Morning Song - Saturday after Proper 4

Pentecost - Saturday Invitation

Tenor     Soprano     Response     Cantor     Bass     Alto     All    


The Lord is in his ho-ly tem-ple;
let all the earth keep si-lence be-fore him
I was glad when they said to me,
Let us go to the house of the Lord.

Let the words of my mouth
and the med-i-ta-tion of my heart
be ac-cep-ta-ble in your sight, O Lord,
my strength and my re-deem-er.

Thus says the high and loft-y One
who in-hab-its e-ter-ni-ty,
whose name is Ho-ly,
I dwell in the high and ho-ly place

Send out your light
and your truth, that they may lead me,
and bring me to your ho-ly hill
and to your dwel-ling place.

Give thanks to the Lord, and call up-on his Name;
make known his deeds a-mong the peo-ples.
Lord, o-pen our lips.
And our mouth shall pro-claim your praise.

Glo-ry to the Fath-er, and to the Son,
and to the Ho-ly Spi-rit:
as it was in the be-gin-ning, is now,
and will be for ev-er. A-men.

Saturday - Venite

Tenor     Soprano     Response     Cantor     Bass     Alto     All    


Come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our sal-va-tion.
Let us come be-fore his pres-ence with thanks-giv-ing
and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King a-bove all gods.
In his hand are the cav-erns of the earth,
and the heights of the hills are his al-so.

The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands have mold-ed the dry land.
Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee,
and kneel be-fore the Lord our Mak-er.

For he is our God,
and we are the peo-ple of his pas-ture
and the sheep of his hand.
Oh, that to-day you would heark-en to his voice!

Psalm 55

Tenor     Soprano     Response     Cantor     Bass     Alto     All    


Lis-ten, O God, to my prayer!
Do not ig-nore my ap-peal for mer-cy!
Pay at-ten-tion to me and an-swer me!
I am so up-set and dis-tressed,

I am be-side my-self,
be-cause of what the en-e-my says,
and be-cause of how the wick-ed pres-sure me,
for they hurl trou-ble down up-on me

and an-gri-ly at-tack me.
My heart beats vio-lent-ly with-in me;
the hor-rors of death o-ver-come me.
Fear and pan-ic o-ver-pow-er me;

ter-ror o-ver-whelms me.
I say, I wish I had wings like a dove!
I would fly a-way and set-tle in a safe place!
Look, I will es-cape to a dis-tant place;

I will stay in the wil-der-ness.
I will hur-ry off to a place that is safe
from the strong wind and the gale.
Con-fuse them, O Lord! Frus-trate their plan!

For I see vio-lence and con-flict in the cit-y.
Day and night they walk a-round on its walls,
while wick-ed-ness and de-struc-tion are with-in it.
Dis-as-ter is with-in it;

Vio-lence and de-ceit do not de-part from its pub-lic square.
In-deed, it is not an ene-my who in-sults me,
or else I could bear it;
it is not one who hates me who ar-ro-gant-ly taunts me,

or else I could hide from him.
But it is you, a man like me,
my close friend in whom I con-fid-ed.
We would share person-al thoughts with each oth-er;

In God's tem-ple we would walk to-geth-er a-mong the crowd.
May death de-stroy them! May they go down a-live into She-ol!
For e-vil is in their dwell-ing place and in their midst.
As for me, I will call out to God,

and the Lord will de-liv-er me.
Dur-ing the eve-ning, morn-ing, and noon-time
I will la-ment and moan, and he will hear me.
He will res-cue me and pro-tect me from those who at-tack me,

E-ven though they great-ly out-num-ber me.
God, the one who has reigned as king from long a-go,
will hear and hu-mil-i-ate them.
They re-fuse to change, and do not fear God.

He at-tacks his friends;
he breaks his sol-emn prom-ises to them.
His words are as smooth as but-ter,
but he har-bors ani-mos-ity in his heart.

His words seem soft-er than oil,
but they are real-ly like sharp swords.
Throw your bur-den up-on the Lord,
and he will sus-tain you.

He will nev-er al-low the god-ly to be shak-en.
But you, O God, will bring them down to the deep Pit.
Vio-lent and de-ceit-ful peo-ple will not live even half a nor-mal life span.
But as for me, I trust in you.

Glo-ry to the Fath-er, and to the Son,
and to the Ho-ly Spi-rit:
as it was in the be-gin-ning, is now,
and will be for ev-er. A-men.


A reading from Ecclesiastes 5:8-20



If you see the extortion of the poor,
or the perversion of justice and fairness in the government,
do not be astonished by the matter.
For the high official is watched by a higher official,
and there are higher ones over them!

The produce of the land is seized by all of them,
even the king is served by the fields.


The one who loves money will never be satisfied with money,
he who loves wealth will never be satisfied with his income.
This also is futile.


