No parish is registerd.
Using common prayer format instead.
Morning Prayer
No Parish Selected
Using Common Prayer
Wednesday of Ordinary Time, Proper 14
Theme for Wednesday: Wholeness
With gratitude to God for our health and the wholeness that comes from our life in Christ we remember and give thanks for all who serve our world in the health sciences field, especially remembering, in this time of pandemic, doctors, nurses, technicians, orderlies and care-givers who are putting their lives at risk to care for us. We also give thanks for for all who work to ensure that all people have access to adequate health care in our nation and throughout the world.
Sentence for the Week
Our soul waits for God; for in you is our help and our shield. Indeed our heart rejoices in you, for in your holy Name we put our trust. Psalm 33:20-21
Confession of Sin Optional: Show confession...
The Invitatory and Psalter
O God, let our mouths proclaim your praise.
Let our hearts rejoice in your goodness.
Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor, power and might be to our God for ever and ever. Amen! Alleluia!
Canticle
Venite Psalm 95:1-7
God is present here in our midst:
Come let us adore him.
Come, let us sing to our God;*
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before God's presence with thanksgiving*
and raise a loud shout to God with psalms.
For our God is a great God,*
and a great Ruler above all gods.
In your hand are the caverns of the earth,*
and the heights of the hills are yours also.
The sea is yours, for you made it,*
and your hands have molded the dry land.
Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee,*
and kneel before God our Maker.
For you are our God, and we are the people of your pasture, the sheep of your hand.*
Oh, that today we would hearken to your voice!
God is present here in our midst:
Come let us adore him.
The Psalms Appointed
Psalm 101 Misericordiam et judicium
I will sing of mercy and justice;*
to you, O God, will I sing praises.
I will strive to follow a blameless course; oh, when will you come to me?*
I will walk with sincerity of heart within my house.
I will set no worthless thing before my eyes;*
I hate the doers of evil deeds; they shall not remain with me.
A crooked heart shall be far from me;*
I will not know evil.
Those who in secret slander their neighbors I will destroy;*
those who have a haughty look and a proud heart I cannot abide.
My eyes are upon the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me,*
and only those who lead a blameless life shall be my servants.
Those who act deceitfully shall not dwell in my house,*
and those who tell lies shall not continue in my sight.
I will soon destroy all the wicked in the land,*
that I may root out all evildoers from the city of God.
Psalm 109:1-4;20-30 Deus, laudem
Hold not your tongue, O God of my praise,*
for the mouth of the wicked, the mouth of the deceitful, is opened against me.
They speak to me with a lying tongue;*
they encompass me with hateful words and fight against me without a cause.
Despite my love, they accuse me,*
but as for me, I pray for them.
They repay evil for good*
and hatred for my love.
But you, O God, my God, oh, deal with me according to your Name;*
for your tender mercy's sake, deliver me.
For I am poor and needy,*
and my heart is wounded within me.
I have faded away like a shadow when it lengthens;*
I am shaken off like a locust.
My knees are weak through fasting,*
and my flesh is wasted and gaunt.
I have become a reproach to them;*
they see and shake their heads.
Help me, O God, my God;*
save me for your mercy's sake.
Let them know that this is your hand,*
that you, O God, have done it.
They may curse, but you will bless;*
let those who rise up against me be put to shame, and your servant will rejoice.
Let my accusers be clothed with disgrace*
and wrap themselves in their shame as in a cloak.
I will give great thanks to you with my mouth;*
in the midst of the multitude will I praise you,
Because you stand at the right hand of the needy,*
to save their lives from those who would condemn them.
All Glory to the Loving One, Source of our being, Eternal Word, and Life-Giving Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
The First Lesson
A Reading from Judges 13:15-24
Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “Allow us to detain and prepare a kid for you.” The angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “If you detain me, I will not eat your food; but if you want to prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the Lord.” (For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the Lord.) Then Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your words come true?” But the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask my name? It is too wonderful.”
So Manoah took the kid with the grain offering, and offered it on the rock to the Lord, to him who works wonders. When the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar while Manoah and his wife looked on; and they fell on their faces to the ground. The angel of the Lord did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. Then Manoah realized that it was the angel of the Lord. And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, for we have seen God.” But his wife said to him, “If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced to us such things as these.”
The woman bore a son, and named him Samson. The boy grew, and the Lord blessed him.
A time of silence may be kept.
Officiant For the word of God in scripture,
for the Word of God among us,
for the Word of God within us.
People Thanks be to God.
Canticle
A Song of Pilgrimage Ecclesiasticus 51:13-16, 20b-22
Before I ventured forth, even while I was very young,*
I sought wisdom openly in my prayer.
In the forecourts of the temple I asked for her,*
and I will seek her to the end.
From the first blossom to early fruit,*
she has been the delight of my heart.
My foot has kept firmly to the true path,*
diligently from my youth have I pursued her.
I inclined my ear a little and received her;*
I found for myself much wisdom and became adept in her.
To the one who gives me wisdom will I give glory,*
for I have resolved to live according to her way.
From the beginning I gained courage from her,*
therefore I will not be forsaken.
In my inmost being I have been stirred to seek her,*
therefore have I gained a good possession.
As my reward the Almighty has given me the gift of language,*
and with it will I offer praise to God.
All Glory to the Loving One, Source of our being, Eternal Word, and Life-Giving Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
The Second Lesson
A Reading from Acts 6:1-15
During those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.” What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others of those from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. Then they secretly instigated some men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” They stirred up the people as well as the elders and the scribes; then they suddenly confronted him, seized him, and brought him before the council. They set up false witnesses who said, “This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law; for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed on to us.” And all who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
A time of silence may be kept.
