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 thanksgiving *
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 prepared 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,”
11 Of whom I swore in my wrath *
that they should not enter into my rest.

All: Glory to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.  Amen.

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

Reader: The word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 
37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Deacon: The Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Be silent before the LORD God! For the day of the LORD is near; the
LORD has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests.
12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men
who are complacent, those who say in their hearts, ‘The LORD will not do
good, nor will he do ill.’
13 Their goods shall be plundered, and their houses laid waste. Though they
build houses, they shall not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they
shall not drink wine from them.”
14 The great day of the LORD is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of
the day of the LORD is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there. 15 A day of
wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation,
a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16 a day of
trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty
battlements.
17 I will bring distress on mankind, so that they shall walk like the blind,
because they have sinned against the LORD; their blood shall be poured out
like dust, and their flesh like dung. 18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall
be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the LORD. In the fire of
his jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full and sudden end he will
make of all the inhabitants of the earth.

Reader: The word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.

1 Lord, you have been our refuge *
from one generation to another.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or the earth and the world were made, *
you are God from everlasting, and world without end.
3 You turn man back to the dust; *
you say, “Return, O children of men.”
4 For a thousand years in your sight are as yesterday, *
even as a day that is past.
5 You scatter them as a night-watch that comes quickly to an end; *
they are even as a dream and fade away.
6 They are like the grass, which in the morning is green, *
but in the evening is dried up and withered.
7 For we consume away in your displeasure *
and are afraid at your wrathful indignation.
8 You have set our misdeeds before you, *
and our secret sins in the light of your countenance.
9 For when you are angry, all our days are gone; *
we bring our years to an end, as a tale that is told.
10 The days of our life are seventy years, and though some be so strong that they come to eighty years, *
yet is their span but labor and sorrow; so soon it passes away, and we are gone.
11 But who regards the power of your wrath, *
and who considers the fierceness of your anger?
12 So teach us to number our days, *
that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
( 13 Turn again, O LORD, and tarry not; *
be gracious unto your servants.
14 O satisfy us with your mercy in the morning; *
so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life.
15 Comfort us again, according to the measure of the days that you have afflicted us, *
and for the years in which we have suffered adversity.
16 Show your servants your work *
and their children your glory.
17 And may the grace of the Lord our God be upon us; *
prosper the work of our hands; O prosper our handiwork.)

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.

Deacon: The Holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ, according to St. Matthew.
People: Glory to you, Lord Christ.

“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents ​more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground
and hid his master's money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those
servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received
the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you
delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master
said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful
over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you
delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master
said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful
over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He
also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew
you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where
you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in
the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him,
‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown
and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my
money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was
my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who
has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will
have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be
taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that
place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Deacon: The Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to you, Lord Christ.

1  Hasten, O God, to deliver me;
     * make haste to help me, O LORD.
2 Let them be ashamed and confounded who seek after my life;
     * let them be turned back and put to confusion who wish me evil.
3 Let them be soon brought to shame
     * who cry over me, “Aha! Aha!”
4 But let all those who seek you be joyful and glad in you;
     * and let all who delight in your salvation say always, “The Lord be praised.”
5 As for me, I am poor and in misery;
     * hasten to me, O God.
6 You are my helper and my deliverer;
​     * O LORD, do not tarry.

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
​
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God,
    and serve him day and night in his temple;
    and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
    the sun shall not strike them,
    nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
    and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

1 Praise the Lord. O sing unto the LORD a new song; 
     * let the congregation of the faithful praise him.
2 Let Israel rejoice in the one who made him,
     * and let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
3 Let them praise his Name in the dance;
     * let them sing praises unto him with timbrel and harp.
4 For the LORD has pleasure in his people
     * and gives victory to those who are oppressed.
5 Let the faithful be joyful with glory;
     * let them rejoice upon their beds.
6 Let the praises of God be in their mouth
     * and a two-edged sword in their hands,
7 To inflict vengeance on the nations
     * and to rebuke the peoples,
8 To bind their kings in chains
     * and their nobles with links of iron,
9 Th at they may execute judgment upon them, as it is written;
​     * such honor have all his faithful. Praise the Lord.

11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.​

​15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:
     “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.
     “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

22 “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! 

​23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.​

24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

25 “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry.
     “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.
​
26 “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

​27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic[a] either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

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 above 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 righteousness 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 evildoings.
9 O magnify the Lord our God, and worship him upon his holy hill,
* for the Lord our God is holy

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

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 before 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. 

1 The LORD is my shepherd;
     therefore I can lack nothing.
2 He shall feed me in green pastures
     and lead me forth beside the waters of comfort.
3 He shall refresh my soul
     and bring me forth in the paths of righteousness for his Name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,
     for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me.
5 You shall prepare a table before me, in the presence of those who trouble me;
     you have anointed my head with oil, and my cup shall be full.
6 Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
     and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. 

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

22 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

7 Restore us again, O God of hosts;
     show the light of your countenance, and we shall be whole.
8 You have brought a vine out of Egypt;
     you have cast out the nations and planted it.
9 You made room for it,
     and when it had taken root, it filled the land.
10 The hills were covered with the shadow of it,
     and the boughs thereof were like the mighty cedar trees.
11 It stretched out its branches to the sea
    and its boughs to the river.
12 Why have you broken down its hedge,
     so that all those who go by pluck off its grapes?
13 The wild boar out of the wood roots it up, 
     and the wild beasts of the field devour it.
14 Turn again, O God of hosts, look down from heaven;
     behold, and visit this vine,
15 And the place of the vineyard that your right hand has planted,
     and the branch that you made so strong for yourself.
16 As for those who burn it with fire and cut it down,
     let them perish at the rebuke of your countenance.
17 Let your hand be upon the man of your right hand
     and upon the son of man, whom you made so strong for yourself.
18 And so we will not turn back from you;     
     O let us live, and we shall call upon your Name.
19 Restore us again, O LORD God of hosts; 
     show the light of your countenance, and we shall be whole.  

14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

33 “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. 34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. 35 And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
     “‘The stone that the builders rejected
         has become the cornerstone;
     this was the Lord's doing,
         and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

Anger and wrath, these also are abominations, and the sinful man will hold them fast. 28 The one who seeks vengeance will be paid vengeance from the Lord, and he who keeps a record will have his own sins recorded. 2 Forgive your neighbor the wrong he has done, and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray. 3 Does one person harbor anger against another and yet seek for healing from the Lord? 4 Does he have no mercy toward someone like himself and yet pray concerning his own sins? 5 If he himself, being flesh, maintains wrath, who will make atonement for his sins? 6 Remember the end of your life and cease from enmity, remember destruction and death and be true to the commandments. 7 Remember the commandments and do not be angry with your neighbor; remember the covenant of the Most High and overlook error.

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 satisfies you with good things,
     renewing your youth like an eagle’s.
6 The LORD executes righteousness 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 compassion and mercy,
    long-suffering and of great goodness.
9 He will not always chide us,
     neither will he keep his anger for ever.
10 He has not dealt with us according 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 pities 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. 

5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
    and every tongue shall confess to God.”
12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”