!

15 The Lord has taken away the judgements against you,

he has turned away your enemies.

The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;

you shall fear disaster no more.

16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:

Do not fear, O Zion;

do not let your hands grow weak.

17 The Lord, your God, is in your midst,

a warrior who gives victory;

he will rejoice over you with gladness,

he will renew you in his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing

18   as on a day of festival.

I will remove disaster from you,

so that you will not bear reproach for it.

19 I will deal with all your oppressors

at that time.

And I will save the lame

and gather the outcast,

and I will change their shame into praise

and renown in all the earth.

20 At that time I will bring you home,

at the time when I gather you;

for I will make you renowned and praised

among all the peoples of the earth,

when I restore your fortunes

before your eyes, says the Lord.

This is the word of the Lord.

AllThanks be to God.

Acts 3.12-19

12When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, ‘You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? 13The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. 14But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, 15and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.

17 ‘And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. 19Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out,

This is the word of the Lord.

AllThanks be to God.

Psalm 4

1  Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness; •

you set me at liberty when I was in trouble;

have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

2  How long will you nobles dishonour my glory; •

how long will you love vain things and seek after falsehood?

3  But know that the Lord has shown me his marvellous kindness; •

when I call upon the Lord, he will hear me.

4  Stand in awe, and sin not; •

commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.

5  Offer the sacrifices of righteousness •

and put your trust in the Lord.

6  There are many that say, ‘Who will show us any good?’ •

Lord, lift up the light of your countenance upon us.

7  You have put gladness in my heart, •

more than when their corn and wine and oil increase.

8  In peace I will lie down and sleep, •

for it is you Lord, only, who make me dwell in safety.

1 John 3.1-7

3

1See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 3And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

4 Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. 7Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.

This is the word of the Lord.

AllThanks be to God.

† The reading from Acts must be used as either the first; or second reading.

This is the word of the Lord.

AllThanks be to God.

Gospel Reading

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.

AllGlory to you, O Lord.

Luke 24.36b-48

36 While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ 37They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. 38He said to them, ‘Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’ 40And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ 42They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate in their presence.

44 Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.’ 45Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

AllPraise to you, O Christ.

Post Communion

Living God,

your Son made himself known to his disciples

in the breaking of bread:

open the eyes of our faith,

that we may see him in all his redeeming work;

who is alive and reigns, now and for ever.

Reading Notes:

The New Testament readings should be preceded by a minimum of three Old Testament readings.

The Exodus reading should always be used.

Collect

Grant, Lord,

that we who are baptized into the death of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ

may continually put to death our evil desires and be buried with him;

and that through the grave and gate of death

we may pass to our joyful resurrection;

through his merits,

who died and was buried and rose again for us,

your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

or

In the depths of our isolation

we cry to you, Lord God:

give light in our darkness

and bring us out of the prison of our despair;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Readings

Genesis 1.1-2.4

1

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. 3Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

6 And God said, ‘Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.’ 7So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. 8God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

9 And God said, ‘Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.’ And it was so. 10God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, ‘Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.’ And it was so. 12The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

14 And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, 15and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.’ And it was so. 16God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, 18to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

20 And God said, ‘Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.’ 21So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.’ 23And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

24 And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.’ And it was so. 25God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’

27 So God created humankind in his image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

28God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’ 29God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. 30And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. 31God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

2

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. 2And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. 3So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.

4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.

In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

Genesis 7.1-5, 11-18, 8.6-18, 9.8-13

7

Then the Lord said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you alone are righteous before me in this generation. 2Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and its mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and its mate; 3and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind alive on the face of all the earth. 4For in seven days I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.’ 5And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.

11 In the six-hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 12The rain fell on the earth for forty days and forty nights. 13On the very same day Noah with his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons, entered the ark, 14they and every wild animal of every kind, and all domestic animals of every kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every bird of every kind—every bird, every winged creature. 15They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life. 16And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the Lord shut him in.

17 The flood continued for forty days on the earth; and the waters increased, and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18The waters swelled and increased greatly on the earth; and the ark floated on the face of the waters.

6 At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made 7and sent out the raven; and it went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. 8Then he sent out the dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground; 9but the dove found no place to set its foot, and it returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took it and brought it into the ark with him. 10He waited another seven days, and again he sent out the dove from the ark; 11and the dove came back to him in the evening, and there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf; so Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. 12Then he waited another seven days, and sent out the dove; and it did not return to him any more.

13 In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and saw that the face of the ground was drying. 14In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. 15Then God said to Noah, 16‘Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. 17Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.’ 18So Noah went out with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives.

8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9‘As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, 10and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. 11I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.’ 12God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

Genesis 22.1-18

22

After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ 2He said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt-offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.’ 3So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt-offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. 4On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. 5Then Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.’ 6Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 7Isaac said to his father Abraham, ‘Father!’ And he said, ‘Here I am, my son.’ He said, ‘The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?’ 8Abraham said, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son.’ So the two of them walked on together.

9 When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. 11But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ 12He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.’ 13And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt-offering instead of his son. 14So Abraham called that place ‘The Lord will provide’; as it is said to this day, ‘On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.’

15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16and said, ‘By myself I have sworn, says the Lord: Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies, 18and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.’

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

Exodus 14.10-end, 15.20-21

10 As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites looked back, and there were the Egyptians advancing on them. In great fear the Israelites cried out to the Lord. 11They said to Moses, ‘Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt? 12Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, “Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians”? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.’ 13But Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. 14The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.’

15 Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. 16But you lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the Israelites may go into the sea on dry ground. 17Then I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and so I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots, and his chariot drivers. 18And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained glory for myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his chariot drivers.’

19 The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them. 20It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the night; one did not come near the other all night.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. 22The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. 23The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. 24At the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian army, and threw the Egyptian army into panic. 25He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, ‘Let us flee from the Israelites, for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.’

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.’ 27So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea. 28The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained. 29But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.

30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31Israel saw the great work that the Lord did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

20 Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing. 21And Miriam sang to them:

‘Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;

horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.’

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

Isaiah 55.1-11

55

Ho, everyone who thirsts,

come to the waters;

and you that have no money,

come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without price.

2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,

and your labour for that which does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,

and delight yourselves in rich food.

3 Incline your ear, and come to me;

listen, so that you may live.

I will make with you an everlasting covenant,

my steadfast, sure love for David.

4 See, I made him a witness to the peoples,

a leader and commander for the peoples.

5 See, you shall call nations that you do not know,

and nations that do not know you shall run to you,

because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,

for he has glorified you.

6 Seek the Lord while he may be found,

call upon him while he is near;

7 let the wicked forsake their way,

and the unrighteous their thoughts;

let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,

and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

and do not return there until they have watered the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

Baruch 3.9-15, 32-4.4

9 Hear the commandments of life, O Israel;

give ear, and learn wisdom!

10 Why is it, O Israel, why is it that you are in the land of your enemies,

that you are growing old in a foreign country,

that you are defiled with the dead,

11   that you are counted among those in Hades?

12 You have forsaken the fountain of wisdom.

13 If you had walked in the way of God,

you would be living in peace for ever.

14 Learn where there is wisdom,

where there is strength,

where there is understanding,

so that you may at the same time discern

where there is length of days, and life,

where there is light for the eyes, and peace.

15 Who has found her place?

And who has entered her storehouses?

