Fifth Order of Service
PRELUDE
The service may begin with a Chorale, an Introit, a Processional Hymn, or opening Sentences.
SENTENCES, one or more to be read by the Minister:
Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, all ye his works,
In all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul. Psalm CIII: 1, 22.
Come and see the works of God.
The works of the Lord are great,
Sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.
The works of his hands are verity and judgment. Psalm LXVI: 5; CXI: 2,
7.
Come and let us return unto the Lord; and we shall live in his sight. His going forth is sure as the morning; and he will come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth. Hosea VI: 1, 2.
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men; and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his people; and God himself shall be with them, and be theirGod. Revelation XXI: 3.
Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavens. Lamentations III: 41.
Not everyone that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew VII: 21.
EXHORTATION, by the Minister:
From the cares that fret, the burdens that weary, the voices that distract us, we turn aside to the quiet of this house of worship. Here the noises of the outer world are hushed, and our thoughts are lifted to contemplate the ways of God. Though he be invisible to mortal sight, yet his Spirit moves in all; though we hear him not with outward ear, yet he speaks to the listening heart. To us he opens the vision of things pure and holy, seen by saints and prophets of old as the guiding light upon their way. Let us seek the inflowing of his grace that we too may know his precious gifts of truth and love, and of that peace which the world can neither give nor take away.
INVOCATION, by the Minister:
Let us pray.
Almighty and everliving God, who hast brought us through the shadows of night into the light of morning, and who, by thy Spirit, dost illumine the darkness of ignorance and sin: we pray thee of thy loving kindness to pour thy light into our souls, that our countenance may be turned to thee, by whose wisdom we are created, by whose mercy we are upheld, by whose providence we are governed. Amen.
or:
O Thou Light Eternal, thine is the beauty of this fair and friendly day,
whose morning shines within our souls as in the heavens above. Thy
Spirit broods over earth and sea and sky. The order and beauty of the
world pay their silent worship. To us thou hast given voice, that our
hearts may sing thy praise. May all that is beautiful remind us of thee,
the infinite Beauty! May all that is good remind us of thee, the perfect
Goodness! May all that is true lead us to thee, the source of all Truth!
Breathe thy loving spirit upon all, that abiding for a while together in
thy peace, we may take up the burden of our daily duty, and go on our
separate ways, rejoicing evermore in thee, our Father and our God.
Amen.
Prayer to be said by the Minister and people.
We rejoice this day in the unquenchable and eternal light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world. In that fight we are ashamed of those greeds within us that have darkened our own souls, and those selfish customs among us that have shadowed the lives and spirits of others. We seek thy presence here, O Thou Most High, not alone for our joy today, but to illumine the ways of all our doings until every child of man shall be brought out of darkness into thy marvelous light. Amen.
Then may be said the Lord’s Prayer, the people joining:
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.
O Lord, open thou our lips.
And our mouth shall show forth thy praise.
Praise ye the Lord.
The Lord’s name be praised.
HYMN, CANTICLE or ANTHEM
RESPONSIVE READING
ASCRIPTION, to be said or sung.
Blessed be the Lord, our God; who only do–eth won-drous things.
And blessed be his glo–rious name, Forever and ev–er.
FIRST LESSON
CHANT, if desired.
SECOND LESSON, if desired.
The Minister may then say:
Here endeth the reading of the lesson.
The Lord be with you.
And with thy spirit.
Let us pray. O Lord, show thy mercy upon us.
And grant us thy salvation.
O God, make clean our hearts within us.
And take not thy holy Spirit from us.
Then may follow a period of silent meditation, after which the Minister may read the Litany, the people responding, and one or more of the following or other suitable prayers, or may ofier prayerin his own words.
LITANY
Almighty and everlasting God, in communion with thy saints in all ages,
with patriarchs and prophets, apostles and martyrs, with our beloved
dead who have fallen asleep in thy peace, we, who are still striving to
do and bear thy blessed will on earth, adore thee, and offer thee our
praises and supplications.
O Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray thee to bless and comfort the aged, to give strength unto such
as are bearing the burden and heat of the day, to guide all children
into paths of freedom and right, and to preserve all whom we love from
the dangers of this present life.
Prepare them, O Lord, by thy grace for life eternal.
