Fr. Tom reads evening prayer.
Here is tonight’s Video.
“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?”
Above: A person holds a sign featuring Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks, who is running for Senate. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post) Hateful lettering and imagery appeared on a campaign sign featuring Maryland Democratic Senate nominee Angela D. Alsobrooks, prompting a police investigation. The defaced sign, which sits on a grassy median near a busy six-lane road in Prince George’s County, where Alsobrooks is county executive, had two additions in black ink: the letters “KKK” near her hands and crosshairs drawn on her forehead. Prince George’s County Police Department public information officer Brian Fischer said on Monday that police are investigating the incident. The markings are a concerning development in a Senate race that is grabbing national attention and could determine which party holds control of the Senate. Gina Ford, a spokesperson for Alsobrooks’s senate campaign, said Alsobrooks is aware of the defaced sign but noted that it will not stop her from campaigning. “Hate, threats of violence, and racism must be condemned in the strongest possible terms,” Alsobrooks’s opponent, Republican nominee Larry Hogan said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “They have no place in Maryland.” If Alsobrooks defeats Hogan in the general election in November, she’ll become the first Black person to represent Maryland in the U.S. Senate — where just three Black women have served.
You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. Ephesians 2:19
INVITATORY AND PSALTER
O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.
Hymn: O Gracious Light
O gracious Light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.
Psalm 136
1 Give thanks to the LORD, who is good, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever.
4 Who only does great wonders, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
5 Who by wisdom made the heavens, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
6 Who spread out the earth upon the waters, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
7 Who created great lights, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
8 The sun to rule the day, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
9 The moon and the stars to govern the night, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever.
10 Who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
11 And brought out Israel from among them, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
12 With a mighty hand and a stretched-out arm, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
13 Who divided the Red Sea in two, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
15 But swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
16 Who led the chosen people through the wilderness, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
17 Who struck down great rulers, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
18 And slew mighty kings, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
20 And Og, the king of Bashan, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
21 And gave away their lands for an inheritance, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
22 An inheritance for Israel, the chosen servant, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
23 Who remembered us in our low estate, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
24 And delivered us from our enemies, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever;
25 Who gives food to all creatures, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, *
for the mercy of God endures for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
THE LESSON
Moshe Rynecki, c. 1930: The Get (The Divorce). When marriage was mostly a property contract, and only a husband could obtain a divorce, the end of a relationship meant victimizing women and children and consigning them to poverty.
Matthew 19:1-12 (NRSV)
When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. Large crowds followed him, and he cured them there.
Some Pharisees came to him, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?” He said to them, “It was because you were so hard-hearted that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another commits adultery.”
His disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” But he said to them, “Not everyone can accept this teaching, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”
Canticle: The Song of Simeon
Luke 2:29-32
Lord, you now have set your servant free *
to go in peace as you have promised;
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, *
whom you have prepared for all the world to see:
A Light to enlighten the nations, *
and the glory of your people Israel.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
THE APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ,
God’s only son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
THE PRAYERS
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
Show us your mercy, O Lord;
And grant us your salvation.
Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
Let your people sing with joy.
Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
For only in you can we live in safety.
Lord, keep this nation under your care;
And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
Let your way be known upon earth;
Your saving health among all nations.
Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Create in us clean hearts, O God;
And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.
Alban was a Roman soldier stationed 20 miles north of London, in a town now called St. Alban’s. He sheltered a Christian priest being persecuted, dressed in the man’s clothes and gave himself up when soldiers came to seize him. Sacrifice of self, after Christ’s own example, is the hallmark of Christianity; it is the Religion of the Ultimate Hero. (source unknown)
Collect of the Day: Alban, Martyr, c. 304
Almighty God, by whose grace and power your holy martyr Alban triumphed over suffering and was faithful even to death: Grant us, who now remember him in thanksgiving, to be so faithful in our witness to you in this world that we may receive with him the crown of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
For a Church Convention
Almighty and everliving God, source of all wisdom and understanding, be present with those who take counsel 81st General Convention of the Episcopal Church for the renewal and mission of your Church. Teach us in all things to seek first your honor and glory. Guide us to perceive what is right, and grant us both the courage to pursue it and the grace to accomplish it; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For the Election of a Bishop
Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on
your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a bishop for this your Church, that they may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Weekend of Prayer for the Church
Anglican Cycle of Prayer: The Diocese of Gboko – The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)
For Our Mission Partners
Cuttington University School of Nursing, Liberia
Haiti Nursing Foundation
St. André’s School, Mithon, Haiti
Diocese of Brasilia Afterschool Program, Brazil
Rosebud Episcopal Mission, South Dakota
Matthew Shepard Foundation
For the Episcopal Church & All National Church Bodies
For all Lay Ministers,
especially Evangelists
For the Order of Priests
and the Order of Deacons
For the Primates & Presiding Bishops
The Bishops Ordinary and Provisional
The Bishops Coadjutor
The Bishops Suffragan, Assisting and Assistant
You’re invited to offer your own prayers here.
A Collect for Mission
O God and Father of all, whom the whole heavens adore: Let the whole earth also worship you, all nations obey you, all tongues confess and bless you, and men and women everywhere love you and serve you in peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to God from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21++
VIDEO: We Are One (Ysaye M. Barnwell) – Rochester Institute of Technology Singers, dir. Christopher Petit, Rochester, NY, 2021
The Daily Office 
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