Daily Readings—Book of Alternative Services
Thursday, September 24, 2020
Holy Eucharist
Almighty God,
you have created the heavens and the earth,
and ourselves in your image.
Teach us to discern your hand in all your works
and to serve you with reverence and thanksgiving;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
The words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
What do people gain from all the toil at which they toil under the sun?
A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.
The sun rises and the sun goes down, and hurries to the place where it rises.
The wind blows to the south, and goes around to the north; round and round goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns.
All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they continue to flow.
All things are wearisome; more than one can express; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, or the ear filled with hearing.
What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It has already been, in the ages before us.
The people of long ago are not remembered, nor will there be any remembrance of people yet to come by those who come after them.
Hear my teaching, O my people; *
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable; *
I will declare the mysteries of ancient times.
That which we have heard and known, and what our ancestors have told us, *
we will not hide from their children.
We will recount to generations to come
the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the Lord, *
who has done wonderful works.
God worked marvels in the sight of their ancestors, *
in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan,
splitting open the sea and letting them pass through, *
making the waters stand up like walls;
leading them with a cloud by day, *
and all the night through with the glow of fire;
splitting hard rocks in the wilderness, *
and giving them drink as from the great deep;
bringing streams out of the cliff, *
and the waters gushing out like rivers.
Now Herod the ruler heard about all that had taken place, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the ancient prophets had arisen. Herod said, “John I beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And he tried to see him.
Ruler of the universe,
all creation yearns for its fulfilment in your Son.
May we who have shared in holy things
grow into maturity in him.
This we ask in the name of the same Jesus Christ our Lord.
Alternative Collects and Prayer after Communion
Alternative RCL Daily Prayer
Hear my teaching, O my people; *
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable; *
I will declare the mysteries of ancient times.
That which we have heard and known, and what our ancestors have told us, *
we will not hide from their children.
We will recount to generations to come
the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the Lord, *
who has done wonderful works.
God worked marvels in the sight of their ancestors, *
in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan,
splitting open the sea and letting them pass through, *
making the waters stand up like walls;
leading them with a cloud by day, *
and all the night through with the glow of fire;
splitting hard rocks in the wilderness, *
and giving them drink as from the great deep;
bringing streams out of the cliff, *
and the waters gushing out like rivers.
Thus says the Lord,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you for your own good,
who leads you in the way you should go.
O that you had paid attention to my commandments!
Then your prosperity would have been like a river,
and your success like the waves of the sea;
your offspring would have been like the sand,
and your descendants like its grains;
their name would never be cut off
or destroyed from before me.
Go out from Babylon, flee from Chaldea,
declare this with a shout of joy, proclaim it,
send it forth to the end of the earth;
say, “The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob!”
They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts;
he made water flow for them from the rock;
he split open the rock and the water gushed out.
Do not speak evil against one another, brothers and sisters. Whoever speaks evil against another or judges another, speaks evil against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. So who, then, are you to judge your neighbor?
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money.” Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.
Morning Prayer
O God, do not be silent; *
do not keep still nor hold your peace, O God;
for your enemies are in tumult, *
and those who hate you have lifted up their heads.
They take secret counsel against your people * and plot against those whom you protect.
They have said, ”Come, let us wipe them out from among the nations; *
let the name of Israel be remembered no more.”
They have conspired together; *
they have made an alliance against you:
The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; *
the Moabites and the Hagarenes;
Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; *
the Philistines and those who dwell in Tyre.
The Assyrians also have joined them, *
and have come to help the people of Lot.
Do to them as you did to Midian, *
to Sisera, and to Jabin at the river of Kishon:
They were destroyed at Endor; *
they became like dung upon the ground.
Make their leaders like Oreb and Zeëb, *
and all their commanders like Zebah and Zalmunna,
who said, ”Let us take for ourselves *
the fields of God as our possession.”
O my God, make them like whirling dust *
and like chaff before the wind;
Like fire that burns down a forest, *
like the flame that sets mountains ablaze.
Drive them with your tempest *
and terrify them with your storm;
Cover their faces with shame, O Lord, *
that they may seek your name.