Help us to walk with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering,
forebearing one another in love: endeavoring to keep the unity of the
spirit in the bond of peace.
So may we fulfil the law of love.
Enable us, by thy grace, to dedicate ourselves anew to the great works
which thou layest on the heart and conscience of our times.
In all we do be thou, O Lord, our strength and help.
Reveal to us the beauty of thy perfect law, the gladness of thy service,
the power of thy presence in our hearts, that so without fear we may
move forward in paths of high accomplishment and joy.
Be thou, O Lord, our guide and help for evermore. Amen.
PRAYERS
Most merciful God, our Father in heaven, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift: we give thee most hearty thanks for all thy blessings of nature and of grace; for the power of loving; for all things, whether of joy or of sorrow, whereby thou hast drawn us nearer to thyself; and for all that thou hast in keeping for them that love thee. Henceforth, even for ever, we would trust thee with our present and our future, our hopes and our fears, for ourselves and for all whom thou hast given us to love. And grant us, we pray, that, as thou dost continually pour out thy gifts upon us, we may ever abound in thankfulness and in all good works. Amen.
Eternal God, who committest to us the swift and solemn trust of life; since we know not what a day may bring forth, but only that the hour for serving thee is always present, may we wake to the instant claims of thy holy will; not waiting for tomorrow, but yielding today. Lay to rest, by the persuasion of thy Spirit, the resistance of our passion, indolence, or fear. Consecrate with thy presence the way our feet may go; and the humblest work will shine, and the roughest places be made plain. Lift us above unrighteous anger and mistrust into faith and hope and charity, by a simple and steadfast reliance on thy surewill; and so may we be modest in our time of prosperity, patient under disappointment, ready for danger, serene in death. In all things, draw us to the mind of Christ, that thy lost image may be traced again, and that thou mayest own us at one with him and with thee. Amen.
O Lord, grant us to love thee with all our heart, with all our mind, and with all our soul, and our neighbor for thy sake, that the spirit of charity and brotherly love may dwell in us, filling our hearts with kindness and compassion, so that, by constantly rejoicing in the happiness and good success of others, by sympathizing with them in their sorrows, and putting away all harsh judgments and envious thoughts, we may live as thy children, who art thyself the true and perfect Love. Amen.
O God, by whose law man goeth forth unto his work and to his labor until the evening, look with mercy upon all whose duties are difficult, burdensome or dangerous, and sustain them in their toil. Give the spirit of understanding and good will alike to employers and to those whom they employ, that they may be disposed to mutual forbearance and fair dealing, and may know themselves to be fellow-laborers for the common good. Guide all in places of authority to shield from bodily accident and wasting disease the workmen at their work; to protect the efforts of sober and honest industry; not to suffer the hire of the laborer to be kept back by fraud. Move them to care for all aged persons, all neglected children, all who are sick and afllicted, all who by reason of weakness are overtasked or who by reason of poverty are forgotten. Grant thy blessing upon those who labor in works of mercy or in schools of sound learning, that goodness, loving-kindness and wisdom may dwell in our land. And help us in all our doings so to bear our part in the work of the world that when the evening comes we may hear thy voice saying, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.’ Amen.
O Thou Guiding Spirit of the souls of men, whom all nations worship under many names and diverse forms, we pray for thy blessing upon the great company of those who fain would know thy law and do thy will. Grant unto thy Church Universal, wheresoever it may be found, an increasing knowledge of the truth, a deeper understanding of human need, a more generous spirit of sacrificial love. Where it is weak in the presence of evil, strengthen and upbuild it in the hearts of men; where it is in error, re-establish it in the right way; where it is corrupt, purify it, though it be by fire; where it is divided by misunderstanding, jealousy or suspicion, bring it into one spirit of good will. Draw together in one accord the spirits of allthy children, until each shall labor in his appointed way for thy kingdom of righteousness and love, until the discords of earthly strife and clamor shall be lost in one great hymn of praise. So may thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
Then may follow a period of silence, an organ interlude, or the following chant.
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts:
Heaven and earth are full of thy glory.
Glory be to thee, O Lord most high. Amen.
OFFERTORY, during which an anthem may be sung.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
HYMN
SERMON
PRAYER
HYMN
BENEDICTION
POSTLUDE