THE NEW COVERDALE PSALTER (Year A)

Set to Gregorian Chant

See the important article titled “The Music Settings of The New Coverdale Psalter” on the

PSALTER main web page for the vision, history, effective use, and teaching of chanting the Psalms.

INTRODUCTION: The singing of the Psalms in Christian worship enjoys a particularly rich heritage within our Anglican tradition. Psalms, meaning songs, are meant to be sung. And Gregorian Chant, Full Anglican Chant, and here Simplified Anglican Chant are all beautiful, effective, and tried and true ways of the congregation worshipping through the Psalms of David. All three forms, just mentioned, will eventually be available and set in highly usable forms within this Psalter section under the main Music Resources tab of the ACNA website.

For successful use of the three Psalm collections, it is important to understand some basics on how to best read and present chanting to the worshipper. In this section, we will specifically address Gregorian Chant. Gregorian Chant is credited to Pope Gregory in the 9th and 10th centuries and is Plainsong, (monophony), the singing of a unison melody together. Out of the Middle Ages, eight common chants (numbered Tones 1 through 8) were identified and chosen for the Roman Church by Pope Gregory prior to the Protestant Reformation. They remain in use to present day. The composers of these chants are anonymous and I believe that this form of chant is still used in worship today because it is beautiful, it is powerful, and it has a distinct way of focusing worshippers on the text of the Psalm.

Meant to be sung in unison by the congregation with a choir or cantor leading, Gregorian Chant is generally sung a cappella. Sometimes the use of a pedal point drone of a unison pitch, or the interval of a 5th in the tenor or bass octaves, or possibly the melody above is added to help the singers stay on pitch and to establish the simple mood of this early style of chant. (Note: as noted above, see further information on both accompanying and effectively teaching chant in the article The Music Settings of the New Coverdale Psalter found on the PSALTER main page.)

Beginning with Year A, the entire three-year cycle will be available utilizing a carefully chosen repertoire of four chants, each with an excellent memorable melody and each conveying a particular musical mood. With this size repertoire, it is hoped that the congregation will be able to enjoy both a variety of quality chants and at the same time have a manageable, learnable repertoire which will allow them to worship through the chanting rather than frequently be learning new musics.

Anthony Ruff states, “There is a growing tendency around the world to adapt the Gregorian melodies rather than to employ them literally, as they were designed for a Latin text. There are simply too many problems with the literalist approach.” 1 Therefore, with the Gregorian Chants presented, a slight simplification of the melodies and the pointing of the text as well as a better pitch range has been

employed for successful congregational use while still striving to maintain the integrity of the Chant melodies.

And finally, each chant has been carefully married to its corresponding Psalm, taking into consideration both melodic mood and text content. In future, all of the Psalms, (Years A, B, and C) will also be set to both Simplified Anglican Chant as well as Full Anglican Chant. In addition, a fresh approach to Full Anglican Chants will be to set them in the more accessible and familiar hymn style of layout (words between staffs) for better use by the full congregation.

1 Anthony Ruff: OSB, “Gregorian Psalm Tones with English Texts?,” CUSTOS: The Newsletter of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians Chant Section. Issue 2, 2009.

ON READING AND PRESENTING THE GREGORIAN CHANTS

1. The music printed above each chant is printed there for initial learning of the memorable and relatively simple two-measure chant, and afterward only for reference. Once the melody has been learned, there is less need to focus on the printed music and with the melody in hand, the congregation can now move their focus on singing and worshipping with the given Psalm text.

2. The text of each Psalm is pointed to reflect the layout of the printed music above. Therefore, there are quarter ( ׀ ) and single ( | ) bar lines included in the Psalm text, just as in the music, with a bolded double bar line ( ║ ) indicating when the chant music comes to an end and the worshippers are to start again at the beginning of the chant.

3. Good chanting, at its foundation, is the rhythm of speech (as one would recite a poem out loud) sung on a given pitch. When chanting, the words are sung on the same given pitch in the printed chant melody (the reciting pitch) until encountering a bar line within the Psalm text. Any bar line, whether quarter ( ׀ ), single ( | ), or bolded double ( ║ ), indicates a change of pitch for the singers and corresponds directly to the bar lines within the printed chant music. (Note: for some Gregorian Chant Tones, a word in parentheses means that the word is sung across the two corresponding slurred notes in the music. A note in parentheses means that the note is only sung when the number of syllables in the final word of a phrase requires it, otherwise end singing the line on the note before it not in parentheses.)

4. Sing through commas, so as to maintain the musical line. Breathe at periods, exclamation marks, as well as semi-colons in order to successfully navigate and properly express long lines of text. And finally, a rehearsed choir or cantor/song leader will go a long way toward effectively modeling and leading this beautiful and most powerful manner of singing the Psalms.

– Mark K. Williams, Christ Church Anglican, Savannah, GA

ADVENT

(YEAR A)

IMPORTANT: For reproduction of these Gregorian Chant settings in your Sunday worship bulletins, note that all typesetting as well as formatting of Psalm pointing was done in the Times New Roman font. Also, Gregorian Chants are in the Public Domain, and so you do not need to post your church’s CCLI license number (Christian Copyright Licensing Incorporated) along with the printed music. Thank you.

