Opening Sentence: Pentecost

The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. John 4:23

Confession

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

Invitatory

Lord, open our lips.

And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
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. The Spirit of the Lord renews the face of the earth: Come let us adore him. Alleluia.

Venite Psalm 95:1-7

Come let us sing to the Lord; *
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *
and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God, *
and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are the caverns of the earth, *
and the heights of the hills are his also.

The sea is his, for he made it, *
and his hands have molded the dry land.

Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *
Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!

Antiphon

Alleluia. The Spirit of the Lord renews the face of the earth: Come let us adore him. Alleluia.

Psalm 121 Levavi oculos

1

I lift up my eyes to the hills; *
from where is my help to come?

2

My help comes from the LORD, *
the maker of heaven and earth.

3

He will not let your foot be moved *
and he who watches over you will not fall asleep.

4

Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel *
shall neither slumber nor sleep;

5

The LORD himself watches over you; *
the LORD is your shade at your right hand,

6

So that the sun shall not strike you by day, *
nor the moon by night.

7

The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; *
it is he who shall keep you safe.

8

The LORD shall watch over your going out and your coming in, *
from this time forth for evermore.

Psalm 122 Laetatus sum

1

I was glad when they said to me, *
"Let us go to the house of the LORD."

2

Now our feet are standing *
within your gates, O Jerusalem.

3

Jerusalem is built as a city *
that is at unity with itself;

4

To which the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD, *
the assembly of Israel,
to praise the Name of the LORD.

5

For there are the thrones of judgment, *
the thrones of the house of David.

6

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: *
"May they prosper who love you.

7

Peace be within your walls *
and quietness within your towers.

8

For my brethren and companions' sake, *
I pray for your prosperity.

9

Because of the house of the LORD our God, *
I will seek to do you good."

Psalm 123 Ad te levavi oculos meos

1

To you I lift up my eyes, *
to you enthroned in the heavens.

2

As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, *
and the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,

3

So our eyes look to the LORD our God, *
until he show us his mercy.

4

Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy, *
for we have had more than enough of contempt,

5

Too much of the scorn of the indolent rich, *
and of the derision of the proud.

Gloria Patri

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.

Old Testament Lesson

Zech. 11: 4- 17 (NRSV)

4 Thus said the LORD my God: Be a shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter. 5 Those who buy them kill them and go unpunished; and those who sell them say, "Blessed be the LORD, for I have become rich"; and their own shepherds have no pity on them. 6 For I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of the earth, says the LORD. I will cause them, every one, to fall each into the hand of a neighbor, and each into the hand of the king; and they shall devastate the earth, and I will deliver no one from their hand. 7 So, on behalf of the sheep merchants, I became the shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter. I took two staffs; one I named Favor, the other I named Unity, and I tended the sheep. 8 In one month I disposed of the three shepherds, for I had become impatient with them, and they also detested me. 9 So I said, "I will not be your shepherd. What is to die, let it die; what is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed; and let those that are left devour the flesh of one another!" 10 I took my staff Favor and broke it, annulling the covenant that I had made with all the peoples. 11 So it was annulled on that day, and the sheep merchants, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the LORD. 12 I then said to them, "If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them." So they weighed out as my wages thirty shekels of silver. 13 Then the LORD said to me, "Throw it into the treasury" -this lordly price at which I was valued by them. So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them into the treasury in the house of the LORD. 14 Then I broke my second staff Unity, annulling the family ties between Judah and Israel. 15 Then the LORD said to me: Take once more the implements of a worthless shepherd. 16 For I am now raising up in the land a shepherd who does not care for the perishing, or seek the wandering, or heal the maimed, or nourish the healthy, but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs. 17 Oh, my worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye! Let his arm be completely withered, his right eye utterly blinded!

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Canticle 13 Song of the Three Young Men, 29-34
Benedictus es, Domine

Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; *
you are worthy of praise; glory to you.

Glory to you for the radiance of your holy Name; *
we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.

Glory to you in the splendor of your temple; *
on the throne of your majesty, glory to you.

Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim; *
we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.

Glory to you, beholding the depths; *
in the high vault of heaven, glory to you.

Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; *
we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.

New Testament Lesson

1 Cor. 3: 10- 23 (NRSV)

10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw- 13 the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. 14 If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire. 16 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. 18 Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their craftiness," 20 and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile." 21 So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future-all belong to you, 23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Gospel

Luke 18: 31- 43 (NRSV)

31 Then he took the twelve aside and said to them, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. 32 For he will be handed over to the Gentiles; and he will be mocked and insulted and spat upon. 33 After they have flogged him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again." 34 But they understood nothing about all these things; in fact, what he said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said. 35 As he approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth Ý is passing by." 38 Then he shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 39 Those who were in front sternly ordered him to be quiet; but he shouted even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 40 Jesus stood still and ordered the man to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, 41 "What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, let me see again." 42 Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has saved you." 43 Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Canticle 18 A Song to the Lamb
Dignus es Revelation 4:11, 5:9-10, 13

Splendor and honor and kingly power *
are yours by right, O Lord our God,

For you created everything that is, *
and by your will they were created and have their being;

And yours by right, O Lamb that was slain, *
for with your blood you have redeemed for God,

From every family, language, people, and nation, *
a kingdom of priests to serve our God.

And so, to him who sits upon the throne, *
and to Christ the Lamb,

Be worship and praise, dominion and splendor, *
for ever and for ever more.

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.

Isaac Watts, 25 November 1748

In the years immediately after the Protestant Reformation, non-Roman Churches in the West were divided on the question of hymns. The Lutherans and Moravians immediately began to develop a rich tradition of hymns in the vernacular. Most of those in the Calvinist tradition, on the other hand, maintained that God had provided His people with a set of inspired hymns in Holy Scripture, chiefly in the Psalms, and that it was not for us to pronounce His work incomplete or inadequate and set about to write our own. Accordingly, they wrote verse translations of the Psalms and sang these instead of hymns.

In the English Church, the theory was with the Lutherans, but the practice was with the Calvinists. The early Anglican reformers wanted very much to have English hymns in their worship, but none of them had a particle of talent when it came to writing hymns in English verse, and they had the taste and the humility to recognize that their efforts were unacceptably bad. So they refrained from writing hymns, and the Calvinists produced Psalms in verse, and these became by default the hymns used by all parties for worship in English.

The Whole Book of Psalms, published in 1562, went through 78 editions before 1600, and is called the Old Version. Only one psalm from it (as far as I know) is still in common use. It is a paraphrase of Psalm 100, sung to the tune known as "Old Hundred" or "The Doxology" ("Praise God from Whom all blessings flow"). It begins

All people that on earth do dwell,
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.
Him serve with mirth; His praise forth tell.
Come ye before Him and rejoice.

In 1696 Nahum Tate and Nicholas Brady produced the New Version, which was used side by side with the Old Version for many years. Hymns from the New Version which are still in use today include the four with the following first lines:

While shepherds watched their flocks by night
O 'twas a joyful sound to hear
From lowest depths of woe (or: My soul with patience waits)
As pants the hart for cooling streams

And so matters stood until, in 1674, Isaac Watts was born in Southampton. Because his family were Dissenters or Non-Conformists (i.e. Protestants who did not think that the Church of England had departed sufficiently from the beliefs and practices of Rome, and who accordingly refused to conform to it), he did not attend Oxford or Cambridge, but instead was educated at the Dissenting Academy in Stoke Newington, London, until 1694. He then began a two-year period of writing, of which more later. In 1696 he became tutor and chaplain to the family of Sir John Hartopp of Leicestershire. In 1699 he became assistant minister at Mark Lane Independent (i.e. Congregational) Chapel in London, and full pastor in 1702. Then his health failed. In 1712 he was invited to spend a week at the home of the wealthy Dissenter Sir Thomas Abney in Hertfordshire. He ended up staying there for the rest of his life, devoting himself to writing. His works included, Logic, Or the Right Use of Reason in the Enquiry After Truth, a standard text at Oxford and elsewhere for several generations. His poems and songs for children were extremely popular, and became the object of parody in Alice in Wonderland (where "How doth the little busy bee improve each shining hour," became, "How doth the little crocodile improve his shining tail"). He died 25 November 1748.

