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dare to hope

SEARCH FOR YOUR SERVANT

3/17/2021

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Rev. Charles Hoffacker
What is by far the longest psalm in the Psalter ends with this verse:

"I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost;
search for your servant,
for I do not forget your commandments."
(Psalm 119:176"

The 22 sections of Psalm 119 each contain 8 verses. God’s law is the topic throughout, identified throughout by a variety of synonyms, including commandments, decrees, promise, statutes, and word. At first, this psalm can seem dull, but praying it repeatedly opens up its inexhaustible depths.

The Daily Office Lectionary in the Book of Common Prayer assigns three consecutive sections of Psalm 119 to nearly every Wednesday in the year.
In the final verse, the Psalmist appears as a lost sheep, a creature in need, whom God must search for and find. Here there is a radical and appropriate abandonment of all self-righteousness. At the same time, confidence in God rises up. The Psalmist does not forget the divine commandments and the utterly reliable promises they contain.

So this massive psalm ends with a final assertion of our need and God’s provision. Here is the appropriate place from which to offer all our worship.
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    authors

    The Rev. Charles Hoffacker is a retired priest of the Diocese of Washington
    who lives in Greenbelt, Maryland. He and his wife Helena Mirtova are members of Ascension and St. Agnes.

    The Rev. Mary McCue, is a vocational deacon and currently ministers at Church of the Ascension and St. Agnes.
    ​
    The Rev. Dominique Peridans is the Rector of Church of the Ascension and St. Agnes. 

    Molly Jane Layton is a seminarian intern at Ascension and St. Agnes. 

    Zach Baker Rodes is a seminarian intern at Ascension and St. Agnes.

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  • Welcome
    • Newcomers >
      • Letter to Inquirers
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • How to Find Us
    • Childcare
  • Who We Are
    • Our Beliefs >
      • Statements of Mission, Vision, Beliefs & Value
      • What is an Anglo-Catholic?
      • Apolitical or Supra Political?
    • Our History
    • Our Leadership >
      • Parish Staff
      • Vestry
  • Worship
    • About our Worship >
      • Attending Mass
      • Music
  • Formation
    • About Formation
    • Adult Formation >
      • Adult Theology Upcoming
      • Adult Theology Archive >
        • Knowing Christ
    • Sermons
  • Connect
    • Contact us
    • Rector's Weekly Letter
    • Pastoral Care >
      • Pastoral Offices >
        • Reconciliation (Confession)
      • Prayer Requests
    • Stewardship >
      • Stewardship Letter
      • Givelify Instructions
      • Planned Giving
      • Endowment Fund
  • Calendar
  • Baptism
  • Outreach
  • Feasibility Study