Come behold the wondrous myst'ry
In the dawning of the King
He the theme of heaven's praises
Robed in frail humanity
In our longing in our darkness
Now the light of life has come
Look to Christ who condescended
Took on flesh to ransom us
Come behold the wondrous myst'ry
He the perfect Son of Man
In His living in His suff'ring
Never trace nor stain of sin
See the true and better Adam
Come to save the hell-bound man
Christ the great and sure fulfillment
Of the law in Him we stand
Come behold the wondrous myst'ry
Christ the Lord upon the tree
In the stead of ruined sinners
Hangs the Lamb in victory
See the price of our redemption
See the Father's plan unfold
Bringing many sons to glory
Grace unmeasured love untold
Come behold the wondrous myst'ry
Slain by death the God of life
But no grave could e'er restrain Him
Praise the Lord He is alive
What a foretaste of deliv'rance
How unwavering our hope
Christ in power resurrected
As we will be when He comes
What a foretaste of deliv'rance
How unwavering our hope
Christ in power resurrected
As we will be when He comes
How lovely is Your dwelling place
How wonderful Your presence Lord
How my soul longs to see Your face
To come with joy into Your courts
How blessed is the little sparrow
Who makes a nest inside Your house
‘Cause I can think of no place better
To make a home and sing out loud
I want to be in Your presence
I want to be near Your heart
I want to know You’re close
Even when I’m feeling far
I don’t want what this world would offer
I want the living God
‘Cause there’s no place better than where You are
We will go from strength to strength
Even in the wilderness
You are turning tears to desert springs
Leaving gardens in our footsteps
How blessed is the longing pilgrim
Whose heart is set on Zion’s hill
The one who knows there’s no place better
To bring our sorrows and be filled
Misc 1
(Bridge)
One day with You
Is better than a thousand elsewhere
One word from You
Is better than silver or gold
I’d rather be a servant in Your house O God
Than a king with all the riches I could hold
I want to be in Your presence
I want to be near Your heart
I want to know You’re close
Even when I’m feeling far
I don’t want what this world would offer
I want the living God
‘Cause there’s no place better than where You are
For there’s no place better than where You are
Misc 2
(Tag)
No place better
No place better
Ooo
How lovely is Your dwelling place
How wonderful Your presence Lord
How my soul longs to see Your face
To come with joy into Your courts
How blessed is the little sparrow
Who makes a nest inside Your house
‘Cause I can think of no place better
To make a home and sing out loud
I want to be in Your presence
I want to be near Your heart
I want to know You’re close
Even when I’m feeling far
I don’t want what this world would offer
I want the living God
‘Cause there’s no place better than where You are
We will go from strength to strength
Even in the wilderness
You are turning tears to desert springs
Leaving gardens in our footsteps
How blessed is the longing pilgrim
Whose heart is set on Zion’s hill
The one who knows there’s no place better
To bring our sorrows and be filled
Misc 1
(Bridge)
One day with You
Is better than a thousand elsewhere
One word from You
Is better than silver or gold
I’d rather be a servant in Your house O God
Than a king with all the riches I could hold
I want to be in Your presence
I want to be near Your heart
I want to know You’re close
Even when I’m feeling far
I don’t want what this world would offer
I want the living God
‘Cause there’s no place better than where You are
For there’s no place better than where You are
Misc 2
(Tag)
No place better
No place better
Ooo
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known,
and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our
hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may
perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name;
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Hear what our Lord Jesus Christ says:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great
commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your
neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all
the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 22:37-40)
CelebrantLord, have mercy upon us.
People Christ, have mercy upon us.
CelebrantLord, have mercy upon us.
O Lord, you have taught us that without love, all our deeds are worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity, the true bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whoever lives is counted dead before you; grant this for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Almighty God, heavenly Father, you have blessed us with the
joy and care of children: Give us calm strength and patient
wisdom so to train them, that they may love all that is true, and
pure, and lovely, and of good report, following the example of
their Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen.
4 “Hear this word, you cows of Bashan,
who are on the mountain of Samaria,
who oppress the poor, who crush the needy,
who say to your husbands, ‘Bring, that we may drink!’
The Lord GOD has sworn by his holiness
that, behold, the days are coming upon you,
when they shall take you away with hooks,
even the last of you with fishhooks.
And you shall go out through the breaches,
each one straight ahead;
and you shall be cast out into Harmon,”
declares the LORD.
“Come to Bethel, and transgress;
to Gilgal, and multiply transgression;
bring your sacrifices every morning,
your tithes every three days;
offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened,
and proclaim freewill offerings, publish them;
for so you love to do, O people of Israel!”
declares the Lord GOD.
“I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities,
and lack of bread in all your places,
yet you did not return to me,”
declares the LORD.
“I also withheld the rain from you
when there were yet three months to the harvest;
I would send rain on one city,
and send no rain on another city;
one field would have rain,
and the field on which it did not rain would wither;
so two or three cities would wander to another city
to drink water, and would not be satisfied;
yet you did not return to me,”
declares the LORD.
“I struck you with blight and mildew;
your many gardens and your vineyards,
your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured;
yet you did not return to me,”
declares the LORD.
“I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt;
I killed your young men with the sword,
and carried away your horses,
and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils;
yet you did not return to me,”
declares the LORD.
“I overthrew some of you,
as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning;
yet you did not return to me,”
declares the LORD.
“Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel;
because I will do this to you,
prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”
For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind,
and declares to man what is his thought,
who makes the morning darkness,
and treads on the heights of the earth—
the LORD, the God of hosts, is his name!
5 Hear this word that I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel:
“Fallen, no more to rise,
is the virgin Israel;
forsaken on her land,
with none to raise her up.”