(Note on the wealthy Dissenter: Because they could not study at Oxford or Cambridge, or go into professions such as law or the established clergy, bright young men of Dissenting families usually went into business or science or technology instead, and had a tendency to become prosperous. The wealthy Nonconformist is (or was) a standard British stereotype.)

Even as a small boy, Watts had a great interest in versifying. Once, during family prayers, he began to laugh. His father asked him why. He replied that he had heard a sound and opened his eyes to see a mouse climbing a rope in a corner, and had immediately thought,

A little mouse for want of stairs
Ran up a rope to say its prayers.

His father thought this irreverent, and proceeded to administer corporal punishment, in the midst of which Isaac called out,

Father, father, mercy take,
And I will no more verses make.

When he was older, he complained of the bad quality of writing in the metrical Psalters of his day. His father promptly challenged him to do better, and he undertook the effort. During his lifetime he wrote about 600 hymns altogether, but most of his best efforts were turned out between his graduation from school when he was 20 and his taking a job teaching when he was 22. During these two Golden Years, hymns poured from his pen with the impetus of true genius.

Glancing at several hymnals (Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian), I find at least the following 43 hymns of his in common use today.

Alas, and did my Savior bleed

Am I a soldier of the cross

Before th'Eternal's awesome throne 100

Begin, my tongue, some heavenly theme

Blest be the everlasting God

Blest morning, whose first dawning rays

Come, dearest Lord, descend and dwell

Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove

Come, let us join our cheerful songs

* Come we that love the Lord

From all that dwell below the skies 117

Give to our God immortal praise 136

Give us the wings of faith to rise

High in the heavens, eternal God

How bright these glorious spirits shine

How wondrous great, how glorious bright

Hush, my dear, lie still and slumber

* I sing th'almighty power of God
* I'll praise my maker while I've breath 146

I'm not ashamed to own my Lord

* It happened on that fateful night
* Jesus shall reign where'er the sun 72
* Join all the glorious names
* Joy to the world! the Lord is come 98

Let children hear the mighty deeds 128

Lord, in the morning Thou shalt hear 5

Lord of the worlds above 84

My God, how endless is thy love

My shepherd will supply my need 23 * Nature with open volume stands

Now to the King of Heaven * O God, our help in ages past 90

Oh, bless the Lord, my soul 103

Oh that the Lord would guide my ways 119

Sweet is the work, my God, my King 92

The heavens declare Thy glory, Lord 19

There is a land of pure delight

This is the day the Lord hath made 118

To Him Who sits opon the throne

What offering shall we give

When I can read my title clear * When I survey the wondrous cross

With songs and honors sounding loud 147

I have tagged ten of my personal favorites with *'s, meaning no offense to those omitted.
A number N means that the hymn is a paraphrase of Psalm N.

One of his best known hymns is based on Psalm 90.

O God, our help in ages past, G | E A G c | c B c

Our hope for years to come, G | c G A R | G - -

Our shelter from the stormy blast B | c A d B | c A B

And our eternal home. G | A c d B | c - -

Under the shadow of Thy throne

Thy saints have dwelt secure.

Sufficient is Thine are alone,

And our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood,

Or earth received her frame,

From everlasting Thou art God,

To endless years the same.

A thousande ages in Thy sight

Are like an evening gone,

Short as the watch that ends the night

Before the rising sun.

Time, like an ever-rolling stream,

Bears all his sons away.

They fly, forgotten, as a dream

Dies at the opening day.

O God, our help in ages past,

Our hope for years to come,

Be Thou our guide while life shall last,

And our eternal home.

The following hymn, a paraphrase of Psalm 146, is less well known.

I'll praise my maker while I've breath,

And, when my voice is stilled in death,

Praise shall employ my nobler powers.

My days of praise shall ne'er be past

While life and thought and being last,

Or immortality endures.

