On this day the Lord has acted; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24
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.
It is customary to light a candle here.
Christ Our Passover
Pascha nostrum
1 Cor. 5:7-8; Rom. 6:9-11; 1 Cor. 15:20-22
Alleluia.
Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us; *
therefore let us keep the feast,
Not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, *
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Alleluia.
Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; *
death no longer has dominion over him.
The death that he died, he died to sin, once for all; *
but the life he lives, he lives to God.
So also consider yourselves dead to sin, *
and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Alleluia.
Christ has been raised from the dead, *
the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since by a man came death, *
by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, *
so also in Christ shall all be made alive. Alleluia.
Psalm 138
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with my whole heart; *
before the gods I will sing your praise.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
and praise your Name, *
because of your love and faithfulness.
For you have glorified your Name *
and your word above all things.
When I called, you answered me; *
you increased my strength within me.
All the kings of the earth will praise you, O LORD, *
when they have heard the words of your mouth.
They will sing of the ways of the LORD, *
that great is the glory of the LORD.
Though the LORD be high, he cares for the lowly; *
he perceives the haughty from afar.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe; *
you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies;
your right hand shall save me.
The LORD will make good his purpose for me; *
O LORD, your love endures for ever;
do not abandon the works of your hands.
Psalm 139:1-17
LORD, you have searched me out and known me; *
you know my sitting down and my rising up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You trace my journeys and my resting-places *
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, *
but you, O LORD, know it altogether.
You press upon me behind and before *
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; *
it is so high that I cannot attain to it.
Where can I go then from your Spirit? *
where can I flee from your presence?
If I climb up to heaven, you are there; *
if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.
If I take the wings of the morning *
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there your hand will lead me *
and your right hand hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me, *
and the light around me turn to night,”
Darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day; *
darkness and light to you are both alike.
For you yourself created my inmost parts; *
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I will thank you because I am marvelously made; *
your works are wonderful, and I know it well.
My body was not hidden from you, *
while I was being made in secret
and woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes beheld my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb;
all of them were written in your book; *
they were fashioned day by day,
when as yet there was none of them.
How deep I find your thoughts, O God! *
how great is the sum of them!
If I were to count them, they would be more in number than the sand; *
to count them all, my life span would need to be like yours.
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
Matthew 5:38-48 (NRSV)
Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Canticle: The Song of Mary
Magnificat
Luke 1:46-55
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations shall call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children 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 APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He 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,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
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.
That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That your holy angels may lead us in paths of peace and goodwill,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our sins and offenses,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That there may be peace to your Church and to the whole world,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That we may depart this life in your faith and fear,
and not be condemned before the great judgment seat of Christ,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That we may be bound together by your Holy Spirit
in the communion of all your saints,
entrusting one another and all our life to Christ,
We entreat you, O Lord.
Collect of the Day: Saint Philip and Saint James, Apostles
Almighty God, who gave to your apostles Philip and James grace and strength to bear witness to the truth: Grant that we, being mindful of their victory of faith, may glorify in life and death the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
A Collect for Saturdays
O God, the source of eternal light: Shed forth your unending day upon us who watch for you, that our lips may praise you, our lives may bless you, and our worship on the morrow give you glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For Mission
O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Please add your own prayers here.)
Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.
May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Romans 15:13++
The Daily Office 
I started writing this and something happened to the computer…I hope you don’t get the fragment I started. Just delete it if you do. I thank you for answering my questions last week. I am still enjoying the morning office, part of the evening office and I love the Compline right before bed. But, as I said before, I am liturgically challenged and have so many questions. For example: if this is a two or three year cycle, does it change with each cycle–or is this a prescribed thing that was set in cement at some point in time? Somewhat along these lines, who chooses what is included? I can see that some of the canticles are from the Bible, but where do the others come from? Why is there a canticle before and after each “lesson.” What is meant by the word “Collect?” And, why were Leviticus 17 and 18 skipped this week? If you would rather add a tab to your website where you explain liturgy for dummies, you don’t have to answer all these questions personally here on the blog! Your website and blog are beautiful. Thanks for your work putting this online.
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Stephanie, you’re doing great, keep it up.
I’m glad you saw that response last week because I put some thought into it. I figure that what one person asks, ten others wonder about.
A lot of people pose their questions under the About tab, but it makes no difference to me where you ask, only that you ask. Then I do my best.
The Office is a two-year cycle according to the Book of Common Prayer (1979). Setting it in stone or revising it is ultimately a product of two General Conventions (over six years) of the Episcopal Church, though of course a committee of experts puts it together with input from all over.
All but two of the ’79 canticles come from the Bible, and the Gloria (Glory to God in the highest) begins with a quote from Luke 2:14. It’s one of the oldest Christian hymns and dates as early as AD 139.
The Te Deum (You are God; we praise you) is traditionally ascribed to St. Ambrose, AD 387. It quotes Psalm verses.
Post-1979, the Convention has approved other Canticles, which we’ve just started to use here. The Song of Judith is from the Apocryphal book, another was written by St. Anselm, who died in 1109, and we have two poems by St. Teresa of Avila, who died in 1582. Some of these later-adopted canticles use more feminine imagery to describe the Holy One.
A COLL-ect is a prayer that collects our thoughts in a theme for the day.
We skipped Leviticus 17 and 18 so we could get to the Ten Commandments. 17 prohibits eating the blood of the ritual slaughter in the Israelite Temple, which is hardly applicable to Christians today. 18 prohibits incest—not what most people want or need to hear in church.
The Old Testament is so long that we cannot possibly read all of it in snippets in just two years. We leave out the begats that open Matthew’s Gospel too; they’re important for Matthew to make his point but they bore people to tears. So we don’t apologize for picking and choosing; the lectionary is meant to provide a comprehensive overview of Scripture, and after that we strongly suggest people read the Bible themselves. The chosen lections are meant for public worship and edification.
How’m I doing! 🙂
josh
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Oh, I left out one question, why is a lesson followed by a canticle?
Ideally all four of the Offices (morning, noon, evening, night) take place in church with a congregation. But that only really happens in monasteries and individually; we’re lucky to get two a day, morning and evening. Originally all Anglican churches offered them seven days a week. But in modern times that can’t happen; people have jobs.
So: you’re in a congregation for morning or evening; you’ve read or sung the Psalms together, now it’s time for the Lessons. One person gets up at the lectern and reads the Bible while everyone else listens. When s/he’s done, the congregation responds to the Word with a canticle. Makes sense, huh?
I hope someday you can experience Morning or Evening Prayer in a congregational setting. They’re fantastic services. Until that happens, we’re Your Chapel of Ease Online.™
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