The First Sunday in AdventPsalm 122 (Hail, Jerusalem)

1 I was glad when they ׀ said unto me, |“We will go into the house ׀ of the Lord.” ║

2 Now our ׀ feet are standing |within your gates, O Je ׀ rusalem. ║

3 Jerusalem is built ׀ as a city |that is at unity ׀ in itself. ║

4 For there the tribes go up, even the ׀ tribes of the Lord, |as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks unto the Name ׀ of the Lord. ║

5 For there is the ׀ throne of judgment, |even the throne of the house ׀ of David. ║

6 O pray for the peace of Je ׀ rusalem |they shall prosper ׀ that love you. ║

7 Peace be with ׀ in your walls |and plenteousness within your ׀ palaces. ║

8 For my brethren and com ׀ panions’ sakes, |I will wish you pros ׀ perity. ║

9 Indeed, because of the house of the ׀ Lord our God, |I will seek to ׀ do you good. ║

The Second Sunday in AdventPsalm 72:1-15(16-19) (The promised King)

1 Give the King your ׀ judgments, O God, | and your righteous ׀ ness to the King’s son. ║

2 Then shall he judge your people with ׀ righteousness | and defend ׀ the poor with justice. ║

3 The mountains also ׀ shall bring peace, | and the little hills righteous ׀ ness to the people. ║

4 He shall vindicate the poor a ׀ mong the people, | defend the children of the poor, and pu ׀ nish the wrongdoer. ║

5 They shall fear you as long as the sun and ׀ moon endure, | from one genera ׀ tion to another. ║

6 He shall come down like the rain upon ׀ the mown grass, | even as showers ׀ that water the earth. ║

7 In his time shall the ׀ righteous flourish, | even an abundance of peace, so long ׀ as the moon endures. ║

8 His dominion shall be also from one sea ׀ to the other, | and from the river ׀ unto the world’s end. ║

9 Those who dwell in the wilderness shall ׀ kneel before him; | his ene ׀ mies shall lick the dust. ║

10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles ׀ shall give presents; | the kings of Arabia and ׀ Seba shall bring gifts. ║

11 All kings shall fall ׀ down before him; | all nations ׀ shall do him service. ║

12 For he shall deliver the poor ׀ when he cries, | the needy also, and the one ׀ that has no helper. ║

13 He shall be favorable to the low ׀ ly and needy, | and shall preserve ׀ the lives of the poor. ║

14 He shall deliver them from false ׀ hood and wrong, | and dear shall their ׀ blood be in his sight. ║

15 Long may he live! And unto him shall be given the gold ׀ of Arabia; | prayer shall ever be made unto him;

and daily ׀ shall he be blessed. ║16 There shall be an abundance of grain on the earth, thick up ׀ on the hilltops; |

its fruit shall flourish like Lebanon; its grain like the ׀ grass upon the earth. ║17 His Name shall endure for ever; his Name shall remain as long ׀ as the sun. |

All the nations shall be blessed through him and ׀ shall call him blessed. ║18 Blessed be the Lord God, even the ׀ God of Israel, |

who a ׀ lone does wondrous things; ║

19 And blessed be the Name of his majes ׀ ty forever; | and all the earth shall be filled with his majes ׀ ty.

Amen, Amen. ║

The Third Sunday in AdventPsalm 146 (Hymn to the God of help)

1 Praise the Lord, O my ׀ soul; | while I live I will ׀ praise the Lord. ║

2 Indeed, as long as I have my ׀ being, | I will sing praises un ׀ to my God. ║

3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in any child of ׀ man, | for there is no ׀ help in them. ║

4 For when one breathes his last, he shall return again to the ׀ earth, |and in that day all his ׀ thoughts perish. ║

5 Blessed is the one who has the God of Jacob for his ׀ help | and whose hope is in the ׀ Lord his God, ║

6 Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is there ׀ in; | who keeps his promise ׀ forever; ║

7 Who does right to those who suffer ׀ wrong; | and who feeds ׀ the hungry. ║

8 The Lord sets prisoners ׀ free; | the Lord gives sight ׀ to the blind. ║

9 The Lord helps those who have ׀ fallen; | the Lord loves ׀ the righteous. ║

10 The Lord cares for the strangers in the land; he defends the fatherless and ׀ widow; |

but the way of the ungodly he ׀ makes crooked. ║

11 The Lord shall be King for ever ׀ more, | even your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.

║ .Praise the Lord ׀

The Fourth Sunday in AdventPsalm 24 (For a solemn entry into the sanctuary)

1 The earth is the Lord’s and all that is ׀ in it, | the compass of the world and ׀ those who dwell therein. ║

2 For he has founded it upon the ׀ seas |and established it upon the ׀ rivers of the deep. ║

3 Who shall ascend the hill of the ׀ Lord? |Or who shall stand ׀ in his holy place? ║

4 He who has clean hands and a pure ׀ heart, | and who has not set his mind upon vanity; nor sworn to de ׀ ceive his neighbor. ║5 He shall receive blessing from the ׀ Lord |

and righteousness from the God of ׀ his salvation. ║6 This is the generation of those who ׀ seek him, |

even of those who seek your face, O ׀ God of Jacob. ║7 Lift up your heads, O you gates; and be lifted up, you everlasting ׀ doors; |

and the King of ׀ glory shall come in. ║8 “Who is the King of ׀ glory?” |

“It is the Lord, strong and mighty; even the Lord, ׀ mighty in battle.” ║9 Lift up your heads, O you gates; and be lifted up, you everlasting ׀ doors; |

and the King of ׀ glory shall come in. ║10 “Who is the King of ׀ glory?” |

“The Lord of hosts, he is the ׀ King of glory.” ║

CHRISTMAS(YEAR A)

Christmas Day I Psalm 96 (Yahweh, king and judge)

1 O sing unto the Lord a new ׀ song; |sing unto the Lord, ׀ all the whole earth. ║

2 Sing unto the Lord and praise his ׀ Name; |tell of his salvation ׀ from day to day.║

3 Declare his honor to the ׀ nations, |and his wonders ׀ to all peoples. ║

4 For the Lord is great, and highly to be ׀ praised; |he is more to be ׀ feared than all gods.║

5 As for all the gods of the nations, they are but ׀ idols; |but it is the Lord who ׀ made the heavens. ║

6 Glory and majesty are be׀fore him; |power and honor are in his ׀ sanctuary. ║

7 Ascribe unto the Lord, O you families of the ׀ peoples, |ascribe unto the Lord ׀ worship and power. ║

8 Ascribe unto the Lord the honor due unto his ׀ Name; |bring offerings and come ׀ into his courts. ║

9 O worship the Lord in the beauty of ׀ holiness; |let the whole earth ׀ stand in awe of him. ║

10 Tell it out among the nations, “The Lord is ׀ King; |it is he who has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved;

he shall judge the ׀ peoples righteously.” ║11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be ׀ glad; |

let the sea make a noise, and ׀ all that is therein. ║12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is ׀ in it; |

then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice ׀ before the Lord. ║

13 For he comes; for he comes to judge the ׀ earth, |

and with righteousness to judge the world; and the ׀ peoples with his truth. ║

The First Sunday of Christmas Psalm 147:12-20 (Hymn to the All-Powerful)

12 Praise the Lord, O Je׀rusalem; |praise your God, ׀ O Zion. ║

13 For he has made strong the bars of your ׀ gates |and has blessed your children ׀ within you. ║

14 He makes peace in your ׀ borders |and fills you with the fin ׀ est of wheat. ║

15 He sends forth his commandment upon the ׀ earth, |and his word runs ve ׀ ry swiftly. ║

16 He gives snow like ׀ wool |and scatters the white frost ׀ like ashes. ║

17 He casts forth his ice like ׀ crumbs; |who is able to a ׀ bide his frost?║

18 He sends out his word and ׀ melts them; |he blows with his wind, and the ׀ waters flow. ║

19 He declares his word unto ׀ Jacob, |his statutes and ordinances unto ׀ Israel. ║

20 He has not dealt so with other ׀ nations; |neither have they knowledge of his laws.

║ .Praise the Lord ׀

The Second Sunday of Christmas Psalm 84 (Pilgrimage song)

1 How lovely ׀ are your dwellings, |O ׀ Lord God of (hosts!) ║

2 My soul has a desire and longing to enter into the courts ׀ of the Lord; |my heart and my flesh rejoice ׀ in the living God. ║

3 Indeed, the sparrow has found her a house; and the swallow a nest where she may ׀ lay her young, |

even your altars, O Lord of hosts;║ .my King and my God ׀ 4 Blessed are they who dwell ׀ in your house; |

they will be ׀ always praising you. ║5 Blessed is the one whose strength ׀ is in you, |

in ׀ whose heart are your ways, ║6 Who going through the valley of misery uses it ׀ for a well; |

indeed, the early rains fill ׀ the pools with water. ║7 They will go from ׀ strength to strength, |

and the God of gods shall be seen ׀ by them in Zion. ║8 O Lord God of hosts, ׀ hear my prayer; |

hearken, ׀ O God of Jacob. ║9 Behold, O God, ׀ our defender, |

and look upon the face ׀ of your Anointed. ║10 For one day ׀ in your courts |

is bet׀ter than a thousand; ║11 I would rather be a door-keeper in the house ׀ of my God |

than dwell in the tents ׀ of ungodliness. ║12 For the Lord God is a light and defense;

the Lord will give ׀ grace and honor; | and no good thing shall he withhold from those who ׀ live a godly life. ║13 O Lord ׀ God of hosts, |

blessed is the one who ׀ puts his trust in you. ║

EPIPHANY (YEAR A)

The Epiphany of our Lord Jesus ChristPsalm 72 or 72:1-11 (The promised King)

1 Give the King ׀ your judgments, O God, |and your righteousness ׀ to the King’s son. ║

2 Then shall he judge your peo ׀ ple with righteousness |and defend the ׀ poor with justice. ║

3 The mountains ׀ also shall bring peace, |and the little hills righteousness ׀ to the people. ║

4 He shall vindicate the poor ׀ among the people, |defend the children of the poor;

and punish ׀ the wrongdoer. ║5 They shall fear you as long as the ׀ sun and moon endure, |

from one generation ׀ to another. ║6 He shall come down like the rain ׀ upon the mown grass, |

even as showers that ׀ water the earth. ║7 In his time shall ׀ the righteous flourish, |

even an abundance of peace, so long as ׀ the moon endures. ║

8 His dominion shall be also from one ׀ sea to the other, |and from the river un ׀ to the world’s end. ║

9 Those who dwell in the wilderness ׀ shall kneel before him; |his enemies ׀ shall lick the dust. ║

10 The kings of Tarshish and of the ׀ isles shall give presents; |the kings of Arabia and Se ׀ ba shall bring gifts. ║

11 All kings shall ׀ fall down before him; |all nations shall ׀ do him service. ║

12 For he shall deliver ׀ the poor when he cries, |the needy also, and the one that ׀ has no helper. ║

13 He shall be favorable to the ׀ lowly and needy, |and shall preserve the ׀ lives of the poor. ║

14 He shall deliver them ׀ from falsehood and wrong, |and dear shall their blood ׀ be in his sight. ║

15 Long may he live! And unto him shall be given the gold ׀ of Arabia; |

prayer shall ever be made unto him; and daily shall ׀ he be blessed. ║

16 There shall be an abundance ׀ of grain on the earth; thick upon the hilltops; |

its fruit shall flourish like Lebanon; its grain like the grass ׀ upon the earth. ║17 His Name shall endure for ever; his Name shall remain ׀ as long as the sun. |

All the nations shall be blessed through him and shall ׀ call him blessed. ║18 Blessed be the Lord God, even the ׀ God of Israel, |

who alone ׀ does wondrous things; ║

19 And blessed be the Name of his ma ׀ jesty forever; |and all the earth shall be filled with ׀ his majesty.

Amen, Amen. ║

The First Sunday of Epiphany (Baptism of our Lord)Psalm 89:1-29 or 89:20-29 (Hymn and prayer to God the faithful)

1 My song shall be always of the loving-kind ׀ ness of the Lord; |with my mouth will I ever be proclaiming your faithfulness;

from one genera׀tion to another. ║2 For I have said, “Mercy shall be built ׀ up forever; |

your faithfulness shall be esta׀blished in the heavens.” ║3 I have made a covenant with ׀ my chosen one; |

I have sworn to ׀ David my servant: ║4 “Your seed will I esta ׀ blish forever, |

and set up your throne from one genera׀tion to another.” ║5 O Lord, the heavens will praise ׀ your wondrous works |

and your faithfulness in the as׀sembly of the saints. ║6 For who in the clouds can be compared ׀ unto the Lord? | And who among the gods is ׀ like unto the Lord? ║7 God is greatly to be feared in the coun׀cil of the saints, |

and to be held in reverence by all those who ׀ are round about him. ║|8 O Lord God of hosts, ׀ who is like you? |

Your faithfulness, most mighty Lord;║ .is round about you ׀ 9 You rule the ra׀ging of the sea; |

you still the ׀ waves when they arise. ║10 You have subdued Rahab of the deep, ׀ and destroyed her; |

you have scattered your enemies ׀ with your mighty arm. ║11 The heavens are yours; the earth ׀ also is yours; |

you laid the foundation of the world, and ׀ all that is in it. ║12 You have made the ׀ north and the south; |

Tabor and Hermon shall ׀ rejoice in your Name. ║

13 You have ׀ a mighty arm; |strong is your hand, and ׀ high is your right hand. ║

14 Righteousness and justice are the founda׀tion of your throne; |mercy and truth shall ׀ go before your face. ║

15 Blessed are the people, O Lord, who ׀ rejoice in you; |they shall walk in the light ׀ of your countenance. ║

16 Their delight shall be in your Name ׀ all the day long, |and in your righteousness ׀ shall they make their boast. ║

17 For you are the glo׀ry of their strength, |and by your favor you ׀ shall lift up our might. ║

18 For the Lord ׀ is our defense; |the Holy One of Is׀rael is our King. ║

19 You spoke in a vision to ׀ your saints, and said, |“I have set the crown upon one who is mighty;

I have exalted one chosen ׀ out of the people. ║20I have found Da׀vid my servant; |

with my holy oil have ׀ I anointed him. ║21 My hand ׀ shall hold him fast, |

and my ׀ arm shall strengthen him. ║22 The enemy shall not be able to ׀ do him violence; |

the son of wicked׀ness shall not hurt him. ║23 I will smite his foes ׀ before his face |

and strike ׀ down those who hate him. ║24 My faithfulness and my mercy ׀ shall be with him, |

and in my Name shall his ׀ horn be exalted. ║25 I will give him dominion ׀ over the sea, |

and with his right hand shall ׀ he rule the rivers. ║26 He shall say to me, “You ׀ are my Father, |

my God, and the rock ׀ of my salvation.” ║27 And I will make ׀ him my firstborn, |

higher than ׀ the kings of the earth. ║28 My mercy will I keep for ׀ him forever, |

and my covenant ׀ shall stand fast with him. ║

29 His seed will I make to en׀dure forever |and his throne as ׀ the days of heaven. ║

The Second Sunday of EpiphanyPsalm 40:1-11 (Song of praise and prayer for help)

1 I waited patiently for the ׀ Lord, |and he inclined to me, and ׀ heard my call. ║

2 He brought me out of the horrible pit, out of the mire and ׀ clay; |he set my feet upon the rock, and secured ׀ my footing. ║

3 He has put a new song in my ׀ mouth, |a song of thanksgiving un ׀ to our God. ║

4 Many shall see and ׀ fear, |and shall put their trust ׀ in the Lord. ║

5 Blessed is the man who has set his hope in the ׀ Lord, |and has not turned to the proud, or to those who go a ׀ bout lying. ║

6 O Lord my God, great are the wondrous works which you have done; and also your thoughts to׀ward us; |

there is none who can be com ׀ pared with you. ║7 If I should declare them and speak of ׀ them, |

they would be more than I am able ׀ to express. ║8 Sacrifice and offering you do not de׀sire, |

but my ears you ׀ have opened. ║9 Burnt offerings and sin offerings you have not re׀quired, |

and so I said, “Be ׀ hold, I come; ║10 In the volume of the book it is written of me; that I delight to do your will, O my ׀ God; |

indeed, your law is with ׀ in my heart.” ║11 I have declared your righteousness in the great congre׀gation; |

behold, I will not restrain my lips, O Lord, and ׀ that you know. ║

The Third Sunday of EpiphanyPsalm 139:1-18 (In praise of God’s omniscience)

1 O Lord, you have searched ׀ me out and known me; |you know my sitting down and my rising up;

you understand my ׀ thoughts from afar. ║2 You examine my path and ׀ my places of rest, |

and are acquainted ׀ with all my ways. ║3 Indeed, there is not ׀ a word on my tongue, |

but you, O Lord, know it ׀ altogether. ║4 You have enclosed me ׀ behind and before, |

and have laid your ׀ hand upon me. ║5 Such knowledge is too ׀ wonderful for me, |

so excellent I cannot ׀ attain to it. ║6 Where shall I go ׀ then from your Spirit, |

or where shall I flee ׀ from your presence? ║7 If I climb up to ׀ heaven, you are there; |

if I make my bed in the Grave, you ׀ are there also. ║8 If I take the ׀ wings of the morning |

and dwell in the uttermost ׀ parts of the sea, ║9 Even there ׀ shall your hand lead me, |

and your right ׀ hand shall hold me. ║10 If I say, “Surely the dark ׀ ness shall cover me,” |

then shall my night ׀ be turned to day. ║11 Even the darkness is not dark to you; and the night is ׀ as clear as the day; |

the darkness and the light to you ׀ are both alike. ║12 For you yourself ׀ made my inmost parts; |

you knit me together in ׀ my mother’s womb. ║13 I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and ׀ wonderfully made; |

marvelous are your works, and my soul knows ׀ it very well. ║14 My bones were ׀ not hidden from you |

when I was made in secret and fashioned in the ׀ depths of the earth. ║15 Your eyes beheld my substance, while ׀ I was yet unformed; |

and in your book were all my ׀ members written, ║16 Which day ׀ by day were fashioned, |

when as yet there ׀ was none of them. ║17 How dear to me ׀ are your thoughts, O God. |

How great is ׀ the sum of them! ║18 If I were to count them; they would be more in ׀ number than the sand. |

When I wake up, I am ׀ present with you. ║

The Fourth Sunday of EpiphanyPs 37:1-11 (The fate of the upright and the wicked)

1 Fret not yourself because of the un׀godly, |neither be envious of those who are e ׀ vildoers. ║

2 For they shall soon be dried up like the ׀ grass, |and be withered even as ׀ the green herb. ║

3 Put your trust in the Lord, and do ׀ good; |dwell in the land, and surely you ׀ shall be fed. ║

4 Delight yourself in the ׀ Lord, |and he shall give you your ׀ heart’s desire. ║

5 Commit your way unto the Lord and put your trust in ׀ him, |and he shall bring ׀ it to pass. ║

6 He shall make your righteousness as clear as the ׀ light |and your just dealing as ׀ the noon day. ║

7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for ׀ him; |do not grieve yourself over the one whose way prospers;

over the one who carries out e ׀ vil counsels. ║8 Refrain from wrath, and let go of ׀ anger; |

fret not yourself, lest you be moved to ׀ do evil. ║9 For evildoers shall be rooted ׀ out, |

but those who wait patiently for the Lord; they shall inher ׀ it the land. ║10 Yet a little while, and the ungodly shall be clean ׀ gone; |

you shall look for their place, and they shall ׀ not be there. ║11 But the meek-spirited shall possess the ׀ land |

and shall be refreshed with an abun ׀ dance of peace. ║

The Fifth Sunday of EpiphanyPsalm 27 (In God’s company there is no fear)

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I ׀ fear? |The Lord is the strength of my life;

of whom then ׀ shall I be afraid? ║2 When the wicked; even my enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my ׀ flesh, |

they ׀ stumbled and fell. ║3 Though a host were encamped against me; yet my heart would not be a׀fraid, |

and though war rose up against me; yet would I put ׀ my trust in him. ║4 One thing have I desired of the Lord; one thing I ׀ seek: |

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the ׀ days of my life, ║5 To behold the fair beauty of the ׀ Lord, |

and to seek him ׀ in his temple. ║6 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his ׀ tabernacle; |

indeed, in the secret place of his dwelling he shall hide me; and set me high upon ׀ a rock of stone. ║7 And now he shall lift up my ׀ head |

above my enemies ׀ round about me. ║8 Therefore I will offer in his dwelling an oblation with great ׀ gladness; |

I will sing and speak praises ׀ unto the Lord. ║9 Hearken to my voice, O Lord, when I cry unto ׀ you; |

have mercy upon ׀ me and hear me. ║10 You speak to my heart and say, “Seek my ׀ face.” |

Your face, O ׀ Lord, will I seek. ║11 O hide not your face from ׀ me, |

nor cast your servant away ׀ in displeasure. ║12 You have been my ׀ helper; |

leave me not, neither forsake me, O God ׀ of my salvation. ║13 When my father and my mother for׀sake me, |

the ׀ Lord takes me in. ║14 Teach me your way, O ׀ Lord, |

and lead me in the right way, because of ׀ my enemies. ║15 Deliver me not over to the will of my adver ׀ saries; |

for there are false witnesses who have risen up against me; and ׀ those who speak wrong. ║16 I would utterly have ׀ fainted, |

had I not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord; in the land ׀ of the living. ║17 O wait for the Lord; be strong, and he shall comfort your ׀ heart. |

O put your ׀ trust in the Lord. ║

The Sixth Sunday of EpiphanyPsalm 119:(1-8) 9-16 (In praise of the divine Law)

1 Blessed are those who are undefiled ׀ in their ways, |and walk in ׀ the law of the Lord. ║

2 Blessed are those who keep his ׀ testimonies |and seek ׀ him with their whole heart, ║

3 Even those who do no ׀ wickedness |and perfect׀ly walk in his ways. ║

4 You have or׀dered your precepts |that we should di׀ligently keep them. ║

5 O that my ways were made ׀ so direct |that I ׀ might keep your statutes! ║

6 Then would I not be ׀ put to shame |while I give heed unto ׀ all your commandments. ║

7 I will thank you with ׀ an upright heart, |when I have learned ׀ your righteous judgments. ║

8 I will ׀ keep your statutes; |O do not for׀sake me utterly. ║

9 How shall a young ׀ man cleanse his way? |By ruling himself ac׀cording to your word. |

10 With my whole heart ׀ I have sought you; |O let me not go astray ׀ from your commandments. ║

11 Your words have I hidden ׀ within my heart, |that I may ׀ not sin against you. ║

12 Blessed are ׀ you, O Lord; |teach ׀ me (your) statutes. ║

13 With my lips have ׀ I been telling |of all the ׀ judgments of your mouth. ║

14 I have had greater delight in the way of your ׀ testimonies |than in all ׀ manner of riches. ║

15 I will meditate on ׀ your commandments |and have re׀spect for all your ways. ║

16 My delight will be ׀ in your statutes, |and I will ׀ not forget your word. ║

The Seventh Sunday of EpiphanyPsalm 71 or 71:11-23 (A prayer in old age)

1 In you, O Lord, ׀ have I put my trust; |let me never ׀ be put to shame. ║

2 Rescue me and deliver me ׀ in your righteousness; |incline your ear to ׀ me and save me. ║

3 Be my rock and my refuge, where I ׀ may always return; |you have promised to help me;

for you are my stronghold ׀ and my fortress. ║4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand ׀ of the ungodly, |

out of the hand of the unrighteous ׀ and the cruel. ║5 For you, O Lord God, are ׀ the one I long for; |

you are my hope, ev ׀ en from my youth. ║

6 Through you have I been upheld ever since I was born; you took me out ׀ of my mother’s womb; |

my praise shall be ׀ always of you. ║7 I have become a ׀ portent to many; |

but you are my re ׀ fuge and my strength. ║8 O let my mouth ׀ be filled with your praise, |

that I may sing of your glory ׀ all the day long. ║9 Cast me not away in ׀ the time of old age; |

forsake me not when ׀ my strength fails me. ║10 For my enemies speak against me; and those who lie in wait for my life take ׀ counsel together. |

They say, “God has forsaken him; pursue him and take him, for there is none to ׀ deliver him.” ║11 Go not ׀ far from me, O God; |

my God, make ׀ haste to help me. ║12 Let those who are my adversaries be con ׀ founded and perish; |

let those who seek to do me evil be covered with shame ׀ and dishonor. ║13 As for me, I will always ׀ patiently abide, |

and will praise ׀ you more and more. ║14 My mouth shall speak daily of your righteous ׀ ness and salvation, |

for I know not ׀ the end of them. ║15 I will go forth in the ׀ strength of the Lord God, |

and will make mention of your righteous ׀ ness, yours alone. ║16 You, O God, have ׀ taught me from my youth; |

even to this day I am telling of ׀ your wondrous works. ║17 Forsake me not, O God, in my old age, when ׀ I am gray-headed, |

until I have proclaimed your strength to this generation; and your power to all those who ׀ are yet to come. ║18 Your righteousness, O God, reach ׀ es to the heavens; |

you have done great things. Who is ׀ like you, O God? ║

19 Oh, what great troubles and adversities you have shown me! And yet you have ׀ turned and refreshed me; |

indeed, you have brought me again from the ׀ depths of the earth. ║20 You have brought ׀ me to great honor |

and comforted me ׀ on every side;║21 Therefore will I praise you and your faithfulness; O God, playing on ׀ a stringed instrument; |

to you will I sing with the harp, O Holy One ׀ of Israel. ║22 My lips will rejoice ׀ when I sing to you, |

and so will my soul, which you ׀ have delivered. ║

23 My tongue also shall speak of your righteous ׀ ness all the day long, |for they are confounded and brought to shame who seek to ׀ do me evil. ║