32 But the one who knows all things knows her,

he found her by his understanding.

The one who prepared the earth for all time

filled it with four-footed creatures;

33 the one who sends forth the light, and it goes;

he called it, and it obeyed him, trembling;

34 the stars shone in their watches, and were glad;

he called them, and they said, ‘Here we are!’

They shone with gladness for him who made them.

35 This is our God;

no other can be compared to him.

36 He found the whole way to knowledge,

and gave her to his servant Jacob

and to Israel, whom he loved.

37 Afterwards she appeared on earth

and lived with humankind.

4

She is the book of the commandments of God,

the law that endures for ever.

All who hold her fast will live,

and those who forsake her will die.

2 Turn, O Jacob, and take her;

walk towards the shining of her light.

3 Do not give your glory to another,

or your advantages to an alien people.

4 Happy are we, O Israel,

for we know what is pleasing to God.

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

or Proverbs 8.1-8, 19-21, 9.4b-6

8

Does not wisdom call,

and does not understanding raise her voice?

2 On the heights, beside the way,

at the crossroads she takes her stand;

3 beside the gates in front of the town,

at the entrance of the portals she cries out:

4 ‘To you, O people, I call,

and my cry is to all that live.

5 O simple ones, learn prudence;

acquire intelligence, you who lack it.

6 Hear, for I will speak noble things,

and from my lips will come what is right;

7 for my mouth will utter truth;

wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

8 All the words of my mouth are righteous;

there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.

19 My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,

and my yield than choice silver.

20 I walk in the way of righteousness,

along the paths of justice,

21 endowing with wealth those who love me,

and filling their treasuries.

4 ‘You that are simple, turn in here!’

To those without sense she says,

5 ‘Come, eat of my bread

and drink of the wine I have mixed.

6 Lay aside immaturity, and live,

and walk in the way of insight.’

This is the word of the Lord.

AllThanks be to God.

Ezekiel 36.24-28

24I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land. 25I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances. 28Then you shall live in the land that I gave to your ancestors; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

This is the word of the Lord.

AllThanks be to God.

Ezekiel 37.1-14

37

The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2He led me all round them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3He said to me, ‘Mortal, can these bones live?’ I answered, ‘O Lord God, you know.’ 4Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.’

7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.’ 10I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.

11 Then he said to me, ‘Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.” 12Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.’

This is the word of the Lord.

AllThanks be to God.

Zephaniah 3.14-end

14 Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;

shout, O Israel!

Rejoice and exult with all your heart,

O daughter Jerusalem!

15 The Lord has taken away the judgements against you,

he has turned away your enemies.

The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;

you shall fear disaster no more.

16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:

Do not fear, O Zion;

do not let your hands grow weak.

17 The Lord, your God, is in your midst,

a warrior who gives victory;

he will rejoice over you with gladness,

he will renew you in his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing

18   as on a day of festival.

I will remove disaster from you,

so that you will not bear reproach for it.

19 I will deal with all your oppressors

at that time.

And I will save the lame

and gather the outcast,

and I will change their shame into praise

and renown in all the earth.

20 At that time I will bring you home,

at the time when I gather you;

for I will make you renowned and praised

among all the peoples of the earth,

when I restore your fortunes

before your eyes, says the Lord.

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

Romans 6.3-11

3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. 7For whoever has died is freed from sin. 8But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

Psalm 136.1-9, 23-end

1  Give thanks to the Lord, for he is gracious, •

for his mercy endures for ever.

2  Give thanks to the God of gods, •

for his mercy endures for ever.

3  Give thanks to the Lord of lords, •

for his mercy endures for ever;

4  Who alone does great wonders, •

for his mercy endures for ever;

5  Who by wisdom made the heavens, •

for his mercy endures for ever;

6  Who laid out the earth upon the waters, •

for his mercy endures for ever;

7  Who made the great lights, •

for his mercy endures for ever;

8  The sun to rule the day, •

for his mercy endures for ever;

9  The moon and the stars to govern the night, •

for his mercy endures for ever;

23  Who remembered us when we were in trouble, •

for his mercy endures for ever;

24  And delivered us from our enemies, •

for his mercy endures for ever;

25  Who gives food to all creatures, •

for his mercy endures for ever.

26  Give thanks to the God of heaven, •

for his mercy endures for ever.

Psalm 46

1  God is our refuge and strength, •

a very present help in trouble;

2  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved, •

and though the mountains tremble in the heart of the sea;

3  Though the waters rage and swell, •

and though the mountains quake at the towering seas.

4  There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, •

the holy place of the dwelling of the Most High.

5  God is in the midst of her;

therefore shall she not be removed; •

God shall help her at the break of day.

6  The nations are in uproar and the kingdoms are shaken, •

but God utters his voice and the earth shall melt away.

7  The Lord of hosts is with us; •

the God of Jacob is our stronghold.

8  Come and behold the works of the Lord, •

what destruction he has wrought upon the earth.

9  He makes wars to cease in all the world; •

he shatters the bow and snaps the spear

and burns the chariots in the fire.

10  ‘Be still, and know that I am God; •

I will be exalted among the nations;

I will be exalted in the earth.’

11  The Lord of hosts is with us; •

the God of Jacob is our stronghold.

Psalm 16

1  Preserve me, O God, for in you have I taken refuge; •

I have said to the Lord, ‘You are my lord,

all my good depends on you.’

2  All my delight is upon the godly that are in the land, •

upon those who are noble in heart.

3  Though the idols are legion

that many run after, •

their drink offerings of blood I will not offer,

neither make mention of their names upon my lips.

4  The Lord himself is my portion and my cup; •

in your hands alone is my fortune.

5  My share has fallen in a fair land; •

indeed, I have a goodly heritage.

6  I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel, •

and in the night watches he instructs my heart.

7  I have set the Lord always before me; •

he is at my right hand; I shall not fall.

8  Wherefore my heart is glad and my spirit rejoices; •

my flesh also shall rest secure.

9  For you will not abandon my soul to Death, •

nor suffer your faithful one to see the Pit.

10  You will show me the path of life;

in your presence is the fullness of joy •

and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.

Exodus 15.1b-13, 17-18

15

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:

‘I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;

horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.

2 The Lord is my strength and my might,

and he has become my salvation;

this is my God, and I will praise him,

my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

3 The Lord is a warrior;

the Lord is his name.

4 ‘Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he cast into the sea;

his picked officers were sunk in the Red Sea.

5 The floods covered them;

they went down into the depths like a stone.

6 Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power—

your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy.

7 In the greatness of your majesty you overthrew your adversaries;

you sent out your fury, it consumed them like stubble.

8 At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up,

the floods stood up in a heap;

the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.

9 The enemy said, “I will pursue, I will overtake,

I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.

I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.”

10 You blew with your wind, the sea covered them;

they sank like lead in the mighty waters.

11 ‘Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?

Who is like you, majestic in holiness,

awesome in splendour, doing wonders?

12 You stretched out your right hand,

the earth swallowed them.

13 ‘In your steadfast love you led the people whom you redeemed;

you guided them by your strength to your holy abode.

17 You brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your own possession,

the place, O Lord, that you made your abode,

the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.

18 The Lord will reign for ever and ever.’

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

Isaiah 12.2-end

2 Surely God is my salvation;

I will trust, and will not be afraid,

for the Lord God is my strength and my might;

he has become my salvation.

