If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.
Mission San Diego de Alcalá, California, founded in 1769 by Fr. Junipero Serra, a Spanish Franciscan who set out to Christianize what was then the northwest coast of Mexico. He is remembered bitterly by indigenous Indian tribes in California, but was recently canonized by Pope Francis. (Wikipedia)
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; let the whole earth tremble before the Holy One. Psalm 96:9
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: Light of the World
Light of the world in grace and beauty,
Mirror of God’s eternal face,
Transparent flame of love’s free duty,
You bring salvation to our race.
Now, as we see the lights of evening,
We raise our voice in hymns of praise;
Worthy are you of endless blessing,
Sun of our night, lamp of our days.
Psalm 78:40-72
40 How often the people disobeyed God in the wilderness *
and offended the LORD in the desert!
41 Again and again they tempted God *
and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember God’s power *
in the day when God ransomed them from the enemy;
43 How God wrought signs in Egypt *
and omens in the field of Zoan.
44 God turned their rivers into blood, *
so that they could not drink of their streams.
45 God sent swarms of flies among them, which ate them up, *
and frogs, which destroyed them.
46 God gave their crops to the caterpillar, *
the fruit of their toil to the locust.
47 God killed their vines with hail *
and their sycamores with frost.
48 God delivered their cattle to hailstones *
and their livestock to hot thunderbolts.
59 God poured out upon them blazing anger: *
fury, indignation, and distress,
a troop of destroying angels.
50 God did not spare their souls from death; *
but delivered their lives to the plague.
51 God struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, *
the flower of manhood in the dwellings of Ham.
52 God led out the chosen people like sheep *
and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 God led them to safety, and they were not afraid; *
but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 God brought them to the holy land, *
to the mountain won by God’s own hand.
55 The LORD drove out the Canaanites before them
and apportioned an inheritance to them by lot; *
God made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
56 But they tested and defied the LORD, *
and did not keep the commandments of the Most High.
57 They turned away and were disloyal like their ancestors; *
they were undependable like a warped bow.
58 They grieved God with their hill-altars *
and provoked God’s displeasure with their idols.
59 Hearing this, God was angry *
and utterly rejected Israel.
60 God forsook the shrine at Shiloh, *
the tabernacle where God had lived among mortals.
61 God delivered the ark into captivity, *
God’s glory into the adversary’s hand.
62 God gave the chosen people to the sword *
and was mightily angered against them.
63 The fire consumed their young men; *
there were no wedding songs for their young women.
64 Their priests fell by the sword, *
and their widows made no lamentation.
65 Then the LORD woke as though from sleep, *
like a warrior refreshed with wine.
66 These enemies God struck on the backside *
and put them to perpetual shame.
67 God rejected the tent of Joseph *
and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;
68 God chose instead the tribe of Judah *
and Mount Zion, the beloved.
69 God built the holy sanctuary like the heights of heaven, *
like the earth which God founded for ever.
60 God chose David to serve, *
and took him away from the sheepfolds.
71 God brought him from tending the sheep, *
to be a shepherd over Jacob, the chosen people,
and over Israel, the chosen inheritance.
72 So David shepherded them with a faithful and true heart *
and guided them with the skillfulness of his hands.
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.
St. Cornelius Chapel, Governors Island, New York. The island was once a military post, so the chapel was named for the leading commander-saint. (Jim Henderson)
THE LESSON
Mark 9:42-50 (NRSV)
Jesus said, “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.
“For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
Canticle: The Song of Mary
Luke 1:46-55
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in you, O God my Savior, *
for you have looked with favor on your lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
you, the Almighty, have done great things for me,
and holy is your Name.
You have mercy on those who fear you *
from generation to generation.
You have shown strength with your arm, *
and scattered the proud in their conceit,
Casting down the mighty from their thrones, *
and lifting up the lowly.
You have filled the hungry with good things, *
and sent the rich away empty.
You have come to the help of your servant Israel, *
for you have remembered your promise of mercy,
The promise made to our forebears, *
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, 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.
Patronal window, St. Cornelius’s, Governors Island, New York City; in the left panel, this army officer hears the call, described in Acts 10; on the right he kneels in worship. It is noteworthy that the collect below identifies Cornelius the centurion, the first Gentile convert, with the unnamed centurion in Matthew and Luke, who met Christ and asked him to heal the slave boy he loved. This unnamed officer is quoted in the prayer.
Collect of the Day: Cornelius the Centurion
O God, by your Spirit you called Cornelius the Centurion to be the first Christian among the Gentiles: Grant to your Church such a ready will to go where you send and to do what you command, that under your guidance it may welcome all who turn to you in love and faith, and proclaim the Gospel to all nations; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
A Collect for Aid against Perils
Be our light in the darkness, O Lord, and in your great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of your only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Anglican Cycle of Prayer: Dioceses of Long Island and Los Angeles, USA
Tuesday Evening Prayer List
For the Departed
Vinton, Yvonne’s brother-in-law
Martha’s brother Marcus
Sr. Hilary, CT
Olga
Jack
Keith, Yvonne’s brother
For Those Who Mourn
Martha & family
Community of the Transfiguration
Woltering Family
Paul
Morgan family
Please add your own prayers here.
Prayer for Mission
O God, you manifest in your servants the signs of your presence: Send forth upon us the Spirit of love, that in companionship with one another your abounding grace may increase among us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The General Thanksgiving
Almighty God, Father of all mercies,
we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks
for all your goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all whom you have made.
We bless you for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for your immeasurable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies,
that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise,
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up our selves to your service,
and by walking before you
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
May the Sun of Righteousness shine upon you and scatter the darkness from before your path; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always. Amen.++
VIDEO: Before the Lord’s eternal throne (#391, Winchester New, German, 1690; Isaac Watts, para. Ps. 100, alt.) – St. Bartholomew’s, New York City, 2011
The Daily Office 