Opening prayer
Faithful one whose word is life:
come with saving power
to free our praise,
inspire our prayer
and shape our lives
for the kingdom of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills;
from where is my help to come?
My help comes from the Lord,
the maker of heaven and earth.
He will not suffer your foot to stumble;
he who watches over you will not sleep.
Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel
shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord himself watches over you;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
So that the sun shall not strike you by day,
neither the moon by night.
The Lord shall keep you from all evil;
it is he who shall keep your soul.
The Lord shall keep watch over your going out
and your coming in,
from this time forth for evermore.
Lord, ever watchful and faithful,
we look to you to be our defence
and we lift our hearts to know your help;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Canticle
The words that follow are the words of a very beautiful song that was written by John Bell of Iona Community as a reflection on Psalm 121. The words of the song draw us into reflection even if we pray them alone and without music or singing.
Today I awake
Today I awake and God is before me.
At night, as I dreamt, he summoned the day;
For God never sleeps but patterns the morning
With slithers of gold or glory in gray.
Today I arise and Christ is beside me.
He walked through the dark to scatter new light.
Yes, Christ is alive, and beckons his people
To hope and to heal, resist and invite.
Today I affirm the Spirit within me
At worship and work, in struggle and rest.
The spirit inspires all life which is changing
From fearing to faith, from broken to blest.
Today I enjoy the Trinity round me,
Above and beneath, before and behind;
The Maker, the Son, the Spirit together
They called me to life and call me their friend.
Philippians 4:4-9
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in prayer by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.
Prayers
In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ we pray to the Father for ourselves and each other and for the people and the needs of the world …
As we open our hearts to God, we allow our thoughts and emotions to dwell on the words of the psalm, canticle and reading …
We hold before God our own hopes and fear, needs and intentions …
We hold before God members of our families and our friends, with their own particular hopes and fears and needs and intentions at this time …
We hold before God our wider community at this time of emergency and uncertainty surrounding coronavirus, praying that we may work together for the good of all … We remember all of those who are self-isolating … We remember all those who are lonely and afraid …
We pray for our representatives, our government and our leaders, that in humility they may seek wisdom and work together for the good of all as they fulfil the weighty responsibility of their public service at this time …
We pray for the governments and leaders of the world, that they too may seek wisdom and work together for the good of all as we face the coronavirus emergency, the climate emergency and other emergencies at a global level …
We pray for those who need our prayers for healing and wholeness of body, mind and spirit, those who are known to God alone and those who have asked for our prayers … We pray that they may know the strength and consolation of Christ’s presence with them … We pray for all healthcare professionals at this time as they serve as channels of God’s loving care …
We pray for all those for whom the end of life is near … For those who have recently died, that they may rest in peace and rise in glory … For those who mourn their deaths and give thanks for their lives … For those members of our own families who have gone before us in the faith of Christ … For those whose anniversary falls at this time …
The Lord’s Prayer
Closing Prayer
In darkness and in light,
in trouble and in joy,
help us, heavenly Father,
to trust your love,
to serve your purpose,
and to praise your name;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Blessing
The Lord bless us and keep us.
Amen.
The Lord make his face to shine upon us
and be gracious to us. Amen.
The Lord lift up his countenance upon us
and give us peace. Amen.
All liturgical material is taken from Common Worship the copyright for which belongs to the Archbishops’ Council
The scripture reading is taken from NRSV
The canticle is is taken from the Iona Community and the copyright for it belongs to the Iona Community