3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4And you will say on that day:

Give thanks to the Lord,

call on his name;

make known his deeds among the nations;

proclaim that his name is exalted.

5 Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;

let this be known in all the earth.

6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion,

for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

This is the word of the Lord.

AllThanks be to God.

Psalm 19

1  The heavens are telling the glory of God •

and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

2  One day pours out its song to another •

and one night unfolds knowledge to another.

3  They have neither speech nor language •

and their voices are not heard,

4  Yet their sound has gone out into all lands •

and their words to the ends of the world.

5  In them has he set a tabernacle for the sun, •

that comes forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber

and rejoices as a champion to run his course.

6  It goes forth from the end of the heavens

and runs to the very end again, •

and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

7  The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; •

the testimony of the Lord is sure

and gives wisdom to the simple.

8  The statutes of the Lord are right and rejoice the heart; •

the commandment of the Lord is pure

and gives light to the eyes.

9  The fear of the Lord is clean and endures for ever; •

the judgements of the Lord are true

and righteous altogether.

10  More to be desired are they than gold,

more than much fine gold, •

sweeter also than honey,

dripping from the honeycomb.

11  By them also is your servant taught •

and in keeping them there is great reward.

12  Who can tell how often they offend? •

O cleanse me from my secret faults!

13  Keep your servant also from presumptuous sins

lest they get dominion over me; •

so shall I be undefiled,

and innocent of great offence.

14  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight, •

O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

Psalms 42, 43

1  As the deer longs for the water brooks, •

so longs my soul for you, O God.

2  My soul is athirst for God, even for the living God; •

when shall I come before the presence of God?

3  My tears have been my bread day and night, •

while all day long they say to me, ‘Where is now your God?’

4  Now when I think on these things, I pour out my soul: •

how I went with the multitude

and led the procession to the house of God,

5  With the voice of praise and thanksgiving, •

among those who kept holy day.

6  Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, •

and why are you so disquieted within me?

7  O put your trust in God; •

for I will yet give him thanks,

who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

8  My soul is heavy within me; •

therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan,

and from Hermon and the hill of Mizar.

9  Deep calls to deep in the thunder of your waterfalls; •

all your breakers and waves have gone over me.

10  The Lord will grant his loving-kindness in the daytime; •

through the night his song will be with me,

a prayer to the God of my life.

11  I say to God my rock,

‘Why have you forgotten me, •

and why go I so heavily, while the enemy oppresses me?’

12  As they crush my bones, my enemies mock me; •

while all day long they say to me, ‘Where is now your God?’

13  Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, •

and why are you so disquieted within me?

14  O put your trust in God; •

for I will yet give him thanks,

who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

1  Give judgement for me, O God,

and defend my cause against an ungodly people; •

deliver me from the deceitful and the wicked.

2  For you are the God of my refuge;

why have you cast me from you, •

and why go I so heavily, while the enemy oppresses me?

3  O send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, •

and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling,

4  That I may go to the altar of God,

to the God of my joy and gladness; •

and on the lyre I will give thanks to you, O God my God.

5  Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, •

and why are you so disquieted within me?

6  O put your trust in God; •

for I will yet give him thanks,

who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

Psalm 143

1  Hear my prayer, O Lord,

and in your faithfulness give ear to my supplications; •

answer me in your righteousness.

2  Enter not into judgement with your servant, •

for in your sight shall no one living be justified.

3  For the enemy has pursued me,

crushing my life to the ground, •

making me sit in darkness like those long dead.

4  My spirit faints within me; •

my heart within me is desolate.

5  I remember the time past; I muse upon all your deeds; •

I consider the works of your hands.

6  I stretch out my hands to you; •

my soul gasps for you like a thirsty land.

7  O Lord, make haste to answer me; my spirit fails me; •

hide not your face from me

lest I be like those who go down to the Pit.

8  Let me hear of your loving-kindness in the morning,

for in you I put my trust; •

show me the way I should walk in,

for I lift up my soul to you.

9  Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies, •

for I flee to you for refuge.

10  Teach me to do what pleases you, for you are my God; •

let your kindly spirit lead me on a level path.

11  Revive me, O Lord, for your name’s sake; •

for your righteousness’ sake, bring me out of trouble.

12  In your faithfulness, slay my enemies,

and destroy all the adversaries of my soul, •

for truly I am your servant.

Psalm 98

1  Sing to the Lord a new song, •

for he has done marvellous things.

2  His own right hand and his holy arm •

have won for him the victory.

3  The Lord has made known his salvation; •

his deliverance has he openly shown in the sight of the nations.

4  He has remembered his mercy and faithfulness

towards the house of Israel, •

and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

5  Sound praises to the Lord, all the earth; •

break into singing and make music.

6  Make music to the Lord with the lyre, •

with the lyre and the voice of melody.

7  With trumpets and the sound of the horn •

sound praises before the Lord, the King.

8  Let the sea thunder and all that fills it, •

the world and all that dwell upon it.

9  Let the rivers clap their hands •

and let the hills ring out together before the Lord,

for he comes to judge the earth.

10  In righteousness shall he judge the world •

and the peoples with equity.

Psalm 114

1  When Israel came out of Egypt, •

the house of Jacob from a people of a strange tongue,

2  Judah became his sanctuary, •

Israel his dominion.

3  The sea saw that, and fled; •

Jordan was driven back.

4  The mountains skipped like rams, •

the little hills like young sheep.

5  What ailed you, O sea, that you fled? •

O Jordan, that you were driven back?

6  You mountains, that you skipped like rams, •

you little hills like young sheep?

7  Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, •

at the presence of the God of Jacob,

8  Who turns the hard rock into a pool of water, •

the flint-stone into a springing well.

Gospel Reading

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark.

AllGlory to you, O Lord.

Mark 16.1-8

16

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ 4When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. 5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.’ 8So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

AllPraise to you, O Christ.

Post Communion

God of Life,

who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son

to the death of the cross,

and by his glorious resurrection

have delivered us from the power of our enemy:

grant us so to die daily to sin,

that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his risen life;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Holy Saturday, Rite One

O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the crucified body of thy dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; who now liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Holy Week, Rite One

Through Jesus Christ our Lord; who for our sins was lifted high upon the cross, that he might draw the whole world to himself; who by his suffering and death became the author of eternal salvation for all who put their trust in him.

Job 14:1-14 (NRSV)

A mortal, born of woman, few of days and full of trouble, comes up like a flower and withers, flees like a shadow and does not last. Do you fix your eyes on such a one? Do you bring me into judgment with you? Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one can. Since their days are determined, and the number of their months is known to you, and you have appointed the bounds that they cannot pass, look away from them, and desist, that they may enjoy, like laborers, their days. For there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease. Though its root grows old in the earth, and its stump dies in the ground, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth branches like a young plant. But mortals die, and are laid low; humans expire, and where are they? As waters fail from a lake, and a river wastes away and dries up, so mortals lie down and do not rise again; until the heavens are no more, they will not awake or be roused out of their sleep. Oh that you would hide me in Sheol, that you would conceal me until your wrath is past, that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me! If mortals die, will they live again? All the days of my service I would wait until my release should come.

