Morning
Invitatory Psalm 150
Praise the Lord!
We praise you in your sanctuary;
we praise you in your mighty firmament!
We praise you for your mighty deeds;
We praise you according to your surpassing greatness!
We praise you with trumpet sound;
We praise you with tambourine and dance;
We praise you with strings and pipe!
We praise you with clanging cymbals;
We praise you with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 73
Truly God is good to the upright, to those who are pure in heart.
But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped.
For I was envious of the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
For they have no pain; their bodies are sound and sleek.
They are not in trouble as others are; they are not plagued like other people.
Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them like a garment.
Their eyes swell out with fatness; their hearts overflow with follies.
They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression.
They set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues range over the earth.
Therefore the people turn and praise them, and find no fault in them.
And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
Such are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.
All in vain I have kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence.
For all day long I have been plagued, and am punished every morning.
If I had said, “I will talk on in this way,” I would have been untrue to the circle of your children.
But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task,
until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end.
Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin.
How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!
They are like a dream when one awakes; on awaking you despise their phantoms.
When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart,
I was stupid and ignorant; I was like a brute beast toward you.
Nevertheless I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me with honor.
Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Indeed, those who are far from you will perish; you put an end to those who are false to you.
But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, to tell of all your works.
Daily Lectionary Reading, Psalm 96 (Christmas Eve)
Sing to the LORD a new song! Sing to the LORD , all the earth! 2 Sing to the LORD ! Bless his name! Share the news of his saving work every single day! 3 Declare God’s glory among the nations; declare his wondrous works among all people 4 because the LORD is great and so worthy of praise. He is awesome beyond all other gods 5 because all the gods of the nations are just idols, but it is the LORD who created heaven! 6 Greatness and grandeur are in front of him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7 Give to the LORD , all families of the nations— give to the LORD glory and power! 8 Give to the LORD the glory due his name! Bring gifts! Enter his courtyards! 9 Bow down to the LORD in his holy splendor! Tremble before him, all the earth! 10 Tell the nations, “ The LORD rules! Yes, he set the world firmly in place;h it won’t be shaken. He will judge all people fairly. ” 11 Let heaven celebrate! Let the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it roar! 12 Let the countryside and everything in it celebrate! Then all the trees of the forest too will shout out joyfully 13 before the LORD because he is coming! He is coming to establish justice on the earth! He will establish justice in the world rightly. He will establish justice among all people fairly. _________________________________________________ h LXX, Vulg; MT the world is firmly established ; cf Ps 93:1
[Common English Bible]
Prayer for Today: You may want to listen to this psalm being sung as you pray today, Psalm 96.
Creating God, we gather to add our voices; our songs
of praise; our prayer of thankfulness; and our whole
being - communally and individually – to the never-ending
anthem of joy-filled worship of our Life-Renewing God.
Sustaining God, each day, a new song bubbles up in our
hearts and minds; each night a new prayer of praise and
thankfulness rises and reaches out to our God. Each moment,
we have an awareness of the glories of our God, and our
limited souls, minds and hearts seek to stretch in response
to the presence of our Radiant God, whose light and love
streams down upon all creation, giving it life and purpose,
strength and joy. All this in the knowledge that we worship
a God whose truth and righteousness is utterly to be trusted.
Glorious God, we gather together to share this good news,
and to remind each other that God has firmly established
this world, and nothing in life or death can shake our God.
We gather as flawed humanity in the presence of the Holy
One; whose creativity is continually expressed in the earth,
in the heavens, in the seas, and in outer space; and we offer
our worship, our reverence, and our praise to this our God. Amen.
If used in shared worship, please provide an acknowledgement as follows:
Midday Psalm 119:113-120
113 I hate the double-minded, but I love your law.
114 You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in your word.
115 Go away from me, you evildoers,
that I may keep the commandments of my God.
116 Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live,
and let me not be put to shame in my hope.
117 Hold me up, that I may be safe
and have regard for your statutes continually.