Let them be disgraced and terrified for ever; *
let them be put to confusion and perish.
Let them know that you, whose name is Yahweh, *
you alone are the Most High over all the earth.
I love the Lord *
who has heard the voice of my supplication,
who has listened to me *
whenever I called.
The cords of death entangled me;
the grip of the grave took hold of me; *
I came to grief and sorrow.
Then I called upon the name of the Lord: *
“O Lord, I pray you, save my life.”
Gracious is the Lord and righteous; *
our God is full of compassion.
The Lord watches over the innocent; *
I was brought very low, and the Lord helped me.
Turn again to your rest, O my soul, *
for the Lord has treated you well.
For you, O Lord, have rescued my life from death, *
my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling.
I will walk in the presence of the Lord *
in the land of the living.
I believed, even when I said, *
”I have been brought very low.”
In my distress I said, *
”No one can be trusted.”
How shall I repay you, O Lord, *
for all the good things you have done for me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation *
and call upon your name.
I will fulfil my vows to the Lord *
in the presence of all the people.
Precious in your sight, O Lord *
is the death of your servants.
O Lord, I am your servant; *
I am your servant and the child of your handmaid;
you have freed me from my bonds.
I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving *
and call upon the name of the Lord.
I will fulfil my vows to the Lord *
in the presence of all the people of God.
In the courts of the house of the Lord, *
in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!
So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. On the second day, as they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have won your favor, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me—that is my petition—and the lives of my people—that is my request. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have held my peace; but no enemy can compensate for this damage to the king.” Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has presumed to do this?” Esther said, “A foe and enemy, this wicked Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen. The king rose from the feast in wrath and went into the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that the king had determined to destroy him. When the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman had thrown himself on the couch where Esther was reclining; and the king said, “Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?” As the words left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman’s face. Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, “Look, the very gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, stands at Haman’s house, fifty cubits high.” And the king said, “Hang him on that.” So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the anger of the king abated.
Then he commanded them to bring her in where his silver dinnerware was kept, and ordered them to set a table for her with some of his own delicacies, and with some of his own wine to drink. But Judith said, “I cannot partake of them, or it will be an offense; but I will have enough with the things I brought with me.” Holofernes said to her, “If your supply runs out, where can we get you more of the same? For none of your people are here with us.” Judith replied, “As surely as you live, my lord, your servant will not use up the supplies I have with me before the Lord carries out by my hand what he has determined.”
Then the servants of Holofernes brought her into the tent, and she slept until midnight. Toward the morning watch she got up and sent this message to Holofernes: “Let my lord now give orders to allow your servant to go out and pray.” So Holofernes commanded his guards not to hinder her. She remained in the camp three days. She went out each night to the valley of Bethulia, and bathed at the spring in the camp. After bathing, she prayed the Lord God of Israel to direct her way for the triumph of hispeople. Then she returned purified and stayed in the tent until she ate her food toward evening.
On the fourth day Holofernes held a banquet for his personal attendants only, and did not invite any of his officers. He said to Bagoas, the eunuch who had charge of his personal affairs, “Go and persuade the Hebrew woman who is in your care to join us and to eat and drink with us. For it would be a disgrace if we let such a woman go without having intercourse with her. If we do not seduce her, she will laugh at us.”
So Bagoas left the presence of Holofernes, and approached her and said, “Let this pretty girl not hesitate to come to my lord to be honored in his presence, and to enjoy drinking wine with us, and to become today like one of the Assyrian women who serve in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar.” Judith replied, “Who am I to refuse my lord? Whatever pleases him I will do at once, and it will be a joy to me until the day of my death.” So she proceeded to dress herself in all her woman’s finery. Her maid went ahead and spread for her on the ground before Holofernes the lambskins she had received from Bagoas for her daily use in reclining.
Then Judith came in and lay down. Holofernes’ heart was ravished with her and his passion was aroused, for he had been waiting for an opportunity to seduce her from the day he first saw her. So Holofernes said to her, “Have a drink and be merry with us!” Judith said, “I will gladly drink, my lord, because today is the greatest day in my whole life.” Then she took what her maid had prepared and ate and drank before him. Holofernes was greatly pleased with her, and drank a great quantity of wine, much more than he had ever drunk in any one day since he was born.