Or

Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-24 (NRSV)

I am one who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s wrath; he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light; against me alone he turns his hand, again and again, all day long. He has made my flesh and my skin waste away, and broken my bones; he has besieged and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation; he has made me sit in darkness like the dead of long ago. He has walled me about so that I cannot escape; he has put heavy chains on me; though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer; he has blocked my ways with hewn stones, he has made my paths crooked. The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall! My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16

In te, Domine, speravi

1

In you, O Lord, have I taken refuge;

let me never be put to shame; *

deliver me in your righteousness.

2

Incline your ear to me; *

make haste to deliver me.

3

Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe,

for you are my crag and my stronghold; *

for the sake of your Name, lead me and guide me.

4

Take me out of the net that they have secretly set for me, *

for you are my tower of strength.

15

My times are in your hand; *

rescue me from the hand of my enemies,

and from those who persecute me.

16

Make your face to shine upon your servant, *

and in your loving-kindness save me.”

1 Peter 4:1-8 (NRSV)

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same intention (for whoever has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin), so as to live for the rest of your earthly life no longer by human desires but by the will of God. You have already spent enough time in doing what the Gentiles like to do, living in licentiousness, passions, drunkenness, revels, carousing, and lawless idolatry. They are surprised that you no longer join them in the same excesses of dissipation, and so they blaspheme. But they will have to give an accounting to him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that, though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they might live in the spirit as God does. The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.

Matthew 27:57-66 (NRSV)

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception would be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.

Or

John 19:38-42 (NRSV)

After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Reading Notes: From the Monday of Holy Week until the Saturday of Easter Week the seasonal psalmody must be used for Morning and Evening Prayer.

Collect

Almighty Father,

look with mercy on this your family

for which our Lord Jesus Christ was content to be betrayed and given up into the hands of sinners and to suffer death upon the cross;

who is alive and glorified with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

or

Eternal God,

in the cross of Jesus

we see the cost of our sin

and the depth of your love:

in humble hope and fear

may we place at his feet

all that we have and all that we are,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Readings

Isaiah 52.13-end of 53

13 See, my servant shall prosper;

he shall be exalted and lifted up,

and shall be very high.

14 Just as there were many who were astonished at him

—so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance,

and his form beyond that of mortals—

15 so he shall startle many nations;

kings shall shut their mouths because of him;

for that which had not been told them they shall see,

and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate.

53

Who has believed what we have heard?

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,

and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by others;

a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity;

and as one from whom others hide their faces

he was despised, and we held him of no account.

4 Surely he has borne our infirmities

and carried our diseases;

yet we accounted him stricken,

struck down by God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions,

crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the punishment that made us whole,

and by his bruises we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have all turned to our own way,

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

yet he did not open his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

so he did not open his mouth.

8 By a perversion of justice he was taken away.

Who could have imagined his future?

For he was cut off from the land of the living,

stricken for the transgression of my people.

9 They made his grave with the wicked

and his tomb with the rich,

although he had done no violence,

and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain.

When you make his life an offering for sin,

he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days;

through him the will of the Lord shall prosper.

11   Out of his anguish he shall see light;

he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.

The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,

and he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,

and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;

because he poured out himself to death,

and was numbered with the transgressors;

yet he bore the sin of many,

and made intercession for the transgressors.

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

Q

Psalm 22

1  My God, my God, why have you forsaken me, •

and are so far from my salvation,

from the words of my distress?

2  O my God, I cry in the daytime,

but you do not answer; •

and by night also, but I find no rest.

3  Yet you are the Holy One, •

enthroned upon the praises of Israel.

4  Our forebears trusted in you; •

they trusted, and you delivered them.

5  They cried out to you and were delivered; •

they put their trust in you and were not confounded.

6  But as for me, I am a worm and no man, •

scorned by all and despised by the people.

7  All who see me laugh me to scorn; •

they curl their lips and wag their heads, saying,

8  ‘He trusted in the Lord; let him deliver him; •

let him deliver him, if he delights in him.’

9  But it is you that took me out of the womb •

and laid me safe upon my mother’s breast.

10  On you was I cast ever since I was born; •

you are my God even from my mother’s womb.

11  Be not far from me, for trouble is near at hand •

and there is none to help.

12  Mighty oxen come around me; •

fat bulls of Bashan close me in on every side.

13  They gape upon me with their mouths, •

as it were a ramping and a roaring lion.

14  I am poured out like water;

all my bones are out of joint; •

my heart has become like wax

melting in the depths of my body.

15  My mouth is dried up like a potsherd;

my tongue cleaves to my gums; •

you have laid me in the dust of death.

16  For the hounds are all about me,

the pack of evildoers close in on me; •

they pierce my hands and my feet.

17  I can count all my bones; •

they stand staring and looking upon me.

18  They divide my garments among them; •

they cast lots for my clothing.

19  Be not far from me, O Lord; •

you are my strength; hasten to help me.

20  Deliver my soul from the sword, •

my poor life from the power of the dog.

21  Save me from the lion’s mouth,

from the horns of wild oxen. •

You have answered me!

22  I will tell of your name to my people; •

in the midst of the congregation will I praise you.

23  Praise the Lord, you that fear him; •

O seed of Jacob, glorify him;

stand in awe of him, O seed of Israel.

24  For he has not despised nor abhorred the suffering of the poor;

neither has he hidden his face from them; •

but when they cried to him he heard them.

25  From you comes my praise in the great congregation; •

I will perform my vows

in the presence of those that fear you.

26  The poor shall eat and be satisfied; •

those who seek the Lord shall praise him;

their hearts shall live for ever.

27  All the ends of the earth

shall remember and turn to the Lord, •

and all the families of the nations shall bow before him.

28  For the kingdom is the Lord’s •

and he rules over the nations.

29  How can those who sleep in the earth

bow down in worship, •

or those who go down to the dust kneel before him?

30  He has saved my life for himself;

my descendants shall serve him; •

this shall be told of the Lord for generations to come.

31  They shall come and make known his salvation,

to a people yet unborn, •

declaring that he, the Lord, has done it.

or Psalm [ 22.1-11 or 22.1-21]

[

1  My God, my God, why have you forsaken me, •

and are so far from my salvation,

from the words of my distress?

2  O my God, I cry in the daytime,

but you do not answer; •

and by night also, but I find no rest.

3  Yet you are the Holy One, •

enthroned upon the praises of Israel.

4  Our forebears trusted in you; •

they trusted, and you delivered them.

5  They cried out to you and were delivered; •

they put their trust in you and were not confounded.

6  But as for me, I am a worm and no man, •

scorned by all and despised by the people.

7  All who see me laugh me to scorn; •

they curl their lips and wag their heads, saying,

8  ‘He trusted in the Lord; let him deliver him; •

let him deliver him, if he delights in him.’

9  But it is you that took me out of the womb •

and laid me safe upon my mother’s breast.

10  On you was I cast ever since I was born; •

you are my God even from my mother’s womb.

11  Be not far from me, for trouble is near at hand •

and there is none to help.

1  My God, my God, why have you forsaken me, •

and are so far from my salvation,

from the words of my distress?

2  O my God, I cry in the daytime,

but you do not answer; •

and by night also, but I find no rest.

3  Yet you are the Holy One, •

enthroned upon the praises of Israel.

4  Our forebears trusted in you; •

they trusted, and you delivered them.

5  They cried out to you and were delivered; •

they put their trust in you and were not confounded.

