Leader: God, you have called us to be a people on the move:
All: Give us the desire & energy to keep going forward.
Leader: God, you have called us to be a people who travel light:
All: Help us to see what we should leave behind.
Leader: God, you have called us to be a people who die to
ourselves in order to live for others:
All: Guide us as we seek to see ourselves in truth.
At the end of the week, we may like to speak of any
situation/concern/person in which we have been involved during
the week & place them before the Lord during this time of prayer.
The hymn is ‘Enfold me in your love’ from Fire of Love’ CD Tr 2
please join in the refrain at the end of each verse if you wish.
(Refrain) O hold me, enfold me in your love.
You are the light that is ever bright,
You fill my heart giving life,
You give the work I endeavour to do.
Meanings & purpose are blessings from you. (Refrain)
You are the beauty that fills my soul,
You by your wound make me whole,
You paid the price to redeem me from death;
Yours is the love that sustains every breath. (Refrain)
You still the storms & the fear of night,
You turn despair to delight,
You feel the anguish & share in my tears,
You give me hope from the depth of my fears. (Refrain)
You are the word full of life & truth,
You guide my feet from my youth;
You are my refuge, my firm cornerstone;
You I will worship & honour alone. (Refrain)
You have restored me & pardoned sin,
You give me strength from within,
You called me forth & my life you made new.
Love is the binding that holds me to you. (Refrain)
Please say the antiphon & psalm (Cotter version) as indicated.
All: The Lord is great; our God is high above all gods.
Reader 1: We praise you, Beloved, we give thanks to your name; in the loyalty of friendship we give you praise. In the house where we heard your promises, we give thanks for the blessings of your covenant. We praise you for you are gracious & courteous, we sing praise to your name for it is good. You have chosen us for a particular service, a priestly people whose love is not narrow.
All: The Lord is great; our God is high above all gods.
Reader 2: For you are indeed the glorious creator, awesome in your freedom & power. Your will stretches round the great globe, echoing to the depths of the seas. You shine through the fierce heat of the sun, tempered by the tenderness of clouds & rain. You howl through the winds of the desert, while giving oases of sheltering green.
All: The Lord is great; our God is high above all gods.
Reader 1: You yearn for each of us to have a home, a piece of the earth
to cherish & care for. Your heart goes out to the wandering
exile, in Egypt, in Babylon, in migrants today. You lived among
us a vulnerable child, fleeing from the wiles of the powers
that be. You know what it means to be cast out of the walls,
yet you prepare a city beyond our imagining.
All: The Lord is great; our God is high above all gods.
Reader 2: Fortunate they are who have houses to dwell in, whose roots
reach far in the ground of the past. Blessed are those with a
language of their own, through which they can hear your
marvellous works.
All: The Lord is great; our God is high above all gods.
All: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy
Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,
world without end, Amen.
All: The Lord is great; our God is high above all gods.
Please sing the canticle that follows as indicated.
Cantors: All peoples will come
And adore you Lord.
Side 1: Great and wonderful are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Side 2: Just and true are your ways,
O King of the ages!
Side 1: Who shall not fear and glorify your name, O Lord?
For you alone are holy.
Side 2: All nations shall come and worship you,
For your judgments have been revealed.
All: Glory be to the Father and to the Son
And to the Holy Spirit;
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,
World without end, Amen.
All: All peoples will come
And adore you Lord
Reading(s) and Personal Reflection.
Please stand to sing the Magnificat as indicated.
Cantors: To love your neighbour as yourself
Is far more important than any sacrifices.
Side 1: My being proclaims your greatness,
And my spirit finds joy in you, God my Saviour;
Side 2: For you have looked upon me, your servant, in my
lowliness:
All ages to come shall call me blessed.
Side 1: God, you who are mighty, have done great things for me:
Holy is your name.
Side 2: Your mercy is from age to age
Towards those who fear you.
Side 1: You have shown might with your arm,
And confused the proud in their inmost thoughts.
Side 2: You have deposed the mighty from their thrones,
And raised the lowly to high places.
Side 1: The hungry you have given every good thing,
While the rich you have sent away empty.
Side 2: You have upheld Israel, your servant,
Ever mindful of your mercy-
Side 1: Even as you promised our ancestors,
Promised Abraham, Sarah, and their descendants for ever.
All: Glory be to the Father & to the Son,
And to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now & ever shall be,
World without end, amen.
All: To love your neighbour as yourself
Is far more important than any sacrifices.
Intercessions:
Reader: We pray for peace & co-operation, harmony & mutual respect in our dealings with one another locally, nationally & internationally ……………. silence ………… Holy God,
All: Receive our prayer.
Reader: We pray for those on whom we depend in different ways & those who depend on us in some way ……………. silence ………… Holy God,
All: Receive our prayer.
Reader: We pray for those who feel fragmented; & for those forced to live apart from loved ones through war, political unrest, natural disasters or poverty. We ask you to comfort them ……………. silence ………… Holy God,
All: Receive our prayer.
Reader: We remember those who told us of you through their words & lives: we think of those who have died & ask that we may come to share everlasting life with you & them ……………. silence ………… Holy God,
All: Receive our prayer.
Reader: We pray for people who have died today & for those who will die tonight. We also remember those whose anniversaries occur tomorrow, especially:
Pause for people to add silently or aloud any further intentions.
Leader begins the Our Father.
Leader: Lord, open our hearts to your grace. Restrain us from all human waywardness & keep us energetic in our living out of your Word. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.
All: Amen
Leader: When we look into the windows of our inner beings, may we see the face of God. May the lamps of our lives shine upon all whom we meet this evening. May Almighty God bless us – the Father Son and Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.