Come, let us sing for joy unto the Lord
Let us shout to the rock of our salvation
Oh, let us sing to him with thankful hearts
Shout for joy with music and song
Oh, come

refrain:

For the Lord is a great God (x2)
In his hands are the earth, the seas (x2)
For the Lord is the great king (x2)
The seas are his, he has made them (x2)

Come, oh, come, let’s bow down in worship
Let us kneel before the Lord our maker
Oh, for he, he is our God
We are his, we are his children, his children

refrain

Praise the Lord.
Sing to the Lord a new song.

Let us rejoice in our Maker;
let us be glad in our King.
Let us praise his name with dancing.

For the Lord takes delight in his people;
he crowns the humble with victory.
Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor.

(adapted from Psalm 149:1-5)

All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing
O Praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam
Thou silver moon with softer gleam
O praise Him, O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong
Ye clouds that sail in heaven along
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising morn’, in praise rejoice
Ye lights of evening, find a voice
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Let all things their Creator bless
And worship Him in humbleness
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son
And praise the Spirit, Three in One
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia!

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

aaThe word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

God of glory, you sent Jesus among us as the light of the world,
to reveal your love for all people.

We confess that our sin and pride
hide the brightness of your light.
We turn away from those in need;
we ignore the spiritual complacency in our own lives;
and we do not seek peace with those at odds with us.

In your mercy, cleanse us of our sin;
renew us with your Spirit,
that, forgiven and renewed, we may show forth your glory,
shining in the face of Jesus Christ.

God, being rich in mercy,
because of the great love with which he loved us
raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
so that in the coming ages he might show
the immeasurable riches of his grace
in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

For by grace you have been saved through faith.
And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:4-10)

God’s grace abounds for us even in our weakness.

Let us remember the promise of the gospel: In Christ, we are forgiven.

Let us pray in response to what God has done for us.

Lord, we thank 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.
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 ourselves to your service,
and by walking before you in your ways, all our days.
Amen.

Spirit of God, descend upon my heart
Wean it from earth; through all its pulses move
Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou art
And make me love Thee as I ought to love

I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies,
No sudden rending of the veil of clay
No angel vision, no op'ning skies
But take the dimness of my soul away

Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh
Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear
To check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh
Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer

Hast Thou not bid me love Thee, God and King?
All, all Thine own: soul, heart and strength and mind
I see Thy cross; there teach me to cling
Oh, let me seek Thee and, oh, let me find

Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love
One holy passion filling all my frame
The presence of Thy descended Dove
My heart an altar and Thy love the flame

This prayer is sometimes called "the Lorica," a word that means "armor," and celebrates the protection of God available to us in the faithful love of Jesus Christ. It was written in the 5th Century by the missionary and bishop St. Patrick.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock.

I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me;
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s hosts to save me
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a multitude.

Christ shield me today
Against wounding—

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through the mighty strength
Of the Lord of creation.

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen. (Numbers 6:24-25)

Let us go forth and serve our world as those who love our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Thanks be to God!