Opening Song
Welcome
Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Let your ways be known upon earth,
your saving power among the nations.
We Say the Unity Prayer together where-ever we might be worshiping today.
Prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Lord God of our salvation,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief
your only Son was lifted up
that he might draw the whole world to himself.
May we walk this day in the way of the cross
and always be ready to share its weight,
declaring your love for all the world.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God for ever.
A Song of Lamentation
- Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? ♦
Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, - Which was brought upon me, ♦
which the Lord inflicted on the day of his fierce anger. - For these things I weep; my eyes flow with tears; ♦
for a comforter is far from me, one to revive my courage. - Remember my affliction and my bitterness, ♦
the wormwood and the gall! - But this I call to mind, ♦
and therefore I have hope: - The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, ♦
his mercies never come to an end; - They are new every morning; ♦
great is your faithfulness. - The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ♦
‘therefore I will hope in him.’ - The Lord is good to those who wait for him, ♦
to the soul that seeks him. - It is good that we should wait quietly ♦
for the salvation of the Lord. - For the Lord will not reject for ever; ♦
though he causes grief, he will have compassion, - According to the abundance of his steadfast love; ♦
for he does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone.
Lamentations 1.12, 16a,b; 3.19, 21-26, 31-33
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
This opening prayer may be said
The night has passed, and the day lies open before us;
let us pray with one heart and mind.
Silence is kept.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and for ever. Amen.
The Word of God
Psalmody
Psalm 146
Refrain: The Lord shall reign for ever.
- Alleluia.
Praise the Lord, O my soul: while I live will I praise the Lord; ♦
as long as I have any being, I will sing praises to my God. - Put not your trust in princes, nor in any human power, ♦
for there is no help in them. - When their breath goes forth, they return to the earth; ♦
on that day all their thoughts perish. R - Happy are those who have the God of Jacob for their help, ♦
whose hope is in the Lord their God; - Who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them; ♦
who keeps his promise for ever; - Who gives justice to those that suffer wrong ♦
and bread to those who hunger. R - The Lord looses those that are bound; ♦
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind; - The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; ♦
the Lord loves the righteous; - The Lord watches over the stranger in the land;
he upholds the orphan and widow; ♦
but the way of the wicked he turns upside down. - The Lord shall reign for ever, ♦
your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.
Alleluia.
Refrain: The Lord shall reign for ever.
Lord of all,
our breath and being come from you,
yet our earthly end is dust;
as you loose the bound and feed the hungry,
so bring us in your mercy through the grave and gate of death
to the feast of eternal life,
where you reign for evermore.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
Song
This week’s old and new testament readings can be found here.
At the end of each reading the reader says:
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Canticle
Refrain:
Many waters cannot quench love;
neither can the floods drown it.
- Set me as a seal upon your heart, ♦
as a seal upon your arm; - For love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave; ♦
its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame. - Many waters cannot quench love, ♦
neither can the floods drown it. - If all the wealth of our house were offered for love, ♦
it would be utterly scorned.
cf Song of Solomon 8.6, 7
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
Many waters cannot quench love;
neither can the floods drown it.
The Gospel Reading can be found here.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to John.
Glory to you, O Lord.
At the end:
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
All may sit
Sermon
Song
Gospel Canticle
The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)
Refrain:
Far be it from me to glory,
save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel, ♦
who has come to his people and set them free. - He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour, ♦
born of the house of his servant David. - Through his holy prophets God promised of old ♦
to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all that hate us, - To show mercy to our ancestors, ♦
and to remember his holy covenant. - This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham: ♦
to set us free from the hands of our enemies, - Free to worship him without fear, ♦
holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life. - And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, ♦
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, - To give his people knowledge of salvation ♦
by the forgiveness of all their sins. - In the tender compassion of our God ♦
the dawn from on high shall break upon us, - To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, ♦
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Luke 1.68-79
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
Refrain:
Far be it from me to glory,
save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ Let us pray to the Father
Prayers will include responses as led, and are on-line here
The following response may be used:
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer
or
Lord, hear us
Lord, graciously hear us
And at the end:
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Silence may be kept.
Collect
Almighty God,
who in the passion of your blessed Son
made an instrument of painful death
to be for us the means of life and peace:
grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ
that we may gladly suffer for his sake;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Standing at the foot of the cross,
as our Saviour taught us, so we pray
All Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.
Notices
Final Song
The Conclusion
May Christ, who bore our sins on the cross,
set us free to serve him with joy.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
© The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England, 2000–2005
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