Thirteenth Wednesday After Pentecost

Opening

Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
And blessed be his kingdom, now and for ever. Amen.

Come, let us worship God our King.
Come, let us worship Christ, our King and our God.
Come, let us worship Christ among us, our King and our God.

Holy God,
holy and mighty,
holy immortal one,
have mercy upon us. (3x)

Glory be to the + Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
now and always and forever and ever. Amen.

From Psalm 51

Open my lips, O Lord, *
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, *
and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from your presence *
and take not your holy Spirit from me.

Give me the joy of your saving help again *
and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.

Glory be to the + Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
now and always and forever and ever. Amen.

A Psalm

Psalm 45

Eructavit cor meum

My heart is stirring with a noble song; let me recite what I have fashioned for the king; my tongue shall be the pen of a skilled writer.

You are the fairest of men; grace flows from your lips, because God has blessed you for ever.

Strap your sword upon your thigh, O mighty warrior, in your pride and in your majesty.

Ride out and conquer in the cause of truth and for the sake of justice.

Your right hand will show you marvelous things; your arrows are very sharp, O mighty warrior.

The peoples are falling at your feet, and the king’s enemies are losing heart.

Your throne, O God, endures for ever and ever, a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom; you love righteousness and hate iniquity.

Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.

All your garments are fragrant with myrrh, aloes, and cassia, and the music of strings from ivory palaces makes you glad.

Kings’ daughters stand among the ladies of the court; on your right hand is the queen, adorned with the gold of Ophir.

“Hear, O daughter; consider and listen closely; forget your people and your father’s house.

The king will have pleasure in your beauty; he is your master; therefore do him honor.

The people of Tyre are here with a gift; the rich among the people seek your favor."

All glorious is the princess as she enters; her gown is cloth-of-gold.

In embroidered apparel she is brought to the king; after her the bridesmaids follow in procession.

With joy and gladness they are brought, and enter into the palace of the king.

“In place of fathers, O king, you shall have sons; you shall make them princes over all the earth.

I will make your name to be remembered from one generation to another; therefore nations will praise you for ever and ever.”

Glory be to the + Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
now and always and forever and ever. Amen.

The Readings

2 Corinthians 9:12-10:7

English Standard Version

For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

Look at what is before your eyes. If anyone is confident that he is Christ's, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ's, so also are we.

The Word of the Lord
Thanks Be to God

Mark 3:20-27

English Standard Version

Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”

And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed ...