³ Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
⁴ Our soul has had more than its fill
of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.

Prayer:

Oh Lord our God, today we thank you for
the relaitonship we have with you which is nurtured in your church…
for friends and family who add joy and color to our lives…
for natural wonders around us which allow us to see you in a unique way…
for the diversity of this world – for the great family of humankind which is so diverse and yet so similar…
(other prayers of thanksgiving)…

We know you hear us when we offer thanks and when we ask for help.
Today we pray for
the church in all her many forms and especially the church in the southern hemisphere…
the ruling and teaching elders who, as the session,  watch over our spiritual well being….
for deacons who carry out the ministries of compassion…
for our nation, state, and community as we all try to navigate through the racial tensions and walk the path of reconciliation and peace…
for our world, nation, state, and community as we all try to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic: those who are ill, who are grieving, who are jobless, who are fearful or skeptical as a result of the virus….
(other prayers of intercession)… Amen.

⁶ The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
    and all the peoples behold his glory.
⁷ All worshipers of images are put to shame,
    those who make their boast in worthless idols;
    all gods bow down before him.
⁸ Zion hears and is glad,
    and the towns^[a] of Judah rejoice,
    because of your judgments, O God.
⁹ For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;
    you are exalted far above all gods.

¹⁰ The Lord loves those who hate^[b] evil;
he guards the lives of his faithful;
he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
¹¹ Light dawns^[c] for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
¹² Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!

³ For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.
⁴ Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
    and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
    and blameless when you pass judgment.
⁵ Indeed, I was born guilty,
    a sinner when my mother conceived me.

⁶ You desire truth in the inward being;^[a]
    therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
⁷ Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins,
    and blot out all my iniquities.

¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and put a new and right^[b] spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me away from your presence,
    and do not take your holy spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and sustain in me a willing^[c] spirit.

¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
    and sinners will return to you.
¹⁴ Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
    O God of my salvation,
    and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.

¹⁵ O Lord, open my lips,
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
¹⁶ For you have no delight in sacrifice;
    if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
¹⁷ The sacrifice acceptable to God^[d] is a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

¹⁸ Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
    rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,
¹⁹ then you will delight in right sacrifices,
    in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
    then bulls will be offered on your altar.

⁶ The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
    and all the peoples behold his glory.
⁷ All worshipers of images are put to shame,
    those who make their boast in worthless idols;
    all gods bow down before him.
⁸ Zion hears and is glad,
    and the towns^[a] of Judah rejoice,
    because of your judgments, O God.
⁹ For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;
    you are exalted far above all gods.

¹⁰ The Lord loves those who hate^[b] evil;
    he guards the lives of his faithful;
    he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
¹¹ Light dawns^[c] for the righteous,
    and joy for the upright in heart.
¹² Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
    and give thanks to his holy name!

I invite you to listen to the hymn below, “Rejoice the Lord Is King”, even to sing along if you’d like.  Offer it as the prayer of today, rejoicing in the Lord our King

³ You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
    I have sworn to my servant David:
⁴ ‘I will establish your descendants forever,
    and build your throne for all generations.’”Selah

⁵ Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord,
your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.
⁶ For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?
Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord,
⁷ a God feared in the council of the holy ones,
great and awesome^[b] above all that are around him?
⁸ O Lord God of hosts,
who is as mighty as you, O Lord?
Your faithfulness surrounds you.
⁹ You rule the raging of the sea;
when its waves rise, you still them.
¹⁰ You crushed Rahab like a carcass;
you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
¹¹ The heavens are yours, the earth also is yours;
the world and all that is in it—you have founded them.
¹² The north and the south^[c]—you created them;
Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.
¹³ You have a mighty arm;
strong is your hand, high your right hand.
¹⁴ Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
¹⁵ Happy are the people who know the festal shout,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance;
¹⁶ they exult in your name all day long,
and extol^[d] your righteousness.
¹⁷ For you are the glory of their strength;
by your favor our horn is exalted.
¹⁸ For our shield belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.

⁴ These things I remember,
    as I pour out my soul:
how I went with the throng,^[a]
    and led them in procession to the house of God,
with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving,
    a multitude keeping festival.
⁵ Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my help ⁶ and my God.

My soul is cast down within me;
    therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
    from Mount Mizar.
⁷ Deep calls to deep
    at the thunder of your cataracts;
all your waves and your billows
    have gone over me.
⁸ By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
    and at night his song is with me,
    a prayer to the God of my life.

⁹ I say to God, my rock,
    “Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I walk about mournfully
    because the enemy oppresses me?”
¹⁰ As with a deadly wound in my body,
    my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me continually,
    “Where is your God?”

¹¹ Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God.

⁴ For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
    evil will not sojourn with you.
⁵ The boastful will not stand before your eyes;
    you hate all evildoers.
⁶ You destroy those who speak lies;
    the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.

⁷ But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
    will enter your house,
I will bow down toward your holy temple
    in awe of you.
⁸ Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness
    because of my enemies;
    make your way straight before me.

⁹ For there is no truth in their mouths;
    their hearts are destruction;
their throats are open graves;
    they flatter with their tongues.
¹⁰ Make them bear their guilt, O God;
    let them fall by their own counsels;
because of their many transgressions cast them out,
    for they have rebelled against you.

¹¹ But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
    let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
    so that those who love your name may exult in you.
¹² For you bless the righteous, O Lord;
    you cover them with favor as with a shield.

Prayer:
We praise you, God our creator, for your handiwork in shaping and sustain your wondrous creation.  Especially we thank you for
the miracle of life and the wonder of living…
particular blessings coming to us in this day…
the resources of the earth…
gifts of creative vision and skillful craft…
the treasure stored in every human life…
(Other prayers of thanksgiving…).

We dare to pray for others, God our Savior, claiming your love in Jesus Christ for the whole world, committing ourselves to the care for those around us in his name.  Especially we pray for
those who work for the benefit of others…
those who cannot work today…
those who teach and those who learn…
people who are poor…
the church in Europe…
(Other prayers of intercession…).  Amen.