6  But as for me, I am a worm and no man, •

scorned by all and despised by the people.

7  All who see me laugh me to scorn; •

they curl their lips and wag their heads, saying,

8  ‘He trusted in the Lord; let him deliver him; •

let him deliver him, if he delights in him.’

9  But it is you that took me out of the womb •

and laid me safe upon my mother’s breast.

10  On you was I cast ever since I was born; •

you are my God even from my mother’s womb.

11  Be not far from me, for trouble is near at hand •

and there is none to help.

12  Mighty oxen come around me; •

fat bulls of Bashan close me in on every side.

13  They gape upon me with their mouths, •

as it were a ramping and a roaring lion.

14  I am poured out like water;

all my bones are out of joint; •

my heart has become like wax

melting in the depths of my body.

15  My mouth is dried up like a potsherd;

my tongue cleaves to my gums; •

you have laid me in the dust of death.

16  For the hounds are all about me,

the pack of evildoers close in on me; •

they pierce my hands and my feet.

17  I can count all my bones; •

they stand staring and looking upon me.

18  They divide my garments among them; •

they cast lots for my clothing.

19  Be not far from me, O Lord; •

you are my strength; hasten to help me.

20  Deliver my soul from the sword, •

my poor life from the power of the dog.

21  Save me from the lion’s mouth,

from the horns of wild oxen. •

You have answered me!

]

Hebrews 10.16-25

16 ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them

after those days, says the Lord:

I will put my laws in their hearts,

and I will write them on their minds’,

17he also adds,

‘I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.’

18Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

19 Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 20by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, 25not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

or Hebrews 4.14-16, 5.7-9

14 Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. 16Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; 9and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him,

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

Gospel Reading

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.

All

Glory to you, O Lord.

John 18.1-end of 19

18

After Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. 2Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, ‘For whom are you looking?’ 5They answered, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Jesus replied, ‘I am he.’ Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6When Jesus said to them, ‘I am he’, they stepped back and fell to the ground. 7Again he asked them, ‘For whom are you looking?’ And they said, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ 8Jesus answered, ‘I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.’ 9This was to fulfil the word that he had spoken, ‘I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.’ 10Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. 11Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?’

12 So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. 13First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people.

15 Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, 16but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. 17The woman said to Peter, ‘You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ 18Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing round it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself.

19 Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. 20Jesus answered, ‘I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.’ 22When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, ‘Is that how you answer the high priest?’ 23Jesus answered, ‘If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?’ 24Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, ‘You are not also one of his disciples, are you?’ He denied it and said, ‘I am not.’ 26One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, ‘Did I not see you in the garden with him?’ 27Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed.

28 Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. 29So Pilate went out to them and said, ‘What accusation do you bring against this man?’ 30They answered, ‘If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.’ 31Pilate said to them, ‘Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.’ The Jews replied, ‘We are not permitted to put anyone to death.’ 32(This was to fulfil what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.)

33 Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ 34Jesus answered, ‘Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?’ 35Pilate replied, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?’ 36Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’ 37Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’ 38Pilate asked him, ‘What is truth?’

After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, ‘I find no case against him. 39But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?’ 40They shouted in reply, ‘Not this man, but Barabbas!’ Now Barabbas was a bandit.

19

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. 3They kept coming up to him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ and striking him on the face. 4Pilate went out again and said to them, ‘Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.’ 5So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, ‘Here is the man!’ 6When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, ‘Crucify him! Crucify him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.’ 7The Jews answered him, ‘We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.’

8 Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. 9He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, ‘Where are you from?’ But Jesus gave him no answer. 10Pilate therefore said to him, ‘Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?’ 11Jesus answered him, ‘You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.’ 12From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, ‘If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.’

13 When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. 14Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, ‘Here is your King!’ 15They cried out, ‘Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!’ Pilate asked them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but the emperor.’ 16Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.

So they took Jesus; 17and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. 18There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. 19Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’ 20Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. 21Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, ‘Do not write, “The King of the Jews”, but, “This man said, I am King of the Jews.” ’ 22Pilate answered, ‘What I have written I have written.’ 23When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. 24So they said to one another, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.’ This was to fulfil what the scripture says,

‘They divided my clothes among themselves,

and for my clothing they cast lots.’

25And that is what the soldiers did.

Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ 27Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

28 After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfil the scripture), ‘I am thirsty.’ 29A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. 30When Jesus had received the wine, he said, ‘It is finished.’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

31 Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. 32Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. 35(He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) 36These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, ‘None of his bones shall be broken.’ 37And again another passage of scripture says, ‘They will look on the one whom they have pierced.’

38 After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. 39Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. 40They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. 41Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. 42And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

AllPraise to you, O Christ.

Post Communion

The Liturgy of Good Friday may conclude with one of the following prayers without a blessing dismissal

O Lord Jesus Christ,

Son of the living God,

set your passion, cross and death

between your judgement and our souls,

now and in the hour of our death.

Grant mercy and grace to the living,

rest to the departed,

to your Church peace and concord

and to us sinners forgiveness,

and everlasting life and glory;

for, with the Father and the Holy Spirit,

you are alive and reign,

God, now and for ever.

or

Most merciful God,

who by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ

delivered and saved the world:

grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross

we may triumph in the power of his victory;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Reading Notes: From the Monday of Holy Week until the Saturday of Easter Week the seasonal psalmody must be used for Morning and Evening Prayer.

Collect

God our Father,

you have invited us to share in the supper

which your Son gave to his Church

to proclaim his death until he comes:

may he nourish us by his presence,

and unite us in his love;

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

or

God our Father,

your Son Jesus Christ was obedient to the end

and drank the cup prepared for him:

may we who share his table

watch with him through the night of suffering

and be faithful.

Readings

Exodus 12.1-4 [5-10] 11-14

12

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: 2This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. 3Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. 4If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbour in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it.[ 5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. 7They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 9Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. 10You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn.] 11This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. 12For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgements: I am the Lord. 13The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

14 This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

Psalm 116.1, 10-end

1  I love the Lord,

for he has heard the voice of my supplication; •

because he inclined his ear to me

on the day I called to him.

10  How shall I repay the Lord •

for all the benefits he has given to me?

11  I will lift up the cup of salvation •

and call upon the name of the Lord.

12  I will fulfil my vows to the Lord •

in the presence of all his people.

13  Precious in the sight of the Lord •

is the death of his faithful servants.

14  O Lord, I am your servant, •

your servant, the child of your handmaid;

you have freed me from my bonds.

15  I will offer to you a sacrifice of thanksgiving •

and call upon the name of the Lord.

16  I will fulfil my vows to the Lord •

in the presence of all his people,

17  In the courts of the house of the Lord, •

in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.

Alleluia.

or Psalm [ 116.9-end]

[ 9  I believed that I should perish

for I was sorely troubled; •

and I said in my alarm,

‘Everyone is a liar.’

10  How shall I repay the Lord •

for all the benefits he has given to me?

11  I will lift up the cup of salvation •

and call upon the name of the Lord.

12  I will fulfil my vows to the Lord •

in the presence of all his people.

13  Precious in the sight of the Lord •

is the death of his faithful servants.

14  O Lord, I am your servant, •

your servant, the child of your handmaid;

you have freed me from my bonds.

15  I will offer to you a sacrifice of thanksgiving •

and call upon the name of the Lord.

16  I will fulfil my vows to the Lord •

in the presence of all his people,

17  In the courts of the house of the Lord, •

in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.

