Joseph of Arimathaea

The Collect:

Rite I:
Merciful God, whose servant Joseph of Arimathea with reverence and godly fear prepared the body of our Lord and Savior for burial and laid it in his own tomb: Grant to us, thy faithful people, grace and courage to love and serve Jesus with sincere devotion all the days of our life; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Rite II:
Merciful God, whose servant Joseph of Arimathea with reverence and godly fear prepared the body of our Lord and Savior for burial and laid it in his own tomb: Grant to us, your faithful people, grace and courage to love and serve Jesus with sincere devotion all the days of our life; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Lesson: Proverbs 4:10–18

¹⁰ Hear, my child, and accept my words,
   that the years of your life may be many.
¹¹ I have taught you the way of wisdom;
   I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
¹² When you walk, your step will not be hampered;
   and if you run, you will not stumble.
¹³ Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
   guard her, for she is your life.
¹⁴ Do not enter the path of the wicked,
   and do not walk in the way of evildoers.
¹⁵ Avoid it; do not go on it;
   turn away from it and pass on.
¹⁶ For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
   they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
¹⁷ For they eat the bread of wickedness
   and drink the wine of violence.
¹⁸ But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
   which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

Psalm: Psalm 128

¹ Happy are they all who fear the Lord, *
and who follow in his ways!
² You shall eat the fruit of your labor; *
happiness and prosperity shall be yours.
³ Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, *
your children like olive shoots round about your table.
⁴ The man who fears the Lord *
shall thus indeed be blessed.
⁵ The Lord bless you from Zion, *
and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days
of your life.
⁶ May you live to see your children’s children; *
may peace be upon Israel.

Second Lesson: James 1:17-18 

¹⁷ Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. ¹⁸ In fulfilment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

Gospel: Luke 23:50-56

⁵⁰ Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph, who, though a member of the council, ⁵¹had not agreed to their plan and action. He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea, and he was waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God. ⁵²This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ⁵³Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid. ⁵⁴It was the day of Preparation, and the sabbath was beginning. ⁵⁵The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid. ⁵⁶Then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments.

On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

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