When someone’s prosperity increases, those who consume it also increase;
so what does its owner gain, except that he gets to see it with his eyes?


The sleep of the laborer is pleasant – whether he eats little or much –
but the wealth of the rich will not allow him to sleep.


Here is a misfortune on earth that I have seen:
Wealth hoarded by its owner to his own misery.


Then that wealth was lost through bad luck;
although he fathered a son, he has nothing left to give him.


Just as he came forth from his mother’s womb, naked will he return as he came,
and he will take nothing in his hand that he may carry away from his toil.


This is another misfortune:
Just as he came, so will he go.
What did he gain from toiling for the wind?


Surely, he ate in darkness every day of his life,
and he suffered greatly with sickness and anger.


I have seen personally what is the only beneficial and appropriate course of action for people:
to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all their hard work on earth
during the few days of their life which God has given them,
for this is their reward.


To every man whom God has given wealth, and possessions,
he has also given him the ability
to eat from them, to receive his reward and to find enjoyment in his toil;
these things are the gift of God.


For he does not think much about the fleeting days of his life
because God keeps him preoccupied with the joy he derives from his activity.


Here ends the reading.
Thanks be to God!

Saturday - Song of Creation

Tenor     Soprano     Response     Cantor     Bass     Alto     All    


Glo-ri-fy the Lord, all you works of the Lord,
praise him and high-ly ex-alt him for ev-er.
In the fir-ma-ment of his pow-er, glo-ri-fy the Lord,
praise him and high-ly ex-alt him for ev-er.

Glo-ri-fy the Lord, you an-gels and all pow-ers of the Lord,
O heav-ens and all wat-ers a-bove the heav-ens.
Sun and moon and stars of the sky, glo-ri-fy the Lord,
praise him and high-ly ex-alt him for ev-er.

Glo-ri-fy the Lord, eve-ry show-er of rain and fall of dew,
all winds and fire and heat.
Win-ter and Sum-mer, glo-ri-fy the Lord,
praise him and high-ly ex-alt him for ev-er.

Glo-ri-fy the Lord, O chill and cold,
drops of dew and flakes of snow.
Frost and cold, ice and sleet, glo-ri-fy the Lord,
praise him and high-ly ex-alt him for ev-er.

Glo-ri-fy the Lord, O nights and days,
O shin-ing light and en-fold-ing dark.
Storm clouds and thun-der-bolt, glo-ri-fy the Lord,
praise him and high-ly ex-alt him for ev-er.

Let the earth glo-ri-fy the Lord,
praise him and high-ly ex-alt him for ev-er.
Glo-ri-fy the Lord, O moun-tains and hills, and all that grows up-on the earth,
praise him for ev-er.Glo-ri-fy the Lord,

O springs of wa-ter, sea, and stream,
O whales and all that move in the wat-ers.
All birds of the air, glo-ri-fy the Lord,
praise him and high-ly ex-alt him for ev-er.

Glo-ri-fy the Lord, O beasts of the wild,
and all you flocks and herds.
O men and women eve-ry-where, glo-ri-fy the Lord,
praise him and high-ly ex-alt him for ev-er.

Let the peo-ple of God glo-ri-fy the Lord,
praise him and high-ly ex-alt him for ev-er.
Glo-ri-fy the Lord, O priests and serv-ants of the Lord,
praise him and high-ly ex-alt him for ev-er.

Glo-ri-fy the Lord, O spirits and souls of the right-eous,
praise him and high-ly ex-alt him for ev-er.
You that are ho-ly and hum-ble of heart, glo-ri-fy the Lord,
praise him and high-ly ex-alt him for ev-er.

Let us glo-ri-fy the Lord: Fa-ther, Son, and Ho-ly Spi-rit;
praise him and high-ly ex-alt him for ev-er.
In the fir-ma-ment of his pow-er, glo-ri-fy the Lord,
praise him and high-ly ex-alt him for ev-er.


A reading from Galatians 3:23-4:11


Now before faith came we were held in custody under the law, being kept as prisoners until the coming faith would be revealed. Thus the law had become our guardian until Christ, so that we could be declared righteous by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female – for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise.

Now I mean that the heir, as long as he is a minor, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything. But he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. So also we, when we were minors, were enslaved under the basic forces of the world. But when the appropriate time had come, God sent out his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we may be adopted as sons with full rights. And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, who calls “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if you are a son, then you are also an heir through God.

Formerly when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods at all. But now that you have come to know God (or rather to be known by God), how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless basic forces? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again? You are observing religious days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you that my work for you may have been in vain.

Here ends the reading.
Thanks be to God!

