Jesus departed with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him; hearing all that he was doing, they came to him in great numbers.
President Obama isn’t finished yet, and a few days ago he created more national monuments, including strengthening protections for the civil rights district in Birmingham, Alabama, centered on the 16th Street Baptist Church, where in 1963 four girls were killed and others were maimed while waiting for the start of Sunday School. Four members of the Ku Klux Klan set off 19 sticks of dynamite, but no one was arrested or tried until 1977, when three of the four (the other one had died) were convicted of murder. A year after the bombing, following a monthlong debate, Congress finally passed the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 with bipartisan support. (Associated Press)
From the rising of the sun to its setting my Name shall be great among the nations, and in every place incense shall be offered to my Name, and a pure offering; for my Name shall be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. Malachi 1:11
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 9
1 I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with my whole heart; *
I will tell of all your marvelous works.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in you; *
I will sing to your Name, O Most High.
3 When my enemies are driven back, *
they will stumble and perish at your presence.
4 For you have maintained my right and my cause; *
you sit upon your throne judging right.
5 You have rebuked the ungodly and destroyed the wicked; *
you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
6 As for the enemy, they are finished, in perpetual ruin, *
their cities ploughed under, the memory of them perished;
7 But you, O LORD, are enthroned for ever; *
you have set up your throne for judgment.
8 It is you who rule the world with righteousness; *
you judge the peoples with equity.
9 The LORD will be a refuge for the oppressed, *
a refuge in time of trouble.
10 Those who know your Name will put their trust in you, *
for you never forsake those who seek you, O LORD.
11 Sing praise to the LORD who dwells in Zion; *
proclaim to the peoples the things the LORD has done.
12 The Avenger of blood will remember them; *
and will not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13 Have pity on me, O LORD; *
see the misery I suffer from those who hate me,
O you who lift me up from the gate of death;
14 So that I may tell of all your praises
and rejoice in your salvation *
in the gates of the city of Zion.
15 The ungodly have fallen into the pit they dug, *
and in the snare they set is their own foot caught.
16 The LORD is known by divine acts of justice; *
the wicked are trapped in the works of their own hands.
17 The wicked shall be given over to the grave, *
and also all the peoples that forget God.
18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten, *
and the hope of the poor shall not perish for ever.
19 Rise up, O LORD, let not the ungodly have the upper hand; *
let them be judged before you.
20 Put fear upon them, O LORD; *
let the ungodly know they are but mortal.
Psalm 15
1 LORD, who may dwell in your tabernacle? *
who may abide upon your holy hill?
2 Those who lead a blameless life and do what is right, *
who speak the truth from their heart.
3 There is no guile upon their tongue;
they do no evil to their friend; *
they do not heap contempt upon their neighbor.
4 In their sight the wicked are rejected, *
but they honor those who fear the LORD.
5 They have sworn to do no wrong *
and do not take back their word.
6 They do not give their money in hope of gain, *
nor do they take a bribe against the innocent.
7 Those who do these things *
shall never be overthrown.
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.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested 30 times in his short life, most notably in Birmingham, where he wrote his famous Letter from a Birmingham Jail; but this is not that booking photo; that day he was wearing blue jeans and a casual shirt. We believe this may be the mug shot taken after his first arrest in 1955 for leading the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott, a yearlong campaign that launched him to world prominence. Our search for the origin of this photo proved fruitless, except in illustrating how often it has been republished around the world. You’re looking at the best of America here; take hope from him.
THE LESSON
Mark 3:7-19a (NRSV)
Jesus departed with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him; hearing all that he was doing, they came to him in great numbers from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon. He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him; for he had cured many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him. Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, “You are the Son of God!” But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.
He went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message, and to have authority to cast out demons. So he appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot.
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 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.
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.
Fr. Richard Benson was a disciple of Edward Bouverie Pusey, one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement, and he founded the Society of St. John the Evangelist, the first stable community for men since the Reformation. They’ve ministered in India, South Africa, England and the USA.
Collect of the Day: Richard Meux Benson, Religious, 1915, and Charles Gore, Bishop, 1932
Gracious God, you have inspired a rich variety of ministries in your Church: We give you thanks for Richard Meux Benson and Charles Gore, instruments in the revival of Anglican monasticism. Grant that we, following their example, may call for perennial renewal in your Church through conscious union with Christ, witnessing to the social justice that is a mark of the reign of our Savior Jesus, who is the light of the world; and who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
For Social Justice
Almighty God, who created us in your own image: Grant us grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom, help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
A Collect for Peace
Most holy God, the source of all good desires, all right judgments, and all just works: Give to us, your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, so that our minds may be fixed on the doing of your will, and that we, being delivered from the fear of all enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through the mercies of Christ Jesus our Savior. Amen.
Monday Evening Prayer List: Thanksgivings
Ordination of Maria, Leslie & Teresa
Our mission partners in Haiti, Liberia, Brazil and on the Rosebud Reservation
Those who give to food banks and pantries, and all who receive
Community Health Centers and Free Clinics
Anglican Cycle of Prayer: Dioceses of Lafia and Lagos, Nigeria
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.
Thanks be to God.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14++
VIDEO: Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech – The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1964
The Daily Office 