O Lord, let my soul rise up to meet you as the day rises to meet the sun.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Come, let us sing to the Lord: let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
We thank you for your goodness, Lord: we praise you for your mercy.
Psalm 136:1 – 3, 7 – 9
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods: for his mercy endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endures forever.
Who created great lights: for his mercy endures forever;
the sun to rule the day: for his mercy endures forever;
the moon and the stars to govern the night: for his mercy endures forever.
We thank you for your goodness, Lord: we praise you for your mercy.
Reading: Isaiah 24:14 – 23
14 They raise their voices; they shout for joy; from the west they proclaim the majesty of the LORD. 15 Therefore glorify the LORD in the east. Extol the name of the LORD, the God of Israel in the islands of the sea. 16 From the ends of the earth we hear singing: “Glory to the Righteous One.” But I said, “I am wasting away! I am wasting away! Woe is me.” The treacherous betray, the treacherous deal in treachery. 17 Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of the earth. 18 Whoever flees the sound of panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken. 19 The earth is utterly broken apart, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken violently. 20 The earth staggers like a drunkard and sways like a shack. Earth’s rebellion weighs it down, and it falls, never to rise again. 21 In that day the LORD will punish the host of heaven above and the kings of the earth below. 22 They will be gathered together like prisoners in a pit. They will be confined to a dungeon and punished after many days. 23 The moon will be confounded, and the sun will be ashamed; for the LORD of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders with great glory.
Reading: Mark 13:9 – 23
9 So be on your guard. You will be delivered over to the councils and beaten in the synagogues. On My account you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all the nations. 11 But when they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand what to say. Instead, speak whatever you are given at that time, for it will not be you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 12 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. 13 You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. 14 So when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let no one on the housetop go back inside to retrieve anything from his house. 16 And let no one in the field return for his cloak. 17 How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! 18 Pray that this will not occur in the winter. 19 For those will be days of tribulation unseen from the beginning of God’s creation until now, and never to be seen again. 20 If the Lord had not cut short those days, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom He has chosen, He has cut them short. 21 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive even the elect, if that were possible. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything in advance.
We thank you for your goodness, Lord: we praise you for your mercy.
Erasmus of Rotterdam, a sixteenth-century priest who was committed to reforming the church from within, said, “When faith came to be in writings rather than in hearts, contention grew hot and love grew cold. That which is forced cannot be sincere, and that which is not voluntary cannot please Christ.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, just as your love knows no bounds and finds endless ways to reveal itself, so help us to express a gratitude too deep for words. Help us to learn to reveal our thanksgiving in the countless ways there are to love others, to provide for those in need, to serve where service is rare. Amen.
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you; may he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm; may he bring you home rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you; may he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