Alleluia.

]

1 Corinthians 11.23-26

23 For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ 25In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ 26For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

This is the word of the Lord.

All Thanks be to God.

Gospel Reading

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.

All

Glory to you, O Lord.

John 13.1-17, 31b-35

13

Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper 3Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. 6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ 7Jesus answered, ‘You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ 8Peter said to him, ‘You will never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.’ 9Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!’ 10Jesus said to him, ‘One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.’ 11For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, ‘Not all of you are clean.’

12 After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, ‘Do you know what I have done to you? 13You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. 14So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 16Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. 17If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, “Where I am going, you cannot come.” 34I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

All

Praise to you, O Christ.

Post Communion

Lord Jesus Christ,

we thank you that in this wonderful sacrament

you have given us the memorial of your passion:

grant us so to reverence the sacred mysteries of your body and blood

that we may know within ourselves

and show forth in our lives

the fruit of your redemption,

for you are alive and reign, now and for ever.

Reading Notes:

The New Testament readings should be preceded by a minimum of three Old Testament readings.

The Exodus reading should always be used.

Collect

Grant, Lord,

that we who are baptized into the death of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ

may continually put to death our evil desires and be buried with him;

and that through the grave and gate of death

we may pass to our joyful resurrection;

through his merits,

who died and was buried and rose again for us,

your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

or

In the depths of our isolation

we cry to you, Lord God:

give light in our darkness

and bring us out of the prison of our despair;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Readings

Genesis 1.1-2.41

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. 3Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

6 And God said, ‘Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.’ 7So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. 8God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

9 And God said, ‘Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.’ And it was so. 10God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, ‘Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.’ And it was so. 12The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

14 And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, 15and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.’ And it was so. 16God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, 18to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

20 And God said, ‘Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.’ 21So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.’ 23And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

24 And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.’ And it was so. 25God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’

27 So God created humankind in his image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

28God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’ 29God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. 30And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. 31God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

2

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. 2And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. 3So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.

4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.

In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,

This is the word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

Genesis 7.1-5, 11-18, 8.6-18, 9.8-13

7

Then the Lord said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you alone are righteous before me in this generation. 2Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and its mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and its mate; 3and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind alive on the face of all the earth. 4For in seven days I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.’ 5And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.

11 In the six-hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 12The rain fell on the earth for forty days and forty nights. 13On the very same day Noah with his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons, entered the ark, 14they and every wild animal of every kind, and all domestic animals of every kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every bird of every kind—every bird, every winged creature. 15They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life. 16And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the Lord shut him in.

17 The flood continued for forty days on the earth; and the waters increased, and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18The waters swelled and increased greatly on the earth; and the ark floated on the face of the waters.

6 At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made 7and sent out the raven; and it went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. 8Then he sent out the dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground; 9but the dove found no place to set its foot, and it returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took it and brought it into the ark with him. 10He waited another seven days, and again he sent out the dove from the ark; 11and the dove came back to him in the evening, and there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf; so Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. 12Then he waited another seven days, and sent out the dove; and it did not return to him any more.

13 In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and saw that the face of the ground was drying. 14In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. 15Then God said to Noah, 16‘Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. 17Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.’ 18So Noah went out with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives.

8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9‘As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, 10and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. 11I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.’ 12God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

Genesis 22.1-18

22

After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ 2He said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt-offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.’ 3So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt-offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. 4On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. 5Then Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.’ 6Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 7Isaac said to his father Abraham, ‘Father!’ And he said, ‘Here I am, my son.’ He said, ‘The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?’ 8Abraham said, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son.’ So the two of them walked on together.

9 When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. 11But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ 12He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.’ 13And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt-offering instead of his son. 14So Abraham called that place ‘The Lord will provide’; as it is said to this day, ‘On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.’

15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16and said, ‘By myself I have sworn, says the Lord: Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies, 18and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.’

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

Exodus 14.10-end, 15.20-21

10 As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites looked back, and there were the Egyptians advancing on them. In great fear the Israelites cried out to the Lord. 11They said to Moses, ‘Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt? 12Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, “Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians”? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.’ 13But Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. 14The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.’

15 Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. 16But you lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the Israelites may go into the sea on dry ground. 17Then I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and so I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots, and his chariot drivers. 18And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained glory for myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his chariot drivers.’

19 The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them. 20It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the night; one did not come near the other all night.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. 22The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. 23The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. 24At the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian army, and threw the Egyptian army into panic. 25He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, ‘Let us flee from the Israelites, for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.’

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.’ 27So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea. 28The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained. 29But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.

30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31Israel saw the great work that the Lord did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

20 Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing. 21And Miriam sang to them:

‘Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;

horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.’

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

Isaiah 55.1-11

55

Ho, everyone who thirsts,

come to the waters;

and you that have no money,

come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without price.

2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,

and your labour for that which does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,

and delight yourselves in rich food.

3 Incline your ear, and come to me;

listen, so that you may live.

I will make with you an everlasting covenant,

my steadfast, sure love for David.

4 See, I made him a witness to the peoples,

a leader and commander for the peoples.

5 See, you shall call nations that you do not know,

and nations that do not know you shall run to you,

because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,

for he has glorified you.

6 Seek the Lord while he may be found,

call upon him while he is near;

7 let the wicked forsake their way,

and the unrighteous their thoughts;

let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,

and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

and do not return there until they have watered the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

Baruch 3.9-15, 32-4.4

9 Hear the commandments of life, O Israel;

give ear, and learn wisdom!

10 Why is it, O Israel, why is it that you are in the land of your enemies,

that you are growing old in a foreign country,

that you are defiled with the dead,

11   that you are counted among those in Hades?

12 You have forsaken the fountain of wisdom.

13 If you had walked in the way of God,

you would be living in peace for ever.

14 Learn where there is wisdom,

where there is strength,

where there is understanding,

so that you may at the same time discern

where there is length of days, and life,

where there is light for the eyes, and peace.

15 Who has found her place?

And who has entered her storehouses?

32 But the one who knows all things knows her,

he found her by his understanding.

The one who prepared the earth for all time

filled it with four-footed creatures;

33 the one who sends forth the light, and it goes;

he called it, and it obeyed him, trembling;

34 the stars shone in their watches, and were glad;

he called them, and they said, ‘Here we are!’

They shone with gladness for him who made them.

35 This is our God;

no other can be compared to him.

36 He found the whole way to knowledge,

and gave her to his servant Jacob

and to Israel, whom he loved.

37 Afterwards she appeared on earth

and lived with humankind.

4

She is the book of the commandments of God,

the law that endures for ever.

All who hold her fast will live,

and those who forsake her will die.

2 Turn, O Jacob, and take her;

walk towards the shining of her light.

3 Do not give your glory to another,

or your advantages to an alien people.

4 Happy are we, O Israel,

for we know what is pleasing to God.

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

or Proverbs 8.1-8, 19-21, 9.4b-6

8

Does not wisdom call,

and does not understanding raise her voice?

2 On the heights, beside the way,

at the crossroads she takes her stand;

3 beside the gates in front of the town,

at the entrance of the portals she cries out:

4 ‘To you, O people, I call,

and my cry is to all that live.

5 O simple ones, learn prudence;

acquire intelligence, you who lack it.