Saturday - Song of the Redeemed

Tenor     Soprano     Response     Cantor     Bass     Alto     All    


O rul-er of the u-ni-verse, Lord God,
great deeds are they that you have done,
sur-pas-sing hu-man un-der-stand-ing.
Your ways are ways of right-eous-ness and truth,

O King of all the ages.
Who can fail to do you hom-age, Lord,
and sing the prais-es of your Name?
for you on-ly are the Ho-ly One.

All na-tions will draw near
and fall down be-fore you,
be-cause your just and ho-ly works
have been re-vealed. Al-le-lu-ia, a-men!

Glo-ry to the Fath-er, and to the Son,
and to the Ho-ly Spi-rit:
as it was in the be-gin-ning, is now,
and will be for ev-er. A-men.

Saturday Creed

Tenor     Soprano     Response     Cantor     Bass     Alto     All    


We be-lieve in God, the Fath-er al-might-y,
cre-a-tor of heav-en and earth.
We be-lieve in Je-sus Christ,
his on-ly son, our Lord.

He was con-ceived by the pow-er of the Ho-ly Spi-rit
and born of the Vir-gin Ma-ry.
He suf-fered un-der Pon-tius Pi-late,
was cru-ci-fied, died, and was bur-ied.

He de-scend-ed to the dead.
On the third day he rose a-gain.
He a-scend-ed into heav-en,
and is seat-ed at the right hand of the Fath-er.

He will come a-gain
to judge the liv-ing and the dead.
We be-lieve in the Ho-ly Spi-rit,
the ho-ly cath-o-lic Church,

the com-mun-ion of saints,
the for-give-ness of sins,
the res-ur-rec-tion of the bod-y,
and the life ev-er-last-ing. A-men.

Saturday - Our Father

Tenor     Soprano     Response     Cantor     Bass     Alto     All    


The Lord be with you.
And al-so with you. A-men.
Our Fath-er in heav-en,
hal-low-ed be your Name.

Your king-dom come,
your will be done, on earth as in heav-en.
Give us to-day our dai-ly bread.
For-give us our sins as we for-give those who sin a-gainst us.

Save us from the time of tri-al,
and de-liv-er us from e-vil.
For the king-dom, the pow-er, and the glo-ry are yours,
now and for ev-er. A-men.

Sunday - Suffrages A

Tenor     Soprano     Response     Cantor     Bass     Alto     All    


Show us your mer-cy, O Lord;
And grant us your sal-va-tion.
Clothe your min-is-ters with right-eous-ness;
Let your peo-ple sing with joy.

Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
For on-ly in you can we live in safe-ty.
Lord, keep this na-tion un-der your care;
And guide us in the way of jus-tice and truth.

Let your way be known up-on earth;
Your sav-ing health a-mong all na-tions.
Let not the need-y, O Lord, be for-got-ten;
Nor the hope of the poor be tak-en a-way.

Cre-ate in us clean hearts, O God;
And sus-tain us with your Ho-ly Spi-rit.
Show us your mer-cy, O Lord;
And grant us your sal-va-tion.

Collect of the Day

O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. 

Amen.

A Collect for Saturdays

Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all your works and sanctified a day of rest for all your creatures: Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared for the service of your sanctuary, and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Amen.

A Prayer for Mission

Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Amen.

General Thanksgiving

Tenor     Soprano     Response     Cantor     Bass     Alto     All     


Al-might-y God, Fa-ther of all mer-cies,
we your un-wor-thy serv-ants give you hum-ble thanks
for all your good-ness and lov-ing kind-ness
to us and to all whom you have made.

We bless you for our cre-a-tion, pres-er-va-tion,
and all the bles-sings of this life;
but a-bove all for your im-meas-ur-a-ble love
in the re-demp-tion of the world by our Lord Je-sus Christ;

for the means of grace, and for the hope of glo-ry.
And, we pray, give us such an a-ware-ness of your mer-cy,
that with tru-ly thank-ful hearts
we may show forth your praise,

not on-ly with our lips, but in our lives,
by giv-ing up our selves to your ser-vice,
and by walk-ing be-fore you
in ho-li-ness and right-eous-ness all our days;

through Je-sus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with you and the Ho-ly Spi-rit,
be ho-nor and glo-ry
through-out all the ag-es. A-men.

Saturday - Closing Blessings

Tenor     Soprano     Response     Cantor     Bass     Alto     All  


The grace of our Lord Je-sus Christ,
and the love of God our Fath-er,
and the fel-low-ship of the Ho-ly Spi-rit,
be with us all ev-er-more. A-men.

Thanks be to God!
May the God of hope fill us
with all joy and peace in be-liev-ing
through the pow-er of the Ho-ly Spi-rit. A-men.

Music from the Vox Barnabas Psalter, a collection of 60 Chant Scores by John Johansen, 

released to Public Domain March 30, 2020.

Scriptures from the New English Translation (NET) Bible, used with permission.