Leader: We celebrate today a remarkable man – Joseph.
All: Let us celebrate with joy.
Leader: We celebrate a man chosen by God for his goodness.
All: Let us celebrate with joy.
Leader: Let us join St Joseph in his praise of God.
All: Thanks be to God.
To keep us mindful of our Lenten theme, let us join in with or
listen to a song from Teresa Brown’s ‘The Watermark’ –
The God of Compassion.
Refrain: The God of compassion and love awaits with
tenderness to forgive you now.
Come back to him with all your heart,
receive his mercy & love.
God the father created you, he loves you, he loves you now.
So patiently he waits for you to come back to him once again. (Refrain).
Stay awake & be ready for you know not the day nor the hour.
Remember the words of Jesus Christ: ‘Repent & believe the good news’. (Refrain).
Holy Spirit of God, renew in us your power & love,
Come guide our minds & hearts today, that we may repent & believe. (Refrain).
Please listen to Psalm 14 being read after saying the antiphon.
All: The parents of Jesus found him in the temple, sitting among the doctors,
listening to them & asking them questions.
Reader: Lord God, who has the right to enter your tent, or to live on your holy mountain?
Those whose way of life is blameless, who always do what is right; who speak the truth from their heart, whose tongue is not used for slander, who do no wrong to friends; those who cast no discredit on neighbours, who look with contempt on the reprobate, but honour those who fear you; who stand by a pledge at all cost, who do not ask interest on loans, and cannot be bribed to exploit the innocent.
If they do all this, they cannot be shaken.
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 parents of Jesus found him in the temple, sitting among the doctors,
listening to them & asking them questions.
Please sing the canticle as indicated.
Cantors: Jesus went down with them to Nazareth
And lived under their authority.
Side 1: Great and wonderful are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Side 2: Just & true are your ways,
O king of the ages!
Side 1: Who shall fear & glorify your name, O Lord?
For you alone are holy.
Side 2: All nations shall come & worship you,
For your judgements 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: Jesus went down with them to Nazareth
And lived under their authority.
Lent Reading (John 7.) followed by silent personal reflection.
Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”
At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?”
The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.
Please stand to sing the Magnificat as indicated.
Cantors: When Jesus started to teach,
He was about thirty years old, being the son, as it was thought, of Joseph.
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: When Jesus started to teach,
He was about thirty years old, being the son,
as it was thought, of Joseph.
Intercessions:
Reader: In praise of Joseph we recall his humility & goodness
……………. pause ………. we pray,
All: Deliver us from harmful ambition & fill us with your
goodness.
Reader: Let us pray for all those who have a fatherly role in
the lives of others – that they may model themselves
on Joseph’s role as father of Jesus ……………. pause
………. we pray,
All: Your kingdom come.
Reader: Joseph cared for his family in an occupied land,
……………. pause ………. we pray,
All: Be merciful to those who live under occupation &
grant them freedom & peace.
Reader: Joseph did not always understand what went on in his
life but he grew in trust. ……………. pause ………. we pray,
All: May we grow in trust day by day.
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: Almighty God, at the beginning of our salvation, when Mary conceived your son & brought him forth into the world, you placed them under Joseph’s watchful care. May his prayer still help your church and all who have responsibility for others. 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: May God bless us with joy in our service.
All: Amen.
Leader: May God make us steadfast in faith, constant in hope, & untiring in love.
All: Amen.
Leader: Let us go in the peace of Christ.
All: Amen.