Lectionary Readings
Jeremiah 17:5–10
Curses and blessings; those who trust in the Lord are like trees.
Psalm 1
Happy are those who delight in God’s law, like trees by the water.
1 Corinthians 15:12–20
If there is no resurrection of the dead, our faith has been in vain.
Luke 6:17–26
In his sermon on the plain, Jesus speaks of blessings and curses.
— Gathering —
Opening Sentences
Blessed are those who trust in the Lord,
whose confidence is in God.
They will be like a tree planted by the water,
sending out roots by the stream.
This tree does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are green, its fruit endures.
So come, let us place our trust in God!
Let us live in blessed faith together!
Prayer of the Day
God of holy instruction,
we thank you that throughout the generations,
you have taught us how to live.
You do not leave us without guidance;
you show us the path to life and fruitfulness.
Help us this day as we gather again
to delight in your sacred gift of instruction.
Grant us humility of heart and softness of will,
that we might live in the fullness
of your blessing this day. Amen.
Hymn, Psalm, or Spiritual Song
Thanksgiving for Baptism
At the baptismal font:
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
O Lord our God, we give you thanks
for the faith, hope, and love you give to us
through the blessing of our baptism—
claiming us as your beloved children,
calling us to the path of discipleship,
revealing to us the light of your glory.
By the power of your Holy Spirit,
poured out upon us in baptism,
help us to follow you with faith,
to trust in you with hope,
and to serve you with love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Confession and Pardon
At the baptismal font:
We wander and stray,
but God continues to reach out to us
with mercy and love.
Let us make our confession
and receive God’s welcome.
Sustaining God,
you would have us be deeply rooted in you,
finding strength in your word
and nourishment in your grace.
More often, though, we live as chaff,
blown here and there
by the winds of circumstance.
Forgive our lack of permanency
and our failures to hold fast
to our commitments.
Grow in us faith
that we might be firmly planted
in your promises,
released from sin,
and open to the life you have shown us
in Jesus Christ.
Lifting water from the font:
The waters of grace refresh our lives
and bring forth a new creation.
This is good news!
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven!
— Word —
Prayer for Illumination
At the lectern or pulpit:
Saving God, source of our calling,
your Word is full of power and glory.
Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us
so that we may receive your grace
and live as your beloved children;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Scripture
Before the readings:
Listen for the Word of God,
shaking the wilderness.
Psalm 29:8
After the readings:
Powerful and full of majesty
is the voice of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 29:4
Sermon
Ascription of Praise
After the sermon:
And in the temple of the Lord,
the people of God say: Glory! Amen.
Psalm 29:9
Hymn, Psalm, or Spiritual Song
Affirmation of Faith
God’s sovereign love is a mystery
beyond the reach of the human mind.
Human thought ascribes to God
superlatives of power, wisdom, and goodness.
But God reveals divine love in Jesus Christ
by showing power in the form of a servant,
wisdom in the folly of the cross,
and goodness in receiving
sinful men and women.
The power of God’s love in Christ
to transform the world
discloses that the Redeemer
is the Lord and Creator
who made all things
to serve the purpose of God’s love.
Adapted from the Confession of 1967, 9.15
Prayers of Intercession
Joining our hearts and minds in prayer,
let us call on the name of the Lord,
saying: O God of grace, bless us with peace.
We pray for the church . . .
Help us to bear witness to Christ,
sharing signs of his resurrection
through our own words and actions.
O God of grace, bless us with peace.
We pray for the world . . .
Protect us from famine and drought;
put an end to war and oppression
that all people may grow and flourish.
O God of grace, bless us with peace.
We pray for this community . . .
Bless those who are poor and hungry,
hated and outcast, sick and sorrowful.
Let us be a blessing for all those in need.
O God of grace, bless us with peace.
We pray for loved ones . . .
Lift up those who are falling,
heal those who are sick and suffering,
and welcome the dying into everlasting life.
O God of grace, bless us with peace.
Mighty God, strengthen your people
so that we may live in the world
as those you have chosen and called;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
— Eucharist —
Invitation to Offering
At the communion table:
There is only one Lord and God,
from whom all things come
and for whom we live.
Let us offer our lives to the Lord.
1 Corinthians 8:4–6
Prayer of Dedication
At the communion table:
We praise and thank you, Lord God,
for the majesty of your work,
the wisdom of your word,
and the generosity of your grace.
Let the gifts of our lives bear witness
to your goodness and mercy,
your faithfulness and justice,
and your steadfast love for all. Amen.
Psalm 111
Great Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Blessed are you, O Lord our God:
You test the mind and search the heart
and provide for the needs of your people.
Blessed are those who trust in you.
Therefore we praise you, joining the song
of the universal church and the heavenly choir:
A Sanctus (“Holy, holy, holy”) is sung.
Blessed is Jesus Christ, our Savior:
Jesus came to share your blessing
with the poor and hungry,
the excluded and reviled.
Those who are weeping now will soon rejoice.
The words of institution are included here.
Remembering your goodness and grace,
we offer ourselves to you with gratitude
as we share this joyful feast.