118 You spurn all who go astray from your statutes;
for their cunning is in vain.
119 All the wicked of the earth you count as dross;
therefore I love your decrees.
120 My flesh trembles for fear of you,
and I am afraid of your judgments.
Evening
Psalm 105
O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples.
Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works.
Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually.
Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles,
and the judgments he uttered,
O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth.
He is mindful of his covenant forever, of the word that he commanded,
for a thousand generations,
the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac,
which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.”
When they were few in number, of little account, and strangers in it,
wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people,
he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account,
saying, “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.”
When he summoned famine against the land, and broke every staff of bread,
he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
His feet were hurt with fetters, his neck was put in a collar of iron;
until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord kept testing him.
The king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free.
He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions,
to instruct his officials at his pleasure, and to teach his elders wisdom.
Then Israel came to Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.
And the Lord made his people very fruitful, and made them stronger than their foes,
whose hearts he then turned to hate his people, to deal craftily with his servants.
He sent his servant Moses, and Aaron whom he had chosen.
They performed his signs among them, and miracles in the land of Ham.
He sent darkness, and made the land dark; they rebelled against his words.
He turned their waters into blood, and caused their fish to die.
Their land swarmed with frogs, even in the chambers of their kings.
He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats throughout their country.
He gave them hail for rain, and lightning that flashed through their land.
He struck their vines and fig trees, and shattered the trees of their country.
He spoke, and the locusts came, and young locusts without number;
they devoured all the vegetation in their land, and ate up the fruit of their ground.
He struck down all the firstborn in their land, the first issue of all their strength.
Then he brought Israel out with silver and gold,
and there was no one among their tribes who stumbled.
Egypt was glad when they departed, for dread of them had fallen upon it.
He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night.
They asked, and he brought quails, and gave them food from heaven in abundance.
He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river.
For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham, his servant.
So he brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing.
He gave them the lands of the nations,
and they took possession of the wealth of the peoples,
that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. Praise the Lord!
Invitatory Psalm 150
Praise the Lord!
We praise you in your sanctuary;
we praise you in your mighty firmament!
We praise you for your mighty deeds;
We praise you according to your surpassing greatness!
We praise you with trumpet sound;
We praise you with tambourine and dance;
We praise you with strings and pipe!
We praise you with clanging cymbals;
We praise you with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 73
Truly God is good to the upright, to those who are pure in heart.
But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped.
For I was envious of the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
For they have no pain; their bodies are sound and sleek.
They are not in trouble as others are; they are not plagued like other people.
Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them like a garment.
Their eyes swell out with fatness; their hearts overflow with follies.
They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression.
They set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues range over the earth.
Therefore the people turn and praise them, and find no fault in them.
And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
Such are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.
All in vain I have kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence.
For all day long I have been plagued, and am punished every morning.
If I had said, “I will talk on in this way,” I would have been untrue to the circle of your children.
But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task,
until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end.
Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin.
How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!
They are like a dream when one awakes; on awaking you despise their phantoms.
When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart,
I was stupid and ignorant; I was like a brute beast toward you.
Nevertheless I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me with honor.
Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Indeed, those who are far from you will perish; you put an end to those who are false to you.
But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, to tell of all your works.
Daily Lectionary Reading, Psalm 96 (Christmas Eve)
Sing to the LORD a new song! Sing to the LORD , all the earth! 2 Sing to the LORD ! Bless his name! Share the news of his saving work every single day! 3 Declare God’s glory among the nations; declare his wondrous works among all people 4 because the LORD is great and so worthy of praise. He is awesome beyond all other gods 5 because all the gods of the nations are just idols, but it is the LORD who created heaven! 6 Greatness and grandeur are in front of him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7 Give to the LORD , all families of the nations— give to the LORD glory and power! 8 Give to the LORD the glory due his name! Bring gifts! Enter his courtyards! 9 Bow down to the LORD in his holy splendor! Tremble before him, all the earth! 10 Tell the nations, “ The LORD rules! Yes, he set the world firmly in place;h it won’t be shaken. He will judge all people fairly. ” 11 Let heaven celebrate! Let the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it roar! 12 Let the countryside and everything in it celebrate! Then all the trees of the forest too will shout out joyfully 13 before the LORD because he is coming! He is coming to establish justice on the earth! He will establish justice in the world rightly. He will establish justice among all people fairly. _________________________________________________ h LXX, Vulg; MT the world is firmly established ; cf Ps 93:1
[Common English Bible]
Prayer for Today: You may want to listen to this psalm being sung as you pray today, Psalm 96.