6 Hear, for I will speak noble things,

and from my lips will come what is right;

7 for my mouth will utter truth;

wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

8 All the words of my mouth are righteous;

there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.

19 My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,

and my yield than choice silver.

20 I walk in the way of righteousness,

along the paths of justice,

21 endowing with wealth those who love me,

and filling their treasuries.

4 ‘You that are simple, turn in here!’

To those without sense she says,

5 ‘Come, eat of my bread

and drink of the wine I have mixed.

6 Lay aside immaturity, and live,

and walk in the way of insight.’

This is the word of the Lord.

All Thanks be to God.

Ezekiel 36.24-28

24I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land. 25I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances. 28Then you shall live in the land that I gave to your ancestors; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

Ezekiel 37.1-14

37

The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2He led me all round them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3He said to me, ‘Mortal, can these bones live?’ I answered, ‘O Lord God, you know.’ 4Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.’

7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.’ 10I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.

11 Then he said to me, ‘Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.” 12Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.’

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

Zephaniah 3.14-end

14 Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;

shout, O Israel!

Rejoice and exult with all your heart,

O daughter Jerusalem!

15 The Lord has taken away the judgements against you,

he has turned away your enemies.

The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;

you shall fear disaster no more.

16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:

Do not fear, O Zion;

do not let your hands grow weak.

17 The Lord, your God, is in your midst,

a warrior who gives victory;

he will rejoice over you with gladness,

he will renew you in his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing

18   as on a day of festival.

I will remove disaster from you,

so that you will not bear reproach for it.

19 I will deal with all your oppressors

at that time.

And I will save the lame

and gather the outcast,

and I will change their shame into praise

and renown in all the earth.

20 At that time I will bring you home,

at the time when I gather you;

for I will make you renowned and praised

among all the peoples of the earth,

when I restore your fortunes

before your eyes, says the Lord.

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

Romans 6.3-11

3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. 7For whoever has died is freed from sin. 8But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

Psalm 136.1-9, 23-end

1  Give thanks to the Lord, for he is gracious, •

for his mercy endures for ever.

2  Give thanks to the God of gods, •

for his mercy endures for ever.

3  Give thanks to the Lord of lords, •

for his mercy endures for ever;

4  Who alone does great wonders, •

for his mercy endures for ever;

5  Who by wisdom made the heavens, •

for his mercy endures for ever;

6  Who laid out the earth upon the waters, •

for his mercy endures for ever;

7  Who made the great lights, •

for his mercy endures for ever;

8  The sun to rule the day, •

for his mercy endures for ever;

9  The moon and the stars to govern the night, •

for his mercy endures for ever;

23  Who remembered us when we were in trouble, •

for his mercy endures for ever;

24  And delivered us from our enemies, •

for his mercy endures for ever;

25  Who gives food to all creatures, •

for his mercy endures for ever.

26  Give thanks to the God of heaven, •

for his mercy endures for ever.

Psalm 46

1  God is our refuge and strength, •

a very present help in trouble;

2  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved, •

and though the mountains tremble in the heart of the sea;

3  Though the waters rage and swell, •

and though the mountains quake at the towering seas.

4  There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, •

the holy place of the dwelling of the Most High.

5  God is in the midst of her;

therefore shall she not be removed; •

God shall help her at the break of day.

6  The nations are in uproar and the kingdoms are shaken, •

but God utters his voice and the earth shall melt away.

7  The Lord of hosts is with us; •

the God of Jacob is our stronghold.

8  Come and behold the works of the Lord, •

what destruction he has wrought upon the earth.

9  He makes wars to cease in all the world; •

he shatters the bow and snaps the spear

and burns the chariots in the fire.

10  ‘Be still, and know that I am God; •

I will be exalted among the nations;

I will be exalted in the earth.’

11  The Lord of hosts is with us; •

the God of Jacob is our stronghold.

Psalm 16

1  Preserve me, O God, for in you have I taken refuge; •

I have said to the Lord, ‘You are my lord,

all my good depends on you.’

2  All my delight is upon the godly that are in the land, •

upon those who are noble in heart.

3  Though the idols are legion

that many run after, •

their drink offerings of blood I will not offer,

neither make mention of their names upon my lips.

4  The Lord himself is my portion and my cup; •

in your hands alone is my fortune.

5  My share has fallen in a fair land; •

indeed, I have a goodly heritage.

6  I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel, •

and in the night watches he instructs my heart.

7  I have set the Lord always before me; •

he is at my right hand; I shall not fall.

8  Wherefore my heart is glad and my spirit rejoices; •

my flesh also shall rest secure.

9  For you will not abandon my soul to Death, •

nor suffer your faithful one to see the Pit.

10  You will show me the path of life;

in your presence is the fullness of joy •

and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.

Exodus 15.1b-13, 17-18

15

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:

‘I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;

horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.

2 The Lord is my strength and my might,

and he has become my salvation;

this is my God, and I will praise him,

my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

3 The Lord is a warrior;

the Lord is his name.

4 ‘Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he cast into the sea;

his picked officers were sunk in the Red Sea.

5 The floods covered them;

they went down into the depths like a stone.

6 Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power—

your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy.

7 In the greatness of your majesty you overthrew your adversaries;

you sent out your fury, it consumed them like stubble.

8 At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up,

the floods stood up in a heap;

the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.

9 The enemy said, “I will pursue, I will overtake,

I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.

I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.”

10 You blew with your wind, the sea covered them;

they sank like lead in the mighty waters.

11 ‘Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?

Who is like you, majestic in holiness,

awesome in splendour, doing wonders?

12 You stretched out your right hand,

the earth swallowed them.

13 ‘In your steadfast love you led the people whom you redeemed;

you guided them by your strength to your holy abode.

17 You brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your own possession,

the place, O Lord, that you made your abode,

the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.

18 The Lord will reign for ever and ever.’

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

Isaiah 12.2-end

2 Surely God is my salvation;

I will trust, and will not be afraid,

for the Lord God is my strength and my might;

he has become my salvation.

3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4And you will say on that day:

Give thanks to the Lord,

call on his name;

make known his deeds among the nations;

proclaim that his name is exalted.

5 Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;

let this be known in all the earth.

6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion,

for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

Psalm 19

1  The heavens are telling the glory of God •

and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

2  One day pours out its song to another •

and one night unfolds knowledge to another.

3  They have neither speech nor language •

and their voices are not heard,

4  Yet their sound has gone out into all lands •

and their words to the ends of the world.

5  In them has he set a tabernacle for the sun, •

that comes forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber

and rejoices as a champion to run his course.

6  It goes forth from the end of the heavens

and runs to the very end again, •

and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

7  The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; •

the testimony of the Lord is sure

and gives wisdom to the simple.

8  The statutes of the Lord are right and rejoice the heart; •

the commandment of the Lord is pure

and gives light to the eyes.

9  The fear of the Lord is clean and endures for ever; •

the judgements of the Lord are true

and righteous altogether.

10  More to be desired are they than gold,

more than much fine gold, •

sweeter also than honey,

dripping from the honeycomb.

11  By them also is your servant taught •

and in keeping them there is great reward.

12  Who can tell how often they offend? •

O cleanse me from my secret faults!

13  Keep your servant also from presumptuous sins

lest they get dominion over me; •

so shall I be undefiled,

and innocent of great offence.