A Memorial Acclamation
(e.g., “Christ has died”) is sung.
Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us
and upon this bread and cup;
make us one in the body and blood
of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Fill us with the power of the risen Christ,
that we may proclaim the good news
of eternal and abundant life for all.
Through the Lord Jesus Christ,
in the unity of the Spirit,
we bless you, God of glory,
now and forever.
An Amen is sung.
Lord’s Prayer
Breaking the Bread
Communion of the People
Hymn, Psalm, or Spiritual Song
Prayer after Communion
At the communion table:
We give you thanks and praise, O God,
that you have fed us with your mercy
and poured out your Spirit in this place.
Continue to nourish and fill us each day,
that we may live as your beloved people;
in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
— Sending —
Hymn, Psalm, or Spiritual Song
Blessing and Charge
At the doors of the church:
May the blessing of the Lord our God,
the grace of Jesus Christ,
and the power of the Holy Spirit
be with you now and forever. Alleluia!
Luke 4:18–19
In the name of Jesus,
bring good news to the poor. Amen.
Luke 4:18
Psalm 1: King David Harping
Rutland Psalter
Additional Materials
Congregational Song
GATHERING
-
Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah (O) CWM RHONDDA GTG 65
-
Now the Green Blade Rises (E) NOËL NOUVELET GTG 247
-
O Christ, the Healer (G) ERHALT UNS, HERR GTG 793
WORD
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If Thou but Trust in God to Guide Thee (O) WER NUR DEN LIEBEN GOTT GTG 816
-
In Christ Alone (E) IN CHRIST ALONE LUYH 770
-
Heaven Shall Not Wait (G) HEAVEN SHALL NOT WAIT GTG 773
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Feliz el pueblo / How Blest the People (O) FELIZ EL HOMBRE SSS 274
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I Saw a Tree by the Riverside (O) TREE SONG / Ken Medema VT 514
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Balaacoolwe (Blessed are the Persecuted) (G) TONGA MELODY VT 578
EUCHARIST
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I Bind unto Myself Today (O) ST. PATRICK; DEIRDRE GTG 6
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Give Thanks, O Christian People (E) ES FLOG EIN KLEINS WALDVÖGELEIN GTG 644
-
Kum ba Yah (G) KUM BA YAH GTG 472
-
Remembrance (E) OH HOW COULD IT BE VT 479
SENDING
-
My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less (O) SOLID ROCK GTG 353
-
When the Lord Redeems the Very Least (EG) I’LL FLY AWAY GTG 852
Psalms and Canticles
Psalm 1
Metrical
-
How Happy Are the Saints of God [WAREHAM]; GTG 457
-
Happy Is the One [BENEDICTUS PRIMUS]; PAS 1F, LUYH 712
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The One Is Blessed [WINCHESTER OLD, DUNFERMLINE]; PAS 1A, LUYH 714, PH 158, PP 5 (with refrain)
-
Feliz la gente / How Blest the People [FELIZ EL HOMBRE]; PAS 1E
Responsorial
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Happy Are They Who Trust; PAS 1B
-
Happy Are They Who Delight; PSA 1
Organ Music
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“Postlude on Lobe den herren,” Oxford Hymn Settings: Autumn, Philip Moore, OUP (M)
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“Praise to the Lord,” Merciful and Mighty: Six Settings for Organ, David Maxwell, AF (M)
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“Wer nur den lieben Gott låsst walten,” Orgelwerke, Georg Philipp Telemann, IMSLP.org (ME)
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“Dance Toccata on The Trees of the Field,” Oxford Hymn Settings: General Hymns, James Biery, OUP (M)
Piano Music
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“My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less,” THE SOLID ROCK, Abide with Me, Sandra Eithun, LOR (M)
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“Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah,” CWM RHONDDA, Glad Hymns of Praise, Lloyd Larson, LOR (MA)
Anthems for Adult Choirs
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“God Is Our Refuge,” Allen Pote, HOPE, SATB, keybd, opt tpt (ME)
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“My Shephard Will Supply My Need,” arr. Mack Wilberg, HIN, SATB, keybd, opt hp, opt fl, opt ob (M)
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“The Meditations of My Heart,” Elaine Hagenberg, BP, SATB, pno (M)
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“All That Have Life and Breath Praise Ye the Lord!” Rene Clausen, Mark Foster Music, SATB, acap (A)
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“Be Still,” Mary McDonald, BP, SATB, pno (ME)
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“Salmo 150,” Ernani Aguir, Earthsongs, SATB, acap (M)
Art
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Full-page historiated initial ‘B’(eatus) at the beginning of Psalm 1, of King David harping, and the Judgement of Solomon, from the Rutland Psalter, 1260 (VCS)
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The Sermon on the Mount, JESUS MAFA, 1973 (VDL)
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Blessed Are Those, Cara B. Hochhalter, 2019 (VDL)
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Harvest Resurrection, Peter Koenig, 1975 (VDL)
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The Sermon on the Mount, Jan Bruegel the Elder, 1598 (VCS)