Creating God, we gather to add our voices; our songs
of praise; our prayer of thankfulness; and our whole
being - communally and individually – to the never-ending
anthem of joy-filled worship of our Life-Renewing God.
Sustaining God, each day, a new song bubbles up in our
hearts and minds; each night a new prayer of praise and
thankfulness rises and reaches out to our God. Each moment,
we have an awareness of the glories of our God, and our
limited souls, minds and hearts seek to stretch in response
to the presence of our Radiant God, whose light and love
streams down upon all creation, giving it life and purpose,
strength and joy. All this in the knowledge that we worship
a God whose truth and righteousness is utterly to be trusted.
Glorious God, we gather together to share this good news,
and to remind each other that God has firmly established
this world, and nothing in life or death can shake our God.
We gather as flawed humanity in the presence of the Holy
One; whose creativity is continually expressed in the earth,
in the heavens, in the seas, and in outer space; and we offer
our worship, our reverence, and our praise to this our God. Amen.
If used in shared worship, please provide an acknowledgement as follows:
© 2011 Joan Stott – "The Timeless Psalms" RCL Psalm Year B, used with permission.
Midday Psalm 119:113-120
113 I hate the double-minded, but I love your law.
114 You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in your word.
115 Go away from me, you evildoers,
that I may keep the commandments of my God.
116 Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live,
and let me not be put to shame in my hope.
117 Hold me up, that I may be safe
and have regard for your statutes continually.
118 You spurn all who go astray from your statutes;
for their cunning is in vain.
119 All the wicked of the earth you count as dross;
therefore I love your decrees.
120 My flesh trembles for fear of you,
and I am afraid of your judgments.
Evening
Psalm 105
O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples.
Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works.
Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually.
Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles,
and the judgments he uttered,
O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth.
He is mindful of his covenant forever, of the word that he commanded,
for a thousand generations,
the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac,
which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.”
When they were few in number, of little account, and strangers in it,
wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people,
he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account,
saying, “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.”
When he summoned famine against the land, and broke every staff of bread,
he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
His feet were hurt with fetters, his neck was put in a collar of iron;
until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord kept testing him.
The king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free.
He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions,
to instruct his officials at his pleasure, and to teach his elders wisdom.
Then Israel came to Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.
And the Lord made his people very fruitful, and made them stronger than their foes,
whose hearts he then turned to hate his people, to deal craftily with his servants.
He sent his servant Moses, and Aaron whom he had chosen.
They performed his signs among them, and miracles in the land of Ham.
He sent darkness, and made the land dark; they rebelled against his words.
He turned their waters into blood, and caused their fish to die.
Their land swarmed with frogs, even in the chambers of their kings.
He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats throughout their country.
He gave them hail for rain, and lightning that flashed through their land.
He struck their vines and fig trees, and shattered the trees of their country.
He spoke, and the locusts came, and young locusts without number;
they devoured all the vegetation in their land, and ate up the fruit of their ground.
He struck down all the firstborn in their land, the first issue of all their strength.
Then he brought Israel out with silver and gold,
and there was no one among their tribes who stumbled.
Egypt was glad when they departed, for dread of them had fallen upon it.
He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night.
They asked, and he brought quails, and gave them food from heaven in abundance.
He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river.
For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham, his servant.
So he brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing.
He gave them the lands of the nations,
and they took possession of the wealth of the peoples,
that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. Praise the Lord!
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