The Eighth Sunday of EpiphanyPsalm 62 (Hope in God alone)

1 For God alone my soul in silence ׀ waits; |from him comes my ׀ salvation. ║

2 He truly is my strength and my sal׀vation; |he is my defense, so that I shall not be great ׀ ly shaken. ║

3 How long will you assail a man to crush him; all of you to׀gether, |

as if you were a tottering wall or a ׀ broken fence? ║4 Their plan is only to bring down the one whom God has ex׀alted; |

their delight is in lies; they bless with their mouth, but curse ׀ with their heart. ║

5 Nevertheless, for God alone my soul in silence ׀ waits, |for my hope ׀ is in him. ║

6 He truly is my strength and my sal׀vation; |he is my defense, so that I ׀ shall not fall. ║

7 In God is my help and my ׀ glory; |he is the rock of my might, and in him ׀ is my trust. ║

8 O put your trust in him always, you ׀ people; |pour out your hearts before him, for God ׀ is our hope. ║

9 As for the children of men, they are but a ׀ breath; |the children of men are deceitful; upon the scales;

they are altogether lighter ׀ than a breath. ║10 O trust not in oppression; put not vain hopes in ׀ robbery; |

if riches increase, set not your heart ׀ upon them. ║11 One thing has God spoken; indeed, two things have I heard him ׀ say: ׀|

that power belongs ׀ to our God; ║12 And that you, O Lord, are ׀ merciful, |

for you reward everyone according ׀ to his work. ║

The Second to the Last Sunday of Epiphany (World Mission Sunday)Psalm 67 (Harvest song)

1 May God be merciful unto ׀ us, and bless us, |and show us the light of his countenance;

and be mer׀ciful unto us. ║2 Let your way be ׀ known upon earth, |

your saving health ׀ among all nations. ║3 Let the peoples ׀ praise you, O God; |

indeed, let all ׀ the peoples praise you. ║4 O let the nations re׀joice and be glad, |

for you shall judge the peoples righteously; and govern the ׀ nations upon earth. ║5 Let the peoples ׀ praise you, O God; |

let all ׀ the peoples praise you. ║6 Then shall the earth bring ׀ forth her increase, |

and God, even our own God, shall ׀ give us his blessing. ║

7 God ׀ shall bless us, |and all the ends of ׀ the world shall fear him. ║

The Last Sunday of Epiphany (Transfiguration)Psalm 99 (God, the upright and holy king)

1 The Lord is King; let the peoples ׀ tremble; |he sits between the cherubim; ׀ let the earth shake. ║

2 The Lord is great in ׀ Zion |and high a ׀ bove all peoples. ║

3 They shall give thanks unto his Name, which is great and ׀ wonderful; |holy is he and mighty, a King ׀ who loves justice. ║

4 You have established ׀ equity; |you have executed judgment and righteous ׀ ness in Jacob. ║

5 O magnify the Lord our ׀ God, |and fall down before his footstool, for ׀ he is holy. ║

6 Moses and Aaron among his priests; and Samuel among those who call upon his ׀ Name, |

they called upon the Lord, ׀ and he heard them. ║7 He spoke to them out of the cloudy ׀ pillar, |

for they kept his testimonies and the law ׀ that he gave them. ║8 You heard them, O Lord our ׀ God; |

you forgave them, O God, yet punished their ׀ evil doings. ║

9 O magnify the Lord our God, and worship him upon his holy ׀ hill, |for the Lord our ׀ God is holy. ║

LENT

(YEAR A)

Ash Wednesday Psalm 103 or 103:8-14 (God is love)

1 Praise the ׀ (Lord), O my soul, |and all that is within me, praise ׀ his holy Name.║

2 Praise the ׀ (Lord), O my soul, | and forget not all ׀ his benefits: ║

3 Who ׀ forgives all your sin |and heals all your ׀ infirmities,║

4 Who saves ׀ your life from the pit |and crowns you with mercy and ׀ loving- kindness, ║

5 Who satis ׀ fies you with good things, | renewing your youth ׀ like an eagle’s.║

6 The Lord executes right ׀ eousness and judgment | for all those who are ׀ oppressed with wrong. ║

7 He showed ׀ his ways to Moses, |his works to the children ׀ of Israel.║

8 The Lord is full of com ׀ passion and mercy, | long-suffering and ׀ of great goodness. ║

9 He will ׀ not always chide us, |neither will he keep his an ׀ ger for ever.║

10 He has not dealt with us ac ׀ cording to our sins, | nor rewarded us according to ׀ our wickedness. ║

11 For as the heavens are ׀ high above the earth, |so great is his mercy also toward ׀ those who fear him.║

12 As far as the ׀ east is from the west, | so far has he set ׀ our sins from us. ║

13 As a father pi ׀ ties his own children, |so is the Lord merciful to ׀ those who fear him.║

14 For he knows ׀ whereof we are made; | he remembers that ׀ we are but dust. ║

15 The days ׀ of man are as grass; |he flourishes as a flo ׀ wer of the field.║

16 For as soon as the wind goes ׀ over it, it is gone, | and its place shall ׀ know it no more. ║

17 But the merciful goodness of the Lord endures for ever;

and ever up ׀ on those who fear him, |and his righteousness upon ׀ children’s children,║

