Brief silence to quiet our hearts and to acknowledge that Christ is among us.
V. O God, come to my assistance.
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
V. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
R. as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen
O Christ, salvation’s Sun divine,
Within our hearts let justice shine;
With light all darkness drive away
And give the world a better day.
In this, the season set apart,
Bestow on us a contrite heart,
And grant us even greater grace
Than we might hope you would impart.
May heaven and earth aloud proclaim
The Trinity’s almighty Name;
As we restored to grace rejoice
In newness both of heart and voice. Amen.
Ant. As I live, says the Lord God, I swear I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather in their conversion, that we may live.
A prayer for mercy: a pilgrimage song
To you have I lifted up my eyes,
you who dwell in the heavens;
my eyes, like the eyes of slaves
on the hand of their lords.
Like the eyes of a servant
on the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes are on the Lord our God
till he show us his mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
We are filled with contempt.
Indeed all too full in our soul
with the scorn of the rich.
(the disdain of the proud).
Thanksgiving for protection: a pilgrimage song
“If the Lord had not been on our side,”
this is Israel’s song.
“If the Lord had not been on our side
when they rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive
when their anger was kindled.
Then would the waters have engulfed us,
the torrent gone over us;
over our head would have swept
the raging waters.”
Blessed be the Lord who did not give us
a prey to their teeth!
Our life, like a bird, has escaped
from the snare of the fowler.
Indeed the snare has been broken
and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Unshakable trust: a pilgrimage song
Those who put their trust in the Lord
are like Mount Zion, that cannot be shaken,
that stands for ever.
Jerusalem! The mountains surround her;
so the Lord surrounds his people
both now and for ever.
The sceptre of the wicked shall not rest
over the land of the just
for fear that the hands of the just
should turn to evil.
Do good, Lord, to those who are good,
to the upright of heart;
but the crooked and those who do evil,
drive them away!
On Israel, peace!
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
Ant. As I live, says the Lord God, I swear I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather in their conversion, that we may live.
Return to the LORD your God, and you and your children obey him with all your heart and with all your soul, just as I am commanding you today, then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on your, gathering you again from all the peoples among whom the LORD your God has scattered you.
V. Turn away your face from my sins.
R. And blot out all my guilt.
(from the None Office)
Lord our God, you have called us to serve you and to love you; re-create us in the image of your Son, and direct our steps by the guidance of your Spirit, so that our life may proclaim your praises both now and for ever. Amen.
—Time for prayer, with a particular focus on KLC—
At the end of each petition please say, “Lord in your mercy…”
and the rest of us will respond, “… hear our prayer.”
from Today’s Sacred Space
Presence
“Come to me all you who are burdened and I will give you rest”. (Matthew 11:28). Here I am, Lord. I come to seek Your presence. I long for Your healing power.
Freedom
Lord, I pray for Your gift of freedom.
May Your Holy Spirit
guide those in power to work for
true justice for all Your people.
Consciousness
Help me, Lord, to be more conscious of Your presence.
Teach me to recognise Your presence in others.
Fill my heart with gratitude for the times Your Love has been shown to me through the care of others.
The Word of God
“If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies on my behalf, and I know that his testimony to me is true. You sent messengers to John, and he testified to the truth. Not that I accept such human testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But I have a testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father has given me to complete, the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified on my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen his form, and you do not have his word abiding in you, because you do not believe him whom he has sent.
“You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life, and it is they that testify on my behalf. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life. I do not accept glory from humans. But I know that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the one who alone is God?, Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But if you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?”
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)
“Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.”
Reader: The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Response: Thanks be to you, Lord Christ.
Inspiration
What we do defines who and what we are more than any words we may use. Jesus told Pilate that he had come to witness to the truth. He did this not only through what he preached but even more by what he did. ‘The very works that I am doing testify to me.’ Jesus told us that his disciples are those who do the will of his Father, not those who call out, ‘Lord, Lord.’ We ask God to help us to be true to the name of his Son and to ourselves by how we live.
In his love for his enemies Jesus tried hard to save them but they deliberately closed their ears and hearts to him. To reject Jesus Christ is to reject the One who sent him. Here Jesus tells them, ‘I know you do not have the love of God in you.’ Let us pray for a greater love of God.
Conversation
Conversation requires talking and listening.
As I talk to Jesus may I also learn to be still and listen.
I picture the gentleness in His eyes and the smile full of love as He gazes on me. I can be totally honest with Jesus as I tell Him of my worries and my cares.
I will open up my heart to Him as I tell Him of my fears and my doubts. I will ask Him to help me to place myself fully in His care, to abandon myself to Him, knowing that He always wants what is best for me.
—A time of silence—
Amen
May the cross of your Son, Lord God, keep us from being halfhearted and evasive. Repentant, we shall welcome your Holy Spirit, who wishes to fashion us after the image of Jesus, our Lord. Amen
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen
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