Leader: O Lord, open our eyes –
All: to behold your presence.
Leader: O Lord, open our hearts –
All: to receive your love.
Leader: O Lord, open our lips –
All: and our mouths shall proclaim your praise.
Our hymn tonight comes from ‘Sacred Pathways’. Tr 7.
Be still, be still; & in creation be aware of the presence that is God; that is God.
Please sing this psalm as indicated
Cantors: Happy the one
To whom the Lord imputes no guilt.
Side 1: Blessed are those whose sin is forgiven,
The trace of whose trespass is erased.
All: (refrain) Lift my burdens from my shoulders,
For the yoke of your love is light.
Side 2: Blessed are those whom God does not blame,
In whose heart is no guile.
All: (refrain) As above.
Side 1: I kept my secret sins to myself,
I refused to bring them to the light.
All: (refrain) As above.
Side 2; My energy wasted away; my days were full of complaint;
A grumble murmuring in my ears.
All: (refrain) As above.
Side1: Night & day your hand was heavy upon me;
A parched land in the drought of summer.
All: (refrain) As above.
Side 2: Then I acknowledged my sin in your presence:
I hid no longer from myself or from you,
All: (refrain) As above.
Side 1: I said, ‘I will confess my evil to my God,’
So you released me from the evil of my sin.
All: (refrain) As above.
Side 2: In the eye of the storm, I hear the whisper of mercy,
The peace of those who are completely forgiven.
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: Happy the one
To whom the Lord imputes no guilt.
We will have a musical version of psalm 29 (30) – please join in. (S the Ps 2 .CD1 Tr 11)
(Refrain) I will praise Lord, you have rescued me, I will praise you, Lord, for your mercy;
I will praise Lord, you have rescued me, I will praise you, Lord.
I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me & have not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O Lord, you have raised my soul from the dead, restored to life from those who sink into the grave. (Refrain)
Sing psalms to the Lord, you who love him, give thanks to his holy name.
His anger lasts a moment, his favour through life. At night there are fears, but joy comes with dawn.(Refrain)
The Lord listened & had pity, the Lord came to my help.
For me you have changed my mourning into dancing. O Lord, my God, I will thank you for ever. (Refrain)
Reading: 1 Peter 1: 6-9.
This is a cause of great joy for you, even though you may for a short time have to bear being plagued by all sorts of trials; so
that, when Jesus Christ is revealed, your faith will have been tested and proved like gold – only it is more precious than gold,
which is corruptible even though it bears testing by fire – and then you will have praise & glory & honour. You did not see him,
yet you love him; and still without seeing him, you are already filled with a joy so glorious that it cannot be described,
because you believe; and you are sure of the end to which your faith looks forward, that is, the salvation of your souls.
After a few moments of silent reflection, we are invited to respond aloud to the reading – maybe with an insight, or just the repetition of a single word or phrase that is important for you, maybe relating the text or part of it to something that has happened during the day or recently.
Please stand to sing the Magnificat – from side to side.
Cantors: The Lord brought down the mighty from their seats,
And raised up the lowly.
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: The Lord brought down the mighty from their seats,
And raised up the lowly.
Intercessions:
Reader: For the gifts that we have been given, that we may discover them, and use them for God’s glory & for the benefit of other people .……. silence …….. we give you thanks,
All: (sung) Glory to God, Glory to God, Glory to our God.
Reader: For the beautiful world, that we may be wise & careful stewards .……. silence …….. we give you thanks,
All: (sung) Glory to God, Glory to God, Glory to our God.
Reader: That the climate may be favourable for those who cultivate the land here and across the world. .……. silence …….. we give you thanks,
All: (sung) Glory to God, Glory to God, Glory to our God.
Reader: That our brokenness may be the means by which we, together, become the living and visible body of Christ in this place. .……. silence …….. we give you thanks,
All: (sung) Glory to God, Glory to God, Glory to our God.
Reader: We pray for people who have died today and for those who will die tonight. We also pray for those people 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, you give the moon to illumine the night, and to dispel the darkness, you bring in the light of the day; grant that during this night we may rest peacefully & in your presence. In the morning may we rise to give you praise. 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 the God of Love dispel hatred;
All: May the God of peace bring harmony to places in confusion & conflict.
Leader: May the God of Light overwhelm dark things happening in dark places;
All: May the God of Hope inspire peacemakers.
Leader: May God bless us as we leave here tonight and may we be aware of God’s ever-loving presence wherever we go.
All: Let us go in peace to love & serve the Lord.