18 Even upon those who ׀ keep his covenant |and think upon his command ׀ ments to do them. ║

19 The Lord has prepared ׀ his throne in heaven, | and his kingdom ׀ rules over all.║

20 O praise the Lord, you angels of his, you ׀ that excel in strength, |you that fulfill his commandment, and hearken unto the ׀ voice of his words. ║

21 O praise the ׀ Lord, all you his hosts, |you servants of his that ׀ do his pleasure.║

22 O speak good of the Lord, all you works of his; in all places ׀ of his dominion; |

praise the ׀ Lord, O my soul. ║

The First Sunday in LentPs 51 or Ps 51:1-12 (A prayer of contrition) 2.1

1 Have mercy upon me, O God, in your great ׀ goodness; | according to the multitude of your mercies wipe away my ׀ offences.║

2 Wash me thoroughly from my ׀ wickedness | and cleanse me ׀ from my sin. ║

3 For I acknowledge my ׀ faults, |and my sin is ever be ׀ fore me.║1

4 Against you only have I sinned, and done this evil in your ׀ sight, | so that you are justified in your sentence;

and blameless in ׀ your judgment. ║5 Behold, I was brought forth in ׀ wickedness, |

and in sin my mother ׀ conceived me.║6 But behold, you desire truth in the inward ׀ parts |

and shall make me understand wisdom ׀ secretly. ║7 You shall purge me with hyssop, and I shall be ׀ clean; |

you shall wash me, and I shall be whi ׀ ter than snow.║8 You shall make me hear of joy and ׀ gladness, |

that the bones which you have broken ׀ may rejoice. ║9 Turn your face from my ׀ sins, |

and blot out all ׀ my misdeeds.║

10 Create in me a clean heart, O ׀ God, | and renew a right spirit ׀ within me. ║

11 Cast me not away from your ׀ presence, | and take not your holy Spi ׀ rit from me.║

12 O give me the comfort of your help a ׀ gain, | and sustain me with your wil ׀ ling Spirit. ║

13 Then shall I teach your ways unto the ׀ wicked, | and sinners shall return ׀ unto you.║

14 Deliver me from blood-guilt, O God, the God of my sal ׀ vation, | and my tongue shall sing of your ׀ righteousness. ║

15 O Lord, open my ׀ lips, |and my mouth shall show ׀ forth your praise.║

16 For you desire no sacrifice, or else I would give it to ׀ you; | but you delight not in burnt- ׀ offerings. ║

17 The sacrifice of God is a troubled ׀ spirit; |a broken and contrite heart, O God, you shall ׀ not despise.║

18 O be favorable and gracious unto ׀ Zion; | may you build up the walls of Je ׀ rusalem. ║

19 Then you shall be pleased with the sacrifice of righteousness; with the burnt-offerings and o ׀ blations; |

then shall they offer young bullocks upon ׀ your altar. ║

The Second Sunday in LentPs 33:12-21 (Hymn to Providence)

12 Blessed is the nation whose ׀ (God) is the Lord, | and blessed are the people he has chosen for himself to be his ׀ inheritance.║

13 The Lord looks down from heaven and beholds all the ׀ children (of) men; | from the habitation of his dwelling;

he considers all those who ׀ dwell on the earth. ║

14 He fashions ׀ all the hearts of them |and under ׀ stands all their works.║

15 There is no king who can be saved ׀ by a mighty host; | neither is any mighty man deliver ׀ ed by great strength. ║

16 A horse is considered a vain ׀ hope to save a man; |

neither shall it deliver anyone ׀ by its great strength.║

17 Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon ׀ those who (fear) him, | and upon those who put their trust ׀ in his mercy, ║

18 To deliver ׀ their soul (from) death, |and to feed them in the ׀ time of famine.║

19 Our soul has patiently ׀ waited for the Lord, | for he is our ׀ help and our shield. ║

20 Our heart ׀ shall rejoice in him, |because we have hoped in ׀ his holy Name.║

21 Let your merciful kindness, O ׀ Lord, be upon us, | as we have put ׀ our trust in you. ║

The Third Sunday in LentPs 95 (Invitation to praise)

1 O come, let us sing unto the ׀ Lord; |let us heartily rejoice in the strength of ׀ our salvation. ║

2 Let us come before his presence with thanks ׀ giving |and show ourselves glad ׀ in him with psalms. ║

3 For the Lord is a great ׀ God |and a great King ׀ above all gods. ║

4 In his hand are all the depths of the ׀ earth, | and the heights of the hills ׀ are his also. ║

5 The sea is his, for he ׀ made it, |and his hands pre ׀ pared the dry land. ║

6 O come, let us worship and fall ׀ down, |and kneel before the ׀ Lord our Maker. ║

7 For he is our ׀ God, |and we are the people of his pasture, and the ׀ sheep of his hand. ║

8 Today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your ׀ hearts | as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in ׀ the wilderness, ║

9 When your fathers tested ׀ me, |and put me to the proof, though they ׀ had seen my works. ║

10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation and ׀ said, |“It is a people that err in their hearts, for they have ׀ not known my ways,” ║

11Of whom I swore in my ׀ wrath |that they should not enter ׀ into my rest. ║

LENT and EASTER—YEAR AMore coming soon!