God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that when the handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, their diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them. Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit said to them in reply, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered them all, and so overpowered them that they fled out of the house naked and wounded. When this became known to all residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, everyone was awestruck; and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised. Also many of those who became believers confessed and disclosed their practices. A number of those who practiced magic collected their books and burned them publicly; when the value of these books was calculated, it was found to come to fifty thousand silver coins. So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.
Evening Prayer
Psalm 85
You have been gracious to your land, O Lord, *
you have restored the good fortune of Jacob.
You have forgiven all the iniquity of your people *
and blotted out all their sins.
You have withdrawn all your fury *
and turned yourself from your wrathful indignation.
Restore us then, O God our Saviour; *
let your anger depart from us.
Will you be displeased with us for ever? *
Will you prolong your anger from age to age?
Will you not give us life again, *
that your people may rejoice in you?
Show us your mercy, O Lord, *
and grant us your salvation.
I will listen to what you, Lord God, are saying, *
for you are speaking peace to your faithful people and to those who turn their hearts to you.
Truly, your salvation is very near to those who fear you, *
that your glory may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth have met together; *
righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Truth shall spring up from the earth, *
and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
Lord, you will indeed grant prosperity, *
and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness shall go before you, *
and peace shall be a pathway for your feet.
Psalm 86
Bow down your ear, O Lord, and answer me, *
for I am poor and in misery.
Keep watch over my life, for I am faithful; *
save your servant who trusts in you.
Be merciful to me, O Lord, for you are my God; *
I call upon you all the day long.
Gladden the soul of your servant, *
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, *
and great is your love toward all who call upon you.
Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer, *
and attend to the voice of my supplications.
In the time of my trouble I will call upon you, *
for you will answer me.
Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord, *
nor anything like your works.
All nations you have made will come and worship you, O Lord, *
and glorify your name.
For you are great; you do wondrous things; *
and you alone are God.
Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; *
knit my heart to you that I may fear your name.
I will thank you, O Lord my God, with all my heart, *
and glorify your name for evermore.
For great is your love toward me; *
you have delivered me from the nethermost Pit.
The arrogant rise up against me, O God, and the violent seek my life; *
they have not set you before their eyes.
But you, O Lord, are gracious and full of compassion, *
slow to anger, and full of kindness and truth.
Turn to me and have mercy upon me; *
give your strength to your servant;
and save the child of your handmaid.
Show me a sign of your favour,
so that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed; *
because you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
Then the prophet Elisha called a member of the company of prophets and said to him, “Gird up your loins; take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. When you arrive, look there for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi; go in and get him to leave his companions, and take him into an inner chamber. Then take the flask of oil, pour it on his head, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord: I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and flee; do not linger.”
So the young man, the young prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. He arrived while the commanders of the army were in council, and he announced, “I have a message for you, commander.” “For which one of us?” asked Jehu. “For you, commander.” So Jehu got up and went inside; the young man poured the oil on his head, saying to him, “Thus says the Lord the God of Israel: I anoint you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel. You shall strike down the house of your master Ahab, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah. The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and no one shall bury her.” Then he opened the door and fled.
When Jehu came back to his master’s officers, they said to him, “Is everything all right? Why did that madman come to you?” He answered them, “You know the sort and how they babble.” They said, “Liar! Come on, tell us!” So he said, “This is just what he said to me: ‘Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel.’” Then hurriedly they all took their cloaks and spread them for him on the bare steps; and they blew the trumpet, and proclaimed, “Jehu is king.”
Thus Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. Joram with all Israel had been on guard at Ramoth-gilead against King Hazael of Aram; but King Joram had returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him, when he fought against King Hazael of Aram. So Jehu said, “If this is your wish, then let no one slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel.” Then Jehu mounted his chariot and went to Jezreel, where Joram was lying ill. King Ahaziah of Judah had come down to visit Joram.
Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.