C - C D E C E F G -

G - F E D C E R G -

A - G F E C D D C - - -

C - c c B G A A G -

C - c c B G A A G -

C - D E F E D D C - - -

How happy they whose hopes rely

On Israel's God, who made the sky

And earth and sea, with all their train,

Whose word forever stands secure,

Who heals the sick, and feeds the poor,

And none shall find His promise vain.

The Lord gives eyesight to the blind;

The Lord supports the fainting mind

And gives the laboring conscience peace.

He helps the stranger in distress,

The widowed, and the fatherless,

And grants the prisoner sweet release.

I'll praise Him while He lends me breath,

And, when my voice is stilled in death,

Praise shall employ my nobler powers.

My days of praise shall ne'er be past

While life and thought and being last,

Or immortality endures.

(Note: The tune is given after the first verse. The scale is C D E F G A B c d e ...., and the chromatics are P Q R S T, so that R = F#.)

Many of Watts's hymns are based on psalms, though some more loosely than others. In the above list, I have supplied psalm numbers. On the other hand, some of his hymns are not straightforward verse translations of Psalms or other songs taken from the Scriptures, and for this Watts was criticized by those who thought it wrong to sing "uninspired hymns". He replied that, if we can pray to God in sentences that we have made up ourselves (instead of confining ourselves to the Our Father and other prayers taken directly from the Scriptures), then surely we can sing to God in sentences that we have made up ourselves. He added that the Psalms do not deal with specifically Christian themes except in hidden language, and that it is fitting that Christians should include in their worship open and clear proclamations of the acts of God in Christ. Thus his hymn (with a choice offered between two tunes):

When I survey the wondrous Cross,

Where the young Prince of Glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss,

And pour contempt on all my pride.

G - G A | B - A B | c - B A | B - - -

B - B B | c - B A | G - R G | A - - -

G - G A | B - A B | c - B A | B - - -

B - B B | A - G - | A - B A | G - - -

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,

Save in the death of Christ my God.

All the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them to His blood.

C | E F D | C - E | G - A | G -

G | c - B | A - G | G F E | E D

D | G - A | B - G | c E R | G -

C | F - E | D - C | CD E D | C -

See, from His head, His hands, His feet,

Sorrow and love flow mingled down.

Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,

Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,

That were an offering far too small.

Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my soul, my life, my all.

written by James Kiefer

Prayer

Almighty God, who gave to your servant Isaac Watts singular Gifts of rendering your praises in verse, that he might write for your Church an abundant supply of psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs: Stir up the hearts of your people, that they may joyfully sing your praises in this life and the life to come; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

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 Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done, on earth as it is in
heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass
against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Suffrages A

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.

Collect of the Day: Pentecost, proper 29

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A Collect for Guidance

Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Mission

World Cycle of Prayer

We pray for the people of Uruguay.

CIA World Factbook: Uruguay

Ecumenical Cycle of Prayer

We pray for our sisters and brothers, members of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches.

The National Association of Congregational Christian Churches

For the Human Family

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Prisons and Correctional Institutions

Lord Jesus, for our sake you were condemned as a criminal: Visit our jails and prisons with your pity and judgment. Remember all prisoners, and bring the guilty to repentance and amendment of life according to your will, and give them hope for their future. When any are held unjustly, bring them release; forgive us, and teach us to improve our justice. Remember those who work in these institutions; keep them humane and compassionate; and save them from becoming brutal or callous. And since what we do for those in prison, O Lord, we do for you, constrain us to improve their lot. All this we ask for your mercy's sake. Amen.

For the Victims of Addiction

Blessed Lord, you ministered to all who came to you: Look with compassion upon all who through addiction have lost their health and freedom. Restore to them the assurance of your unfailing mercy; remove from them the fears that beset them; strengthen them in the work of their recovery; and to those who care for them, give patient understanding and persevering love. Amen.

A Prayer of Self-Dedication

General Thanksgiving

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom

Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.

Benediction

Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia. Alleluia.

Thanks be to God. Alleluia. Alleluia.