For thus says the Lord GOD:
“The city that went out a thousand
shall have a hundred left,
and that which went out a hundred
shall have ten left
to the house of Israel.”
For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel:
“Seek me and live;
but do not seek Bethel,
and do not enter into Gilgal
or cross over to Beersheba;
for Gilgal shall surely go into exile,
and Bethel shall come to nothing.”
Seek the LORD and live,
lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph,
and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel,
O you who turn justice to wormwood
and cast down righteousness to the earth!
He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
and turns deep darkness into the morning
and darkens the day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out on the surface of the earth,
the LORD is his name;
who makes destruction flash forth against the strong,
so that destruction comes upon the fortress.
They hate him who reproves in the gate,
and they abhor him who speaks the truth.
Therefore because you trample on the poor
and you exact taxes of grain from him,
you have built houses of hewn stone,
but you shall not dwell in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards,
but you shall not drink their wine.
For I know how many are your transgressions
and how great are your sins—
you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,
and turn aside the needy in the gate.
Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time,
for it is an evil time.
Seek good, and not evil,
that you may live;
and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you,
as you have said.
Hate evil, and love good,
and establish justice in the gate;
it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord:
“In all the squares there shall be wailing,
and in all the streets they shall say, ‘Alas! Alas!’
They shall call the farmers to mourning
and to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation,
and in all vineyards there shall be wailing,
for I will pass through your midst,”
says the LORD.
Psalm 145:14-21
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,
ReaderThe Word of the Lord.
PeopleThanks be to God.
CelebrantThe Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
PeopleGlory to you, Lord Christ.
20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.”
CelebrantThe Gospel of the Lord.
PeoplePraise to you, Lord Christ.
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, visible and invisible.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],†
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
ReaderLord, in your mercy:
PeopleHear our prayer.
Heavenly Father, grant these our prayers for the sake of Jesus
Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate, who lives and reigns
with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for
ever.
Amen.
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.
____
CelebrantAlmighty God, our heavenly Father, who in his great mercy has
promised forgiveness of sins to all those who sincerely repent
and with true faith turn to him, have mercy upon you, pardon
and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you
in all goodness, and bring you to everlasting life; through Jesus
Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The Celebrant may then say one or more of the following sentences, first saying
Hear the Word of God to all who truly turn to him.
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. - Matthew 11:28
God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. - 1 Timothy 1:15
If anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. - 1 John 2:1-2
CelebrantThe Peace of the Lord be always with you.
PeopleAnd with your spirit.
O living Word please come and dwell in us
Lord wipe away these tears
O Ancient Son so long foretold
We're desperate souls draw near
And we will stand securely
In the strength of the Lord
Every heart will surely come
And adore The Great I Am
Our Shepherd King please come and dwell with us
To fields of grace lead on
And we will stand securely
In the strength of the Lord
Every heart will surely come
And adore The Great I Am
We need You now
Break our chains by Your glory and power
Make us captive to a holy desire
Come to us O Lord come to us O Lord
Misc 1
Prince of Peace Emmanuel
Lord draw us close unto Thyself
King of kings God’s chosen One
We need You now to Thee we run
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost
Amen
The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give him thanks and praise.
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might
Heaven and earth are full of your glory
Hosanna in the highest
Hosanna in the highest
Hosanna in the highest
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord
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.
[Alleluia] Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
Therefore let us keep the feast. [Alleluia]
We do not presume to come to this your table, O merciful Lord,
trusting in our own righteousness,
but in your abundant and great mercies.
We are not worthy so much as to gather up
the crumbs under your table;
but you are the same Lord
whose character is always to have mercy.
Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord,
so to eat the flesh of your dear Son Jesus Christ,
and to drink his blood,
that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body,
and our souls washed through his most precious blood,
and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen.
Breathe on me breath of God
Fill me with life anew
That I may love as You have loved
And do as You would do
Breathe on me breath of God
Until my heart is pure
Until my will is one with Yours
To do and to endure
Breathe on me breath of God
Fulfil my heart's desire
Until this earthly part of me
Glows with Your heav'nly fire
Breathe on me breath of God
So shall I never die
But live with You the perfect life
Of Your eternity
Misc 1
Breathe on me breath of God
Overflow from this desert heart
Fill me up pour me out
Let worship flood let Your praise resoundVerse 1
Breathe on me breath of God
Fill me with life anew
That I may love as You have loved
And do as You would do
Breathe on me breath of God
Until my heart is pure
Until my will is one with Yours
To do and to endure
Breathe on me breath of God
Fulfil my heart's desire
Until this earthly part of me
Glows with Your heav'nly fire
Breathe on me breath of God
So shall I never die
But live with You the perfect life
Of Your eternity
Misc 1
Breathe on me breath of God
Overflow from this desert heart
Fill me up pour me out
Let worship flood let Your praise resound
All our problems,
we send to the cross of Christ!
All our difficulties,
we send to the cross of Christ!
All the devil's works,
we send to the cross of Christ!
All our hopes,
we set on the risen Christ!
Lift high the cross the love of Christ proclaim
Till all the world adore His sacred name
Come brethren follow where our Savior trod
Our King victorious Christ the Son of God
Led on their way by this triumphant sign
The hosts of God in conqu'ring ranks combine
O Lord once lifted on the glorious tree
As Thou hast promised draw men unto Thee
Set up Thy throne that earth's despair may cease
Beneath the shadow of its healing peace
For Thy blest cross which doth for all atone
Creation's praises rise before Thy throne
Each newborn servant of the Crucified
Bears on the brow the seal of Christ who died
So shall our song of triumph ever be
Praise to the Crucified for victory
[Alleluia, alleluia.] Let us go forth in the Name of Christ.
Thanks be to God. [Alleluia, alleluia]
ReaderThe Word of the Lord.
PeopleThanks be to God.