14  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight, •

O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

Psalms 42, 43

1  As the deer longs for the water brooks, •

so longs my soul for you, O God.

2  My soul is athirst for God, even for the living God; •

when shall I come before the presence of God?

3  My tears have been my bread day and night, •

while all day long they say to me, ‘Where is now your God?’

4  Now when I think on these things, I pour out my soul: •

how I went with the multitude

and led the procession to the house of God,

5  With the voice of praise and thanksgiving, •

among those who kept holy day.

6  Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, •

and why are you so disquieted within me?

7  O put your trust in God; •

for I will yet give him thanks,

who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

8  My soul is heavy within me; •

therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan,

and from Hermon and the hill of Mizar.

9  Deep calls to deep in the thunder of your waterfalls; •

all your breakers and waves have gone over me.

10  The Lord will grant his loving-kindness in the daytime; •

through the night his song will be with me,

a prayer to the God of my life.

11  I say to God my rock,

‘Why have you forgotten me, •

and why go I so heavily, while the enemy oppresses me?’

12  As they crush my bones, my enemies mock me; •

while all day long they say to me, ‘Where is now your God?’

13  Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, •

and why are you so disquieted within me?

14  O put your trust in God; •

for I will yet give him thanks,

who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

1  Give judgement for me, O God,

and defend my cause against an ungodly people; •

deliver me from the deceitful and the wicked.

2  For you are the God of my refuge;

why have you cast me from you, •

and why go I so heavily, while the enemy oppresses me?

3  O send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, •

and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling,

4  That I may go to the altar of God,

to the God of my joy and gladness; •

and on the lyre I will give thanks to you, O God my God.

5  Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, •

and why are you so disquieted within me?

6  O put your trust in God; •

for I will yet give him thanks,

who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

Psalm 143

1  Hear my prayer, O Lord,

and in your faithfulness give ear to my supplications; •

answer me in your righteousness.

2  Enter not into judgement with your servant, •

for in your sight shall no one living be justified.

3  For the enemy has pursued me,

crushing my life to the ground, •

making me sit in darkness like those long dead.

4  My spirit faints within me; •

my heart within me is desolate.

5  I remember the time past; I muse upon all your deeds; •

I consider the works of your hands.

6  I stretch out my hands to you; •

my soul gasps for you like a thirsty land.

7  O Lord, make haste to answer me; my spirit fails me; •

hide not your face from me

lest I be like those who go down to the Pit.

8  Let me hear of your loving-kindness in the morning,

for in you I put my trust; •

show me the way I should walk in,

for I lift up my soul to you.

9  Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies, •

for I flee to you for refuge.

10  Teach me to do what pleases you, for you are my God; •

let your kindly spirit lead me on a level path.

11  Revive me, O Lord, for your name’s sake; •

for your righteousness’ sake, bring me out of trouble.

12  In your faithfulness, slay my enemies,

and destroy all the adversaries of my soul, •

for truly I am your servant.

Psalm 98

1  Sing to the Lord a new song, •

for he has done marvellous things.

2  His own right hand and his holy arm •

have won for him the victory.

3  The Lord has made known his salvation; •

his deliverance has he openly shown in the sight of the nations.

4  He has remembered his mercy and faithfulness

towards the house of Israel, •

and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

5  Sound praises to the Lord, all the earth; •

break into singing and make music.

6  Make music to the Lord with the lyre, •

with the lyre and the voice of melody.

7  With trumpets and the sound of the horn •

sound praises before the Lord, the King.

8  Let the sea thunder and all that fills it, •

the world and all that dwell upon it.

9  Let the rivers clap their hands •

and let the hills ring out together before the Lord,

for he comes to judge the earth.

10  In righteousness shall he judge the world •

and the peoples with equity.

Psalm 114

1  When Israel came out of Egypt, •

the house of Jacob from a people of a strange tongue,

2  Judah became his sanctuary, •

Israel his dominion.

3  The sea saw that, and fled; •

Jordan was driven back.

4  The mountains skipped like rams, •

the little hills like young sheep.

5  What ailed you, O sea, that you fled? •

O Jordan, that you were driven back?

6  You mountains, that you skipped like rams, •

you little hills like young sheep?

7  Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, •

at the presence of the God of Jacob,

8  Who turns the hard rock into a pool of water, •

the flint-stone into a springing well.

Gospel Reading

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark.

All

Glory to you, O Lord.

Mark 16.1-8

16

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ 4When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. 5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.’ 8So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

AllPraise to you, O Christ.

Post Communion

God of Life,

who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son

to the death of the cross,

and by his glorious resurrection

have delivered us from the power of our enemy:

grant us so to die daily to sin,

that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his risen life;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Most merciful God,

who by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ

delivered and saved the world:

grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross

we may triumph in the power of his victory;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

or

Gracious Father,

you gave up your Son

out of love for the world:

lead us to ponder the mysteries of his passion,

that we may know eternal peace

through the shedding of our Saviour’s blood,

Jesus Christ our Lord.

Readings

Jeremiah 31.31-34

31 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. 33But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

This is the word of the Lord.

AllThanks be to God.

Psalm 51.1-13

1  Have mercy on me, O God, in your great goodness; •

according to the abundance of your compassion

blot out my offences.

2  Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness •

and cleanse me from my sin.

3  For I acknowledge my faults •

and my sin is ever before me.

4  Against you only have I sinned •

and done what is evil in your sight,

5  So that you are justified in your sentence •

and righteous in your judgement.

6  I have been wicked even from my birth, •

a sinner when my mother conceived me.

7  Behold, you desire truth deep within me •

and shall make me understand wisdom

in the depths of my heart.

8  Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; •

wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.

9  Make me hear of joy and gladness, •

that the bones you have broken may rejoice.

10  Turn your face from my sins •

and blot out all my misdeeds.

11  Make me a clean heart, O God, •

and renew a right spirit within me.

12  Cast me not away from your presence •

and take not your holy spirit from me.

13  Give me again the joy of your salvation •

and sustain me with your gracious spirit;

or Psalm 119.9-16

9  How shall young people cleanse their way •

to keep themselves according to your word?

10  With my whole heart have I sought you; •

O let me not go astray from your commandments.

11  Your words have I hidden within my heart, •

that I should not sin against you.

12  Blessed are you, O Lord; •

O teach me your statutes.

13  With my lips have I been telling •

of all the judgements of your mouth.

14  I have taken greater delight in the way of your testimonies •

than in all manner of riches.

15  I will meditate on your commandments •

and contemplate your ways.

16  My delight shall be in your statutes •

and I will not forget your word.

Hebrews 5.5-10

5 So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him,

‘You are my Son,

today I have begotten you’;

6as he says also in another place,

‘You are a priest for ever,

according to the order of Melchizedek.’

7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; 9and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, 10having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

This is the word of the Lord.

AllThanks be to God.

Gospel Reading

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.

AllGlory to you, O Lord.

John 12.20-33

20 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ 22Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour.

27 ‘Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—“Father, save me from this hour”? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’ 29The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to him.’ 30Jesus answered, ‘This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. 31Now is the judgement of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ 33He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

AllPraise to you, O Christ.

Post Communion

Lord Jesus Christ,

you have taught us

that what we do for the least of our brothers and sisters

we do also for you:

give us the will to be the servant of others

as you were the servant of all,

and gave up your life and died for us,

but are alive and reign, now and for ever.