Leader: O God, come to our aid.
All: O Lord, make haste to help us. 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. Alleluia.
Incense is lit & we sit.
Silently or aloud, as the week begins, we may like to place before the Lord
any particular thing that you have planned during the week – or that you
know is taking place – & ask for our prayer & God’s blessing.
Please stand & join in the hymn, ‘Be still’ –
Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One, is here;
Come bow before Him now, with reverence and fear:
In Him no sin is found – we stand on holy ground.
Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One, is here;
Be still for the glory of the Lord is shining all around;
He burns with holy fire, with splendour he is crowned;
How awesome is the sight – our radiant King of light!
Be still for the glory of the Lord is shining all around
Be still for the power of the Lord is moving in this place:
He comes to cleanse and heal, to minister his grace No work too hard for him. In faith receive from him.
Be still for the power of the Lord is moving in this place:
Please sit & the psalm will be read after we have said the Antiphon together.
All: The Lord will send his mighty sceptre from Sion and he will rule for ever, alleluia!
Reader: The oracles of old exalted the king to stand at the right hand of
God. As priest & prince he was to rule not by descent but by God’s
call. The sceptre of power was placed in his hand, to shatter the
heads of his enemies. Through him God routed the armies, striding
across corpses strewn in the way. A strange world to us, faded from
view, kings riding out on horseback to conquer. The wars of our time
have tarnished the glory, the rhetoric of God, but masking our pride.
Arrogance & pride are the Gods that we follow, & even the wars we name holy or just, degrade those who wage them, reminding us all how cruel & cold the world can become. Yet as we dig deep in these words from the past, we see a vision of those who would lead: they lay on themselves the robe of the priestly, willingly weighed down by the burden of service, sacrificing themselves for the good of their land, growing in discernment & wisdom. They bring greater good from the conflicts around them, & they heal the wounds of the people.
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 will send his mighty sceptre from Sion and he will rule for
ever, alleluia!
Please sing the psalm from side to side as indicated.
Cantors: The earth trembled before the Lord,
Alleluia!
Side 1: When Israel came forth from Egypt,
Jacob’s sons from an alien people,
Side 2: Judah became the Lord’s temple,
Israel became his kingdom.
Side 1: The sea fled at the sight
The Jordan turned back on its course,
Side 2: The mountains leapt like rams,
The hills like yearling sheep.
Side 1: Why was it, sea, that you fled,
That you turned back, Jordan, on your course?
Side 2: Mountains, that you leapt like rams,
Hills like yearling sheep?
Side 1: Tremble, O earth, before the Lord,
In the presence of the God of Jacob ,
Side 2: Who turns the rock into a pool
And flint into a spring of water.
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 earth trembled before the Lord,
Alleluia!
Please say the canticle as indicated.
Cantors: The Lord is King, our God, the Almighty, alleluia!
Side 1: Alleluia, salvation and glory and honour and power belong to our
God, his judgments are true and just, alleluia!
Side 2: Alleluia, praise our God all you his servants, you who fear
him, small and great, alleluia!
Side 1: Alleluia, the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns, let us rejoice
and exult and give him the glory, alleluia!
Side 2: Alleluia, the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride
has made herself ready, alleluia!
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 King, our God, the Almighty, alleluia!
Reading: 1 Cor 1:3-4
Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the merciful Father, the God from whom all help comes! He helps us in all our troubles, so that we are able to help those who have all kinds of troubles, using the same help that we have received ourselves from God.
Silent or shared reflection ad lib
Please stand and join in the Magnificat which will be sung to the tune of. ‘Amazing Grace’ after we have said the Magnificat antiphon together.
Week 9: Lord, I am not worthy to have you under my roof; only say
the word & my servant will be healed.
Week 17: Ask & you will receive; seek & you will find; knock & the door will be opened to you, alleluia!
Week 25: No-one can serve two masters. You cannot serve both God & money.
Week 33: Your endurance will win you your lives, says the Lord.
My soul proclaims the Lord my God, my spirit sings his praise;
He looks on me, he lifts me up, and gladness fills my days.
All nations now will share my joy, His gifts he has outpoured;
His little ones he has made great; I magnify the Lord.
His mercy is for evermore; His name I praise again;
His strong right arm puts down the proud and raises lowly ones.
He fills the hungry with good things, the rich he sends away.
The promise made to Abraham fulfilled by him each day.
Magnificat, Magnificat, Magnificat, praise God;
Magnificat, Magnificat, Magnificat, praise God.
Repeat spoken antiphon as above.
Intercessions:
Reader: In our hurt & pain & that of those living around us,
A moment of reflection.
All (sung): O Lord heal us, O Lord, heal us, in your mercy hear our
prayer.
Reader: In our struggle & our chaos – in the struggle & chaos of our world
A moment of reflection followed by sung response as above.
Reader: In our personal wars & conflicts – in those of our world
A moment of reflection followed by sung response as above.
Reader: We pray for people who have died today, for those who will die
tonight, and we also remember in prayer those whose anniversaries
occur tomorrow, remembering especially:
Pause for people to add silently or aloud any further intentions.
Leader begins the Our Father.
Leader: Lord God, protector of those who hope in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing holy, support us always with your love. Guide us so to use the good things of this world that even now we may hold fast to what endures for ever. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.
All: Amen
All: May God bless us as we leave here tonight & may we be
aware of God’s everlasting presence wherever we go. Amen.