Pray With Us

Leader:  With the saints, we are called to pray,

All:         All are welcome here.

Leader:  With the saints, we give thanks for God’s goodness to us,

 All:        Holy is God’s name.

Leader:  In the company of St Joseph, we bring our hopes & our fears,

All:        We will listen to the word of God.

 

Please join in the hymn if you wish. 

(Hands of Healing.  The Song & the Silence. Tr. 7.)

 

 

Let our hands be hands of healing, let our words be clear & true.

In our work, God’s love revealing, just & gentle in all we do.

 

Touch the ones who sorrow, hands of healing.

Hope beyond all grieving, clear & true.

Sing the God of mercy, love revealing,

Just & gentle in all we do. (refrain)

Free the ones in bondage, hands of healing.

Bring the reign of new hope, clear & true.

Sing the God of freedom, love revealing,

Just & gentle in all we do. (refrain)

Safely free the young ones, hands of healing.

Bring your joy & laughter, clear & true.

Sing the God of children, love revealing,

Just & gentle in all we do. (refrain)

 

Please say the contemporary psalm as indicated.

Side 1:  As the light of dawn struggles through the gloom, as

            the sun filters through the morning haze, as the weary

            stretch into another day; as the noonday sun burns &

            does not relent, as the pressure mounts on the brain, as

            the elderly nod through the afternoon.

All:    We dare to give thanks to God.

Side 2: As the shadows lengthen & the day declines, as the air

            cools around the homeless, as a night of grieving looms;

            as we grow angry at senseless violence, as we cradle

            the wounded in our arms, as we patiently repair the damage,

 All:   We dare to give thanks to God.

Side 1: As the sloucher straightens his back, & the poor rise up

            from the scrapheap, as the barren at last conceive; as

            Sarah, Rebekah, & Rachel give birth, as Ruth follows

            Naomi to a new home, as Rahab & Tamar find their place in the story,

All:  We dare to give thanks to God.

Side 2:  As we seek to deepen our trust, as we glimpse the

            power of compassion, as we see the divine in the

            outcast; as we remember the tales of our ancestors, as

            we recall the moments of freedom, as we renew our strength at the source

All:  We dare to give thanks to God.

Side 1: As the Spirit of awe overtakes us, as the depths of

           compassion overwhelm us, as the glory & splendour

           overshadow us; as we worship at all times, in all places,

           as we lovingly relish the name, as the people sing with one voice,

All:    We dare to give thanks to God.

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.

Lent Reading (John 5.) followed by silent personal reflection.

“You sent men to John, and he told you what is true. I don’t need anyone to tell people about me, but I remind you of what John said so that you can be saved. John was like a lamp that burned and gave light, and you were happy to enjoy his light for a while.

 “But I have a proof about myself that is greater than anything John said. The things I do are my proof. These are what my Father gave me to do. They show that the Father sent me.  And the Father who sent me has given proof about me himself.

 

Please stand to sing the Magnificat as indicated.

Cantors:  Behold the faithful & wise servant

Whom the master placed over his household.

Side 1:  My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.

Side 2:   For he has looked with favour on his lowly handmaid,

And from this day all generations will call me blessed.

Side 1:  The Almighty has done great things for me:

Holy is his name.

Side 2:  He has mercy on those who fear him

In every generation.

Side 1:  He has shown the strength of his arm;

He has scattered the proud in their conceit.

Side 2:  He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

And has lifted up the lowly.

Side 1:  He has filled the hungry with good things

And has sent the rich away empty.

Side 2:  He has come to the help of his servant Israel,

For he has remembered his promise of mercy –

Side 1:  The promise he made to our fathers,

To Abraham and his children for ever.

All:   Give praise to the Father Almighty

To his Son Jesus Christ our Lord

To the Spirit who dwells in our hearts

Both now and for ever, Amen.

All:  Behold the faithful & wise servant

Whom the master placed over his household.

 

Intercessions:

Reader: Whatever we do or say, let it be Christ-like, ………

pause ……. lead us,

All: As you led St Joseph.

Reader: Joseph took the child, Jesus, into his care as his own

             son – may we accept all that God gives us & care well

             for those entrusted to us……… pause ……. lead us,

All: As you led St Joseph.

Reader: The gospels tell us very little about Joseph, yet we are

             aware of him embodying many Christian virtues.  Let us

             pray try to lead lives that are characterised by those

            values ………  pause ……. lead us,

All: As you led St Joseph.

Reader:  Let us pray for those known to us who share Joseph’s

              name ………  pause ……. lead us,

All: As you led St Joseph.

Reader:  We pray for people who have died today & for those

              who will die tonight.  We pray also for those whose

              anniversaries of death occur tomorrow, remembering especially:

 

Pause for people to add silently or aloud any further intentions.

Leader begins the Our Father….

Leader:  God, eternal & forgiving God, we thank you for those people who led lives that can encourage us in our lives.  May Joseph’s self-effacing humility & care for those given to him by you be an inspiration for all those who exercise a fatherly role in the lives of others.

We make our prayer through Christ our saviour.

All:  Amen.

Leader:  May the love of God break down barriers; may the light of God shine in the darkness; may the peace of God fill us with hope; may the freedom of God release us; may God’s blessing be on each of us & those about whom we are concerned.

All:     Amen.