Leader: We pray that in this holiest of weeks, we may come to
a new understanding of the events we call to mind each
day. We ask that this will lead us to live our lives more
in the pattern of that of Jesus. Let us pray in the
name of the Father, Son & Spirit.
All: Amen.
Let us listen to a chorale from Bach’s St Matthew’s Passion
(The Life of Christ CD)
Please sing the antiphon & psalm as indicated:
All: He had no beauty, no majesty to draw our eyes, no
grace to make us delight in him.
Side 1: Hear, O daughter, & see; turn your ear,
Forget your people & your father’s house.
Side 2: So shall the king desire your beauty;
For he is your God, & the God you must worship.
Side 1: All glorious is the king’s daughter as she enters;
Her raiment is threaded with spun gold.
Side 2: In embroidered apparel she is borne in to the king;
Behind her the virgins of her train are brought to you.
Side 1: They are borne in with gladness & joy;
They enter the palace of the king.
Side 2: The place of your fathers, your sons shall have;
You shall make them princes through all the land.
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: He had no beauty, no majesty to draw our eyes, No grace to make us delight in him.
Please say the contemporary canticle as indicated.
All: I will grant him very many people as his own for
surrendering himself to death.
Reader: God of intimacy & justice, drawing close to warm us to
life, restoring relationships battered & torn, we praise
& thank you that you call us – to open our hearts in
compassion, to bear the cost of the rightings of
wrongs. You have chosen us & we delight in you. You
embrace us with joy & we respond in deep pleasure.
All: You bring your spirit to life in us, the fountain of
life from wells deep within. You open our eyes to a
vision of justice, our ears to the word that will never let go.
Reader: May we be too courteous to bruise a bruised reed, too
gentle to snuff out a flickering flame. Never wavering,
never giving up, let us make justice shine in every land,
planting it throughout the whole world, as far as the
islands that wait & yearn. You have called us to serve
the cause of justice, you have grasped us by the hand,
sealing your covenant, giving us courage & strength,
enlightening us to be beacons of hope.
All: You have called us to open eyes that are blind, to
bring prisoners out of their dungeons, to set free
the oppressed from the tyrants, to heal the
stigmatised by the common touch.
Reader: O, the terrifying cost of a morsel of justice! O, the
rage of the powerful that beats upon the flesh! Praise
to the judge of all the world, restoring & reconciling,
embracing the pain. We have seen a new thing in our
midst, the glory that shines through the darkness of the cross.
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: I will grant him very many people as his own, for
surrendering himself to death.
Reading (Isaiah 42.) followed by time for personal reflection.
“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope.” This is what our God says- the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: “I, your God, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the prison those who sit in darkness.
Please sing the Magnificat as indicated.
Cantors: As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of God be lifted up,
So that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
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 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: As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so
must the Son of God be lifted up,
So that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
Intercessions:
Reader: Son of God, you suffered from knowing that one of your friends would betray you. We pray for all those who feel they can’t trust their friends…….. silence ….. in confidence we say,
All: We trust in you.
Reader: Son of God, you were denied by someone in whom you had much faith. We pray that we may never be frightened to speak the truth. …….. silence ….. in confidence we say,
All: We trust in you.
Reader: Son of God, you were judged. Help us not to make judgments on others. …….. silence ….. in confidence we say,
All: We trust in you.
Reader: We pray for people who have died today and for those who will die tonight. We also remember those whose anniversaries of death occur tomorrow, remembering especially:
Pause for people to add silently or aloud any intentions.
Leader begins the Our Father….
Leader: Generous God, grant that we who are constantly betrayed by our own weakness, may draw the breath of new life from the passion & death of your only-begotten Son. 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: The God of Hope fill us all with joy & peace in believing; & the blessing of God, Father Son and Spirit, be among us & remain with us always.
All: Amen.