Officiant For the word of God in scripture,
for the Word of God among us,
for the Word of God within us.
People Thanks be to God.
Canticle
A Song of Wisdom Wisdom 10:15-19, 20b-21
Wisdom freed from a nation of oppressors
a holy people and a blameless race.
She entered the soul of a servant of the Lord,
withstood dread rulers with wonders and signs.
To the saints she gave the reward of their labors;
and led them by a marvelous way,
She was their shelter by day
and a blaze of stars by night.
She brought them across the Red Sea,
she led them through mighty waters;
But their enemies she swallowed in the waves
and spewed them out from the depths of the abyss.
And then, Lord, the righteous sang hymns to your Name,
and praised with one voice your protecting hand;
For wisdom opened the mouths of the mute,
and gave speech to the tongues of a new-born people.
All Glory to the Loving One, Source of our being, Eternal Word, and Life-Giving Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
The Prayers
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and forever. Amen.
Suffrages
Suffrage B
V. Save your people, O God, and bless your inheritance;
R. Govern and uphold them, now and always.
V. Day by day we bless you;
R. We praise your name for ever.
V. O God, keep us from all sin today;
R. Have mercy upon us, God, have mercy.
V. O God, show us your love and mercy;
R. For we put our trust in you.
V. In you, O God, is our hope;
R. And we shall never hope in vain.
Collect for the Week
Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Collect for the Diocese
Collect for Wholeness
Almighty God in your love you created us and in your compassion you have restored us to wholeness in your son Jesus Christ. We pray for people who are broken and alienated and need your healing. Empower us with your Spirit to continue Jesus' healing work in our community and restore all people in mind body and spirit to wholeness in you. Amen.
Prayers for People Engaged in Access to Health Care Ministries
We pray for scientists working on a cure for the COVID-19 pandemic and for cures for all diseases that rob people of life and their family members of the people they love...
Amen.
Parish Intercessions
And we pray for our own needs and the needs of others.
Collect for Our Time
God of all mercy, keep us from a mindless acceptance of things as they are, and a longing for peace without the courage to work for justice. Let us all know in the life-threatening pandemics of disease, poverty, racism, and violence there is an inner calm that comes from faith in you, and that from this central heart of peace, there may flow a creative and courageous compassion, a deep thirst for racial justice, and a relentless proclamation of your love, to heal and reconcile your world in you through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Dismissal
Go in peace to love and enjoy the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The God of peace, sanctify you through and through, so that your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the one who calls you is faithful, and will do it. Amen. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Acknowledgements: With Gratitude
Pray for Peace, Work for Justice.
This Daily Office App was created in 2020 at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Ladue, MO, as a partial response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd. Because of the pandemic we and many congregations began offering online variations of the Daily Office from the Book of Common Prayer. George Floyd's murder brought into sharp relief the racism and many other injustices in our world. We believe it is pointless to pray for peace unless we are actively working for justice in all spheres of our daily lives.
Within our congregation we have many people such as, medical personnel and teachers, who are putting their lives at risk to help create a better world. We also have numerous parishioners employed or engaged in not-for-profit agencies, research, and outreach all of which are striving to right the wrongs of our society and in the words of the Lord's Prayer, "helping God's Kingdom come on earth". To focus our need to engage in social action we have created this Daily Office with a two week cycle of social justice themes to help us:
- Pray and reflect on our part in the systemic evils that corupt our world.
- Pray intentionally for parishioners and the programs they work in to "Heal the World."
- Pray for courage and wisdom to discover and empower us to be the change we wish to see in the world.
The Episcopal Book of Common Prayer and its many companion books through out the Anglican Communion are wonderful treasure troves of prayers and resources for deepening our spiritual lives and inspiring action in the world. Such books are however are a frozen meal, they need thawing out, warming up, and seasoning with local spices. This is what this app seeks to do. It added the necessary flavors of St. Peter's, Ladue, so whether at home, in church, or travelling the world, we can continue to remember and pray for one another as we walk the way of love and make this a better world in which our children's children can love and grow into the image of God that God creates them to be.
If you would like to adapt this app for your own congregation or community setting and add your own spices and flavors please email us and we can create a specific parish option for you.
Specific Acknowledgements and Copyrights.
The service structure and the traditional psalms canticles and prayers are taken from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer, 1979, available from The Church Hymnal Corporation, New York. Inclusive canticles and prayers have been adapted from a variety of sources including Enriching our Worship, 1998 also available from The Church Hymnal Corporation, New York.
Inclusive Psalms were taken from The Saint Helena Psalter, ©Copyright 2005 by The Order of St. Helena, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Specific prayers such as the Inclusive Lord’s Prayer has been taken from A New Zealand Prayerbook, ©Copyright 1989 the Church of the Province of New Zealand. This prayerbook has also provided inspiration for the inclusive Compline service and partial content to many of the collects.
In general, Biblical passages are taken from The New Revised Standard Version, ©Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
We are also indebted to The Rev. Br. Richard Edward Helmer, BSG. the developer of the The Daily Office App who provided technical advice and resources as we developed this app.
We are also indebted to Sandie Willey and her gift of words and discerning eye as together we crafted many of the prayers as we worked to create this Daily Office for Our Times.
In the course of preparing this app we have visited many websites, read and prayed many prayers, and been inspired by many writers. To all the people who share their creativity with the world we say thank you for the beauty of your words and the times when a word becomes a sparkle of truth and a moment of transcendence.
With Gratitude
Rob Voyle,
Interim Rector, St. Peter's, 2020
Director of the Appreciative Way
©Copyright 2020-2026, Rob Voyle