Readings

Saturday after the Seventh Sunday of Easter

    The Collect of the Day

    Seventh Sunday of Easter: The Sunday after Ascension Day

    O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

    Psalms

    107

    Part II

    Confitemini DominoBCP p. 746

    33The Lord changed rivers into deserts, *and water-springs into thirsty ground,

    34A fruitful land into salt flats, *because of the wickedness of those who dwell there.

    35He changed deserts into pools of water *and dry land into water-springs.

    36He settled the hungry there, *and they founded a city to dwell in.

    37They sowed fields, and planted vineyards, *and brought in a fruitful harvest.

    38He blessed them, so that they increased greatly; *he did not let their herds decrease.

    39Yet when they were diminished and brought low, *through stress of adversity and sorrow,

    40(He pours contempt on princes *and makes them wander in trackless wastes)

    41He lifted up the poor out of misery *and multiplied their families like flocks of sheep.

    42The upright will see this and rejoice, *but all wickedness will shut its mouth.

    43Whoever is wise will ponder these things, *and consider well the mercies of the Lord.

    108

    Paratum cor meumBCP p. 749

    1My heart is firmly fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; *I will sing and make melody.

    2Wake up, my spirit; awake, lute and harp; *I myself will waken the dawn.

    3I will confess you among the peoples, O Lord; *I will sing praises to you among the nations.

    4For your loving-kindness is greater than the heavens, *and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

    5Exalt yourself above the heavens, O God, *and your glory over all the earth.

    6So that those who are dear to you may be delivered, *save with your right hand and answer me.

    7God spoke from his holy place and said, *“I will exult and parcel out Shechem; I will divide the valley of Succoth.

    8Gilead is mine and Manasseh is mine; *Ephraim is my helmet and Judah my scepter.

    9Moab is my washbasin, on Edom I throw down my sandal to claim it, *and over Philistia will I shout in triumph.”

    10Who will lead me into the strong city? *who will bring me into Edom?

    11Have you not cast us off, O God? *you no longer go out, O God, with our armies.

    12Grant us your help against the enemy, *for vain is the help of man.

    13With God we will do valiant deeds, *and he shall tread our enemies under foot.

    Daily Office Readings

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    Heb. 9:1-14

    1 Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tent was constructed, the first one, in which were the lampstand, the table, and the bread of the Presence; this is called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a tent called the Holy of Holies. 4 In it stood the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which there were a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 5 above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot speak now in detail. 6 Such preparations having been made, the priests go continually into the first tent to carry out their ritual duties; 7 but only the high priest goes into the second, and he but once a year, and not without taking the blood that he offers for himself and for the sins committed unintentionally by the people. 8 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the sanctuary has not yet been disclosed as long as the first tent is still standing. 9 This is a symbol of the present time, during which gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, 10 but deal only with food and drink and various baptisms, regulations for the body imposed until the time comes to set things right. 11 But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), 12 he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!

    Luke 11:14-23

    14 Now he was casting out a demon that was mute; when the demon had gone out, the one who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” 16 Others, to test him, kept demanding from him a sign from heaven. 17 But he knew what they were thinking and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself becomes a desert, and house falls on house. 18 If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? —for you say that I cast out the demons by Beelzebul. 19 Now if I cast out the demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his castle, his property is safe. 22 But when one stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his plunder. 23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

    Ezek. 43:1-12

    1 Then he brought me to the gate, the gate facing east. 2 And there, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east; the sound was like the sound of mighty waters; and the earth shone with his glory. 3 The vision I saw was like the vision that I had seen when he came to destroy the city, and like the vision that I had seen by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face. 4 As the glory of the Lord entered the temple by the gate facing east, 5 the spirit lifted me up, and brought me into the inner court; and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 6 While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me out of the temple. 7 He said to me: Mortal, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet, where I will reside among the people of Israel forever. The house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their whoring, and by the corpses of their kings at their death. 8 When they placed their threshold by my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them, they were defiling my holy name by their abominations that they committed; therefore I have consumed them in my anger. 9 Now let them put away their idolatry and the corpses of their kings far from me, and I will reside among them forever. 10 As for you, mortal, describe the temple to the house of Israel, and let them measure the pattern; and let them be ashamed of their iniquities. 11 When they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the plan of the temple, its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, and its whole form—all its ordinances and its entire plan and all its laws; and write it down in their sight, so that they may observe and follow the entire plan and all its ordinances. 12 This is the law of the temple: the whole territory on the top of the mountain all around shall be most holy. This is the law of the temple.